A SOLIHULL-BASED manufacturer specialising in innovative mobility aids is going from strength to strength after it received financial backing to keep growing.
The Active Hands Company was founded by Rob Smith, aged 49, after a life-changing spinal cord injury while on holiday left him partially paralysed in all four limbs.
Unable to use his hands for many everyday tasks, Rob and his mum, Marion, developed a gripping aid to help him get back into the gym as part of his rehabilitation.
The homemade solution they built at their kitchen table turned into a fast-growing business that now employs eight staff with an annual turnover of more than £700,000.
Around 80 per cent of its sales are exports to 60 countries including the US and Australia.
And the products designed and manufactured by his company are helping thousands more people with reduced hand function live more independently.
Funding and expert advice from Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), means Rob has been able to keep up with booming demand.
The support has enabled him to invest in a specialist sewing machine and a 3D printer to boost production and develop five new products. He has also been able to grow exports to the US by securing quality and safety accreditation.
Rob said: “The new machinery has changed the way we do things and that’s made a real difference to the productivity of the business. We’re developing new products and making more of them here in Solihull. That means I’m looking to increase the hours of the team and grow our workforce.
“Business Growth West Midlands’ support has helped us as we look to keep growing with a pipeline of new products and new markets overseas.”
BGWM, set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is helping to drive the Mayor’s, Richard Parker, plans to reignite the regional economy by providing SMEs with tailored packages to help them grow, adopt digital technologies, transition to new supply chains, and access funding.
The Mayor said: “Rob has tapped into a niche market and shown what innovation and ambition can achieve, no matter what your circumstances are. He has shown an inspirational determination to not let his own disability hold him back from building a business with a global reputation.
“My forthcoming Regional Growth Plan will harness the entrepreneurial spirit of even more people like Rob, from all walks of life and backgrounds. We’re firing up the local economy and I will make sure that everyone benefits.”
The Active Hands Company is one of thousands of businesses across the West Midlands supported through BGWM’s SME Grant and the Export Support Programme. Both programmes are delivered in partnership with the WMCA’s local authority members.
