A Sheffield manufacturer celebrating its 50th anniversary has slashed energy use, boosted productivity and accelerated a major digital transformation programme after tapping into a network of business support.
EE Ingleton Engineering produces perforated metal products, industrial screens and specialist heat-treated wear parts for the recycling and animal feed sectors.
Backed by almost £55,000 in support through programmes delivered by Sheffield City Council’s Business Sheffield team and Made Smarter Yorkshire, the company invested £140,000 into low-carbon technologies, digital manufacturing systems and automation projects aimed at reducing energy consumption, improving efficiency and future-proofing the business.
We’re a traditional manufacturing business, but this journey has shown that digital technology and decarbonisation can work hand in hand. It’s not just about reducing energy costs, it’s about becoming more competitive, more resilient and making sure the business is in a strong position for the next 50 years.
Terry Lee, Director at EE Ingleton Engineering
Established in 1976, EE Ingleton employs 28 people, generates £3m turnover and exports globally.
Operating in highly competitive and price-sensitive markets, the business has spent the last two decades steadily bringing more production processes in-house to improve quality, reduce lead times and strengthen control over costs, delivery and long-term competitiveness.
As a business heavily reliant on metal processing, heat treatment and high-temperature manufacturing, volatile energy costs had become a major strategic challenge.
Investment in a specialist IPSEN heat-treatment furnace brought the process in-house, improving operational control. However, the furnace still relied on ageing 1980s control technology and remained highly energy intensive. The system took around eight hours to reach operating temperature, required continuous running throughout the working week and relied heavily on manual intervention to manage temperatures, gases and process controls.
EE Ingleton engaged with Sheffield City Council’s Business Sheffield team and Made Smarter Yorkshire to explore ways of reducing consumption, improving efficiency and strengthening long-term resilience.
Through Business Sheffield’s Innovation in Action Energy Challenge EE Ingleton was able to better understand energy usage through real-time monitoring technology. Working with Professional Energy People and FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics, the business installed monitoring systems across five machines, giving greater visibility into operational inefficiencies and helping inform future investment decisions.
The project delivered a 29% reduction in energy consumption during the three-month trial, reducing usage by 2,976 kWh and accelerating plans to replace inefficient, energy hungry compressors and heating systems. Mentoring and technical support also helped identify further funding, process optimisation and energy-saving opportunities through more data-led decision making.
Working closely with support of Business Growth Advisor, Andy Sorsby, the business was then able to access Business Sheffield’s Low Carbon Grant programme to access grants to invest in solar PV, upgraded motors, energy-efficient compressors and wider low-carbon improvements across the manufacturing site.
The investment reduced operational energy consumption and carbon emissions, improved environmental performance aligned to ISO 14001 commitments and delivered estimated annual savings of approximately £20,000.
Working with Made Smarter Yorkshire & Humber, EE Ingleton identified a £43,000 technology project, supported by a £20,000 Made Smarter grant and a further £10,000 through Business Sheffield’s Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme, to digitally upgrade the ageing control systems of its IPSEN heat-treatment furnace, replacing analogue controls, paper chart recording and manual management of temperatures, gases and process sequencing.
The project introduced a new digital control panel, programmable burner control units, six high-efficiency burners, upgraded insulation and thermal components, remote monitoring capability, automated alarms, digital process recipes and overnight pre-heating functionality.
The upgrade automated the management of temperatures, gas sequencing and heating cycles through pre-programmed digital recipes while capturing process data for quality assurance and ISO traceability.
Remote monitoring and overnight pre-heating eliminated hours of lost production time previously spent bringing the furnace up to operating temperature, creating an additional six to eight production hours per week.
The project also significantly improved operational efficiency, increasing gas efficiency from approximately 30-35% to around 80%, with potential gas savings of up to 50%, while strengthening EE Ingleton’s in-house heat-treatment capability.
EE Ingleton is now also exploring future automation through Business Sheffield’s Innovation in Action Productivity Challenge. Working with A3L, NEXCAD and Kristina Rutherford Consulting, the business is pursuing technology trials focused on robotic and cobot-assisted welding, workflow optimisation, CAD review bottlenecks and AI-driven sales and marketing tools. The programme is helping de-risk innovation adoption through practical tech trials with industry mentor support, informing future investment in the most relevant automation, AI and advanced manufacturing technologies to unlock new innovation-led growth opportunities.
By engaging with business support programmes, technology providers and manufacturing networks across Sheffield, EE Ingleton has accelerated the modernisation of a traditional heritage manufacturer while strengthening long-term competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.
Combined grant support through Made Smarter and Business Sheffield helped offset the cost of a major £140,000 furnace modernisation project, allowing the business to move faster with investments in digital manufacturing, low-carbon technologies and automation. The support also gave the business greater confidence to accelerate investment and pursue wider growth opportunities.
The projects have helped transform a traditional energy-intensive process into a smarter, more efficient and digitally enabled manufacturing operation. They have improved productivity, operational efficiency and process control while reducing energy consumption, lowering carbon emissions and strengthening the company’s in-house manufacturing capability.
The investment programme has also accelerated wider business growth, helping EE Ingleton expand sales activity, increase exports and continue investing across the business through acquisitions and technology improvements.
Importantly, the digital projects have helped upskill its workforce and create new jobs.
Terry added: “These projects have helped us move much faster than we could have done on our own. The support has allowed us to invest in technology, improve efficiency and continue modernising the business while protecting jobs and creating new opportunities for the future.
“Made Smarter and Business Sheffield have been hugely valuable. They understand the pressures small manufacturers are facing and have connected us to a wider Yorkshire ecosystem of manufacturers, technology providers and advisers all pulling in the same direction. It’s helped us make better decisions and approach investment with much more confidence.”
EE Ingleton is continuing to explore opportunities around robotics, cobot-assisted manufacturing, laser welding, AI-driven systems and workflow optimisation, while progressing plans for a new 12-kilowatt laser cutting system to increase manufacturing capability and support future growth.
At the same time, the company remains focused on investing in people, apprenticeships and future skills as it expands exports, strengthens competitiveness and builds a more resilient manufacturing business for the future.
