An Ilkeston truck company is ploughing ahead with its expansion plans to mark its tenth anniversary after securing a grant with help from one of the region’s leading independent accountancy firms.
AWL Trucks at Websters Industrial Estate in Hallam Fields Road currently specialises in buying and selling trucks, mainly road gritters and snow ploughs, across the UK and exporting to Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Poland.
Owner Aaron Webster has now secured £87,000 from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s Unlocking Investment for Growth scheme, which is supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and European Regional Development Fund, thanks to advice and support from Baldwins Accountants in Eldon Business Park, Attenborough, Nottingham.
The grant means AWL Trucks has recruited three extra members of staff in marketing, valeting and sales as well as helping to purchase its 6,760 sq ft premises and buy machinery to diversify into manufacturing the bodies of gritters and fitting them to second-hand trucks.
Aaron, whose company celebrates its tenth year in business in June, said being able to buy the two units had been key to the expansion plans for AWL Trucks.
“We have been steadily building up the business particularly over the last four years and we are now determined to go to the next level,” he said.
“Our products are sold all over the world but we wanted to be able to diversify and manufacture some of the production aspect ourselves because there is the demand for this service.
“Buying our premises and machinery means we have been able to create a workshop and a spray booth for painting work so that we can maintain our growth and development because we didn’t want to move elsewhere.
“The size of the yard here means there is plenty of space to carry out the manufacturing and to showcase our vehicles to current and potential customers.
“The funding means that, along with extra investment from the company, we have already taken on three more staff and by the end of September, a further three full-time jobs will be created.
“We have been clients of Baldwins since the business started and their team was a big help in helping with the application for funding.”
Martyn Shakespear, business development and client services director at Baldwins Accountants, said the Unlocking Investment for Growth programme was ideal for companies such as AWL Trucks.
“The aim of the initiative is to help local businesses grow and create new jobs which is exactly why we urged AWL Trucks to apply and helped with the application process,” he said.
“The business fell perfectly into the required criteria because their plans to expand and add to their workforce couldn’t come to fruition without the extra support from Unlocking Investment for Growth.
“We are here to help our clients develop their business services and create extra jobs which in turn boosts the local economy.”
