Grimsby team secure more than £2m of business in its first six months of trading.

The company, which only opened the doors to its new office and workshop complex in January, has fast become one of the region’s success stories.

With the actual trading performance already far exceeding expectations during this initial period and with forecasts for the rest of the year very good, the Directors are already considering future expansion.

Although the Intelect brand is relatively new to North East Lincolnshire, the operation is staffed and managed by local people, most of whom have considerable experience in the food processing industry, one of Intelect’s main target sectors. Its parent company is Intelect UK, a fast-growing electrical and mechanical engineering company based at Riverside Park, Middlesbrough.

One of the three directors at Grimsby, Phill Bodsworth, said: “While we are naturally delighted at the company’s performance in the first six months, we are not losing sight of the fact that trading conditions remain tough.

“Our achievement is largely down to the hard work and enthusiasm shown by every member of our team and we need to maintain this competitive spirit in the future. We have certainly laid down a marker that we are capable of handling major contracts for the biggest clients”.

Intelect Engineering’s recent workload has included a £500,000 contract for one of the country’s leading food manufacturing companies and a £200,000 contract inside a pet food factory, modifying existing conveyor systems.

When the company moved in to the re-named Brunel House on Estate Road No. 2, South Humberside Industrial Estate, in January, the workforce was six. Today, it stands at almost 30 with a further half dozen people, normally based at the Middlesbrough headquarters, being employed on sub-contract work with other Grimsby companies.

Phill said: “We are receiving enquiries for new work just about every day from all parts of the UK and even from Europe and the Far East so our capabilities are obviously being noted by the right people. We are forecasting further growth this year, probably leading to more job opportunities.”

Co-founder and Managing Director of the Intelect Group, Fran Cormican, said: “Phill and his fellow directors, Ray Johnson and Kevin Stanham, made a strong case for Intelect to open in Grimsby and we knew they had a wealth of experience, especially in the food processing sector. We decided to back them with a £1m investment in property and machinery and the best local skills.

“We know that Grimsby, like many towns, has suffered significant losses in both jobs and investment in recent years but we are confident that Intelect Engineering will continue to expand, creating new wealth and job opportunities for the town”.