Metal recycling specialist awarded gold standard in FORS accreditation for fleet safety and emissions
Midlands-based metal recycling and waste management specialist, Ward, has been awarded FORS Gold accreditation for its fleet safety, driver training and overall transport operations.
The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for transport businesses which aims to raise the level of quality in operations. It recognises teams who are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection.
Gold accreditation is only awarded to exceptional operators who have met exacting targets and is the top level of accreditation available. It enables the Ward team to promote its exemplary practice to customers, stakeholders and its supply chain partners.
Min Bawa, senior transport manager at Ward, said: “This is an incredible achievement and we are so proud of our team for being awarded FORS Gold status. We’re one of only a few recycling companies that hold the ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 quality standards as well as retaining Investors in People accreditation and this additional recognition of best practice cements our commitment to quality even further.”
To achieve the accreditation the metal and waste management specialist had to evidence best practice across several areas including driver wellbeing, fuel efficiency, noise reduction and modal shift.
Min added: “Our fleet is under constant review. As part of our sustainability road map to 2030 we are committed to having a fleet that is 100% Euro 6 specification. By replacing older vehicles when the time comes and continually investing in the latest technology, we aim to reduce emissions, improve fuel efficiency and equipment safety, as well as supporting our drivers’ wellbeing with training and wider benefits.”
Operations director, Donald Ward, added: “We want people to know that when they choose Ward as their supplier they are guaranteed a low carbon footprint, high standards of sustainability, safety and great level of service. FORS Gold is recognition that we consistently achieve that.”
APSS to give away a free office design in celebration of its 25th year in business
Lincolnshire commercial office design and refurbishment company APSS is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year by giving away a free office design to one East Midlands business.
Established in Lincoln in 1997 by Chairman Darren Crookes, the company has naturally evolved from a partitions and storage solution company to provide a full design and fit out service. It includes its own in-house joinery department to speed up delivery time on projects and decrease overall costs for the customer.
Stuart Marsland, sales director for APSS, said: “To reach 25 years in business is a huge milestone for any company. To celebrate, we’re giving businesses in the East Midlands the chance to win a free office design. We know many companies have had to shift to a more flexible, hybrid way of working due to the COVID pandemic. However, many have not had the ability to change the office environment to reflect this new way of working.
“This has meant many offices have wasted space that could be put to better use. For example, changing banks of desks for alternative collaboration space, creating more group meeting rooms or individual rooms specifically designed to provide a quiet space for virtual meetings.
“We want to help companies see the potential its current office space has when designed specifically for the way the business now works.”
To enter the competition, businesses need to submit an online form before February 7th, 2022 and answer four questions about what both they and their staff want included in their office environment. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges and will receive computer-generated images and a video walkthrough of the design to show the potential the office has.
In the last 25 years, APSS has completed over 10,000 orders for customers across the country. The company’s first-ever customer was Siemens. Since then, it has designed and refurbished offices and retail spaces for Wren Kitchens, Slimming World, Octopus Energy, Loughborough University, University of Sheffield and Bakkavor to name just a few.
For all terms and conditions of the competition, please visit the APSS website.
Graduate job vacancies 20% higher than pre-pandemic, reports Institute of Student Employers
The graduate jobs market has recovered with the number of vacancies now 20% higher than in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Institute of Student Employers (ISE).
Companies responding to ISE’s Vacancy Survey 2022 represent the UK’s largest graduate employers. They reported that job vacancies for graduates will increase by more than a fifth (22%) in 2022 compared to 2021.
Sectors with the biggest jobs growth this year are the built environment (48% growth), energy, engineering and industry (41% growth), and health and pharmaceuticals (37% growth).
The charity and public sector is the only industry to reduce the number of graduate jobs in 2022. However, even with the 11% reduction in vacancies this year, the sector is above pre-pandemic levels.
ISE’s Vacancy Survey shows the pandemic’s impact on the graduate labour market. For example, compared to 2019, graduate vacancies have risen by 67% in the built environment, 42% in digital and IT, and 24% in health and pharmaceuticals.
All sectors have returned to pre-pandemic levels of hiring with the exception of jobs in retail and FMCG. While this sector is currently recruiting 3% fewer graduates than in 2019, it has increased vacancies by 20% from 2021 to 2022.
Meanwhile, school leaver jobs in retail and FMCG have increased by 55% since last year.
Overall school and college leaver vacancies did not dip during the pandemic and have grown by 17% compared to 2021. As well as retail and FMCG experiencing strong growth, finance and professional services has grown by 37%, and the built environment sector by 30%.
There is evidence that recruitment has returned to a student-driven market. While competition for graduate jobs reached a record high in 2021, nearly half (48%) of graduate employers reported that they had received fewer applicants than this time last year. This is due to more graduate vacancies and difficulties engaging students with online careers events now they have returned to campus.
Nearly one in five employers (18%) noted that the quality of graduate applicants had dropped. They stress that to be successful, students need to focus on career planning and application readiness.
Stephen Isherwood, chief executive of ISE, said: “The number of graduate jobs has slowly increased but this is the first time we’ve seen hiring back to pre-pandemic levels. It demonstrates business confidence and how much employers continue to value a degree.
“This is great news for those job hunting. The hike in vacancies means a return to a student-driven market. However, with a significant number of employers noting a drop in the quality of applicants, students should be aware of resting on their laurels.
“The graduate labour market is and always has been competitive. While students should feel confident about their prospects, they need to apply themselves rigorously to their job search and make every application count.”
Six-year high for private equity-backed buyouts in the East Midlands
The value of private equity-backed deals in the East Midlands was at its highest level for six-years in 2021, according to provisional data from CMBOR, the Centre for Private Equity and MBO Research.
There were 13 deals in the East Midlands in the year with a combined value just shy of £1bn – at £989m, significantly up from the total value of £152m in 2020 and the highest since 2015 (which stood at £1.56bn and was dominated by one major deal).
Whilst the number of deals in the East Midlands was in line with the average for the past ten-years (13), the total value for the year was above the annual average of nearly £708m, according to the data in CMBOR’s first full-year announcement since its re-establishment within Nottingham University Business School with the support of Equistone Partners Europe.
Five deals were recorded in the first quarter of the year, four in the second quarter and two in each of the last two quarters of 2021.
In the neighbouring West Midlands, 16 deals were completed in the year with a combined value of £4.7bn which was in part driven by two landmark deals – Aggreko’s delisting from the London Stock Exchange following its £2.3bn acquisition by private equity firms TDR Capital and I Squared Capital, and Blackstone’s acquisition of warehouse and house builder St Modwen in a deal valued at nearly £1.7bn.
CMBOR’s year-end report also showed that private equity activity across the whole of the UK reached levels not seen since before the global financial crisis. At £45.8bn, the cumulative value of the 235 buyouts of UK-based companies in 2021 represented the biggest headline figure in the 35-year history of CMBOR, surpassed on an inflation-adjusted basis only by the £44.1bn recorded in 2007.
Will Copeland, from Equistone’s Midlands office, said: “With the exception of 2015, the deal value of buyouts in the East Midlands is the highest it has been for over 10 years. The region has built-on the resilience shown in the second half of 2020 and continued to be an attractive region for investment capital.
“Average deal value in the East Midlands rose significantly from £14m in 2020 to £76m in 2021, well above the average for the last ten years of £53m, with sector-focus predominately being in business services and technology companies,” said Copeland.
“For the year ahead, there are several interesting opportunities emerging in the Midlands, both from a platform investment and bolt-on investment perspective. There is some anticipation that the latter may arise from more distressed situations.
“Meanwhile, we will continue to focus not only on finding new investment opportunities but also realising value for our investors. I suspect we’re not the only general partner in this segment that has returned more capital to investors than we invested in 2021,” he said.
Across the UK, record levels of capital deployment were accompanied by strong exit activity, as private equity firms realised 124 investments in the UK at an aggregate value of £27.9bn – the largest such figures since 2018 and 2017, respectively. Floatations were a significant contributor, accounting for the largest single exit (Blackstone and CVC’s relisting of Paysafe via sale to a Special Purpose Acquisition Company) and reaching their highest volume since 2017 and cumulative value since 2015.
These seven UK listings, totalling £11.3bn, showed private equity firms also steering investee companies back towards public markets following a successful hold period.
Dr Kevin Amess, Associate Professor in Industrial Economics at Nottingham University Business School and Fellow of CMBOR, said: “We’ve seen an extremely buoyant UK buyout market in 2021, indicating that the industry has mounted a near full recovery from the impact of Covid.
“What is interesting is how part of that recovery has involved private equity taking an ever-greater role in funding high-growth companies in those sectors such as technology and healthcare that will be the fundamental building blocks of the UK economy post-pandemic.”
2022 Business Predictions: Natalie Bamford, Managing Director of Colleague Box
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 Natalie Bamford, Managing Director of Derby-based personalised gift box business Colleague Box.
Following the lockdown in 2020, 2021 was the year that everyone got used to working from home.
This was a huge opportunity to enable firms to demonstrate to their workers that they were thinking of them.
For Colleague Box, as a business created during the pandemic specifically for delivering happiness to those working remotely or furloughed, we saw a huge increase in demand as organisations adjusted to the massive change. Businesses wanted to repay the faith which their employees had in them, and I think that we all became more empathetic as we tried to find that perfect work-life balance.
In 2022 – and with the Government once again advising people to, if they can, work from home – this looks set to continue. Companies are now more aware of the needs of their staff, more in-tune to their wellbeing and the loneliness which can come from working remotely.
We have seen Christmas parties cancelled and, as a result, Colleague Box HQ has had its busiest year to date in response to this; businesses still want to thank their employees for their continued hard work and a Colleague Box is the perfect way to do that.
Next year looks set to be another year of growth for Colleague Box and fellow online delivery services. I think we are all more in-tune now when it comes to wellbeing and that is reflected in the new range of products we are launching; our latest addition is a collaboration with Rebecca Smith of Derby-based Peachy Mind which aims to create a mindful experience for companies to purchase for their teams.
Rebecca, who is a qualified psychotherapist and mental wellbeing consultant, has pre-recorded workshops where she talks through the contents in each wellness box, explaining the meaning behind each item, creating a practical and enjoyable experience with notes to takeaway.
It will help with continuing the mindful journey as, in 2022, many more businesses and organisations take action on mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Insurance broker acquires Leicestershire firm
Aston Lark, the insurance broker currently backed by Goldman Sachs but soon to become part of Howden, has acquired Phoenix Healthcare (UK).
Phoenix Healthcare was established in 1996 in Oadby, Leicestershire and is a leading independent UK broker and adviser specialising in all aspects of corporate healthcare provision.
Peter Blanc, Aston Lark Group CEO, said: “When I first met Paul and Lee, it was clear that they share the same client service ethos as Aston Lark. We’re becoming a real powerhouse in Private Medical Insurance, and I’m delighted to welcome Paul, Lee and their team to the Aston Lark family.”
Paul Wright, founding director of Phoenix Healthcare, said: “Both Lee Shorter and I have over 35 years’ experience in the industry, and are delighted to choose Aston Lark as the long-term partner for our business. We firmly believe that they will be a great home for our staff and share our client-first approach to corporate healthcare broking.”
Lee Shorter, founding director of Phoenix Healthcare, added: “Becoming part of Aston Lark and having access to their resources and products will provide great opportunity for further helping our clients.”
Former department store purchased for new civic hub
Mansfield’s former Beales department store has been purchased to provide a new multi-agency civic hub as part of the Mansfield District Council’s long term town centre regeneration plans.
The scheme – “Mansfield Connect” – will be the new headquarters for the council and is expected to house a variety of other public, educational, enterprise and health and wellbeing services, alongside spaces for private sector occupiers such as food and drink outlets.
Mansfield District Council has taken the initiative and purchased the premises to enhance the bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) to help re-invigorate the town centre.
Mansfield Connect will form a central part of the bid and would see the council relocating from the Civic Centre, with that site being made available for redevelopment.
To date, the Department for Work and Pensions, Nottinghamshire County Council, Vision West Nottinghamshire College, Nottingham Trent University, NHS health partners, and volunteering co-ordinator the CVS have all expressed interest in being involved in the new hub.
As well as improving the delivery of public services by providing a range of agencies accessible under one roof, it is envisaged that the new hub would generate extra footfall in the town centre which would benefit existing retailers and help drive regeneration, with the hub being a catalyst to stimulate private sector investment in both the day and night time economy in the town centre.
The scheme forms part of the council’s wider ambitions for the town, demonstrated by the emerging Town Centre Masterplan and broader Mansfield District Council strategies promoting Growth, Aspiration, Wellbeing and Place.
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “We believe repurposing this redundant retail space in Mansfield town centre fulfils all the ambitions of the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and by purchasing the building now, we believe this will strengthen the council’s bid.
“Consolidating public services in one town centre space makes so much sense, for both the delivery of those services to our community, and the wider economic benefits for the town centre. We are doing everything within our power to satisfy the requirements of the LUF bid criteria so we can move forward at pace when we are, hopefully, successful.
“Mansfield really needs this kind of ambitious re-imagining of its shopping streets to a mixed-use town centre if it is to build a bright future and encourage inward investment. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our town’s fortunes and prospects for the better.”
The council can submit one MP-backed bid to the LUF either for an individual project or a package of measures, focusing on capital investment in local infrastructure and building on existing Local Growth Fund and Towns Fund supported programmes.
Under the first round of the LUF, local authorities could seek up to £20m of funding, with the support of the local MP, seeing funding targeted towards places with the most significant needs in terms of economic recovery, regeneration and growth and improved transport and connectivity.
Mansfield has been ranked at level one out of three by the Government, putting it amongst those areas with the greatest need.
The council has qualified for £125,000 in funding to help draw up its LUF bid and improve its chances of success in the anticipated next round of bids, an announcement about which is expected in the spring from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities.
A Mansfield Connect Steering Group is guiding the project and the council has engaged project management specialists ARC Partnership to support its initial development, feasibility, costings and design options.
Additional support in building a business case for the scheme and for the LUF bid has been secured from Partnering Regeneration Development Ltd.
The work will see a close collaboration with consultants Allies & Morrison who are working with the council on the emerging Town Centre Masterplan and Severn Trent’s Green Recovery Flood Resilience Project.
Chartered Surveyors raise £30k in Top Gear style bangers & cash fundraiser
As part of their activities to commemorate their 30th company anniversary, and raise £30,000 for three local charities, Loughborough-based specialist land development and property consultancy, Mather Jamie organised a TopGear style event whereby five teams were challenged to buy a £500 ‘banger’ and drive to East Anglia.
The original plan was to drive to the Norfolk coast with an overnight stay in Kings Lynn, however these plans were scuppered by the petrol crisis in October 2021, and an alternative challenge involving Leicester landmarks was arranged – which also gave drivers the option to limp their Bangers home if they broke down!
This alternative event finally happened in late December, pushing the firm’s fundraising total to £36k – 120% over the original target.
Four teams took part, each driving a ‘banger of choice’. Gary Kirk and Gary Owens chose a 1997 Ford Fiesta, Tim Jones a 2003 Honda Civic, a 58 plate Nissan Micra was the vehicle of choice for Rob Cole and his son, Henry, whilst Alex Reid and Sam Woodhouse went more upmarket with a BMW tourer.
All bangers and passengers started at 8am from Farm Town and each team was required to visit as many of the defined touristy and historical locations as they could within the timeframe. All had to reconvene no later than 3.15pm at Prestwold Aerodrome ready for a ¼ mile drag race after sourcing and buying an antique for £50, which will later be auctioned off for charity.
Each location that the teams had to visit in no particular order had a points value, with a bonus 10 points awarded to any team that also reached the Triumph Factory in Hinckley. Other sites included; Belvoir Castle, Melton Mowbray, where each team had to take a photo with a pork pie, Donington Park Race Circuit, Foxton Locks, and Twycross Zoo. To deter speeding and to penalise poor driving and maintenance, penalty points were incurred for any breakdowns and car repairs.
Commenting on the event, Rob Cole, Mather Jamie Managing Director, said: “When we set out to raise £30,000 for Rainbows, Loros and One Roof Leicester we also hoped that the events we held would create opportunities for team members to lift the mood caused by Covid and have some fun whilst doing something to help those in need.
“We are delighted that our combined efforts have smashed our target and hope that by the time we finally present the cheque we will be able to exceed our target by at least another £10,000.”
The Honda Civic proved to be the victory vehicle driven by Tim Jones who managed to arrive at all six locations in first place.
Manufacturing upturn continues at end of 2021
The manufacturing sector saw further growth of production, new orders and employment at the end of 2021. Although a slight easing in supply chain delays helped lift output volumes and take some of the heat out of input price increases, logistic disruptions and staff shortages were nonetheless still stymieing the overall pace of expansion.
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to 57.9 in December, littlechanged from November’s three-month high of 58.1. The PMI has remained above the neutral 50.0 mark for 19 months.
Output rose across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods sectors during December, with the overall pace of expansion improving to a four-month high. Increased
output was underpinned by rising intakes of new business, as domestic market conditions continued to strengthen.
The trend in new export business remained negative, however, as inflows of new work from overseas dropped for the fourth month in a row. This mainly reflected a steep decrease at consumer goods producers. In contrast, export demand for UK capital goods rose at the quickest pace since August. Manufacturers indicated that logistic issues, Brexit difficulties and the possibility of further COVID restrictions (at home and overseas) had all hit export demand at the end of the year.
Manufacturing employment increased for the twelfth successive month in December, with the rate of jobs growth staying close to November’s three-month high. Companies linked this to meeting improved demand, rising backlogs of work and efforts to address staff shortages. Capacity remained under strain, however. This was highlighted by a further increase in outstanding business, although the pace of expansion in work-in-hand volumes eased sharply to its lowest since February.
Companies maintained a positive outlook at the end of 2021. The majority of firms (63%) forecast that production would increase over the coming 12 months, compared to only 6%
anticipating a contraction. Optimism reflected expectations of renewed global economic growth, planned investment and hopes for less disruption caused by COVID-19, Brexit and
supply chain issues.
Inflationary pressures remained elevated in December. The rate of increase in factory gate selling prices accelerated to a fresh series-record high, as companies passed on (at least in
part) rising costs to their customers.
December saw a further substantial increase in average input prices, with the rate of inflation staying among the steepest seen in the survey history. There were reports of higher costs for chemicals, electronics, energy, food products, metals, timber and wood. Freight, shipping and air transportation costs were also higher, while ongoing supply disruptions, raw material shortages and issues relating to Brexit and COVID-19 also led to higher prices paid.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said: “UK manufacturing production rose at the quickest pace in four months in December, supported by increased intakes of new work, efforts to reduce backlogs of work and higher employment.
“While the uptick in growth is a positive step, the upturn remains subdued compared to the middle of the year, as supply chain constraints and weak export performance constrained attempts to raise production further. Manufacturers indicated that logistic issues, Brexit difficulties and the possibility of further COVID restrictions (at home and overseas) had all hit export demand at the end of the year.
“Although supply chains remain severely stretched, there are at least signs that the situation is stabilising, with vendor delivery times lengthening to the weakest extent for a year in December. This helped take some of the heat out of input price increases, but cost inflation remained sufficiently steep to necessitate the sharpest rise in factory gate selling prices on record. With restrictions and Omicron cases both rising, the growth and inflation backdrops could change again in the early part of 2022.”
Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “On the surface there wasn’t much of a change in the sector compared to last month but there was plenty to put manufacturers on edge about their prospects for the coming year.
“Purchasing by supply chain managers was at a four month high as businesses tried to beat another near-record inflation rate for raw materials and ordered ahead of time in the hope of defeating future setbacks. Delay fears remained as supplier deliveries remained under pressure albeit to the least severe extent since December 2020. On the plus side, optimism remained positive as manufacturers were buoyed up by the strongest pipelines of new work driven by UK customers and employment levels rose for the twelfth consecutive month to meet demand.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that the UK economy took a significant hit and new variants and potential lockdowns threaten to impede much needed progress but at least the sector ended the last quarter of 2021 on a surer footing.”
Senior partner steps down after four decades at law firm
Following a 43 year career at Sills & Betteridge, distinguished solicitor Stephen Wilson retired as the firm’s senior partner on 31 December 2021. His position was taken over by Karen Bower-Brown, the first woman to become senior partner in the 260 year history of the firm. Lincoln born Stephen joined Sills & Betteridge as an articled clerk in February 1979. He qualified as solicitor in 1981 and became partner in 1985. Stephen spent the first 10 years of his career handling a mixed case load of work before dedicating all of his time to litigation, ultimately specialising in complex personal injury and clinical negligence matters, until he retired. Notable achievements in Stephen’s career include his appointments as Deputy District Judge and President of Lincolnshire Law Society and being admitted as a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Stephen said: “I have been lucky to have such an interesting and varied legal career, all of which I spent at Sills & Betteridge. My greatest satisfaction has been recovering compensation for my clients, some of whom had suffered catastrophic injuries or the devastating loss of loved ones. It also gives me huge pride to know that I have helped drive the growth of the firm, from a small local practice when I joined, to the large, thriving regional firm it is today.” Having spent 30 years dominated by court deadlines, Stephen looks forward, initially, to a long rest. He will then spend time walking in his beloved Yorkshire Dales and exploring other beautiful areas of the British Isles, improving his golf handicap and spending time in the garden. He will also be found working behind the bar of his local village social club! Stephen’s successor Karen Bower-Brown, current head of the firm’s commercial department, joined the firm in 1999 following a position at a London firm located near Green Park where part of her remit was to advise staff in the Royal household. Karen now specialises in litigation work including commercial, contract and property disputes, as well as contentious trust and probate work for which she is a recognised specialist. Karen says: “I feel very proud to have been asked by the partners to take on the role of senior partner following Stephen Wilson’s retirement. The firm has gone from strength to strength since I joined as an assistant solicitor in 1999 when there was one office in Lincoln. “Now we have 15 offices in Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottingham and Northampton. Although Covid has proved to be a challenge for the firm, we have weathered the storm extremely well and I have no doubt that the firm as a whole has a bright future. I take the opportunity to thank Stephen Wilson for his contribution to the firm over the last 43 years including as senior partner. I wish him all the very best for the future.”
