Securing £250k Grant Funding to Transform Productivity in an SME Engineering Business

The client faced growing demand but was constrained by legacy equipment and manual processes, leading to

• Production bottlenecks
• Increasing unit costs
• Capacity limitations impacting growth opportunities

The business had identified a set of new, high-value production assets that would significantly improve throughput, quality, and efficiency. However, the investment case relied on securing external grant funding and coordinating delivery with associated partner companies contributing to the wider project.

The client needed support to structure the project, manage complexity, and maximise the likelihood of funding success.

Denver Willis Consulting provided support across project definition, stakeholder coordination, and grant submission.

Key activities included

Investment and scope definition

• Clarified the operational problem and defined the optimal equipment solution
• Ensured the proposed assets directly addressed productivity and efficiency constraints

Grant alignment and eligibility

• Mapped the project against funding objectives and assessment criteria
• Structured costs, timelines, and responsibilities to ensure eligibility and compliance

Business case and application development

• Worked with associated companies to align roles, contributions, and delivery plans
• Ensured a coherent, single narrative across organisations

• £250,000 of grant funding successfully secured

Approval enabled the client to

• Invest in modern production equipment
• Increase throughput and operational efficiency
• Reduce manual intervention and rework
• Strengthen competitiveness in key markets

The project also delivered a clearer, more disciplined approach to capital investment planning that the business can reuse for future growth initiatives.

• Improved production efficiency and capacity
• Reduced cost per unit and operational risk
• Stronger collaboration across partner organisations
• Increased confidence in pursuing future funded projects