Clifton Engineering has secured a 174,000 pound grant to expand its Morpeth operation, backing new polyurethane moulding capacity and additional CNC investment after a recent extension to its premises.
The Northumberland business said demand for larger metallic and polyurethane components rose through 2025, creating pressure for additional machine tools and more productive floorspace. The latest support from the Business Growth Fund follows earlier backing used to extend the factory and install new moulding equipment, and is intended to turn that added space into usable capacity.
That sequence matters. Many engineering businesses manage to fund either a building extension or a machine purchase, but not both in a way that materially changes throughput. Clifton is now moving beyond piecemeal investment and towards a broader capacity build-out across moulding and machining, which should give it more flexibility in handling larger and more varied work.
Andrew Pearson, Managing Director of Clifton Engineering, said: “Funding provided by the Business Growth Fund in November 2024 allowed us to extend our current factory and invest in new polyurethane moulding equipment, whilst this second wave of funding allows us to invest in larger and more sophisticated machine tools to support future growth and fulfil customer demands.”
Founded in 1993, Clifton works across precision machining, EDM, toolmaking, polyurethane tool design, moulding and encapsulation, cable assembly, 3D printing and laser engraving. That breadth helps explain why the company is pitching the investment at both existing and new markets: it can add value through a mix of machining, moulding and specialist assembly rather than compete on commodity machine hours alone.
The funding is also tied to employment. Clifton said the expansion will create new jobs and safeguard existing roles at its Coopies Haugh facility, linking capital spending to capacity growth rather than simple equipment replacement.
The Business Growth Fund, backed by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is aimed at projects that support growth and productivity. For smaller engineering manufacturers, that kind of support remains one of the more practical routes to scaling specialist production without carrying all of the risk on the balance sheet.
With the extension complete and new equipment plans now funded, Clifton’s next task is execution: converting a stronger plant layout and a broader machine base into shorter lead times, larger-component capability and enough headroom to take on work it may previously have had to leave on the table.
