An award-winning Warwickshire creative production house working with designers and retailers on bespoke projects has invested in two state-of-the-art machines thanks to support from Made Smarter West Midlands.
TonyG started in 2003 as a stereotypical design company, designing brochures and leaflets from the home of the two original founders, Heather and Tony Golding, in Gaydon.
However, the business began to evolve around 2010 when clients began asking them to become more involved in the production and design of window displays.
This was outsourced until TonyG decided to bring the work in-house. Now, the business is a technical partner for brands and design agencies, with its long-standing clients including Ralph Lauren, Bicester Village and Prada. Spread over four buildings, the manufacturing hub is based at Brook Business Park, Brookhampton Lane, Kineton.
TonyG wanted to improve its efficiency and speed in the framing department and joinery shop.
Tom Maffey, Managing Director at TonyG, said: “We’re the link between industrial manufacturing and high-end design, which involves creating store fitouts, window displays and bespoke events.
“Measurements need to be exact, and speed is of the essence, which is why we needed to invest in more digital technology.”
Tom found out about the Made Smarter West Midlands programme while discussing t their expansion plans with his local business support advisor
“There was a particular piece of equipment that we wanted to purchase, but we didn’t have the space for it until the unit next door became available in January 2025,” he said.
“When we were discussing our expansion plans, we had a long list of kit we wanted to buy, but we found there were some critical parts of infrastructure we needed, so we thought it was going to be a piecemeal approach.”
Yunus Khalifa, Digital Transformation Specialist for Made Smarter West Midlands in Coventry and Warwickshire, visited their rural premises along with Tim Andrews from the MTC, one of the programme’s strategic partners, and devised a roadmap to determine the best outcomes for the business.
Yunus said: “TonyG is a great example of a business ready to take the next step in its growth. By working with them to map out their expansion and digital transformation needs, we were able to identify the right technology investments and support to improve efficiency and speed in their workshop.
“It’s fantastic to see how the team is using cutting-edge equipment to bring high-end design projects to life, strengthening their position as a technical partner for leading brands.”
The business successfully applied for a £20,000 grant from Made Smarter West Midlands, and TonyG invested a further £27,000 to buy two pieces of equipment – a multi-head CNC machine, which has led to the recruitment of another staff member to the workshop team, and an automated frame cutter for its retail clients.
Previously, a manual guillotine was used to cut the woodwork for picture frames, but the new automated frame cutter carries out the process more accurately and quickly.
Before buying this machine, around 100-120 picture frames were completed per project, taking one to two weeks for manufacture. This has now decreased the manufacturing time to less than a week for the same quantity.
Tom said: “In the short term, the benefits of having these two machines are the increased volume of work we can process within a shorter timeframe.
“These are both essential pieces of kit that we have needed for the last two to three years but had been put on hold because of the investment that was needed.
“Having the grant meant we were able to buy both pieces of machinery, and it has increased the volume of work that we can carry out.
“We used them recently for three Ralph Lauren stores and picture framing in Europe. In the past, Lead Framer Graham Bullock would have spent a week cutting everything, but using the automated frame cutter, it took a few days, so it is accelerating the time we spend on our orders.
“Being more automated means we are also making savings in reducing our waste material. We also have an industrial wood burner, so the surplus wood heats the workshop.”
Tim Andrews, Senior Adviser – Digital Transformation at the MTC, said: “When we came to see Tom and the team, we went through the whole business process to identify where the pain points were. There was a lot of manual activity, some of which was quite complex.
“Carrying out some of the work manually took a long time, and additionally, some work was being outsourced.
“The CNC machine and frame cutter were clear opportunities to make a difference in capacity and efficiency, as well as to improve the quality of complex shapes.
“TonyG was aware of the digital tools that were available and used them extensively in some parts of the business. Some are used to their maximum capabilities and some less so, which meant we were able to provide advice on getting more from their existing tools.”
Tom feels TonyG is in a good position to move forward with confidence, not only to retain its existing clients, but also to secure new customers.
He said: “The advice from Yunus and Tim has been invaluable. Tim spent a day with us and went through all the various areas of the business and without the grant from Made Smarter we would have had to fund the full investment ourselves.
“I think Made Smarter is a really valuable resource for SMEs looking to invest in digital technology.”
