b'GROWING POTENTIAL South Ribble manufacturer gets boost with mentoring supportBoost growth support has helped a Matrix Park-based pet and personal care products manufacturer to increase turnover by 40 per cent, create 12 new jobs and produce more than 500,000 units a month. Boost, Lancashires Business Growth Hub partnered Group55s founder, Stephen Turner, with experienced business mentor, David Grant, as the company began to face increasing pressure from an over-reliance on third party manufacturers. Stephen said: In the past Ive embarked on various support schemes to help grow the business but they didnt work. Mentors had no related experience and they didnt understand my business. I thought it was a Patrick Naylor, group portfolio manager for EWG waste of time. But two years ago, I knew I needed to make a dramatic shift in Eric Wright property groupoperations, which took me out of my comfort zone. South Ribble Borough targets 100m portfolioCouncil recommended I speak to Boost.within five years Thanks to the programme and Davids ongoing support in strategic business planning, Group55 has grown its employees from nine in A property company based in Bamber Bridge hasOctober 2017, to today having more than 20 staff, with new roles created set out a five-year growth plan of its portfolio, toin the manufacturing, technology and quality departments. After raising reach 100m.turnover by 40 per cent, Stephens aim is to use his guidance from David to triple turnover again by 2020. Eric Wright Group (EWG) recently completed on three deals worth more than 6.5m. The first wasStephen said: The experience from David was invaluable. He has a great a 2.3m off-market acquisition of Middleton Tradementoring style, and let us make our own decisions. With his previous Park, Greater Manchester, from Alden Green Limited,experience in manufacturing, he had been there and done it. He was followed by the sale of 34,600 sq. ft. The Woolable to produce solutions and think differently to us, which helped give a Exchange, in Bradford, to Cartmex Limited. different perspective on the business.In a final deal, EWG acquired Quantum House,Group55s laboratory and onsite manufacturing process became fully Royton, in Oldham, for 2.8m in a sale and leasebackoperational in March 2019 with capacity for running three filling lines, deal with Quantum Profile Systems. The 48,122 sq.producing more than 500,000 units a month. ft. property has been let on a 15-year lease.Group portfolio manager for EWG, Patrick Naylor, said: Our focus is on building and strengthening the portfolio through strategic acquisitions, development and further investment.The groups property portfolio is currently valued at 64m, which is invested in 37 properties that are primarily located in the North West.Nitecrest begins production of biometric payment cardsProduction of pioneering fingerprint-activated payment cards has commenced at Leylands Nitecrest, a plastic card manufacturer. Enabling contactless payments for amounts more than the current limit of 30, the biometric solution will include a fingerprint identification panel, which is expected to be included in millions of bank card units by as soon as 2023. Nitecrest manufactures banking and payment cards in a VISA and MasterCard secure facility in Leyland through its financial services operation, TagNitecrest. Group55s founder, Stephen Turner6 The Business Newsletter of South Ribble Borough Council'