Calderdale polymer tech firm set for growth with £500k fund

A polymer technology firm based in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, is set to boost its business after receiving £500k of funding supplied by the Enterprise Ventures SME Loans Fund.

Rosehill Polymers Group supplies polymeric systems to a range of sectors, such as oil and gas, transport, and leisure.

The company has increased turnover from £16m to a projected £33m over the past five years.

Rosehill Polymers Group has also completed the expansion of its head office, and the installation of an additional production line to further increase capacity for its global rail business.

Founded in 1988, the company originally operated as a bulk producer of polymers such as urethanes.

In addition to the core urethanes business, Rosehill now has five operating divisions within the Group: Highways, Offshore, Mouldings, Sports and Play, and Rail, which is currently the only manufacturer of rubber level crossing systems in the UK.

The half a million pound loan was invested via the Enterprise Ventures SME Loans Fund, which was launched in June 2015. The fund provides loan capital to SMEs nationally, but with a particular focus on the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside.

Dr Alexander Celik, group managing director of Rosehill Polymers Group, said: “This loan, alongside other loans we have received, has provided us with the oxygen of capital to expand our business.

“The business has nearly quadrupled in size since 2006, focusing primarily on high-value, high margin markets, whilst facing extremely challenging market conditions.”

Jonathan Craig, investment manager at EV Business Loans, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercia Technologies PLC, added: “We have known the team at Rosehill Polymers for four years, and during this time it has exhibited market-leading growth across multiple sectors.

“They have a track record of tactically astute investments in capital, premises and markets, and this has been further demonstrated with the recent diversification of their services, which is now paying off in terms of new markets and increased profitability.”