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Sheffield-based engineering company , which is helping businesses recoup thousands of pounds in energy costs , is turning up the heat on its future growth plans after calling on help from Finance For Enterprise and the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund .

Headquartered at Sheffield ’ s Century Park Industrial Estate , Saphex manufactures , designs and repairs a wide range of industrial heat exchange units ,

Wayne Nelson , MD at Saphex , and Gurinder Mander , Senior Business Lending Manager at Finance For Enterprise , in front of one of the heat exchange units the company manufactures

which are typically used to help businesses regulate temperature during the manufacturing process .

Recognising that the primary purpose of a heat exchange mechanism is to remove excess temperatures typically generated during the manufacturing process , Managing Director , Wayne Nelson , began exploring ways of helping businesses to repurpose this energy elsewhere within the business , helping companies to save money on their heating bills , as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions .

The solution Nelson and the Saphex team have pioneered is called Clix . The modular system draws on their extensive knowledge of the heat exchange industry , which transfers excess heat generated to be transferred to another source . The process allows surplus energy to be recycled and used elsewhere in the business .

Although the innovative work has taken nearly 15 years to perfect , the results have proved to be dramatic . During trials of the system , the innovative work phase helped one business to make savings in excess of £ 280,000 during the past 12 months alone .

Recognising the impact of energy price increases facing businesses operating in many different sectors , Nelson and the Saphex team felt the time was right to bring their years of work to market . However , to fully harness the potential offered by the new system , Nelson realised that additional funding would be needed and reached out to Finance For Enterprise for investment .

Working with Business Lending Manager , Gurinder Mandir , Saphex successfully secured a £ 150,000 investment , funded by Finance For Enterprise and NPIF – BEF & FFE Microfinance , which is managed by Finance For Enterprise and BEF and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund . The loans also utilise the government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme .

With funds in place , Saphex is now targeting six figure growth within the next 12 months and has embarked upon a three-year growth strategy , which aims to see the business double in size over the next three years . Central to Saphex ’ s growth plans , part of the funds will be used to invest in new software , which will be used to significantly reduce the amount of time taken to undertake the complex thermal calculations needed when designing heat recycling systems , ultimately helping to increase capacity within the business .

Nelson said : “ There remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding energy prices , and this is having a devastating impact on businesses of all sizes . Energy intensive industries such as food production , chemical manufacturing and traditional heavy industries have been particularly hard hit , and we felt that the time was right to bring a product we ’ ve been working on for over 15 years to market .” �