Success story for local business

28 April 2011

Author:BSW-jh

Category:Latest News

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Third Dimension Software

At Bristol Spaceworks we like to celebrate when one of our businesses is successful. Helping new businesses to move into their first premises and supporting them with the right facilities in order for them to grow is what we do best.
So when Tim Monks of Third Dimension told us they were moving out, we were delighted for them! His company, Third Dimension, is now one of the leading names in aerospace manufacturing metrology (that’s measuring devices to the lay person) but it started out almost by accident in the early 1990s.
“I was determined to set up my own business right from the start and I was convinced that the hand-held metrology device had significant commercial potential for precision manufacturing in the aeronautical and automotive sectors,” says Tim.
Tim negotiated the rights to the product and set about creating Third Dimension. The company started operating as a one-man band from Tim’s home, but he very quickly took on staff and started working on two other products. “The engineering of precision metrology had really caught my imagination and, in parallel with developing the main product, which we had by then christened GapGun, we set about creating two other technologies, Volscan, which measured air freight, and MTS, which measured aircraft wing deflections in wind tunnels.”
The company found a home at Easton Business Centre in 2005 and with the appointment of some senior members of staff made the decisive departure from promising cottage industry to internationally recognised industry leader. “I’m an engineer and whilst I was happy to grow the business up to the £1 million turnover mark, I knew that beyond this I really needed to bring in professional and experienced commercial specialists to provide the solid foundations the business required for growth,” says Tim.
Today Third Dimension has a sales presence in 25 countries around the world and the customer base includes the vast majority of the leading OEM manufacturers from the Aerospace and Automotive sectors. In 2011 the company is moving into new and larger premises at Filton in Bristol (home to the local aerospace industry with Airbus and Rolls Royce on the doorstep) and turnover is predicted to double over the next three years.
Looking to the future, the company plans to make greater inroads into the aeronautical and automotive manufacturing sectors, but are also looking to expand into the wind power manufacturing sector as well as exploring the vast potential of consumer electronics. We wish them well on their journey and welcome the next generation of new start businesses through our doors, “Our experience of both the business centre and its staff has been excellent” says Tim.
For further details about how we can assist your business contact us on 0117 941 5800.

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