Scottish prototyping and 3D-printing company Angus 3D Solutions is investing more than £165,000 in new people, equipment and bigger premises to enable it to achieve turnover growth of 20%+ by the end of 2023.
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The Brechin-based firm, led by oil and gas manufacturing veteran Andy Simpson, has started implementing its new growth plan with its first apprentice, 18-year-old local school leaver Ritchie Webster, beginning his four-year Modern Apprenticeship in Additive & Subtractive Manufacturing at Dundee & Angus College next Monday (August 1).
Modern Apprentice
He’s been gaining work experience at Angus 3D Solutions since September last year after contacting the firm. That’s grown from work experience Fridays to holiday work and then full-time after he left school last month. Ritchie will work four days a week at the business with one day at Dundee & Angus College for the first three years of his apprenticeship, moving to five days within the business in the final year.
Andy was keen to help him get into the industry early as he got his own start in manufacturing through a local apprenticeship. He expects the cost of the apprenticeship over four years to be in the region of £65,000. The business’s return on investing in Ritchie will be the new skills and knowledge he can bring to it and its customers as a result.
Bigger premises
Andy hopes to take on another new member of staff in October or November – when he plans to move to larger premises at the town’s Montrose Road Industrial Estate in order to increase manufacturing space by 250% and allow him to invest £100,000 in more equipment and improvements to its manufacturing processes.
The acquisition of a water jet cutter earlier this year with an £8,000 BIG Fund grant from Angus Council – to cut any material for Angus 3D Solutions’ own clients and give access to that capability to other local small businesses – highlighted the space limitations at its existing council-owned units in Brechin Business Centre, where it’s been based since it launched in January 2017.
Angus 3D Solutions supports multiple industries in Scotland and beyond – from manufacturing, medical and oil & gas to horticulture automation, transport, aviation and satellite launch projects. Its clients include W.L. Gore Ltd, Johnstons of Elgin, Intelligent Growth Solutions and a Formula 1 team.
Increased capabilities
Speaking about the growth-focused changes, Andy Simpson said: “I’m delighted to be able to create local jobs as part of my new growth plan, which aims to take our turnover past £400,000 by the end of 2023.
“Aside from passing on the crucial career start I once received myself, having Ritchie doing his Modern Apprenticeship while working with us will allow us to develop our capabilities further through him – specifically additional cutting-edge skills in Additive Manufacturing (3D-printing).
“While we’re grateful for the excellent support we’ve had from Angus Council over the years, the larger premises at Montrose Road Industrial Estate are better suited to our current and future needs and will enable us to increase production capacity to realise our forecast growth.”
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