A BRADFORD manufacturer has been handed a £50,000 loan from the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) to increase its facilities and business overseas.

Weston Handling Consultancy will use the funds to increase its facilities, including moving all of its manufacturing to the Bradford workshop in Fieldhead Business Park, where 30 reel handling trucks will be made each year.

The business specialises in modifying manufacturing equipment for efficiency.

The company, headed by inventor Stephen Weston, has seen success in the paper industry and has launched its new range of British-built Stacker trucks, especially designed for paper roll and materials handling applications.

The funding will also create a further five full-time jobs.

ABL Business, which specialises in providing companies with commercial finance and marketing support, approached business lenders BEF on behalf of Weston Handling Consultancy after working with Mr Weston to develop business plans and cash flow forecasts.

Since receiving its funding, Weston Handling Consultancy has secured sales to adhesive and packaging company 3M in the USA and has plans to grow the business overseas due to sales of its bespoke products increasing internationally.

In addition to helping source the finance, ABL Business also provided marketing support to which £36,000 of sales was credited.

Mr Weston said: “Around 52 per cent of our clients are from overseas so we needed to increase our warehouse space to provide a facility where we can add the finishing touches to the trucks, test them and showcase our machines to potential customers.”