Manufacturers hit new heights with expansion

Printing press manufacturer Heights and electric radiator manufacturer Heat Electric, which was spun out of Heights in 2007, are expanding their office and factory facilities on their sites in the village of Wainstalls, in Halifax.

Heat Electric manufactures electric, water-filled radiators at its purpose-built factory. The radiators, which are made as an alternative to gas central-heating radiators, are supplied to consumers under the name Easy Heat and to social housing projects, developers, and local authorities for schools, colleges and libraries as Heat Electric.

The company, which was previously based in the same building as Heights, moved into its own 15,000 sq ft building on the same site last month after investing £200,000 in refurbishing a 100-year-old building.

The company, which has a turnover of £1.1m and employs 13 people, has grown 20 per cent year-on-year but it believes the expansion will lead to a growth in sales of up to 40 per cent this year and enable the company to reach a £1.6m turnover. It plans to employ up to seven new staff later this year.

David Garrity, managing director of both businesses, said: “Heat Electric is a seasonal business with most of the demand in August to April so we usually take on temporary staff at peak times.

“We are now at a point where we want to take on more permanent production, assembly and distribution staff and build up shift patterns to keep up with demand in the winter months.”

He added: “The new production facility will make a big difference. We receive a number of visitors and they previously came to a building that was largely taken up by a different company, which looked like we were under the wing of a larger entity.

“Having our own building gives us our own identity and frees up space for Heights to expand.”

Heat Electrics’ radiator system uses water-filled pump technology powered by electricity which the company says has all the benefits of central heating but none of the hassle or set-up costs.

Mr Garrity added: “The more people are aware of the product the easier it is to sell it. It’s a very good alternative to gas. It looks like gas central heating and works in the same manner.”

Heat Electric is also investing in research and development to improve the basic product it sells. “We have a number of developments that allow you to switch on any radiator at any time at any temperature using radio frequency signals,” said Mr Garrity. “All that controlability gives additional advantages over gas central heating. We are also developing smart metering products to monitor energy consumption.”

Meanwhile, Heat Electric is also embarking on an export drive. The company already exports to ex-pats in Cyprus, Spain, New Zealand and the Middle East but it is now looking to expand into northern Europe.

It says its current overseas market comes from ex-pats buying holiday homes with marble floors that get cold at night and during the winter who don’t want to splash out on an expensive boiler.

Mr Garrity said: “The countries we currently export to have very cold evenings and winters. We haven’t really driven that growth abroad because the demand has come from ex-pats.

“We export about five per cent of our products at the moment but we are looking to drive growth abroad, particularly in northern Europe, places like France and Germany where they use products that are similar to the ones that we manufacture. We are working with UK Trade and Investment to investigate the correct markets to target.”

Heights, which supplies graphic arts products and has a £12m turnover, is also expanding and is currently seeking planning permission for two new factories on the site totalling up to 36,000 sq ft, which it hopes to build next year, creating up to 33 new jobs.

The move into electric heaters came after Heights realised that the plate technology for Heat Electric’s radiators was similar to that used for the printing presses. The management team recognised the short life expectancy in print process manufacturing and the need to diversify so it invested heavily in research and development to bring to market a product that can be radio-controlled, making it as flexible as possible.

It isn’t the first change of direction for Heights, which switched to manufacturing printing presses 19 years ago to complement its design business.

In 2006, Heights bought its major competitor, Brighouse firm Easy Heat, which sells to consumers through direct marketing, while Heat Electric, formerly known as Integrated Heating Supplier, distributes through builders’ wholesalers

A tale of two companies

HEIGHTS was established in 1974 as an engineering design company and, in the years following, success came in manufacturing a range of innovative equipment, primarily in the graphic arts market.

By the mid-Nineties, the company had become an international supplier of graphic arts equipment, and in 1999 was acquired by Global Graphics SA, returning to private ownership in 2002 when it was re-acquired by its previous owners and founders. It currently has manufacturing operations in England, the US and China.

Heights developed a new electric radiator system, and the firm, which became Heat Electric, was spun out in 2007 as a separate company.