Productivity spike leads to growth

A glass engineering company based in Chessington has achieved ‘landmark’ growth, after seeing a 30% increase in productivity.

Structura, which has an annual turnover of £15 million, designs and manufactures a range of curtainwall products including roofs and canopies for a range of clients including Guys and St Thomas’s NHS Trust, Heathrow Airport and The National Archives.

The company is looking to expand its client base and increase its product range after securing an asset finance facility from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking to upgrade its IT system.

The funding facility has also supported the purchase of a computorised double headed saw, which has increased the speed of aluminium cutting in the manufacture process, growing Structura’s output levels by 20%.

Through increasing its efficiency, the company now has the capacity to expand its presence across the education, transport and leisure sectors.

Structura is now working with new translucent wall and roofing material Kalwall to secure future projects. It currently employs 96 staff and is looking to hire more technicians to support its growth.

Vanessa Spires, relationship manager for manufacturing in the south east, said: “The manufacturing and engineering industry is highly competitive and companies need the best facilities behind them. Structura is experiencing rapid growth in its field and the tailored support package we’ve provided will deliver lasting benefits for the firm.”

Rob Sanders, co-founder and director of Structura, said: “We needed to free-up capacity in order to continue to win high-profile clients and secure future projects. The funding support from Lloyds allowed us to do this and in turn devote more resources to our growth strategy.”