Located in County Durham, Waterjet-Tec Ltd is a promising start-up, especially given its recent investment in an Optima O-Series 420 waterjet cutting machine from Kerf Developments. Founded by co-directors Terry Stewart and Peter Robinson, the new business is situated near its sister company, Laser Profiling (North East) Ltd.

The serial entrepreneurs recognised an opportunity when a local waterjet firm went into administration.

“We previously sold a business and I’d retired, but a gap in the market for a subcontract waterjet business appeared and it was too good to pass up,” explains Robinson.“We found a facility, looked for a machine and employed experienced staff.”

Commenting on the machine selection process, Stewart adds: “We identified a market opportunity around two core points. Firstly, there was an opportunity for cutting a wide range of non-metallic materials beyond the traditional laser and plasma remit. Secondly, certain parts across industries such as aerospace, offshore and military require cutting with no heat generation, as it has a propensity to alter the physical properties and integrity of components.”

Doing its due diligence, the business opted for the Optima O-Series 420 with a 4 x 2m bed and two cutting heads.

“Despite looking at rival machines, we knew the Kerf model would be at least 30% faster than anything else, giving us a competitive edge as soon as we opened the doors for business,” says Robinson.“Our new team also had first-hand service experience from numerous waterjet suppliers, and they immediately recommended Kerf.

“We fully expect the Optima 420 to have a very short payback period,” he concludes. “In the near future, our annual turnover will be approaching £1m, which is a fantastic foundation for a new business to grow.”

More information www.kerfdevelopments.com