Wabtec Faiveley takes Derby office building
FHP Property Consultants have let 39 Brunel Parkway, Pride Park, Derby to Wabtec Faiveley, a rail equipment company.
The property comprises a modern semi-detached two storey office building.
The offices have been let on new lease terms for a period of 5 years at a headline rent of £12.80ft2.
Darran Severn of FHP Property Consultants says: “I’m pleased this letting has completed and it’s been a great result for both our client and the new tenant.
“Pride Park is Derby’s primary office location and is still very popular with local businesses due to its connectivity. 39 Brunel Parkway offers modern air-conditioned office space with good parking. I look forward to seeing the tenant in occupation in the new year.”
More local businesses and workers to benefit from skills project
Nottingham city councillors have accepted almost £1m of external funding to expand a project so that more local businesses and employees can access skills and training.
The D2N2 Skills Access Hub was set up in April 2020 with an award of £4.8m and since then has been supporting 888 small and medium-sized businesses to access skills provision and 2,220 individuals to improve their own skills attainment.
By agreeing the extra £926,633 of funding, the council can increase the number of businesses supported to 1,060 and the number of individuals supported to 2,650. Half the funding will come from the European Social Fund and half will come from Skills Access Hub delivery partners including the University of Nottingham, West Nottinghamshire College, Futures, Direct Help and Advice, and Nottingham College. At least half of the project participants are expected to be based in Nottingham.
The project will help towards the council’s aims to:
- Increase the number of Nottingham residents with Level 2 qualifications
- Create 15,000 new jobs for Nottingham people
- Continue to support residents into work through the Nottingham Jobs Hub
- Support 1,000 residents into work by securing external funding for programmes across the city
- Support 1,000 more Nottingham young people into learning and work with businesses to create 500 new apprenticeships.
Aiming for promotion: how to set yourself apart
In the world of work and business, we all dream about climbing the corporate ladder to better ourselves and our position within our companies. One of the most gratifying aspects of work is having our achievements recognised or rewarded through employee appraisal systems and promotions.
Subconsciously or not, we all strive to climb the career ladder; however, our individual qualities and skills play a massive part in whether or not we achieve this. Not everyone is bound for advancement, but if you’re looking to develop the skills necessary, we’ve created this piece to help you secure a promotion and set yourself apart from other employees.
Showing Innovation and Planning Ahead
One way to set you apart from competing colleagues and aim for promotion is by showing innovation and planning. Management is impressed by individuals who think forward and do tasks without being told. It shows that you can be independent and possess leadership qualities, making you a desirable candidate for promotion. You can strive to become more innovative by being open to change, voicing your opinions, studying others in management roles, or you could try attending extracurricular courses or workshops to bolster workplace skills. For instance, you could use training providers such as Skills Training Group who offer first aid courses in Birmingham, plus a range of other courses that can help get you noticed by employers and set you apart from others.
Having Good Communication Skills
Another skill to develop to set you apart from others is good communication skills, which are prerogative in the workplace to avoid miscommunication and unnecessary problems. Successfully communicating with others is how ideas come to fruition; a good candidate for promotion needs to demonstrate these skills so that employers know that you’ll help the team maintain positive working relationships and increase productivity. Alongside having quality communication skills, it’s also essential to have sound listening skills, as successful managers listen to their colleagues and empathise with their worries or opinions to keep the team running smoothly.
Show That You’re A Team Player
Ultimately, an entire workforce ensures a company’s success, not just one individual. It also increases relationships between colleagues and employers and improves company loyalty. So if you’re looking for a promotion, you must show employers that you can work as part of a team and uplift other members so that the maximum production level is achieved. You can do this by volunteering yourself for jobs without being asked or by offering to help co-workers that are struggling, which will make you favourable to both colleagues and management, plus highlight your leadership skills.
Always Strive For More
The employees who achieve promotion always strive for more, show passion for their work, and aren’t content with attaining the bare minimum. Set yourself apart from others by showing pride in your work and continue pushing yourself to do better each time. You could do this by organising your workload more efficiently to complete deadlines quicker or by grouping yourself with like-minded individuals who inspire you to do better every day. Being passionate and confident in your work will make employers or management notice you and give them reasonable grounds to reward you for your hard work.
Semcon expands in digital learning through acquisition in the East Midlands
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of organisations are discovering that digital learning solutions offer learning that is flexible and targeted to their audiences. Through the acquisition of the UK company Walkgrove, Semcon is expanding its leading offering in digital learning with a local presence in a new geographic market.
Walkgrove began operating back in 1994 and the company has a long tradition of providing high-quality learning solutions. Its customer base includes organisations from many different sectors, such as insurance, health and social care and humanitarian, including The UN and Oxfam. Its operations are based near Nottingham and Derby in the UK East Midlands. Walkgrove’s 20 employees have broad expertise in the development and production of learning material, with 85% of its current portfolio being digital. Most of Walkgrove’s deliveries comprise bespoke learning content, but its offering also includes a generic digital library with courses in areas such as management, IT and health & safety, as well as a digital learning platform.
Johan Ekener, business area president for Product Information said: “We are very pleased that Walkgrove is now becoming a part of Semcon. This will provide us with a solid base from which to grow our strong offering within digital and blended learning to existing and new customers in the UK. The east Midlands is an ideal location near customers in the rail industry cluster around Derby and close to Semcon’s existing operations within product information in Warwick, just south of Birmingham.”
Sarah Smith, managing director of Walkgrove said: “This is a great opportunity for Walkgrove to complement Semcon’s products and services within learning. We had been approached by several interested organisations before finding the synergy and cultural fit that Semcon offers. We are all looking forward to meeting new challenges and opportunities.”
Semcon is the largest Nordic provider of digital learning courses and has extensive expertise in the production of interactive online and mobile learning material as well as the implementation of distribution platforms for learning (Learning Management Systems and Learning eXperience Platforms). Walkgrove will become part of Semcon’s Product Information business area, which is a leading provider of digital aftersales solutions and digital learning in an international market.
In the 2020/2021 financial year, Walkgrove’s operations reported sales of approximately GBP 1.4 million. The acquisition will be consolidated into Semcon from 1 January 2022.
Why surface plate calibration is crucial in manufacturing
A surface plate is the standard reference for making sure that dimensional measurements are accurate and precise. But you have to make sure that your surface plate is precise; otherwise, everything will go wrong when your point of reference itself for all your measurements isn’t accurate. The most commonly used material for making surface plates is granite. But some are made of metal, cast iron, or glass.
Granite is thought to be the best material for making surface plates. The reason for this is its surface hardness. It also has low thermal expansion. It doesn’t rust or corrode. There’s very little warping, and it can last for a very long time without much wear and tear. These attributes help calibration at Eley Metrology and other shops achieve accuracy, stability, and precision in measurements.
Importance Of Surface Plate Calibration
Regular calibration of the surface plate you use is highly important. It’s one of the most reliable ways to make sure all the dimensional measurements that you do at work are accurate. No matter how advanced engineering and manufacturing become, precision will still be a crucial part of their design and processes.
You might think granite is the same as all other materials you can use for a surface plate but they’re not. Granite’s physical characteristics make it a special tool for ensuring precision of your measurements.
To be able to provide accurate dimensions that are reliable and consistent, you should maintain the flatness of surface plates. This way you can make sure you’ll be able to repeat your dimensions and measurements but still get the same results. The term flatness refers to the measurement of the surface plate from the bottom to top.
Repeatability means that you’ll be able to get the same uniform measurement wherever you move or slide your measurement tool on the surface plate. You should be able to get the same equal measurements all over the surface plate. If there are any discrepancies at all, they should be within the tolerable range.
Uses Of Surface Plate Precision In Manufacturing
A precise and accurate surface plate is critical in manufacturing. Most of the things that are done in manufacturing plants require high precision in dimensions and measurements. An imprecise dimension can put a lot of raw materials and even end products to waste. Flatness and repeatability are the two critical aspects to make sure that a surface plate would be giving a precise surface. A precise surface plate serves as the reference point for calibrating the other tools and equipment in the manufacturing plant.
The surface plate serves as the baseline for all the measurements you do in your manufacturing plant. This makes it a critical tool for quality control both before starting the production process and post-production. In manufacturing, the accuracy required for surfaces should be up to 0.00001 of an inch. This is considered 250 nm for grade AA or AAA plates.
Surface plates are also used to calibrate the accuracy of other smaller pieces of equipment and tools. Most of the machines, equipment, and measurement tools in machine shops are calibrated using surface plates. Manufacturers of cars and even airplanes, and their spare parts, rely on surface plates to inspect and calibrate their equipment and tools. These industries require tight tolerances and very high precision for their equipment.
This is crucial in manufacturing. For example, in cutting aluminium into sheets or rods, you set the dimension measurements of your machines and equipment against the surface plate. If your surface plate isn’t calibrated up to tolerable variances, your machines might cut the aluminium material into uneven sheets or bars. Often the result of imprecise surface plates is that your machines will churn out highly defective products with unacceptable imprecisions in measurements.
Importance Of Routine Surface Plate Calibration
It’s important to have routine plate calibration for your surface plate. This is the only way to make sure that its flatness and repeatability stay the same throughout the entire time that you use your surface plate. Calibration shops use various kinds of certification for flatness and repeatability. One is the Mahr Surface Plate Certification System. This system employs the following:
- Isometric or Numeric plotting technique
- Moody and Profile Analysis
- Automatic Grading. This is done according to the standards of your industry
- Multiple Run Average
400,000 small firms threatened by late payment as costs surge, new study finds
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is warning that a worsening of the UK’s late payment crisis, high inflation and mounting admin for firms that trade internationally will cause the business community to further shrink in size if left unaddressed, as it releases fresh findings from its quarterly Small Business Index (SBI).
The new study of more than 1,200 business owners finds that close to one in three (30%) has seen late payment of invoices increase over the last three months, with a further 8% experiencing other forms of poor payment practice. Only 6% say that a change in payment terms has been agreed over that period.
As a result, approaching one in ten (8%) say late payment is now threatening the viability of their business. Latest government statistics show that there are an estimated 5.5 million small business in the UK – a figure which fell by 400,000 over last year’s lockdowns. The new FSB study suggests that a similar number of firms (440,000) could be forced to close again this year due to late payment alone.
The headline UK SBI measure of confidence has dropped to -8.5 in Q4, during another uncertain festive season. The figure has fallen every quarter over 2021, having stood at +27.3 in Q1. More small firms now expect their performance to worsen over the coming three months than expect an improvement. Pessimism is especially pronounced in the retail (-40.3) and accommodation and food (-33.0) industries.
The vast majority of small businesses (78%) say costs are rising. The figure is at a seven-year high.
Inputs are most commonly cited as a primary cause of that increase, with half (49%) of those surveyed flagging it as a main driver of higher outgoings. Fuel (46%) and utilities (45%) were the second and third most highlighted primary causes of rising costs respectively. All figures are at their highest levels since Q4 2014.
Elsewhere, with full import checks and rules of origin requirements now in place for firms which do business in the EU, the bulk (74%) of small exporting firms report that international sales were flat or falling over the past quarter. Close to one in four (38%) of these firms report a decrease in exports. Previous FSB research shows that only one in four small importers are fully prepared for new import checks.
FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry said: “The small business community diminished in size over the past year and, unless action is taken now to tackle the challenges it faces, history is set to repeat itself.
“After another frustrating festive season, small firms are facing flashpoint after flashpoint. Today, it’s a fresh wave of admin for importers and exporters – in three months’ time it will be a hike to the jobs tax that is national insurance contributions, a rise in dividend taxation, business rates bills and an increase in the national living wage. On top of that, operating costs are surging – many will soon be trying to strike energy deals without the clout of big corporates or the protections afforded to consumers.
“Small business confidence dropped in every quarter of 2021. As we head into the New Year, the government needs to act now if we’re to reverse that trend and secure an economic bounce back.
“Late Payment was destroying thousands of small businesses even before the pandemic hit – the pandemic has made matters worse. In the past, the Government has rightly identified greater Board accountability as key to spurring change in this area, but delivery has been slow. We responded to its consultation on extending the Small Business Commissioner’s powers more than a year ago, but have yet to see a response.
“The pandemic is absorbing bandwidth, and rightly so, but policymakers need to understand that late payment is the issue that keeps thousands of entrepreneurs up at night, and one that has worsened in lockstep with lockdowns. We need to see words turned to action.
“Every big UK corporation should have a non-executive director on its board with direct responsibility for payment culture. And every big business and government organisation should be abiding by the prompt payment code: 30-day payment terms are not a nice to have, they’re the norm for those who are committed to environmental, social and governance best practice.
“If this government is serious about levelling-up, it needs to get serious about helping community businesses struggling to make ends meet as costs surge. Increasing the small businesses rates relief ceiling to £25,000 would take 200,000 more firms out of this regressive tax altogether, primarily in levelling-up target areas, meaning more investment, recruitment and retention within local economies up and down the country.
“Equally, with the omicron variant hammering consumer confidence, April’s tax hikes are looking increasingly misjudged. The Chancellor should look again at how to protect small firms from this fresh blow. An increase in the Employment Allowance would provide some breathing space.
“Small firms that do business internationally are usually among our most profitable and innovative. That’s why it’s so hard to watch so many becoming increasingly weighed down by bureaucracy. The Government should learn lessons from the botched roll-out of the SME Brexit Support Fund and launch a new fund with similar aims but more sensible eligibility criteria, reasonable application deadlines and a genuinely international focus.”
2022 Business Predictions: Kul Mahay, founder of Ignite Your Inner Potential
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Kul Mahay, leadership and emotional intelligence expert; founder of Ignite Your Inner Potential.
The pandemic and lockdown experience has been the single-most powerful experience most of us have been through in our lifetimes, insomuch as the incredible amount of change that took place with such immediacy.
Business leaders were left wondering how they should respond to these unique circumstances with the whole concept of people working in isolation, away from their normality of offices and being surrounded by colleagues, leading to additional and perhaps unforeseen challenges for everyone.
As we look ahead to 2022 – and there is, once again, uncertainty with regards covid, planning seems to be more difficult to do, bringing about fresh challenges. People, as well as the organisations they work for, have changed too; we’re all starting to recalibrate our priorities, particularly when it comes to achieving that work-life balance.
In 2022, I believe we will see businesses and organisations recognising the need to become more people-centric, with empathetic, emotionally-intelligent cultures.
Change is something that we, as a world, will become more accustomed to. The pace of change is likely to increase in this digital world and businesses will be challenged to manage this more effectively.
Over the last two years, business leaders have been pressured into making decisions that have been outside of their comfort zone; from motivating and monitoring remote resources to working in isolation themselves. Self-leadership and self care has become more vital and this will continue well into the new year.
Many organisations have recognised the need to ensure their leaders are afforded coaching, mentoring and perhaps even counselling in a safe environment so that they are able to deal with any personal self-esteem issues, and this will be at the forefront of business decisions in 2022.
Business leaders seek tax, trade and skills support to meet challenges of next 20 years
Almost half (47%) of UK businesses said taking on new staff is their key ambition in the medium-term, according to new research to mark the 20th anniversary of the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer.
The survey asked 600 businesses about the major challenges and opportunities faced in the last two decades and anticipated challenges up to 2040 and beyond.
Companies also highlighted developing new products and services (36%) and increasing online sales (30%) as major ambitions and priorities.
The survey found that businesses expect online purchasing (20%) and demand for instant products and services (18%) to be the biggest changes in consumer behaviour in the next 20 years, forcing them to be more creative and innovative in order to adapt to deliver quickly.
These predictions mirror the factors which businesses cited as having had the biggest impact on their operations in the past 20 years – chiefly greater access to information (24%) and more online purchasing (22%) changing customer behaviour.
However, firms are optimistic about further changes to consumer behaviour, with 38% reporting that advances in technology have had the biggest positive impact on their business in the past 20 years.
Challenges ahead
Despite a clear drive towards growth, a net balance of 83% of firms anticipate the next 20 years will be more challenging than the past two decades – which included the financial crisis and resulting credit crunch, recession, the Brexit referendum and the global pandemic.
Some of the challenges that businesses see themselves facing can be linked back to the pandemic, including rising costs (23%) and the ability to recruit staff (11%). In addition, one in ten (11%) businesses see the need to keep up with technological developments as their biggest challenge in the next two to three years.
Government provision of greater access to more vocational-based learning was seen by 44% of firms as being a way to help mitigate these challenges. However, companies believe that future growth opportunities will need to be supported by more favourable taxation to encourage sustainable business practices (52%) and new trade agreements with major trading partners (48%).
Paul Gordon, Managing Director for SME and Mid Corporates, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The Business Barometer has provided unique insights into the views of British businesses for 20 years. In that time, we have seen a seismic shift in the economic context in the UK, as well as the extraordinary ability of business leaders to adapt and evolve to meet changing market needs.
“Perhaps it is not unsurprising that, having faced a quite unprecedented period of late and enormous change over the last twenty years, the majority of business leaders feel the next twenty years will be more challenging. To help them through this, businesses are looking for support on skills, finance, trade and taxation to navigate in this environment.
“One thing that is clear is that our businesses and business leaders are incredibly resourceful and resilient and are adept at facing into constant change. They tell us they are gearing up for growth and expect to increase headcount, enhancing their service offering or utilising new technologies. We’ll be by their side over the months and years ahead as they deliver on their ambitions.”
Reconomy increases UK waste processing capability with acquisition of Leicester company
Reconomy, the provider of outsourced services to the circular economy, has acquired Casepak, the Leicester-based recycling company, along with Casepak’s sister company, Oceala.
Casepak was founded in 1973 by George Smith and has grown into one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies. Casepak operates two state-of-the-art facilities in Leicester – a collection and processing facility that provides specialist sortation services and a materials recycling facility (MRF) that sorts mixed recyclables, producing TEEP compliant outputs.
Casepak works with a range of commercial customers as well as partnering with Local Authorities throughout the UK to increase recycling rates, while Oceala specialises in providing waste management services to high profile retailers across the country.
Mark Smith, Joint Managing Director of Casepak, said: “We are extremely proud to have grown Casepak into such a successful company while remaining family-owned and operated. However, to continue to grow and take advantage of future opportunities the time is right to change the ownership structure and we are very excited to join up with the Reconomy Group. It will remain very much business as usual for our staff and customers, while providing further scope for increased innovation and development.”
Paul Cox, CEO of the Reconomy Group, added: “We’re delighted to bring Casepak into the Reconomy family and wish a warm welcome to all of our new colleagues. Casepak is an innovative company, with a commitment to high quality and great customer service. We see great potential for the future as the Reconomy Group continues to build its portfolio of services and deliver a circular economy vision, helping our commercial customers work towards a sustainable future.”
The addition of Casepak will enhance the Reconomy Group’s existing processing capabilities and reinforces the company’s commitment to UK infrastructure for recycling. In 2021 the Reconomy Group acquired Eurokey and in September announced a £15m investment in a new sorting facility in Kettering for supermarket films and flexible plastics, coming online in 2022.
Cooper Parry Corporate Finance and Knights plc acted as lead advisor and legal advisor respectively to the Casepak and Oceala shareholders. Transactional tax advice was provided by Cooper Parry Tax.
Mansfield safety and security solutions business secures £3.4m funding package
ThinCats, the alternative lender to mid-sized SMEs, has provided a £3.4m funding package to support integrated safety and security solutions business Total Integrated Solutions Limited (TIS) with its future growth plans.
Incorporated in 1951, Mansfield-based TIS designs, installs, maintains and services integrated safety and security solutions across a broad range of sectors including retirement villages, open space CCTV and Smart City installations, the Ministry of Defence and further education.
Over the past nine years, shareholder and CEO James Twigg has expanded the technical capability of the business and significantly grown revenue and profitability driven by a strategy of delivering innovative solutions to a highly sophisticated customer base.
Backed by Key Capital Partners, one of the most experienced private equity teams in the UK, TIS’s growth strategy will be underpinned by investment in marketing and sales resource and bolt on acquisitions which enhance its product range, increase geographical presence and secure the supply chain.
ThinCats were introduced to TIS by Matt Tice, investment director at Key Capital Partners, with legal support provided by Paddy Sturman of Irwin Mitchell. TIS were supported by Andrew Fordham of Addleshaw Goddard on the transaction.
James Twigg, CEO, TIS, said: “I am delighted to be working with ThinCats on the next stage of our growth. With great backers in KCP, we also wanted a funder that also understood our needs and shared our passion and ThinCats have lived up to that expectation. The funding will bring many opportunities for my incredibly talented team to grow the business as we strive together to really make a difference to our customers strategies, assets and people.”
Ben Kimball, director regional business development, ThinCats, said: “The combined tracked record of Key Capital as investors, and the TIS management team provide a fantastic funding opportunity for Thincats. The TIS growth story is compelling, and I am delighted we are able to back James and team on their next step in the journey.”
