Ilkeston, UK – FC Laser, a UK laser-cutting business, is investing a six-figure sum on new machinery and increasing its workforce by a third after securing grant funding. The company has been approved for a £66,000 (US$105,000) grant from the Local Enterprise Partnership D2N2, which will go toward the purchase and installation of a £320,000 ($509,000) laser cutting machine. It will be the company's second such machine, providing additional capacity that has already created four new jobs, boosting staff numbers from 12 to 16. As well as laser cutting for aerospace, motorsport, and general engineering, the company offers associated fabrication services to industry.
FC Laser managing director Danny Fantom said: "Without the grant from D2N2's UI4G programe, we wouldn't have had this new machine this early. When you are operating with just one machine, you are vulnerable in case it breaks down and all production stops. The grant has helped purchase a second laser-cutting machine and it takes away that vulnerability. It helps secure new contracts and new customers, allowing us to continue to grow our business. It has been a very worthwhile process and allowed us to move forward and create jobs much sooner than expected."
"FC Laser is a young, ambitious business and has demonstrated an ability to grow in a short space of time and the ability to create sustainable jobs," said D2N2 chief executive David Ralph. "This grant has helped to purchase a second laser-cutting machine, cutting out down-time and the reliance on one machine, which can eradicate the potential risk of failure to deliver on contracts and also enable them to expand their customer base.The company might be in its infancy but it is a rapidly growing, highly-geared business which, with the help of UI4G, has bridged the funding gap to make this project happen, with new jobs created immediately and more expected in coming years."
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