ATETA Case Study - Jigsaw Infrared Transcript

Title:               ATETA Case Study - Jigsaw Infrared

Duration:        2.35 mins

Begins

[Logo of University of Birmingham, ATETA, and European Regional Development Fund]

[TEXT: ATETA has supported over 170 businesses in the West Midlands, Including Jigsaw Infrared.]

[Matthew Billington, Managing Director Jigsaw Infrared] Jigsaw Infrared is a family business. We produce, manufacture and design infrared heating for domestic and commercial properties.

[Matthew shows a woman around his office space. A range of infrared heaters are on display.]

[Matthew Billington] It could be as simple as an aluminium panel that's hidden away so you don't even notice it's there, or it could be as exotic as a mirror in a bathroom or a picture heater that you don't even know is the heater. They’re 100% electric, so therefore they're 100% efficient. They're cleaner, greener and can be used with no fossil fuels.

[TEXT: How has ATETA helped Jigsaw?]

[Evelyn Phoenix, Business Engagement Officer] The report that we were able to provide to Jigsaw helped them to grow their business, to be able to understand the market that they were in, and to be able to promote their products.

[Evelyn and Matthew look at a wall mounted infrared heater.]

[Evelyn Phoenix] That has helped their business to grow over the past few years, and instead of just designing their products, they’re now manufacturing as well.

[Matthew Billington] The business has grown significantly since we started talking with ATETA. Initially, we were just reselling products that were being bought in from Italy and Austria, some from Germany.

[Inside an industrial unit, Jigsaw employees assemble rectangular heater panels.]

[Matthew Billington] But now we manufacture our own panels, our own equipment here in the Midlands. We're also looking at developing the European market. We’re selling into Sweden, possibly France very shortly and Ireland as well.

[TEXT: What other services does ATETA provide?]

[Evelyn Phoenix] ATETA is an SME support programme. We provide report and technical expertise for our SMEs but alongside that we also do a lot of relationship building. We try and connect different companies together. 

[Evelyn is sitting at a table with 5 colleagues who are in discussion.]

[Evelyn Phoenix] We also look at promoting their businesses when we get the opportunity to. So if we have events where we think that that particular technology would be of interest to people, we'll invite them along to join us. 

[Jigsaw employees prepare and package a heater.]

[Matthew Billington] It's not just one thing and then it's finished, it's constant communication with them, further projects that could be happening, planning processes that we could be going through, meetings, networking and those have really helped us over the last few years kind of expand our business quicker than we thought was possible.

[TEXT: Would you recommend ATETA?]

[Matthew Billington] I’d definitely recommend them, they've been excellent, the meetings, the processes afterwards, the discussions, the further networking. 

[Evelyn looks at a heating control app on Matthew’s phone.]

[Matthew Billington] It's led to more connections, further studies with other universities that have been recommended. It's well worth it.

[Evelyn Phoenix] A lot of the companies that we work with have come up with a great idea that they want to take forward and they're not able to do that without our support.

[A Jigsaw employee works on the wiring and labeling of a heating panel.]

[Evelyn Phoenix] And then a few years down the line, you can actually see them developing and grow, and that's absolutely brilliant. It's completely free. It's done under state aid. You don't have to put any money into it.

[A row of boxed infrared panels are ready for despatch.]

[Evelyn Phoenix]We really want to be able to support you and help your business to grow.]

[Logo of University of Birmingham, ATETA, and European Regional Development Fund]

Ends