D-Marks Concepts is a small Blandford-based family business that has a metal shaping workshop. They specialise in repairs and reproduction parts for classic and vintage cars and building creative structures for designers of art installations and other one-off creations.

DGH Involvement

This long-established business relies on a high level of skilled labour and was reliant on manual tooling. This was beginning to have a negative impact on business growth with productivity, capability, and profit margin limitations. While still requiring skilled labour the business discussed a project with the DGH to transition to greater mechanisation. With the assistance of a DGH grant of £5,000, they invested in a compressed air-driven metal former. The project was completed and the grant was paid out at the end of 2020. The business has benefitted from the confidence to bid for larger tenders for art installations, knowing that they now have both the technical capability and production capacity to deliver on this additional business.

Mark Standhaft, part of the father and son management team commented:

“We hadn’t applied for grants before but as a small business with limited capital we contacted the DGH for support as we were short of the funding required to complete our investment plans. The grant guidance was pretty straightforward and with a small effort in completing the application process we were able to secure the required financial support from the Small Growth Grant Scheme. The investment we made has now opened our eyes to further investment and will be approaching the DGH to offer support in looking for future grant opportunities.”

For further information on D-Mark Concepts, see their website DMark Concepts Panelling & Coachbuilding Specialist Metalwork Company