A BOLTON firm has been awarded a grant worth tens of thousands of pounds which will enable it to create jobs and expand.

Industrial cutting company Bind-A-Tex, based in Evans Business Centre, in Manchester Road, has received a grant of £79,800 following support from the Business Growth Hub, part of Manchester Growth Company (MGC).

The firm works with carbon and glass fibre, creating tapes that are typically used by the composites sector, in aerospace, automotive, energy and general industrial markets.

It currently employs four staff, and was founded in 2004 as a precision cutter of paper, fabric and foil for the book binding industry.

Bind-A-Tex expanded into the composites sector after recognising the growth potential there, and the demand for slitting and spooling of advanced materials.

The firm processed its first spooling order in January this year, and has since secured contracts with European military jet manufacturers, car manufacturers and a German helicopter manufacturer.

It is now able to purchase the additional machinery required to expand further into the sector. It has also created an additional four jobs, with eight further roles to be created in the next two years.

Bind-A-Tex also worked alongside the Growth Service at the Hub on their infrastructure including their stock control, production and recruitment processes in preparation for the business growth.

Chris Lever, director of Bind-A-Tex, said: “Textiles is really coming back into the North West. Businesses are recognising the quality of British textile manufacturers, particularly in technical materials, which require highly specialised products. We were at a point in our growth cycle where we needed a capital injection to move further into the niche we had identified.

“The support from the Regional Growth Fund and Business Growth Hub has been vital in ensuring our continued success with the purchase of new machinery. We are now in a position to meet the demands of our clients, and become the preferred supplier in the sector.“

Paul Gauden, textiles project monitor at Business Growth Hub, part of MGC, said: “Textiles is an important industry for the North West, with the region historically the powerhouse of the textiles sector. Increasingly driven by technology, it is important for businesses such as Bind-A-Tex to be able to invest in modern equipment and machinery to help drive the growth of the industry and continue to deliver high quality products to its customers.

“It is fantastic for us to see that the funding has already led to the creation of four jobs, with a further eight forecasted, supporting the continued growth of the region. We very much look forward to our work with Bind-A-Tex in the future, as they continue to gain traction in the composites sector.”