Powering growth: how to give your business the energy to expand

There's no getting away from it – metal plating is an energy-intensive and environmentally challenging process, involving acids, zinc, chromium, nickel and heavy metals. That's why in 2008, after 30 years in business, Coventry-based Foleshill Plating Co Ltd, moved into a new market, installing its first cathodic electro-coating line.

The result is the same: effective protection against weathering and corrosion. But instead of dipping items in a bath of molten metal, the new technique involves several precisely applied coats of advanced high-tech paint, which are chemically bonded to the original surface and then baked hard.

A second production line was added in 2011, and e-coating now accounts for over 90 per cent of the company's business. Since launching in the automotive sector in 2013, Foleshill's customer list now includes the likes of JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley.

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While such growth is a real success story, it also presented some challenges.

"We found ourselves faced with a choice: to move forward or really step back," says Chris Waterhouse, the company's technical director. The decision was made to expand significantly.

A new 16,560 sq ft facility increased Foleshill's footprint by more than 80 per cent and enabled the company to boost production capacity by 120 per cent. The expansion was assisted by a grant for nearly £270,000 from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, which is supported by the government's Regional Growth Fund.

An expansion of that scale requires careful planning – not least around power consumption. As Foleshill relies on temperatures of 160C on its painting line, energy is a big issue, and the company got in touch with E.ON for an in-depth discussion of its needs.

"E.ON were very thorough with their analysis and quotation process," Waterhouse said. "We were advised that we needed to upgrade our power supply by 500kW. They put in a new transformer, which has two 11KV switches and means that we now have, effectively, three isolatable supplies."

At the same time, the company installed energy-efficient equipment, including soft-start motors, which come up to operating speed gradually, and the painting line's gas-fired heating was replaced with a hot water boiler system.

"We have ten motors running at a variety of loads," Waterhouse explains. "Soft-start means that we don't over-demand electricity, so we don't suffer penalties."

Production can be monitored from anywhere with an internet connection, but the real benefits became clear when the company put a number on its energy consumption. "We've boosted capacity by 120 per cent and we're processing production more quickly," Waterhouse says, "but our energy needs have gone up by only 20 per cent."

E.ON has a comprehensive checklist for all businesses thinking of expanding. "About 20 per cent of our new business customers are new starters, companies being created in the new economy," says Matthew Barrow, E.ON's business development manager. "But the majority of our customer requests come from the expansion of current business."

Matthew advises that any business considering expansion should consider the following points:

• Determine how much power you need, today and tomorrow – so build in future requirements.
• Think about timescales; a big site or an installation in a complex thoroughfare might take nine months or more.
• Be clear on WHY you want it – very few businesses are the same; we're very happy to take the time to talk through real needs and to ensure the right solution.
• We acknowledge that the process can be complex but it sometimes has to be; getting the solution right, first time, takes time.
• We can manage the process all the way through from site visits and technical specifications to customer liaison, installation and can even help to maximise working capital.

E.ON's Connection Services team cover both electricity and gas infrastructure, including new connections, disconnections, power upgrades, service alterations and outlet pipework, as well as gas meter installs, upgrades and removals.

Get in touch by calling 0330 400 1721 (Mon – Thurs 8am – 5pm, Fri 8am – 4.30pm) or email siteworks@eon-uk.com. You can also find out more at www.eonenergy.com/connectionservices.