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At Business Sheffield, we’re passionate about helping local manufacturers innovate, grow and strengthen Sheffield’s industrial base. Through our Productivity Grant, we support businesses to improve efficiency, invest in new technology and create quality jobs across the city. The funding helps companies boost output, streamline processes and unlock growth opportunities that make Sheffield a stronger place to do business.
That’s why we were excited to work with William Whitely & Sons Sheffield Limited, a company with a proud history of craftsmanship. Founded over 250 years ago, Whitely is renowned for producing handcrafted scissors using traditional methods that have changed little over the centuries.
When Gautam Bathija acquired the company, he was determined to preserve its heritage while also driving innovation. One of his main goals was to bring production processes that had moved overseas back into South Yorkshire, starting with the forging and blank production that forms the foundation of their scissors.
“A lot of the things that traditionally would have been done in Sheffield before weren’t being able to be done in Sheffield or even in the UK,” says Gautam. “One of the challenges I wanted to address was to bring our supply chain back into South Yorkshire and ideally into Sheffield.”
Working closely with Andy Sorsby, a Business Sheffield advisor, Whitely identified the Productivity Grant as the perfect opportunity to help achieve this goal. Andy took the time to understand the company’s plans, vision and strategy, and helped shape a funding approach that aligned with their objectives.
“Andy was very helpful in being able to identify areas that he could help us and assist us in,” says Gautam. “He understood our plans and our vision and pointed out that the Productivity Grant was probably the best option for us.”
The grant was used to move Whitely’s forging production from Europe back to Sheffield. This allowed the company to work with a local supplier and regain full control of its supply chain.
“The grant was used in part to fund that forging tooling so we can move that to a local supplier and have control of our supply chain,” explains Gautam.
The results have been transformative. Whitely now produces its own forgings locally, improving both quality and efficiency.
“It’s had a positive impact,” Gautam says. “We now have the first forgings being used on the shop floor. Because they are our own design, we are able to improve the efficiency of how we make scissors, both in terms of speed and in terms of quality.”
At Business Sheffield, we value building strong relationships with the businesses we support. Our advisors take the time to understand each company’s goals and challenges, offering practical, friendly and professional guidance every step of the way.
“They are very easy to deal with, very professional,” says Gautam. “They are mostly all business people and that makes the conversations much more productive.”
At Business Sheffield, we’re proud to help companies like Whitely continue Sheffield’s long manufacturing tradition while building a stronger, more resilient local economy.
If your business is looking to improve productivity, invest in new equipment or strengthen your local supply chain, our team can help. Contact businesssheffield@sheffield.gov.uk or call 0114 224 5000 to find out more about the Productivity Grant and other support available.