One of the Black Country’s leading tyre specialists is on course for its best-ever year after expanding into an additional unit.
Kingswinford Tyres, which was set-up by Andy Page in 1992 with redundancy money from MG Rover, has invested over £100,000 into creating a premium tyre fitting bay at its Dawley Brook Industrial Estate site.
Backed by support from Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM) in Dudley, the company has secured a £27,000 grant to help buy and install a robotic tyre fitting machine and a Road Force Elite Wheel Balancer from Hunter.
This state-of-the-art technology means it can safely and efficiently deliver a high-quality service to high performance and luxury cars, such as Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Bentleys.
Andy explained:
“We’ve nearly doubled the size of the business in the last three years and am now on course to hit £3 million this financial year, with another £500,000 possible in 2025 with this new offer currently being rolled out.
“To be able to hit the repeatable accuracy required with these vehicles, we had to make this investment and there is little doubt that the help we received off BGWM in Dudley has accelerated the process, especially how our growth adviser was able to assist us in securing a £27,000 Dudley SME grant.
“The robotic tyre fitting machine is laser guided for unbeatable accuracy and ensures that there is zero risk of any damage to the rim or tyre - a necessity when you’re dealing with cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“Having that little bit of extra financial freedom also meant we could invest in the wheel balancer at the same time. It’s the fastest and most efficient in the world and simulates road pressure to identify even the slightest inconsistencies.”
Kingswinford Tyres, which is approved by the AA and RAC, offers wheel alignment, tyre replacement (both on and off site), tyre pressure management system refit, OEM exhaust replacement and alloy wheel repairs to hundreds of private and company customers.
The firm turned to Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley to provide external advice and guidance on its expansion plans, completing a GROWTHMapper® diagnostic tool and accepting referrals to Innovate UK and the Investment Readiness Programme.
It was the business support specialist’s ability to navigate the different funding programmes that proved pivotal, resulting in a successful application for a £27,000 grant.
Toni Ball, Finance Administrator at Kingswinford Tyres, added:
“BGWM in Dudley has opened our eyes to what is out there, making a complex landscape very simple to navigate.
“I’m in little doubt that the proactive nature of the support we’ve received has ensured we completed our expansion plans a good six months earlier than expected. This means we can be first to market with the high-end premium tyre fitting service.”
Business Growth West Midlands in Dudley, which is managed by Dudley Council and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is supporting more than 600 companies based in the borough.
This package of support includes advice from local business growth advisers, grant programmes to improve productivity and expedite the businesses’ journey towards net zero, innovation support and assistance for entrepreneurship and start-up businesses.
Delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, the local business growth advisers provide an information, diagnostic, brokerage, and account management service to support local businesses to thrive, innovate, and grow, whilst also supporting entrepreneurs to progress their ideas.
A special focus is placed on helping firms in key local sectors and engaging with harder to reach groups, such as women-led and ethnic minority-led businesses.
Donna Watkins, Business Growth Adviser for BGWM in Dudley, concluded:
“Andy, Toni and the team at Kingswinford Tyres have fully embraced the support that’s available to them and were open to discussing a host of ideas that they had for their company.
“Having someone from the outside looking in helped identify several improvements and, importantly, resulted in the firm receiving a grant of just over £27,000. This has proved to be a pivotal moment in moving the business onto its next growth stage.”
For further information, please visit www.kingswinfordtyres.co.uk or www.businessgrowthwestmidlands.org.uk