Safety first as cable firm makes a move to Yorkshire Bank

6th May 2015

A Cheshire-based manufacturer of fire and security products is expanding its product range and targeting new work in the Middle East with support from Yorkshire Bank.

Ventcroft Ltd, the UK's largest independent manufacturer of fire and security products, was established in 1989 and supplies to a global client base in more than 50 countries worldwide from its base at Runcorn, Cheshire.

Yorkshire Bank has provided a total of £7m worth of funding, which includes the complete transfer of all banking facilities, to support the company’s growth ambitions. The deal was delivered by Mike Scott, relationship manager at the Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Merseyside.

In the last year, this award-winning business has completed relocation of its production to a 100,000 sq ft purpose-built factory at Astmoor Industrial Estate. This move means that its cables are now designed, produced and delivered from one of the most modern automated cable plants in the world, which also houses state-of-the-art cable testing and development laboratories. All of its life safety products are certified by the British Approval Services For Cables (BASEC) and the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).

Frank Rotheram, MD of Ventcroft Ltd, said that as well as targeting new business in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, the company is also looking into developing other types of cabling.

He explained: “Imagination, innovation and technical expertise are the cornerstones of our business, together with our young, highly trained and well motivated workforce. We work closely with our customers to create product ranges that meet, and even exceed their needs and are installer-friendly.  We consistently strive to challenge conventional constraints in developing and delivering the highest performance products available.”

“Yorkshire Bank’s focus on supporting the manufacturing industry aligns perfectly with what we were looking to do and we’ve been highly impressed with Mike Scott’s approach. With the ongoing support of Yorkshire Bank and our loyal staff, together with the Director and Shareholder investments in the new site, we have the ability to grow our business progressively as the UK and European economies recover and become stronger.”

As a leading manufacturer of soft skin fire and intruder alarm cables, Ventcroft has a series of new cable ranges under development with some due for launch later this year. These include a fast-moving general wiring range and the expansion of existing fire cable ranges. Next month will see the rollout of ‘NoShock’, a recently developed life safety circuit protection cable which prevents accidental electrical shock from nail penetration.

Stewart Cook, Head of Yorkshire Bank’s Merseyside Business and Private Banking Centre, said: “Ventcroft Ltd is an innovative and ambitious business that continues to diversify its product offering in order to become a leader in its field on a worldwide stage.

“As economic conditions continue to improve, Yorkshire Bank remains focused on supporting the growth ambitions of businesses in Cheshire.”

Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has strengthened its support for UK SMEs by becoming the first to partner with the British Business Bank under its ENABLE Guarantees scheme. Up to £125m of new lending by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, guaranteed by the British Business Bank, will help more small businesses achieve their growth ambitions.