A specialist in cable-cleat manufacture, Ellis Patents, has invested £0.5m in a 25% expansion of its North Yorkshire headquarters, the main element of which is a new 10,000 sq ft warehouse.

While the new facility will be used primarily for assembly and storage, its construction has released 7000 sq ft of space in existing parts of Ellis’ premises. This space will be used to expand the company’s manufacturing facilities – a development that is seen as vital for future growth and improved business efficiency.

For further information www.ellispatents.co.uk

CGTech has appointed its first apprentice as part of the UK technical support team.

Will Culliford started his role as apprentice technical support engineer at the beginning of this month after initially completing a six-week work-experience placement last year. During his work experience, based at the CGTech office in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, Culliford completed all training courses and helped test the next Vericut release. As part of his apprenticeship he will be attending Gloucestershire Engineering Training College (GET) on a full-time basis for the first academic year.

For further information www.cgtech.co.uk

Sheffield-based Inspec Solutions, a technology systems provider to industries including power generation, metals and petrochemical, has invested in its future by recruiting three new apprentices:

Tom Oakley (18), Tom Rickers (17) and Michael Cunningham (26). All three are undertaking a BSc in electrical engineering with Sheffield Hallam University, while simultaneously working as assistant controls engineers at Inspec Solutions. They join five apprentices already employed at the company as it continues investing in its own talent.

Mark Ritson, managing director at Inspec Solutions, says: “We’re constantly looking to increase our talent pool and strongly believe in training our own engineers to grow and develop within the company. This is our fourth cohort of apprentices and we really do recognise the value they bring to the business. We’ve kept a competitive edge by investing in our people – and our commitment to developing our own engineers through apprentice schemes is a big part of this.”

For further information www.inspecsolutions.co.uk

Lontra, a Midlands-based specialist in engineering, manufacturing and digital services, has named Blyth-based Universal Wolf as manufacturing partner for its Blade Compressor enclosures.

With production due to start this month, the deal is expected to scale over time to many millions of pounds per annum for Lontra’s Northumberland-based partner. Lontra’s Blade Compressor is said to be the first clean-sheet compressor design in over 80 years, and can be used across a variety of engineering-based sectors, including aerospace and automotive.

For further information www.lontra.co.uk