Advantex invests over £350K for growth

Established in 2002 Advantex Network Solutions, counts Caterpillar and Hitachi Rail as customers, provides IT and telecoms services.

The company secured a £75,000 grant from Let’s Grow North East as part of an overall funding package to support its plans.

Co-founder and sales director Stephen O’Connell said: “We’re incredibly excited about what this investment will allow us to do as we look to grow our team and customer-base over the coming months and years.”

Advantex Network Solutions said this will enable them to develop a data centre alongside additional office and meeting space in order to accommodate its growing workforce and resources.

In addition to the investment, Advantex Network Solutions has revealed it has employed a new sales manager among its latest appointments.

Dean Cowens, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the IT sector, has been appointed to oversee the sales team. He will be working alongside chartered accountant Celia Yeates, who joins as new finance manager, together with new accounts assistants Gemma Barker and Ryan Masters.

Yeates brings more than ten years of experience to the role and will be working on financial planning and management.

Additionally, the company has also appointed Dan Baird and Nick Scott as communications engineers, and IT engineers Chris Airey and Andrew Simpson along with IT apprentice Nathan Colquhoun have also joined the business.

Finally, within the operations department, operations administrator Julie Lamb; storeman Jason Lilly; and new project managers Oli Atkins and Graeme Dalkin are new also new starters.

Dave O’Connell, operations director, said: “The future is exciting for us and we are busier than ever before. We have an extremely robust expansion plan, strong customer base and plans to invest further in our facilities at Follingsby Park.

“Over the next year we will look to support the existing talent within the team while continuing to encourage and nurture a new generation of highly skilled and experienced people who will enable us to move to the next stage of growth and development.”

Following the cash injection, the company will be eyeing further growth in the next 12 months as it targets a £6m turnover by 2017.

Advantex Network Solutions is an accredited Microsoft, Cisco and Mitel partner

Pictured (L-R): Oliver Atkins, Julie Lamb, Dan Baird, Graeme Dalkin, Ryan Masters, Gemma Barker, Nick Scott, Chris Airey, Andrew Simpson, Celia Yeates, Jason Lilly, Dean Cowens, and Nathan Colquhoun.