Casagrande UK have boosted sales, reduced costs and introduced operational efficiencies in its workforce planning after receiving support from the Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) Growth Programme.
BBF were approached by Gugan Ghai, the company’s Commercial Director, who joined Casagrande in 2024 with a brief to deliver on ambitious growth targets for the specialist vendor of foundation piling and drilling equipment, based near Aylesbury.
Gugan was looking for a critical second opinion to help him sharpen up his plans. After initial discussions with one of BBF’s Growth Advisers, a series of strategic masterclasses were used to freshen-up skills in the commercial department, which led to improved in-team collaboration, innovation in the customer offer, and substantial sales growth. Meanwhile, discussions about critical success factors helped the business think differently about its future workforce requirements, including taking the decision to bring previously out-sourced service engineers in-house.
“The masterclasses gave our team a new lease of life. They enabled staff to think out of the box and collaborate with each other more to come up with new solutions and offers for our customers,” said Gugan.
Mapping out the challenges
Gugan’s Growth Adviser at Buckinghamshire Business First, Russell Wood, had extensive experience in manufacturing and distribution and was able to lean on this to help Gugan explore Casagrande’s market opportunities and challenges.
“Our Growth Adviser, Russell, was a terrific sounding board. He helped me to develop my own thoughts and plan of action, and the advice I received was crucial in identifying our next steps. One example of that is changing how we managed our service engineers. There have been real operational and financial benefits from taking greater control of that function,” said Gugan.
Talent development and Apprenticeship programmes
Re-thinking present and future workforce needs also led to the design and creation of a new Apprenticeship programme, with support from the BBF Workforce Skills Team. Casagrande have employed their first MOET (Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician) apprentice, with more likely to follow. “This person has been a fantastic addition to our team,” explains Gugan, “and we intend to follow a similar process in future to ensure we attract more local people to our industry.”
In addition, the BBF Net Zero Team has helped Casagrande to take practical steps to reduce their carbon emissions. Solar panels are soon to be installed on the facility’s roof and travel plans have been put in place to encourage staff to use more public transport and car sharing.
Many minds are better than one – the power of the BBF network
One key benefit of joining Buckinghamshire Business First is the chance to rub shoulders with the wider business network - and Gugan has found real value in it. “I was introduced to like-minded people who run their own businesses, and it’s because of these kinds of interactions that I was able to get all my thoughts down onto a one-page business plan.”
Overall, Gugan is delighted with his company’s involvement in the Growth Programme. “The staff are happier, everyone knows our goals and the whole business is working in a collaborative fashion to ensure we succeed.”
And there’s more reason for cheer, as Gugan explains. “The success has led to personal growth for me as I have been promoted to Managing Director, our Technical Manager has been promoted to Technical Director, and we have employed a Sustainability Manager. Our Growth Adviser, Russell, has been amazing and none of this would have happened if it wasn't for his right guidance at the most critical part of my career.”
Learn more about the Growth Programme
Boost your Buckinghamshire-based business with free advice and support from the BBF Growth Programme. Includes fully-funded skills masterclasses, one-to-ones with experienced Business Advisers, and access to our extensive professional network.
Buckinghamshire Business First's Growth Support Service is funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund, which is managed by Buckinghamshire Council.