Plans for growth see Heyworth Timber branch out into region

A TIMBER engineering company which is looking to nearly double its head count over the next 18 months will soon be moving to premises in Yorkshire as part of its growth plans.

Heywood Timber Engineering, which is currently based in Lancashire, will move to a larger site at the Alumex industrial estate in Halifax in March.

Turnover and profitability was “badly hit” with the recession, said financial director Andrew Phillips, with annual turnover standing at £250,000 to February 2011. However, it is expected to have quadrupled to near £1m for the year to February 2012, with pre-tax profits of around £100,000, said Jonathan Mayo, managing director. This year, turnover should reach close to £2m, he added.

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The pair, both from Huddersfield, got involved in the business in November 2010, injecting it with working capital. The firm manufactures and supplies roof trusses, as well as metal web and I-Beam floor joists, components that underpin the structure of a house. Its customers include regional building companies and local merchants.

Mr Mayo said: “The reason we are doing so well is that we are competitively priced but most importantly we have a great focus on customer service. We never let a customer down.”

Up to 10 people in sales, design and manufacturing are expected to be recruited over the next 18 months by the company, which currently has a head count of 11.

Mr Mayo, who has owned a string of businesses, said when he joined the company it was struggling. He said this was partly due to the state of the market, but also as the result of a lack of an “aggressive sales approach”.

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Mr Mayor added: “Putting in a sales structure to the business and bringing in new customers and new orders to the business was all we needed to do. The engineering and customer service were things they already did very well. We have given the business a commercial edge.” Initially, the firm recruited experienced sales staff, but is now looking for graduate trainees.

Mr Mayo said its move to new premises at Halifax will “rejuvenate” that part of the town, which at present is “a desolate demolition site”, he added. Halifax has good motorway links which will be of benefit to the business, said Mr Mayo.

He explained the company is building purpose-built offices, and investing in a new IT system, as well as new machines, which will triple the number of roof trusses that can be produced at any one time.

Mr Mayo said: “We are planning to grow the business organically in a controlled manner from within. We will always make sure we never let a customer down and run the business retaining close to a 10 per cent net profit year on year.” The plan is to hit the £5m turnover mark within five years.

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In terms of its products, Mr Mayo said the business is now doing timber frame buildings, and moving more towards metal web as more customers are specifying it.

Commenting on the state of the housing market, Mr Mayo said he believes there are “some green shoots”, adding: “People are starting to build this year, more aggressively than last year, but only slightly. We expect this pace to increase as the year goes on. It will be another difficult year but nowhere near as bad as previous years.”

The company, which was established in 2004, was previously called Heywood Rooftruss, but the name was changed following a rebranding exercise. Mr Mayo and Mr Phillips, together with founders Mark Mullarkey, operations director, who is also from Huddersfield, and John Saxon, technical director, own the company.

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