General Manager James Shenton with Andrew Griffiths MP, Minister for Small BusinessTuffa UK were pleased to welcome local MP and new Minister for Small Business, Andrew Griffiths, to our Uttoxeter factory last week.
Prime Minister Theresa May promoted Andrew to the post of Small Business Minister at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on January 9th this year. Prior to that he was Government Whip from July 2016 and has been the MP for Burton and Uttoxeter since May 2010.
Andrew Griffiths visited Tuffa UK to help celebrate a quarter of a century at our Uttoxeter factory and our recent shortlisting for the prestigious Sentinel Business Innovation Award.
Tuffa UK moved to our Dovefields Industrial Estate factory in December 1992 and have developed and
expanded the unit as their business has grown. Tuffa has made improvements to the front of the site and extended the factory which now houses the plastic moulds, ovens and workshop, a steel fabrication and welding plant and a new mezzanine production facility for the manufacture of the diesel additive AdBlue tanks.
Tuffa UK Managing Director Robert Shenton remembers the move well. “We were growing out of our existing workshop, and at the time, the Dovefields unit seemed enormous,” he said. “Since then, as our business has grown, we’ve extended the factory by another 20,000 square feet” he said.
Tuffa UK short listed for Business Innovation Award
Last month also saw Tuffa UK shortlisted for a regional Business Innovation Award. The panel of independent judges were impressed with new innovative product design and development that has resulted in a sharp increase in sales.
Innovative products include a unique, patented fire-protected material that can be integrally factory-fitted to heating oil tanks. This enables the tanks to be located next to a building for added convenience, security and space saving, while still complying with Local Authority Building Control (LABC) regulations. Fire-protection can also be incorporated into Tuffa’s petrol and diesel tanks.
In addition, Tuffa UK has developed a newly designed range of plastic fabricated tanks for the storage and dispensing of AdBlue®, the diesel cleaning additive. This has led to a long term contract with a national AdBlue® garage forecourt supplier. We are also currently developing a new remote fuel monitoring telemetry system due for launch over the next 12 months.
Tuffa UK has recently been awarded BS EN ISO9001:2015 Certification. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) states that this internationally recognised Quality Management System “helps to ensure customer get consistent, good quality products and services.”
Recent projects include supplying tanks for Manchester Airport, the London Olympic complex, The National Trust and The Bank of England amongst many other commercial and domestic clients.
Tuffa gets going
As a result of these developments, Tuffa UK has enjoyed significant growth over the last 18 months, with sales up again by 25% halfway through the current financial year. In addition, we have created 10 new permanent jobs in our factory and office during this period.
Part of the second generation of the family business, Tuffa UK General Manager, James Shenton, is excited by the company’s progress. “We have a culture of continuous re-investment and innovative product development. We listen carefully to our customers to provide the best solutions for their bulk liquid storage,” he said, adding: “We also work hard to offer the highest levels of customer support to create a winning combination of quality and service.”
Andrew Griffiths was delighted to visit Tuffa UK and was impressed with their recent progress. “Really good to meet the team at Tuffa and enjoyed a fascinating tour around the factory. It’s absolutely brilliant to hear of a local, second generation family business continuing to innovate and expand, and I wish them every success in their bid to win the Business Innovation award later this month.”
Commenting on Andrew’s visit, James Shenton said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome Andrew and we are very proud that our local MP is the Minister for Small Business. A robust manufacturing sector is vital to the UK economy and we are pleased to be playing our part in that.”
