Area Focus

Diversity is key to business success in North Herts

Located less than 40 miles north of central London, North Hertfordshire is a predominantly rural district and is home to interesting market towns and numerous picturesque villages and hamlets. It’s an attractive area in which to live and work and has a wide variety of attractions including museums, galleries, historic markets, parks and areas of natural beauty.

There are also numerous

vibrant towns in North Herts – each with their own distinctive character. Hitchin, Baldock and Royston are medieval market towns, each retaining numerous historic buildings, while Letchworth Garden City is worldfamous as the first Garden City. The larger shopping centres of Stevenage, Luton, Welwyn Garden City and Watford are all within easy travelling distance of North Herts, and Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Lakeside and Bluewater are less than an hour’s car journey away.

Given North Herts’ rich diversity, it’s perhaps not surprising that the area has an eclectic mix of businesses. One of those is Mettler-Toledo, a global manufacturer and marketer of precision instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. With a base in Royston, the company has a broad product offering and one of the largest global sales and service organisations among precision instrument companies.

One of Mettler’s Herts-based operations is Safeline X-ray, which produces highprecision x-ray inspection systems for the food and pharma processing and manufacturing sectors. Chris Plant, Head of Operations at Safeline X-ray, says that there are numerous trading benefits from being based in Royston.

“Royston has excellent transport links to the north and south of the country, via road and rail,” he says. “It’s also ideally placed to access major air and sea terminals, making our logistical operations easier.” We recently moved into our purpose-built manufacturing facility, which will accommodate our projected growth as a business. We’ll continue to benefit from ongoing investment in the local infrastructure and this will allow our business to expand further.

“In addition, Hertfordshire is a great county to live and work in; it attracts the kind of talented people we need in the technical food and pharma industries.”

“There are one or two challenges to navigate – namely, the paucity of local accommodation in the Royston area. For a global company with customers who travel across the world to visit us, that’s sometimes a problem.”

“We recently moved into our purposebuilt manufacturing facility, which will accommodate our projected growth as a business. We’ll continue to benefit from ongoing investment in the local infrastructure and this will allow our business to expand further. Our aim is to develop our existing team by attracting talented individuals from the surrounding areas, as North Hertfordshire remains a hub for technical expertise.”

CSD Automation is also an integral part of North Hertfordshire’s thriving technology hub. The Letchworth Garden City-based company specialises in the design and manufacture of process automation and engineering solutions and helps clients to use these solutions to maximise operational efficiency.

Chris Pykerman, Managing Director

of CSD Automation, says: “We trade both internationally and across the whole of the UK. North Herts has reasonably good transport links to the industrial Midlands heartland and many niche SME manufacturers across the south of England. International trade is made easier by our close proximity to Heathrow, Luton and Stansted.”

“Historically, the local area has been home to several special purpose equipment manufacturers. This is good for us as it means that a pool of skilled labour is available for the design and assembly of our highly complex bespoke equipment.”

“There’s a very limited pool of suitable properties in North Hertfordshire, so that’s a challenge for us as we expand the business. Ideally, we need a modern and presentable facility suitable for entertaining large blue-chip clients.” “We’re planning to grow the business over the next few years, with larger premises and more personnel. We’re aiming to ride the wave of predicted significant growth in manufacturing automation, which is being driven by multiple forces. Manufacturers are being forced to automate due to the increasing cost of labour and/or limited availability of skilled talent. The pandemic has also led to a significant shift in risk management regarding outsourced manufacturing in Asia. Many companies are now finding it economical to reshore manufacturing, thereby driving a requirement for automated equipment.”

Historically, the local area has been home to several special purpose equipment manufacturers. This is good for us as it means that a pool of skilled labour is available for the design and assembly of our highly complex bespoke equipment.

Going forward, there certainly looks to be a need for CSD’s automation services. Also in demand are services provided by another North Herts company, Austin’s Funeral Directors. The Stevenage-headquartered family firm has served the local community for more than three centuries and its staff are renowned for providing a standard of professionalism, dedication and depth of knowledge that has been recognised by members of the public, professionals and other funeral directors.

Claire Austin, Managing Director of Austin’s, says: “The area is very diverse with a mix of urban and rural communities. As a new town, Stevenage grew as a result of the relocation of many families from London in the 1950s, so the needs and wishes of families provide varied and interesting scope for our business.”

“Generally, the area is served by very good communication routes but the growth in our business and the local population can present some challenges in terms of the sheer volume of traffic.”

“In future we’re aiming for further expansion. We’ve recently opened two new funeral arrangement offices in Hoddesdon and Harpenden, which has expanded our reach across the A1 and A10 corridors. However, these are still serviced by our head office in Stevenage so our plan is to provide more jobs and opportunities for local residents.”

Also going for growth is Gatwards of Hitchin, a watchmaker and clockmaker that first opened its doors in 1760 when King George II was still on the throne. Over its long and colourful history, Gatwards has seen many changes and, with a history spanning more than 260 years, this award-winning family firm is the oldest family jewellers in the UK and 28th oldest family business.

Director, Charlotte Gatward, says: “Online retail has grown significantly over the past couple of years, particularly during the pandemic. After investing in our online shop and social media presence, our focus now is very much on ensuring that we remain a destination shop in Hitchin. We want to create an experience for our customers who come into our physical store. We have exciting plans to update our showroom to enhance the in-store experience and we’ll be taking on another luxury jewellery brand very soon.”

Charlotte says that she and her team are “fortunate” to be located in Hitchin’s market square, an area of the town where people come together for community events and more recently for Al Fresco dining.

“These days people tend to eat where they shop and, for us as a luxury retailer, having dining options for our customers close by is great for our business,” she says. “It gives customers a chance to mull over a considered purchase over a nice meal in a local restaurant or on the square.”

“Parking is always a challenge in a small market town like Hitchin. There are several car parks but they’re all quite expensive and there are limits on the amount of time you can park there. This creates difficulties

Ogle Models + Prototypes’ Philip Martin and Matt White

not just for our customers but also our team members as it’s hard for them to find somewhere to park for the day. Public transport links via bus are not always reliable either, although generally there are more advantages of trading in Hitchin than disadvantages.”

For Letchworth-based Ogle Models + Prototypes, North Herts’ excellent transport links and close proximity to London are major benefits of being based there. For 67 years Ogle has provided a range of prototyping, modelmaking and more recently 3D printing services to companies around the world. Its reputation is built on experience that comes from longevity in a continually evolving sector.

Director Philip Martin says: “Easy access to London and the rest of the UK makes the personal meetings that drive our business simple to accomplish. This access also makes it easier to achieve same-day dispatch and delivery.”

“Having key partners just down the road is hugely beneficial. Simple access to our marketing, IT support and the teams managing our specialist outsourced processes are integral to timely delivery. The trusted relationships we’ve built over the 67 years we’ve been trading depend on quick communication and turnaround times.”

“In general, we experience no limitations given our great access to the UK as a whole, particularly London and the surrounding areas. Our 25,000 square-foot facility sits in an industrial area of Letchworth so it’s simple to find partners. DPD, for example, is just a couple of doors down.”

“Our location does, however, mean that we have higher operating costs – an issue exacerbated by the fact that, historically, this county does not get a lot of funding. The majority of business funding in the county is often some form of support for start-ups rather than established businesses like ours.”

Going forward, Ogle plans to build on its diverse client base by taking advantage of local Hertfordshire investments and developments.

“In the entertainment industry for example, the film and TV studio planned for Broxbourne and the new Sky Studios Elstree at Borehamwood provide fresh opportunity,” says Philip. “We’ve worked on several commissions relating to props and costume for film – including the original Star Wars trilogy – and working with these facilities will further our development of local enterprise.”

“The more visible this local collaboration is to businesses that want to establish themselves in Hertfordshire, the more we’ll be able to attract business to the area and increase the potential for local companies such as ourselves. To meet this rising demand, we’re maintaining our investment in key processes and local skilled people.”

In general, we experience no limitations given our great access to the UK as a whole, particularly London and the surrounding areas. Our 25,000 square-foot facility sits in an industrial area of Letchworth so it’s simple to find partners. DPD, for example, is just a couple of doors down.

Local talent is a key reason why North Hertfordshire’s business community is thriving, according to the Stevenage Development Board. The board’s role is to provide strategic leadership and set out a town investment plan with a clear vision, strategy and delivery proposals that reflect the ambitions of local people. It consists of key stakeholders from public sector organisations, private businesses and not-for-profit organisations to ensure that a diverse range of views are represented.

The Stevenage Development Board, says: “World-class businesses and supply chains already based here provide an environment of collaboration and innovation. Stevenage is a strategic geographic location in the heart of the golden triangle near London, Cambridge and Oxford but with affordable land and rental values.”

Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage and the Herts Chamber team during his visit in April 2022

“We have excellent transport links by road, rail and air, with Thameslink connecting Stevenage to central London in 20 minutes. We also have a range of specialisms: the largest cell and gene therapy cluster outside of the USA, an aerospace and defence sector that’s internationally renowned, a significant healthcare sector and a thriving cluster of start-ups and small businesses.”

Stevenage Borough Council has been leading the way to a brighter future for the town, with a strong vision for growth that benefits local people including promoting the initial concept of the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) to provide up to-the-minute information on career pathways, apprenticeship posts and job opportunities for students, parents, teachers and employers.

“Strong leadership and partnershipworking have been key to the success achieved so far, with Stevenage Borough Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, along with a wide range of other partners, working together to maximise opportunities in Stevenage.”

All of these organisations are doing their bit to support local firms and attract new businesses to the area. In April, the Chamber were visited at their offices by Member of Parliament for Stevenage, Stephen McPartland, who said: “I was delighted to visit the Chamber’s new offices, meet with the team and celebrate the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of export successes achieved with the support of the Chamber. Hertfordshire really is the engine room of the British economy and I’m so proud to see many members from my own constituency, in Stevenage, being supported and benefiting from being part of the UK’s fastest growing Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations and thank you to Briege Leahy and her team.”

Briege Leahy, Herts Chamber Chief Executive said: “It was great to meet with Stephen and discuss the opportunities available for the Chamber and Stevenage to continue to work together.”

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, and Briege Leahy, Chief Executive, Herts Chamber