Dead Reckoning Engineering
Funding support from West Lothian Council’s Economic Development service enabled Linlithgow-based business Dead Reckoning Engineering to bring an exciting new product to market ahead of schedule.
Established in 2023, Dead Reckoning Engineering aims to be the forefront supplier of tools and components for subsea system integrators in the UK and European subsea/marine industry. Their core products are premium cable moulds which enable waterproof cable joints to be easily manufactured in the field or in a low volume production environment.
The idea for the business’s core product line was developed when Founder, Ross Wilson, identified a gap in the market while he was working in the marine industry. He contacted the Business Gateway West Lothian team who were able to provide valuable advice on how he could create a business around this product idea.
With this support, Dead Reckoning Engineering was launched. The business sought to add to its initial product portfolio by developing a variant of the standard cable mould, based on the same design principles and utilising common parts. However, limited resources meant that all of their focus was devoted to the improvement and support of the existing product line, to the detriment of growth in other areas. To help them overcome this, Business Gateway West Lothian signposted funding available from West Lothian Council that could support the development of a new product.
The Project Grant is part funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and administered locally by West Lothian Council’s Economic Development team. This exciting grant is aimed towards businesses looking to enhance their competitive edge through capacity building and efficiency improvements.
After successfully applying for the grant, Dead Reckoning Engineering received funding enabling them to bring their new product to market 6 to 12 months ahead of the anticipated schedule.
In addition to the financial support, Dead Reckoning Engineering also took advantage of Invest in West Lothian’s Expert Help Programme, which allows local business owners to access fully or partly funded consultancy support. Through this, they booked a free 1:1 Marketing and Branding Surgery Session, during which they received advice on how to raise the profile of the business.
On this support, Ross Wilson said: “Business Gateway West Lothian has been an invaluable supporting resource since the inception of the business. Their advisers assisted us in getting the company incorporated through to the stage we are at now, having completed our first funded project. I am excited to be planning further collaboration with them in the future as the ability to consult with specialists in business management allows us to punch above our size and to focus on our core strength which is product development.”
For more information on the Project Grant, please click here.
To find out how we can help your business, please email invest@westlothian.gov.uk