Saving electricity has never been more important, particularly for businesses where lighting is needed 24 hours a day, such as factories and warehouses.

This is where GMD Manufacturing can step in. Graeme Denney has been producing industrial lighting from a unit at Crawley Mill, near Witney, for just over a year, having set up his own manufacturing company to supply his former employer.

A Scot who grew up in Galashiels and went to school in Edinburgh, he is now happily settled south of the border and has been in Oxfordshire for 20 years. “I love it here,” he says.

He began his career in the lighting industry working on lighting controls for street-lighting for a company based in Birmingham, where he spent eight years, dealing with energy-efficiency.

Then he became sales manager for Vita Energia Solutions, based in Chelmsford. Working from home, he covered an extensive area across the south of England.

His own enterprise is based on his experience there. “Vita Energia had the energy-saving units that they supplied and installed made by a small company in this country and they were also buying in a lot from abroad. I thought it would be nice for these to be manufactured by ourselves.

“So I had a look at all the products and thought that this was something that could be done better.

“I redesigned the major products and put forward a proposal to Vita Energia that I would set up a company to do the manufacturing for them. It went down well.

“I set up the company on a six-month trial basis — and passed with flying colours. That is where we are now.

“We are manufacturing our own design of lighting, which is also much improved on that which was supplied previously.

“Four people work here and we are now in full production. We supply only Vita Energia at present, but that will probably change as time goes on. Supplying Vita Energia is where our current priority is.

“Our products are highly energy-efficient and we supply some big-name clients.

“We can both install new systems, or retro-fit. We can replace their internal wiring and replace their running-gear with modern technology, with the addition of bespoke reflectors.

“A lot of the saving is due to the high efficiency of the reflectors which we manufacture. And there are also savings on maintenance.

“For most of the clients that I see, I can achieve a 50 to 70 per cent reduction in costs, so there are huge benefits to be gained. We get a lot of repeat business.

“Where factories and warehouses are running their lighting for 24 hours a day, the new systems can pay for themselves in well under 12 months — and then it is all money in their pockets. There are benefits all round.”

Mr Denney still spends much of his working life on the road.

“I spend a lot of time visiting clients on behalf of Vita Energia, assessing their lighting systems and putting forward proposals for more efficient schemes,” he says. “I can give them details about the payback, energy-efficiency saving and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions — provide them with the whole scenario.

“We can put in some free-trial units, so that they can assess the potential savings and also the lighting levels.”

All products are eligible for 100 per cent Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) under the current UK tax legislation.

Some people believe domestic energy-efficient bulbs do not provide as much brightness as the older type bulbs, but with the systems provided by GMD and Vita Energia there is no such problem. Clients often find that they are brighter, he says.

“Typically what we do gives around 20 to 50 per cent improvement in light levels,” says Mr Denney. “If it is a little too bright, we can reduce this — and thus save further energy. We match the brightness to the client’s requirements and provide an improved quality of light.”

When he set up the business, Mr Denney had to take on the training of his new staff.

“This has been a very positive experience,” he said. “The people we have here now have taken to the job very well.”

Crawley is a very convenient situation, he says. “It is a very flexible place — more space is available if we need it, so we can stay in the same location.

“The good thing about Crawley Mill is that there are so many businesses here. If we have an immediate requirement for a part of some kind, usually someone on the site can provide it.”

And the future looks bright. At present the products are made to individual orders.

“It is the only way we can operate while we are at our present size,” says Mr Denney. “But as we grow that will change.” ib