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Regeneration

Walsall Council’s business growth team helps Ryder Saddles secure £34,000 towards state of the art CNC leather cutter

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Walsall Council’s business growth team was able to help saddle manufacturer Ryder Saddles secure £34,000 towards a state-of-the-art CNC leather cutter.

Three people standing beside a large CNC cutting machine, on which is a piece of black leather that has just been cut into shape by the machine
L-R Paul Goodall(Leather Prepper), Glen Farnell(Owner), Jane Riley(Owner)

Walsall is well known for its historic leather industry among its many trades, and it’s an industry that is still thriving in Walsall to this day.

Walsall Council’s business growth team was able to help saddle manufacturer Ryder Saddles secure £34,000 towards a state-of-the-art CNC leather cutter which has helped them save time and increase the quality of their products.

Through the AIM for Gold initiative, Ryder Saddles was able to purchase the machinery in early 2023, and it has helped them drastically boost productivity, cutting leather much quicker and more accurately than the human hand, and generating less leather waste in the process.

Expressing concerns about the future of the business due to difficulty finding staff to replace their soon-to-retire leather cutter, owners Jane Riley and Glen Farnell needed support to purchase machinery to help them continue to manufacture their high-end saddles, and also create opportunities to diversify into new markets such as handbags.

“ Our business growth team do such fantastic work to support our local businesses and this is a great example of how we are actively working to safeguard their future growth in Walsall. We are immensely proud of our industrial heritage and it’s great to see that local manufacturers like Ryder Saddles are able to diversify and boost productivity to keep their businesses going and thriving “

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration
Walsall Council

“ The support from the business growth team has been truly fantastic, we are so pleased with the new CNC machine and the time that it has saved us in cutting leather. We’ve reduced waste and improved the quality of our products due to the accuracy of the machine. I look forward to continuing to work with the business growth team and we are actively looking at future opportunities as we continue to expand and grow “

Jane Riley, Co-Owner
Ryder Saddles

Building on this momentum, the company is actively collaborating with Walsall Council’s Business Growth Team to explore further funding and support opportunities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Levelling Up fund and the West Midlands Combined Authority, aiming to amplify their growth prospects substantially. Walsall businesses keen to know more about the support offered by the Business Growth Team can contact them via business@walsall.gov.uk 

ENDS

 

A large CNC laser cutting machine
A table full of leather handbags in various colours. In front is a black bag with a zebra print top, behind it is a bright pink bag
The business is looking to expand into new markets, producing high quality handbags

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