Partner Article

FW Capital helps C-Probe’s expansion in St Helens

C-Probe expands into eco-construction and takes on more staff in St Helens with a loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus

11th December 2015

International corrosion management specialist, C-Probe is moving into the emerging sustainable, low carbon, low energy construction products market thanks to a £250,000 loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus managed by FW Capital.

Established in 1994, the award-winning company has developed a range of new, technically advanced, low-carbon cementitious or cement-based materials in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University. Carbon emissions from the manufacturing process are around 80% lower than conventional Portland cements.

C-Probe is using the loan to expand its eco-construction arm and establish a manufacturing facility at its new premises in St Helens, having recently relocated to the area with the additional backing of a Regional Growth Fund grant from St Helens Chamber.

The company also plans to implement ISO9001 quality assurance within the business and implement an in-house R&D department with its own in-house testing equipment.

C-Probe also plans to develop further eco-products in the coming years and to take on more staff in the St Helens area.

“C-Probe is a well-established provider of corrosion management services to the construction sector and diversifying into eco-construction materials is an exciting step forward for us. It’s taken us 5 years to develop our new product range and it dovetails well with our established products and services.

“We now aim to become a one-stop-shop for low-carbon construction materials both in the UK and overseas. FW Capital understands our vision and we’ve used the loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus to set up our new manufacturing facility and fund the costs of increasing our visibility in this new market,” Managing Director, Graeme Jones explained.

Sheffield Hallam University offers a wide range of consultancy and research services for the construction and infrastructure sector and C-Probe was able to build on 15 years’ work already undertaken by the university to develop its new product range.

The new construction materials can be used with some of C-Probe’s existing products reducing the costs of repairing and preserving buildings by 80-90% compared to traditional methods.

Commenting on FW Capital’s loan, Portfolio Executive, Elaine Yarwood said: “C-Probe is an established and internationally recognised company. Graeme and his team have a wealth of knowledge and experience, which they have put to good use by developing this innovative product range.

“C-Probe has invested heavily in developing products with significant potential. Securing the loan from The North West Fund for Loans Plus means that it can now set up its St Helens manufacturing facility and start manufacturing and selling the new product range.”

C-Probe won Fiatech CETI (Celebration of Engineering, Technology and Innovation) Award 2015 for New Materials, Methods, Products and Equipment for successfully protecting historic steel framed buildings in Blackpool and Kansas City. This followed success in 2014 when the company won the Mott MacDonald Milne Award for Innovation.

The exceptional green credentials of C-Probe’s new construction materials mean that they are making a positive contribution to the UK Government’s ambitious 2050 carbon-reduction targets.

Caption: L-R Elaine Yarwood (Portfolio Executive FW Capital); Paul Lambert (Mott MacDonald), Geoff Bates (St Helens Chamber), Stephen Davies (Systems and Operations Director, C-Probe) and Graeme Jones (Managing Director, C-Probe).

For more information, please contact:

Helen Walker-Smith

Tel: 029 2033 8149

E-mail: helen.walker-smith@fwcapital.co.uk

Web: www.fwcapital.co.uk/media

Notes to editors

FW Capital

FW Capital is a fund management company currently managing UK-based funds over £70 million. FW Capital has invested £64.8 million through 284 investments into growing businesses in the North East and North West of England.

In the North West of England, the company manages the £45 million North West Fund for Loans Plus which is part of the £155 million The North West Fund. The North West Fund for Loans Plus can invest from £50,000 to £750,000 in innovative viable SMEs. Since the launch of the fund we have lent more than £36.7 million through 228 loans in North West-based businesses. For further information visit www.fwcapital.co.uk/northwest

FW Capital also manages the North East Growth Plus Fund, which is part of the £125 million Finance for Business North East Fund, investing between £350,000 and £1.25 million in a single round in established, revenue-earning businesses based in the North East of England.

FW Capital is part of the Finance Wales Group one of the UK’s largest SME investors. The Finance Wales Group invested a record £50 million for the first time in the 2013 – 14 financial year – £5 million up on the previous year. The Finance Wales Group manages funds in excess of £400 million and has invested over £419.7 million and more than 3,719 investments.

For further information on the Group visit www.financewales.co.uk

[Fund manager notes]

The North West Fund

The North West Fund is a substantial investment fund established to provide debt and equity funding (from £25,000 to £2 million) to small and medium sized enterprises based in, or relocating to, the North West of England. The Fund addresses an identified gap in the lending, venture capital and private equity markets. It is one of the largest public sector funds of its kind in Europe and the largest in the UK.

The North West Fund is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) under the European Commission’s Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises Initiative – otherwise known as the JEREMIE programme.

The North West Fund is the umbrella name for the seven funds that are available to businesses in the form of debt, equity and quasi-equity. These funds are managed by individual fund managers. Each fund manager has a mandate to invest their allocation into the specific product or sector they manage, by 31st December 2015.

The fund managers are under contract with North West Business Finance Limited (NWBF), which is a private, not for profit company, established to oversee the delivery of The North West Fund.

The North West Fund has now invested over £125m in more than 375 businesses. Further funding has also been earmarked to support these businesses as they grow and many more new investments are planned throughout 2015.

For further information please visit www.thenorthwestfund.co.uk

European structure, JEREMIE

The JEREMIE initiative offers EU Member States, through their national or regional Managing Authorities, the opportunity to use part of their European Union (EU) Structural Funds to finance small and medium-sized enterprises by means of equity, loans or guarantees, through a revolving umbrella fund. The initiative was developed by the European Commission and the European Investment Fund, which is part of the European Investment Bank Group.

JEREMIE provides for a range of debt and equity financial tools to obtain the most appropriate allocation of funds according to national, regional or local requirements.

ERDF in the Northwest

ERDF is making a real difference to people and businesses in the North West. The 2007-2013 ERDF programme, which is worth €755 million, has enhanced the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment.

ERDF in the North West is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government – for further information visit https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-and-resources.

EIB

The EIB is the European Union’s long-term financing institution and, provides long-term finance for capital projects promoting European economic objectives. The EIB made its first loan in the UK in 1973 and since then has lent around €75bn for investment in the UK economy. In the years from 2004 to 2009, the EIB financed investment in the UK totalling some € 23.5bn - GBP 17.5 billion.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Helen.walker-smith .