Perfa, a Barnsley-based blind manufacturer, has been awarded a grant of £12,332.39 from the UKSPF Business Productivity Grant to install a temperature-controlled chamber in its premises.
The company, based in Barugh Green, Barnsley has been facing challenges due to the extreme temperatures in the warehouse, which range from freezing cold in the winter to scorching hot in the summer – conditions which have been affecting the well-being of the staff and the quality of the fabrics.
Thanks to the Business Productivity & Digitisation grant; currently being delivered across South Yorkshire via part funding from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and £5.2m of investment through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), Perfa has seen many benefits to the newly installed chamber.
The grant provides 50% contribution for projects up to £24,999 for South Yorkshire SMEs to improve their productivity and digital innovation through the provision of capital or revenue grant, and to identify and address their business productivity challenges.
Piotr Lugowski, Managing Director of Perfa, said: “We are delighted to have received the grant, which has enabled us to install the temperature-controlled chamber in our warehouse.
“This project will not only improve the working conditions for our staff, but also the quality of our products and the efficiency of our operations. We are confident that this will lead to more growth and more jobs for our company and our community.
“It has been a huge support to have Enterprising Barnsley on hand to help us with the application. It’s something we haven’t done before and Matt Smith has really added value with his contributions, highlighting other areas of support we may need in the future as well.
Matt Smith, Key Account Manager at Enterprising Barnsley, said: “This is a great example of how SMEs can innovate and improve their processes and products while creating jobs and contributing to the local economy.”
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and places, supporting local businesses, and people and skills.
See more about the grant online at https://enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk/programmes/business-productivity