Network Article | NTI East Midlands

Are you eligible for funding?

Get information about our TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS and ELIGIBILITY.

Helping your business gain advanced technology skills.
Find out what's on offer »

Derby firm offers tanks around the world

Posted: 10/11/2006

Derby based Goodwin Tanks, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of sectional steel tanks, has invested in the latest IT technology to keep their market lead.

Goodwin Tanks design, manufacture and install sectional steel tanks and covers, usually for containing water and effluent. With a turnover approaching £1m per year the company has developed a range of sectional tanks with integral foundations – eliminating the dangers of leaks normally associated where tanks are installed on existing foundations. They also specialise in refurbishing tanks in situ.

They have bought state of the art computer aided design technology and computer systems with a grant from the East Midlands New Technology Initiative (NTI) Construction Network backed by specialist training at North Notts College.

Director, Phil Turton, says the investment has had immediate benefits: “In these days of computer aided design people don’t want paper drawings anymore. We could spend hours getting printed drawings from A to B. The computerised system has impacted all down the business and has kept us one step ahead of our competitors.”

East Midlands NTI is an initiative backed by the region’s leading colleges and universities. NTI provides matched funded grants of up to £10,000 to small and medium sized firms to invest in state of the art technology, and gain advanced technology skills through NTI approved courses. It is funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and Learning and Skills Council (LSC)

Phil added: “If you don’t keep up with technology you’ll be left behind. Working with the NTI was so painless I couldn’t believe it. I kept waiting for the catch but there wasn’t one. It was a breeze. I hate to think where we would be now with out our new technology.”

For further information on Goodwin Tanks telephone 01332 363112 and for information on the East Midlands NTI Construction Network telephone 0115 848 2977.