£1m paint shop improvements elevate Wickens to next level

A UK manufacturer of bespoke racking is looking to double its sales by 2028 after tapping into assistance from a leading business support programme. Wickens Engineering, which employs 50 people at its Worcester factory, is targeting £20 million in revenue after completing a £1 million improvement project in the company’s paint shop, giving it the capability to powder-coat 8 m steel beams for the first time.

The latest phase of the investment drive was supported by consultancy through the Elevate Manufacturing Programme, which included a revenue grant that played a key role in driving change. The project enabled the business to adapt its processes, improve efficiency, reduce solvent paint usage and maximise production capacity. In addition, Wickens received grant funding towards capital equipment, allowing implementation of the much-needed project six months ahead of schedule. It will help the company – a specialist in cantilever, heavy duty, structural and vertical racking – to improve performance and offer a greater product range while also cutting solvent emissions.

Mark Rawlings, Operations Director at Wickens, says: “We’ve seen strong growth in recent years, with turnover up £3 million after orders from clients in the automotive, marine, recycling, construction and retail sectors. Our paint shop was reaching capacity, so we had decided to embark on a £1 million investment in automation equipment. As part of the GROWTHmapper exercise with the Elevate Manufacturing Programme, we identified solutions that would unlock capacity and allow us to offer a new service to customers.”

He continues: “We can powder coat up to 8 m in length now, which is proving very popular with our clients, who span the length and breadth of the UK.”

Wickens has been serving the industrial racking sector for more than 40 years, with the company’s solutions adopted by boat yards, steel stockholders and tooling manufacturers. Household retailers are another major user of its bespoke offer, with Wickens recently completing the largest project in its history for a well-known brand.

Faced with several business challenges that come with the manufacturing territory, the leadership team turned to external assistance, firstly from the Worcestershire Growth Hub and then more intensive, one-to-one assistance from the Worcestershire Council-funded Elevate Manufacturing Programme. The latter appointed a Manufacturing Growth Manager to work with Mark Rawlings on identifying barriers to growth and a range of business improvement projects, which ranged from the paint shop upgrade to upskilling the workforce.

“There’s so many different business support programmes out there that it can get quite confusing and time consuming trying to find the right ones which will work for your company,” says Mark Rawlings. “Worcestershire SMEs are blessed that we have a very proactive Growth Hub and the Elevate Manufacturing Programme, who collaborate very closely to ensure manufacturers get access to dedicated support. It has made a massive difference to us operationally and will be a big boost commercially. They also signposted us to Skills Boost, which helped us fund business improvement and effective leadership training for more than 10 people.”

The Elevate Manufacturing Programme aims to support SME manufacturing businesses in understanding their short, medium and long-term improvement goals. It has worked with more than 30 companies in the region to improve productivity, competitiveness, sustainability and to adopt new products or services through digital adoption.

Each firm has access to the GROWTHmapper business diagnostic tool and grants of up to 40% towards the total cost of a project. There is also a calendar of manufacturing workshops covering topics from digital manufacturing to supply chain management.

Jas Raju, Manufacturing Growth Manager with the Elevate Manufacturing Programme, says: “Wickens is a well-established family business that continues to grow in Worcester, creating jobs and contributing to the local economy. Through the programme, we’ve helped them identify key areas for improvement and access funding to accelerate their expansion towards a £20m turnover by 2028.”

Councillor Adam Kent, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, adds: “This success story demonstrates the power of tailored support to help businesses in our region tap into their full potential, streamline their operations and drive sustainable long-term growth.”