Family business Bluseal Limited was formed in February 2004 to supply insulated doors to the construction side of the food industry. Steve Spencer runs the business as Managing Director who was instrumental in building the business, his drive and passion has been responsible for the company’s recent impressive growth. 

Steve Spencer’s father, David Spencer works in the business as a director. David’s involvement has helped to form the business by using his experience of running a construction company in the industry. 

Over the years the business has expanded into door installation and in 2014 started to manufacture bespoke metal capping’s, flashings and supplying fixings and silicones. The core business is growing due to their quality products and excellent customer service.

The challenge 

Bluseal’s growth plans included entering the sectional door and rapid rise door market by marketing their own doors instead of supplying them through a third party. This will make them even more competitive meaning that they will be able to grow their turnover and employ more staff.

Bringing more capabilities in-house a has helped them to increase their manufacturing capacity and maintain customer satisfaction. Over the last few years, the company has faced challenges because of the global supply chain issues linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Consultancy and grant support 

To support with their goals, to enter a new market and maintain customer relations, the business accessed support from the Elevate Growth. The programme undertook an audit of their operations, the results were placed into a report and used as a tool to highlight opportunities to optimise efficiency. The main findings of the report showed that material flow through the factory required optimisation which could be assisted by the introduction of key performance indicators and dashboards which would in turn, drive behavioural change.

Grant funding

After completing the consultancy support, Bluseal were also able to access grant funding which was used to purchase two duplex folding machines. Since completing the programme, they have helped to create two new jobs. Ultimately Bluseal have been able to increase their capacity and productivity whilst making safety improvements to their facility.

Future plans for Bluseal Limited include investing in a larger factory due to increasing demand, this will help the business to achieve their target of a £10 million turnover. 

“I’d advise others to seek advice from manufacturing experts and the Growth Hubs prior to applying for a grant, to facilitate understanding all round to ensure application is transparent and targeted correctly.” David Spencer, Director, Bluseal Limited