Coventry manufacturing and engineering specialist invests in future expansion plans

Published by

Peter Davison

From the left, Kierandeep Bal (Coventry City Council), Ashley Hatton (Vigour) and Justine Chadwick (Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub)

A manufacturing and engineering specialist in Coventry which counts Formula 1 teams among its clients is gearing up for a successful future after investing in its future expansion plans.

Vigour was set up by Ashley Hatton in 2015 as a multi-axis machining specialist, focusing on producing high-precision components for the motorsport industry.

The business, based on the Binley Industrial Estates in Binley, also supplies parts for teams taking part in the FIA World Rally Championship and Olympic gold-winning sailor Ben Ainslie’s team in the America’s Cup.

Ashley wanted to improve Vigour’s efficiencies and productivity by eliminating some of its administration work and streamlining its data and information.

He contacted Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub Account Manager Justine Chadwick and as part of providing ongoing business engagement and support, she put Ashley in touch with Kierandeep Bal, Business Development Advisor at Coventry City Council, to access grant support via the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme which was part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The business successfully received a grant totalling £7,737 towards buying software and a laser marking machine to add serial numbers and the company’s name to the parts it manufactures.

Ashley said he has invested over £120,000 in various machinery over the last 12-18 months, so the grant had reduced the pressure on the company’s cashflow.

He said: “I love being involved in motorsport and my first customer was Formula 1 team Toro Rosso – now Alpha Tauri. We make complex small parts for a number of F1 teams as well as teams in the World Rally Championship.

“Having the specialist software system means we can keep accurate information on all our stock, production, despatch, invoicing and accounts so we have better traceability and streamlined processes, and we no longer need to carry out some of the repetitive administrative tasks which means we have more time to do other jobs and have increased our productivity.

“Buying a laser etching machine is a good investment, particularly since we managed to purchase an ex-demo version and we are providing a quicker turnaround for our customers. We’re hoping this will lead to more work, particularly in the aerospace industry which is a sector we are now targeting.”

Justine Chadwick, Account Manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, said Vigour is looking forward to the future with confidence.

“The business is currently located in two separate units which are close by and Ashley has plans to move to other premises on the site which are much bigger and will be able to accommodate all the machinery in one place,” she said.

“This will lead to further improving its productivity and there are plans in the future to recruit an apprentice to provide a broad range of skills.”

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Cllr Jim O'Boyle, Coventry City Council Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: “Our region has long had a reputation for being at the heart of the UK’s automotive industry and that’s largely thanks to innovative local manufacturers like Vigour. We’re determined to build on this reputation and that’s why I’m delighted that the Growth Hub
has been able to support Vigour to realise their ambitions.

“We want to create an environment that helps businesses to develop and grow, so I would encourage local businesses to get in touch with the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub to see how they can help support.”

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.