Mowbray Foam Ltd

Mowbray Foam Limited is a family-run manufacturer of foam products based in Sewstern, Grantham. With over 20 years’ experience, the company provides high-quality, custom foam solutions to a variety of industries, with many customers coming from the soft furnishings and upholstery sector.

Why engage with Invest to Grow?

Current Managing Director, Dr Samuel Freeman, joined the company at a point where, despite being operationally sound, the business had plateaued. Recognising that to ensure future growth changes needed to be made, the business decided to invest in high-tech machinery and to modernise their systems and processes.

A Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine capable of contour cutting became central to the company’s strategy as it would provide higher throughput, tighter tolerances and a broader product offering. Invest to Grow were approached to support with funding for the new Baumer OFS-Twincut CNC contour cutter, an advanced piece of machinery that has drastically reduced the company’s dependence on manual operations and has enabled them to take on more technical work demanded by larger furniture manufacturers.

Dr Samuel Freeman commented:

“The funding we received through Invest to Grow played a critical role in accelerating this shift.  Without this investment, we would have struggled to meet the speed, accuracy and volume requirements of such clients.  The funding effectively gave us the tools to stabilise the business during a challenging economic period and reorient it towards sustainable, resilient growth”.

What has been the impact of Invest to Grow?

The Invest to Grow programme offered a route to automation, allowing the purchase of machinery that enabled a reduction in production bottlenecks and the ability to manufacture more technically demanding parts quickly and consistently, without losing the flexibility and fast turnaround times that the business is known for.

Shortly before applying to Invest to Grow, the company had experienced a drop in sales following the loss of a major customer and were impacted by cost pressures, including raw material inflation, and rising energy and wage costs, all of which made it harder for the business to remain competitive whilst operating with older, labour-intensive equipment.

Dr Samuel Freeman, added:

“The Baumer machine has materially changed our operation.  Complex contour work is now up to 10 times faster, set up time is minimal, and repeatability is far higher, with cut parts fitting first time, which minimises rework and scrap.  Automation has shifted labour from manual cutting to value added tasks, improving gross profit per labour hour and shortening lead times for customers”.

Without the funding, the company would not have purchased such a state-of-the-art piece of machinery. It represents the absolute cutting edge of CNC-controlled foam cutting and is just the beginning of exciting growth plans for the business.

Remarking upon Mowbray Foam’s experience of working with the University of Derby’s Delivery Team, Dr Freeman commented:

“The team have been immensely supportive throughout, offering guidance and total transparency throughout the process. We hope to maintain and enhance our relationship with the University and look to engage with any suitable opportunities that arise in the future”.