OpenWorks Engineering seals £80,000 grant towards new Northumberland facility

Northumberland tech company OpenWorks Engineering has secured an £80,000 grant to help build a new manufacturing and research facility to support its growth plans.

OpenWorks was launched in 2015 by a team of engineers who pooled their resources and expertise to launch new counter terrorism products, including equipment which captures rogue drones and brings them to earth.

The Prudhoe-based company has since become a leader in the defence and security technology industry, with its SkyWall systems being used by a number of government authorities, militaries and private security organisations to provide close protection to the likes of airports, major infrastructure and even world leaders at summits. It also protected the last two US presidents on diplomatic visits and been used by the US Army for training sessions.

The company currently employs 18 full time members of staff with plans to grow further. After learning about Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS), bosses at OpenWorks registered online to learn more about the support available and how the company could benefit from the service.

OpenWorks applied for the £80,000 capital grant from NSBS last November, and it has already hired three new permanent full-time members of staff. The grant has enabled OpenWorks to build a new manufacturing and research facility, with new capabilities it says “would not have been possible without the funding”.

The firm has also expanded its product range with the grant, which has also delivered a boost to its development and manufacturing capabilities.

A spokesman for OpenWorks said: “The team have been extremely supportive, and readily available to answer any queries we have had regarding grants or support for small businesses. It has been a brilliant experience from start to finish.”

Liz Nelson, interim programme manager for the Northumberland Small Business Service Team said: “It is great to see another local project being boosted by the capital grant funding. We are excited to hear more about OpenWorks and their growth journey, it has been a privilege to work with them”.

Eligible businesses can access the £2m rural Capital Grant Investment Fund which supports businesses in rural areas with clear growth plans, to access capital investment to expand their production capacity or diversify into new markets or products.