A Coventry-based classic motorcycle welding specialist, which has been trading for a matter of months, is already gaining international attention.
Qualitig officially launched in September last year and has gone from strength to strength in that short period of time.
After creating his own workshop at his home in Wyken and getting the business underway, Nigel Andrews is attracting global interest for specialist skills such as aluminium tig welding, fabrication and repairs with commissions coming in from an array of other countries.
Nigel was provided with a range of help and advice to get his business underway from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce as part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Nigel said: “I was given the opportunity to learn Aluminium Tig welding at Covrad Heat Transfer and my first job was to turnaround damaged truck intercoolers within 24 hours so the vehicles could be back on the road. So, you can imagine I was getting everything thrown at me so it was a case of sink or swim and it got to the point where at the end there was nothing I couldn't turn around.
“The reason I started the business was because I wanted to make a future for myself and my son, Harvey, having spent my working life relying on others this time I just wanted to make my own dreams a reality.
“It has gone really, really well, it was big risk, especially creating a workshop at home, but we’ve had a great start.
“We’ve had commissions from overseas from countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg, which is fantastic for the business.
“I couldn’t have done any of it without the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, they have been invaluable.
“I knew of the Chamber and when I thought about starting the business, I got in touch to see if they could offer any help. I was offered a mentorship, which was absolutely amazing, I was looked after by Wendy and then Neil, and they were so good and the focus was all on me, the business and what I wanted and needed to achieve. Their advice and help was tailored to me and was just perfect, exactly what I needed.
“I was also given access to the courses that the Chamber run and they were incredibly helpful and proved to be an excellent tool. It all gave me the confidence and further knowledge to launch Qualitig.”
Thanks to the help the Chamber has given, Nigel has already diversified and added new services.
He had been offering one-to-one tuition before lockdown for people to learn new skills and has also been invited to do online talks to companies including the National Motorcycle Museum.
“I thought the tuition was a good way to go as it gives people the chance to learn some of the skills for themselves,” added Nigel.
“It seemed like the perfect progression and something I can do more of once lockdown has ended.”
Hardeep Sandhu, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is great to see that in such a short space of time, Nigel has accomplished so much and is making the business such a success.
“It just goes to show what you can achieve with a vision and a little bit of help and I’m glad that the Chamber could be a support and such a benefit through the start-up programme.”
The Chamber has a range of support for start-up businesses, whether you want to make your business idea a reality, or require advice on how to build your new businesses. For more information go to https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/business-start-up/
*Eligibility criteria applies.
For further information about Qualitig and its services visit www.qualitig.co.uk
Pictured: Nigel Andrews with Hardeep Sandhu