Engineer spots gap in market

A specialist engineer from Shropshire who saw a gap in the market has launched his own business.

Nathan Farlow founded MassTech Solutions, a Telford-based company supplying machined components to the silicon chip sector, after being made redundant.

“I have always been career-driven and my goal was to one day be my own boss,” said Nathan, who is based on Halesfield. “This opportunity came about as a result of being made redundant from my previous employer who was a leading supplier for the industry.

“I could see that there was a gap in the chain of suppliers being able to offer short lead times to help aid customers with their research and development projects.”

Nathan decided to launch the enterprise after completing a ‘Step Up’ course for new businesses run by Bridgnorth business consultancy Good2Great.

“I received a good insight on running a business during the eight week Good2Great programme and was overwhelmed with the amount of help and support from people,” he said.

The Step Up Business Programme is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Telford & Wrekin Council on behalf of partners Shropshire Council.

MassTech’s clients supply silicon chips in settings from industrial quality control laboratories, Government and public authority laboratories, contract laboratories, universities and research institutes.

Nathan said: “I have ten years’ experience in this industry as I started off as an apprentice learning all aspects of the business. I have gained a wealth of knowledge of the sector and have a great understanding of our customers’ specifications and quality expectations.”