With the grants system changing in September this year, SE-GAS is appealing to all eligible companies to consider applying before this deadline.
To date, across the whole of Kent, 300 successful applications have been made, creating over 5,000 new jobs. However, on an individual level, it can make all the difference to a company looking to start up or expand their current offering.
Owners of Kent Waterjet Cutting owe the setting up of their business to the receipt of their SE-GAS grant. In just over a year the company has expanded from one employee to three. Plans to add a further member to the team will come to fruition shortly when a second waterjet cutting machine is purchased, thanks to the second instalment of the grant.
The company uses high-pressure water mixed with garnet sand to cut through any material up to 150mm in thickness, including metals, ceramics and glass. The materials cut can be used for a multitude of different client needs. Most famously, Kent Waterjet Cutting produced the archway on behalf of Blaze Neon (another Thanet company), welcoming visitors to 'Space Mountain' at the Euro Disney Park in Paris, but the Company has also supplied Ramsgate town centre with Christmas decorations. Small and intricate products are also a speciality, the smallest of which being the internal components of amusement machines.
To qualify for the grants, organisations need to be located or looking to relocate within an assisted area of East Kent and be able to clearly demonstrate the potential to create skilled jobs and increase productivity. The financial support can also be used to cover the cost of equipment, plant and machinery, including office equipment as well as the purchase of commercial buildings and associated land.
Paget CNG Ltd in Broadstairs is another East Kent company to have recently benefited from a SE-GAS grant, this time of £750,000, which is to be released in stages - one part of which will in fact be used to purchase a new plot of land. The company has developed a technology that allows natural gas to be used as a fuel. The technology is highly advanced and is designed to benefit the environment, being the only natural clean fuel, with a much lower carbon monoxide content and ozone-forming potential than either petrol or liquid petroleum gas. It is also cheaper than any other form of fuel some 60% cheaper than petrol or diesel and increases the life of a vehicle's engine. The new land will enable the company to construct a purpose built refuelling station in addition to more manufacturing space and offices for their growing workforce.
Applying for these grants can seem like a daunting prospect and may even put smaller businesses off the idea. In order to combat the problem, Locate in Kent is assisting both existing and inward investing companies within the eligible areas of East Kent. The inward investment agency will be combining its experience of what companies need to expand with SE-GAS's expert knowledge to advise prospective applicants.
SE-GAS, Locate in Kent and Business Link Kent worked together in March to host an event aimed at promoting and explaining the grants process to attendees. The event was a success with many companies enquiring about their eligibility. More information about the grants system can be obtained by visiting www.locateinkent.com or www.se-gas.co.uk. |
