Halifax Numerical Controls receives funding boost

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Leading rubber roller grinding and grooving machine builder Halifax Numerical Controls (HNC), has received a funding boost after secured a six-figure loan from Funding For Enterprise (FFE) based in Doncaster.

The company was formed in 1998 and continues to serve clients throughout the UK and Worldwide from its own UK workshop premises in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

HNC engineers have a long history of experience in all aspects of advanced machine tool design, build, and support. The team has a particularly high level of expertise in CNC and PLC automation systems.

HNC Ltd’s core skills combine all aspects of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and software programming, and research & development in the field of rubber and composite roll manufacture.

The funding is designed to aid working capital and future growth for the company which makes manufacturing machines to order all around the world. Company managing director, Mike Diskin is a renowned industry expert and is a regular guest speaker at manufacturing conferences worldwide.

The demand for HNC to solve manufacturers challenges and build machine solutions to order in established markets like Germany, USA, Indonesia and occasionally Australia is very high.

Current large project orders in progress include two for mid-west Innovators in the USA and two for Hilzinger in Germany, and a third machine that is currently being built in Taiwan which will be shipped and commissioned in the USA.

In addition to the above, HNC has seen high demand for its machine from the renewable energy sector. HNC’s machines are used for the grinding of the high voltage electrical connectors, used to connect solar and wind farms to the grid. The machines are highly suited for grinding the complex profiles required on these components. HNC see this as a growth sectors and hopes to increase sales in this area.

Managing director Mike Diskin said: “This investment will help us to continue innovating and transforming the roll production industry. Expanding the use of fully automatic machining of rolls means we can help manufacturers deliver a higher level of quality and consistency that is not dependent on operator skill.

"HNC’s range of automatic roll builders, grinders, groovers, and duplexer designs are the most advanced machines of their type in the world, and we are looking forward to future growth and the employment opportunities this will create locally.”

Jeremy Meadowcroft, business lending manager from FFE said: “HNC is a well-established, profitable business with an excellent reputation across the world. This additional working capital will fund organic growth and enable the company to fulfil the many contract orders in progress whilst also securing new projects and consultancy assignments.”

HNC has also been approached by the Yorkshire Innovation team to work with Huddersfield Universities 3M Buckley Innovation Suite specialists to develop a roll measuring machine that can be used to accurately add an innovative dimension to UK Manufacturers and has been awarded a £450K grant to develop the machine.

Once in use the machine has the potential to benefit UK manufacturing outputs and grow national GDP and engineering specialism. HNC will then be allowed to use the machine exclusively to deliver a world’s first to clients all over the world. This development is expected to increase turnover from £1m to £5m over the next three years.