Michelin Development supports new venture for TMT First
A low-cost loan from Michelin Development is helping a North Staffordshire mobile device repair company create 40 new jobs, as it expands into recycling obsolete IT.
TMT First, based in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, is investing in state-of-the-art equipment and expanding its factory footprint after achieving a top-level accreditation, which will allow the company to dispose of technology from sensitive environments in the public and private sectors.
Supported by Michelin Development’s low-cost loan scheme for businesses, the new venture will also create a more sustainable future for the company, with a battery storage facility, fuelled by solar panels, powering TMT First’s 42,000 square feet factory site, providing significant reductions in energy costs and carbon outputs.
Adam Whitehouse is the founder of TMT First, which secured the King’s Award for Enterprise in 2025. An alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business programme, Adam is also Chair of the Staffordshire Business and Environment Network (sben). He said: “This is an exciting development for us, which opens up opportunities for growth and new roles across the business over the next five years. “With support from Michelin Development, we have been able to invest in new technology and processes, which have led to our recent accreditation of the ICT Asset Recovery Standard 8.0 at DIAL 3 with Distinction, placing us in the top tier of IT asset disposal companies in the UK. “Michelin Development has been instrumental in getting this new venture off the ground, providing investment towards the equipment that enables us to recycle retired IT to the most stringent requirements, and to introduce sustainable energy technologies to power up our business. For 22 years, Michelin Development has offered financial support to organisations and companies based in and around Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands that have the potential to create high-quality, sustainable jobs. Adam added: “The application process for the low-cost loan is rigorous, and the focus is on due diligence. “We are proud to have been accepted. We feel it is a recognition of the positive impact we are making on the Staffordshire economy.”
Targeted at the manufacturing, engineering and B2B service sectors, with fewer than 250 employees, eligible businesses can access subsidised, unsecured loans of up to £100,000. The loan can be used to finance business growth through job creation, automation, digitalisation, carbon footprint reduction or renewable and recycled materials. It can also support areas including, but not limited to, the purchase of capital equipment, process improvement, working capital and marketing.
Carol Hopkins, of Michelin Development UK, said: “TMT First is just the type of ambitious, sustainable business that our economic programme looks to support. “With opportunities to gain financial support becoming increasingly difficult, we are on hand to support the local economy in and around our Stoke-on-Trent factory site. “We’d urge other businesses in the local area to get in touch and find out if their SME or medium-sized business is eligible for the support we offer. “The application process is straightforward and intuitive and, as the funding is private, it can normally be used to gear up public and other forms of loan funding too.”
Michelin Development is backed by a steering committee, which includes NatWest Bank and Stoke-on-Trent City Council Economic Development Unit.
To find out more visit www.michelindevelopment.co.uk
