Coventry business receives over £100k in grant funding to make improvements which cut emissions and energy bills

Whiteley Brooks, a manufacturing business based in Binley, has been trading for over 60 years, manufacturing high quality precision components and serving sectors such as motorsport and Formula 1. Their parts are shipped to over 24 countries worldwide and many of their products are used in car racing circuits across France, Germany, America and the UAE. 

Jat Purewal, Director at Whiteley Brooks, wanted to create a sustainability plan, recognising the importance for the business in the future and its customers, and reached out to Coventry City Council and Business Growth West Midlands for help through its Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS). 

Two Business Advisers from Coventry City Council, Kierandeep Bal and Jonathan Howl, visited the premises to complete a free energy audit and a business diagnostic. 

The free energy audits help businesses to identify ways they could improve their energy efficiency, lower their carbon emissions and save money on energy bills, whilst the business diagnostic help identify key barriers that can prevent businesses from growing. 

With the support of the BEAS team, several areas for improvement were highlighted, including a potential cost saving over 38 tonnes of carbon each year through making energy efficiency upgrades and a potential for new machinery which would cut manufacturing times. 

Whiteley Brooks was able to apply for grant funding to cover 50% of the costs of making the upgrades, and an additional £20,000 through the SME Capital Grants programme, which was invested into a new CNC vertical machining centre, a new roof, almost 300 solar panels and a switch to LED lighting. 

Jat Purewal, Director at Whitley Brooks, said: “Whiteley Brooks received over £100,000 of funding to make the upgrades in the past two and a half years, allowing us to carry out our short to medium term sustainability planning.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: “This is yet another example of the fantastic work we can do to support and grow our local businesses. 
“This funding is an excellent way for businesses to reach their sustainability goals, saving the business money on their energy bills and switching to greener, more sustainable energy sources. I encourage any SME to get in touch with us to find out how we can support them.”