Leading communications provider has strong foundations to continue its rapid growth

The UK’s leading communications provider for the construction industry worked with the Enterprise M3 Growth Hub to restructure and develop a five-year investment plan.

Fast growing UK Connect, based at Cody Technology Park, in Farnborough, provides 5G digital connectivity to its clients, which also includes the UK military whilst on deployment in remote parts of the world.

The company’s managing director and founder PJ Farr approached the EM3 Growth Hub to help ensure UK Connect’s continue rapid growth by increasing its client base to support more than 1,400 construction sites across the UK.

“When we initially contacted the Growth Hub, we were looking for expert guidance to help us navigate the challenges of our rapid expansion. The service has clearly delivered and has been instrumental in providing valuable support and resources to help us achieve our goals.”

The idea for the company stems from when as an inquisitive soldier serving in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, PJ was fascinated how the army could maintain reliable connectivity in such isolated locations. While he could take a photo and instantly send it back to the UK, his father-in-law, was not able get a good connection to his UK construction site. PJ felt that if construction sites could use technology to improve connectivity, this would bring huge gains.

Since setting up the business in 2013, PJ has built a team of highly skilled experts who are able to support the construction industry with everything they need in communications from broadband to VoIP. He said: “The collaboration with the Growth Hub has allowed us to further streamline our processes, ensuring we continue to deliver top-notch services to our clients.”

Working with the Growth Hub team, PJ was able to identify key areas of the business to work on after using the EM3 GROWTH Mapper Online Diagnostic tool. “The tool provided us with valuable insights, which helped us to focus our efforts on the most crucial aspects of our business,” PJ explains.

It also highlighted the need to identify, recruit and retain staff with the necessary skills to achieve high growth targets and embrace and support sustainability to become a stronger low carbon supplier to its clients.

PJ was assigned with one of EM3’s expert Growth Associates Mike O’Dwyer, who sanity checked the business plan and strategy with a view of attracting and accessing funding for growth. Particular focus was given to sales and marketing activities to increase quality lead generation and sales. “The guidance we received has been instrumental in fine-tuning our sales and marketing strategies, leading to a boost in both our client base and overall revenue.”

The company's headcount, resourcing, and training were also examined, resulting in introductions being made to new contacts to support training and provide help with apprenticeships as well as support schemes such as the Government's Help to Grow Management and Digital programme.

"The connections made through the Growth Hub have not only enriched our workforce but have also opened up new avenues for growth and development,” said PJ who summed up by saying: “The Growth Hub has made a significant impact on UK Connect by helping us refine our business strategy, strengthen our workforce, and connect us with key local stakeholders. Their assistance has been invaluable in driving our company's growth.”

EM3 Growth Champion Paul Scott said: “UK Connect is on a sound and impressive trajectory for growth, providing technical expertise, know-how and skilled jobs, playing a crucial role in connecting the construction sector with the digital world.”

“UK Connect is a great example of where the EM3 Growth Hub has been able to provide valuable fully-funded support to help a tech sector business achieve its ambitious goals.”

To find out how the EM3 Growth Hub can help your business grow, email growth.hub@hants.gov.uk