A fast-growing facilities management firm has landed recognition for its ongoing expansion as it aims to become the UK’s leading FM Group providing direct labour amid ongoing investment.
Diamond Facilities Support and its parent company Coat Facilities Group – which are headquartered at Birmingham Business Park in the Midlands – have been named in the UK Fast Growth Index for 2024 and are included in the top 50 fastest growing businesses in the Midlands, and will be ranked among the top 350 fastest growing businesses nationally – a significant achievement out of over 5.6 million businesses nationwide.
Annual revenues have increased on average 27 per cent every year since 2020 for the £16 million turnover FM group, and they have also grown their 200-strong workforce by a similar amount.
More than £150,000 has been invested in Diamond’s internally-developed IT management system that allows the Group’s own engineers to provide real-time updates on any client’s own computer aided facility management system.
Around £20,000 has also been invested in new branding for around 80 of Diamond’s vans across the UK, as well as its digital channels to drive home their direct labour approach.
There are also plans to recruit at least an extra 15 engineers before the end of the year as it bids to become the leading FM business using its own people to carry out all of its tasks for clients.
Around 90 per cent of the Group’s services are now delivered in-house, as the Group looks to hit £30 million of annual turnover by 2027.
Coat Facilities Group Limited – the parent company created by co-founders Adam Atkins and Helen Cooper to purchase a 100 per cent share in Diamond Facilities Support in January – also owns 100 per cent of drainage business Jet Through, roofing firm Nationwide Roofing Repairs, cleaning business Nationwide Property Clean and Sanctuary Fire & Security, and FM specialist product supply brand Purcho.
Adam Atkins, Group Chief Executive at Coat Facilities Group Limited, said: “The FM industry’s achilles heel has always centred around not being able to provide a consistent, in-house service to clients with an ability for great updates – and our overarching aim is to overcome this.
“We’ve been making great strides in changing this over a number of years – as our growth and the development of the Group has been totally organic, and down to our dedication to providing services through direct labour and operating with our own in-house web portal management system.
“Having our own in-house system has become more and more important as the use of client portals, client engineer apps and real-time client updates have started to make a real difference to customer satisfaction and the volume of work received as a contractor,
“The fact that our in-house web portal management system can link quickly and efficiently with any other computer aided facility management system due to us being in complete control of the software is unique to Diamond, and enables us to maximise the advantages of providing direct labour and real-time updates.
“Currently more than 50 per cent of our referrals come from a positive experience a customer has received from one of our people, and our latest investments will enable us to grow this number even further.
“We want to get to a point where 100 per cent of our services are offered through direct labour, and with the birth of Coat Facilities Group Limited earlier this year, we are making gradual steps to making this a reality with investment in our people, additional recruitment and with our in-house software.
“To mark the birth of Coat Facilities Group Limited, a drive to bring all of our service lines under one roof and our vision to be the UK’s leading direct labour FM Group, we have also refreshed the Diamond Facilities Support branding and have incorporated the strap line ‘brilliance through direct labour’ on our digital, web, social media and van livery to reflect our strong presence in the industry and what makes us unique.”