Fast-Form moves to larger premises ahead of export push

Fast-growing construction firm Fast-Form Systems has moved to a 20,000
sq ft facility as it targets international expansion.

The Grimsby-based business helps to reduce build times, costs and carbon use by supplying reusable, adjustable stainless steel brackets that hold boards in place for concrete pours.

The new building, at the South Humberside Industrial Estate, is a significant upgrade on Fast-Form’s previous 2,500 sq ft facility, also on the same estate.

Fast-Form has received more than £1m in backing from Finance Yorkshire’s Seedcorn fund since 2014.

To date Finance Yorkshire investments have enabled companies to increase their turnover by £377 million and attract a further £273 million from other private sector sources. It has helped those SMEs to create and safeguard over 12,000 jobs in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Fast-Form founder and director Tony White said: “Our new building is a major step forward for the business. Support from Finance Yorkshire has enabled us to invest in stock and staff. We recently took delivery of a 26-tonne truck with a mounted forklift to improve our delivery and service.

“We are seeing strong growth in the UK but we want to take our products worldwide. We are already in advanced talks with companies in the US.”

This year, Fast-Form won a contract to build a two-storey sound studio for Google in London. The studio was built within a tight timeframe inside a newly-completed office block opposite St Pancras station.

Fast-Form’s modular system was chosen because the construction space had limited access. The lightweight formwork was brought in through a set of standard doors and carried through the building from the basement to be bolted together by hand.

In 2015, Fast-Form won a £200,000 contract with the Ministry of Defence to support the construction of three accommodation blocks on remote hilltop sites in the Falkland Islands for military personnel.

Fast-Form has also worked with Balfour Beatty to replace wooden rail sleepers with a solid concrete base and drainage channel that stop lines from flooding during heavy rain. It is now working directly with Transport for London on a scheme to improve tunnels and platforms on the London Underground.

Fast Form was highly commended at the Construction News Specialists Awards 2016 in the Equipment Supplier of the Year category. The judges were impressed with the technical innovation of the business, with the magazine adding: “For a company founded less than three years ago, Fast-Form Systems has grown at an incredible pace.”

Finance Yorkshire Investment Manager Graham Davies said: “Fast-Form Systems has proved that its products are a flexible, innovative and energy efficient solution for concrete pours. We look forward to working with Tony as he rolls out his strategy for international growth.”

Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to meet their funding requirements for growth and development.

The project is supported financially by the European Union and attracts investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme, UK Government and the European Investment Bank. Finance Yorkshire is also supported by the Regional Growth Fund.

For more information about Finance Yorkshire, please visit www.finance-yorkshire.com or call 0300 030 6060.

Note: this news article is from Finance Yorkshire’s previous fund. Read more about Finance Yorkshire