Archive for the ‘Case studies’ Category
« Older Entries |Business Thinking SW winner: Burts Potato Chips
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Following its nomination as a South West England regional finalist and Thought Exchange visit to the UAE Burts Potato Chips has been declared a regional winner in the HSBC Business Thinking initiative.
In little more than a decade, Burts Potato Chips co-founder Nick Hurst has taken the Devon-based firm from a niche snack producer to an exporter selling crisps to 28 overseas markets.
Read more: The Telegraph
Posted in Food and drink, Latest news | Comments Off
Taw Valley Creamery
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
The Taw Valley Creamery forms part of the larger Milk Link group, the UK’s largest cheese manufacturer, employing over 1,200 staff in total.
Milk Link is the most progressive integrated dairy business and is owned by more than 1600, British dairy farmers. The majority of these members are based in the South West of England. In 2010/11 all of their members were independently accredited to the Assured Dairy Farm Standard, demonstrating that they produce milk to the highest standards of food safety and animal welfare. Their farmer membership is made up of a range of farms – large farms of 200+ cows, small farms of 30 cows, organic farms and traditional dairy 
farms. The combined members produce around 12% of total milk supply in Britain and in 2010/11 Milk Link generated a turnover of £586m.
The Taw Valley Creamery has been producing award winning cheese since 1974. They produce a full range of award-winning Cheddars, Red Leicester, Double Gloucester and Reduced Fat cheese. At the 2010 Nantwich International Cheese Show, it was awarded 16 gold awards. 
Taw Valley is also the home of Tickler, it’s fabulous extra mature cheddar named Supreme Champion at the 2008 Royal Welsh Show. At the Devon County Show in 2011, Taw Valley mature cheddar was named Supreme Champion Cheese for the first time at this event.
As well as the products which Taw Valley supply in their own Creamery shop they also provide bespoke recipes for a number of high street retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, Iceland & Booker.
Website: Taw Valley Creamery
Posted in Case studies, Food and drink, Manufacturing | Comments Off
Peninsula Bioventures
Monday, November 14th, 2011
Peninsula Bioventures has been set up in Devon to exploit the intellectual property arising from biomedical research carried out with the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry and its founding partners, the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter.
Our focus is to help in the translational process of turning innovative medical research into positive public health benefits by working with industry and other collaborative partners.
There are several active research group that focus on the core PCMD research themes of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risk and Ageing, Neuroscience, Health Services Research and Environment and Human Health. Peninsula Bioventures provide the expertise to support the transfer of knowledge and technology through collaboration, licensing and potential creation of new companies.
Website: Peninsula Bioventures
Posted in Bio-tech and pharmaceutical, Case studies, Knowledge intensive businesses | Comments Off
The Old Bag Company
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Sitting on her local beach in 2005 with her 5 children surrounded by carrier bags, entrepreneur Sally decided she needed a practical beach bag so she went home and designed one! She named each ranges after her children, they model the bags and inside each bag is a message from the children giving the products and company real personality.
The Old Bag Company appeals to yummy mummies by offering a stylish, well made, well priced product which is sold through small independent retailers, it’s phenominal success means it sold all over the country in “must have” locations, those whose customers are looking for something “new and different”.
Since the first days of beach bags Sally has gone on to design a q
uality range of everyday bags, baby changing bag, leather bags, laptop bags, purses, scarves and beach towels. Ensuring that all designs turn into good quality products at affordable prices has earned The Old Bag Company a solid reputation for “must have” products that are both practical and funky.
The Old Bag Company have won numerous awards and Sally herself has won awards as a business women giving national exposure to a growing business. Sally has involvement with local Women’s Business Groups and is regularly asked to speak at events as an inspirational business women. Her reaction to this is as an ordinary mother of 5 having a good idea and the determination, drive, self believe and courage to turn this into a growing successful business then anyone can.
The Old Bag Company has been featured in numerous national and regional magazines and newspapers and also featured on ITV Westcounty, BBC Spotlight, Radio 4 and the Old Bags have been in The Big Brother House!
Self belief is something Sally recognizes as an essential ingredient in driving her business forward. Networking is also a very powerful way of promoting the brand and never goes anywhere without her business cards!
Winner of the ‘Women Do Business Programme Award – Business Woman of The Year 2011’.
Website: The Old Bag Company
Posted in Case studies, Creative industries, Manufacturing | Comments Off
Venus Company
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
The Venus Company operates Venus Cafes at the beaches of Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth and Bigbury On Sea, and a new Café at Dartington near Totnes, all in South Devon.
When co-founders, Michael and Louisa Smith with Lee Porter, started
the business in 1995, the mission was to be the greenest beach café and shop operator. The Venus Company’s ethos is to ensure that customer’s needs are balanced carefully with environmental and social considerations. Venus has consistently integrated environmental and social care into every business decision in support of its business mission. The company strives to minimise any harmful effects and maximise the beneficial influences of its activities on the environment and the community.
Today the company serves local and organic produce to over 850,
000 customers a year and spends approximately £650,000 per annum on local goods and services. Venus turnover tops the £2.0m mark employs 27 core employees and a further 45 seasonal staff and part time summer catering staff.
Today Michael Smith, managing director, explains ‘with steady business growth and a string of top awards, crowned by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Sustainable Development in 2005 and again in 2010, it is a testament to the company’s achievements’.
Website: Venus Company
Posted in Case studies, Food and drink, Tourism services | Comments Off
Waveguide Solution
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
Based in Newton Abbot, The Waveguide Solution develops and manufactures an unrivalled range of precision waveguide systems and waveguide components for the military radar, medical, aerospace and communication industries worldwide.
The Waveguide Solution is spread over 2 buildings providing a 17,000ft² centre of excellence for waveguide manufacture. The site also has dedicated microwave testing facilities, assembly areas, mechanical inspection areas and a comprehensive machining and fabrication facility.
This modern facility enables a fast, consistent standard of production, accurate quality control and optimal manufacturing flow. The company is approved to ISO 9001:2008 and is proud to offer a complete solution from initial design through construction to final installation and test. They have recently completed the manufacture and on-site trials of the waveguide systems of HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless and HMS Astute to name a few.
Website: Waveguide Solution
Posted in Case studies, Knowledge intensive businesses, Manufacturing | Comments Off
South Devon Chilli Farm
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
Jason Nickels and Steve Waters, together with their families, run the South Devon Chilli Farm. They have been growing chillies on an increasingly large scale since 2003 when they left their jobs in IT and decided to set up the chilli farm.
Since its launch the chilli farm has seen fantastic growth, both in terms of plantings and national, and increasingly, international demand. Jason and Steve now employ 12 staff members and grow over 10,000 chilli plants each year, harvesting tonnes of fresh chillies as a result. The majority of the chillies are used in their delicious range of chilli sauces, preserves and chilli chocolate. As well as being sold on-site and on their website, they also supply many outlets in the West Country, nationwide and further afield.
Earlier this year Jason and Steve opened the doors to a new chilli
themed farm shop and café. This new venture is unique in the country as it gives visitors the chance to come and explore around the chilli farm and sample the wide range of products on offer. The cafe, which is positioned with lovely views over the farm, extends the visitor experience by offering a mouth-watering selection of dishes for lunch. It also makes an excellent venue for both business meetings and informal get togethers over coffee.
Their growth as a company has been well documented in the media with numerous features in national newspapers as well as TV appearances on BBC Gardeners’ World, BBC Country File, ITV, West Country TV and UKTV Food. They are also recommended by Jamie Oliver as a supplier of chillies. Tom Parker-Bowles, food writer and confirmed chilli lover has also recommended their products in his regular Mail on Sunday column.
Website: South Devon Chilli Farm
Posted in Case studies, Food and drink | Comments Off
HepcoMotion
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Hepco Slides System Limited, a member of the Hepco Group of Companies, was formed in 1969 and is one of the world’s foremost innovators and manufacturers in the field of Linear Motion Technology. They originated the V guide principle and have spent the last 42 years developing it to meet the needs of today’s automation and general industrial markets.
The company is now known trades as HepcoMotion and offers a broad product range, which is constantly updated, based on market need. Their objective is to offer solutions to satisfy any linear motion requirement. Research and development is very important to HepcoMotion and they have a long-term commitment to re-invest a substantial percentage of turnover in the development of new products and product updates.
HepcoMotion has full ISO 9001 quality accreditation operating globally from their UK Headquarter and main manufacturing facility in Tiverton, Mid Devon. They first started exporting in 1975 and opened its first branch covering Benelux in 1983. They now have a network of branch offices and highly trained approved distributors cover most of the industrialised world. Branch offices are located in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Korea and new distributors are constantly being sought to service newly emerging industrial markets.
In addition to designing and manufacturing Linear Motion Systems, Hepco is in partnership with a number of high quality worldwide manufacturing companies. They act as exclusive UK distributor for a number of companies involved in Linear Motion and mechanical components complementary to the Hepco range. This means that they can satisfy a diverse range of customer requests. Their aim is to offer integrated packages of components, which automation designers can specify with complete confidence in their quality, reliability and longevity test.
Website: HepcoMotion
Posted in Case studies, Manufacturing | Comments Off
TDK-Lambda
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Since 1948 TDK-Lambda has been a global leader in the development and manufacture of AC-DC power supplies and DC-DC converters. They have power conversion products suitable for a diverse range of 
applications including medical, broadcasting, life sciences, LED lighting, renewable energies, transportation, information technology, factory automation, defence and avionics, test and measurement and particle physics research. They offer an extensive range of AC-DC power supplies, DC-DC converters, programmable power supplies and EMC/EMI filters.
TDK-Lambda is the second largest employer in Ilfracombe with an annual turnover of £40 million generated by 321 employees.
Website: TDK-Lambda
Posted in Case studies, Knowledge intensive businesses, Manufacturing | Comments Off
Goodridge
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Since Goodridge was founded in 1969, it has evolved from a single seat race team in Canada, to a globally recognised leader in fluid transfer systems.
Stuart Goodridge, the founder of the company, moved to Canada after he finished school in the UK. It was there that he started his motor racing career. Having achieved significant racing success he formed his own racing team, DGR Racing, with two friends. It was while still racing that Stuart started his own high performance brake lines eventually supplying them and other racing parts to rival race teams. At the age of 23 he decided to come back to the UK to start his own company and moved to Totnes in Devon where his mother lived. He borrowed £50 from his brother to buy an ‘off the shelf’ company and set up business on his mother’s kitchen table, making brake lines as the orders came in from small ads placed in motoring press. Over the years the kitchen table enterprise turned into a global brand and is now recognised as the worlds leading supplier of high performance fluid transfer systems.
The Goodridge headquarters are at Exeter Airport Business Park, where the firm has been based since 1988. In 2010 it invested in a new manufacturing facility in Sowton, investing in state of the art computer controlled machinery.
It operates in the automotive, motorcycle, motorsport, defence and specialist industrial sectors. This dynamic private company manufactures in ten facilities globally and supplies customers around the world with a unique combination of design, innovation, reliability and outstanding service. Goodridge has a turnover of over £30 million with 80+ staff in Exeter and 300+ worldwide. It has subsidiaries in the US, Mexico, Spain, France, Germany and Holland.
Customers include Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, defence company BAE systems and a host of Formula One teams. Goodridge was the winner of the 2005 Motorsport Industry Association ‘Business of the Year’ award.
Website: Goodridge
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