Vista Engineering Ltd
29 January 2025
Sector: Manufacturing
Location: High Peak
Vista Engineering is the UK’s largest independent manufacturer of builders’ metalwork specialising in wall ties and associated products.
The business is part of the Vista Group and was established over 50 years ago by David Travis, the father of Group Managing Director, Philip Travis.
Challenges faced
Vista Engineering faces the challenge of ensuring its products meet the demands of builders' merchants. Merchants prioritise high-quality, effective products that sell well to their customers. However, competitive pricing is essential, meaning Vista must maintain efficient manufacturing processes to keep costs down.
Additionally, sustainability is becoming increasingly important, with merchants favouring suppliers that reduce their carbon footprint. To succeed, Vista must continuously improve product performance, streamline production, and enhance sustainability while remaining cost competitive.
Solution and Impact
Vista Engineering had previously received a growth voucher for consultancy support through the Community Renewal Fund project in 2022.
More recently the business has taken advantage of 1-to-1 business advice and funding through the Accelerator project. This is funded by High Peak Borough Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.
Chamber Business Adviser, Richard Crowden has been working with the Vista Engineering senior management team on supporting the business with its sustainability goals.
The business took advantage of a fully funded energy audit which helped identify energy efficiency improvements and opportunities to reduce costs within the premises. They were signposted by Richard to High Peak Borough Council’s Decarbonisation Grant and were successfully awarded £15,000 (50% of the total project cost). This funding has helped Vista Engineering double its solar power systems to 100kW.
Philip Travis commented: “The support has enabled us to seamlessly integrate the new solar panels with our existing system, significantly reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy sources and lowering our operational costs.”
This means the business will offset its carbon emissions by 90,000 kgCO2 per year, which is equivalent to reducing energy consumption off grid by 20%.
“We are grateful for the support of the Decarbonisation Grant through High Peak Borough Council, which has been instrumental in helping us achieve this milestone.”
- Phil Travis, Managing Director
This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of High Peak Borough Council.
