Direct Engineering & Site Services Ltd

Direct Engineering & Site Services Limited is a well-established engineering business providing a range of services including fabrication, sheet metal, CNC machining, laser cutting, pipework installation and silo manufacture across a wide range of industries.  Established back in 1997, the company has experienced substantial growth following continual investment in machinery, equipment and staff.

Why engage with Invest to Grow?

Direct Engineering & Site Services approached Invest to Grow for support with the upgrade of a fibre laser machine.  The existing 20-year-old machine was outdated, inefficient and costing the company a significant amount of money in repairs, maintenance and downtime.  Having investigated various options of support for this expenditure, the Invest to Grow funding enabled the company to purchase a new Fibre Laser machine sooner than previously planned. 

Louise Clifford, Managing Director commented “The timing of the funding was critical.  Without the funding, we would likely have had to delay the investment due to existing finance commitments on a new milling machine, alongside wider economic pressures such as increases in minimum wage and National Insurance costs”.

What has been the impact of Invest to Grow?

The loan and grant funding has proved invaluable for Direct Engineering & Site Services.  The new fibre laser has not only helped improve productivity, with cutting speeds more than tripling, it has also enabled the business to become more competitive in their pricing and improved overall efficiency.  In addition, the company is now saving on subcontracting costs as they now have the in-house facility to cut material 250% thicker than previously. .  Further cost and carbon emission savings have been made as the new machine is more energy efficient, using less power while delivering significantly increased output. 

Louise stated “The new machine has also reduced our energy costs and enabled us to keep more work in-house, reducing lead times for customers and allowing us to target new business opportunities with greater confidence.

Following this initial support from Invest to Grow, the company is looking to engage further with the University of Derby over the coming months, through graduate recruitment opportunities for design and engineering roles within the business.

This is the company’s second experience of working with the Delivery Team having previously been recipients of Green Entrepreneurs Programme funding for the installation of solar panels at their Chesterfield site.  The company described this as a positive experience stating the team could not have been more helpful.