Dudley abrasives firm hoping to go green after securing grant funding | Express & Star

The UK’s last remaining manufacturer of resin bonded abrasives is looking to boost its export sales and ‘green’ its performance after securing nearly £10,000 of grants.

Swift& Whitmore, which supplies more than 200 different abrasiveproducts to customers in aerospace, automotive, oil and gas and heavyengineering, has tapped into support from Business Growth WestMidlands (BGWM) in Dudley to help it target £8 million in sales anddecarbonise its operations.

Thecompany has just completed installing energy efficiency lightingthroughout its Halesowen HQ thanks to financial support from DudleyCouncil’s DNZ programme.

Additionally,the local authority has also issued a near £7500 productivity grantto assist with upgrading its stores and logistics department.

Thisfunding, part of a larger £50,000 investment drive, has been spenton the purchase of a Greenpower Eco electric forklift truck that hasa far longer range and is easier to charge.

JanetteTierney, Managing Director of Swift & Whitmore, said: “BGWMin Dudley has been a fantastic source of advice, guidance andfinancial support and has put us in a strong position to defyeconomic uncertainty and increase sales in 2025.

“Theinstallation of the new lighting and a forklift truck will help usbecome more sustainable in our processes and, importantly, will alsodeliver cost savings in the long-term. We’re now planning to takeanother person on in logistics, which will take our total workforcein the Black Country and our Chesterfield manufacturing operation to50.”

Swift& Whitmore’s industrial reach spans pretty much every industryand product imaginable, with its grinders, hot pressed wheels,diamond grinding wheels and coated abrasives used by customers in theUK and across the globe.

Aswell as being the only domestic manufacturer of resin bonded grindingwheels, the firm is also an independent supplier of other worldleading brands, meaning it can turn orders around within a matter ofweeks.

“The support from Business Growth West Midlands inDudley started with an energy audit by specialists Pro Enviro andthis identified several areas where we could reduce our energyconsumption whilst also improving our operations in Halesowen," she added.

“Wethen worked with Business Growth Adviser Steve Dunn on how we makesome of these happen and he talked us through the grants availableand what we needed to do to get them. This would have been a fairlydifficult process, but he made it so easy, helping with cashflowforecasts and our carbon calculations.”

Shewent on to add: “I couldn’t recommend the service highly enough.It has helped us bring forward two projects by about six months and,importantly, we are now tapping into export advice to look at wherewe can build our international presence.”

BusinessGrowth West Midlands in Dudley, which is funded by Dudley Council viathe UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is supporting more than 600 companiesbased in the borough with advice from local business growth advisers.

Runby Oxford Innovation Advice, the initiative delivers an information,diagnostic, brokerage, and account management service to supportlocal businesses to thrive, innovate, and grow, whilst alsosupporting entrepreneurs to progress their business ideas.

Aspecial focus is placed on helping firms in key local sectors andengaging with harder to reach groups, such as women-led and ethnicminority-led businesses.

"Swift & Whitmore is a national manufacturing treasure, and I’m delighted that BGWM in Dudley has been able to help it unlock environmental improvements and set it up for new jobs and growth in 2025," said Steve Dunn, Business Growth Adviser.

"Therecent ‘Made in Dudley, Sold to the World’ event was a greattaste of the export opportunities available to Janette and the teamand we are now talking with the International Trade Team at theDepartment for Business and Trade and the WMCA’s Supply ChainTransition Programme to make some of them happen."