Waste management broker polishes up acquisition strategy following funding from Santander UK
Business-to-business waste and resource management services broker UK Waste Solutions Ltd has unveiled its acquisition-led growth plans following funding from Santander UK.
Santander UK has provided the Nottinghamshire-based business with a multi-million pound, five-year revolving credit facility to support its plans to grow sales to £100m by 2024, largely through acquisitions. The company aims to acquire several complimentary businesses over the next five years. It is also switching its day-to-day banking to Santander UK.
UK Waste Solutions Ltd has acquired four waste management services firms in the past three years, enabling it to expand its client base. In October, it acquired AMA Waste Management, based in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, which UK Waste Solutions Ltd anticipates will boost its revenues by £15m annually.
Established in 2003, UK Waste Solutions Ltd operates two major brands – Novati and the newly branded Click Waste, which launched in September. Novati provides resource management sustainability packages tailored to the unique needs of large and complex corporate businesses, while Click Waste serves small to medium-sized businesses. Under UK Waste Solutions Ltd’s broker model, services are delivered by third-party waste management companies. Last year, it arranged the collection of 154,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste materials from some 6,000 customers.
Crucial to Novati and Click Waste’s offering is the provision of waste and materials handling data to its clients. As part of its services, it provides clients with data about the volume and type of materials they are disposing of, and the proportion that is recycled, recovered or sent to landfill. This data enables clients to understand their impact on the environment through the waste they generate, helps them take action to reduce it, and to meet reporting obligations set by authorities.
Max Kanda, Managing Director, UK Waste Solutions Ltd, said: “As a business, both organic and acquisitional growth have delivered us very strong results over the past five years. To achieve our targets – including the acquisition of AMA Waste Management – Santander UK has provided us with the support we needed in the form of a revolving credit facility that enables us to continue along our growth projections.”
Martin Brummitt, Relationship Director, Santander UK said: “UK Waste Solutions Ltd is a high-growth and acquisitive business with an exciting future ahead. Santander UK is delighted to support clients like this that play a positive role in enabling companies to measure and reduce the environmental impact of the waste they generate.”
Leicester-based HR platform announces exclusive partnership
StaffCircle, the cloud-based HR platform that combines performance management and employee engagement, has partnered with management consulting company, Innovate Enterprise Solutions Ltd (IES), to improve employee retention rates and create irresistible company cultures for UK organisations.
At a time where almost a quarter of workers are actively planning to change employers in the next few months, the partnership with IES will support companies with combating workplace issues related to the recent phenomenon of what some economists have termed as ‘The Great Resignation’.
The IES solution, which is bespoke to each organisation’s needs, can successfully aid customers with their strategy, mission and goals, while the StaffCircle platform can truly bring these to life. This includes identifying core competencies, values, objectives and behaviours required to drive employee engagement and retention.
StaffCircle’s technology provides a combination of performance management, employee engagement & culture and HR software tools to create a collaborative and motivated workforce. The partnership therefore offers the perfect solution and support needed to curate high performing cultures.
By embracing IES’s solution, StaffCircle can offer existing and potential clients the expertise to identify and refine components of their culture which are crucial to creating excellent employee experiences. This is conducted by a free one-hour exploratory workshop given to StaffCircle customers who recognise the need for strategic work around their culture.
Mark Seemann, founder and CEO of StaffCircle, commented: “With many employees experiencing burnout and looking to leave their jobs in droves as a result, the combination of having a solid software and strategy foundation is now crucial to employee engagement. If companies want to retain their employees, they must first find a way to create a people-first company culture. Our partnership with IES enables us to offer our customers an unparalleled culture-first solution, and ensure they enjoy the full benefits of our technology. ”
Danielle Heath, Director of IES Culture adds: “Culture impacts everything about your organisation, from retention, morale to productivity. With ‘The Great Resignation’ highlighting how fragile employee engagement can be, now is the time to invest, in order to create the kind of place people want to be a part of. StaffCircle’s performance management and employee engagement software is the final ingredient our customers need when executing a successful workplace culture.”
StaffCircle and IES Culture will hold a virtual roundtable event on the 2nd December where Mark Seemann will be joined by IES directors, Danielle Heath and Stephanie Grainger, alongside Michelle Brown, Business Leader and People Experience at Believe Housing and Kevin Lockhart, Managing Director of Couno. The roundtable will discuss how to drive engagement, better employee experiences and talent retention with digital and performance management tools.
Belmayne collects for homeless
Dronfield-based financial planners, Belmayne, are teaming up with homelessness charity, Pathways of Chesterfield, to provide practical assistance to those who sleep on the streets.
The independent advisers are inviting local residents to bring donations of clothing, food or toiletries to their Chesterfield Road office by Friday December 10 to be passed onto Pathways.
The full list of items the charity is collecting includes:
- Sleeping bags and small tents
- Rucksacks
- Small and medium-sized warm clothing for men and women, such as jeans, joggers, t-shirts, jumpers, hoodies and coats
- New underwear for men and women
- Food that can be prepared with water, such as Cup-a-Soup and Pot Noodles
- Bottled water
- Toiletries – shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and shower gel
Health and safety consultancy MD wins the 2021 Institute of Directors, Director of the Year Award
MD, Marisa Firkins, CMIOSH, of Safety Forward Ltd., which offers a UK wide service, is the winner of the Midlands IoD, Director of the Year Agility & Resilience Award, after capitalising on the challenges she faced in March ’20 as Covid struck.
The company has moved to new offices in Penkridge, built a state-of-the-art virtual training facility, migrating larger clients to *T100 Business Safety Systems. It is one of the few preferred suppliers in the area, and can now manage support and training remotely, which has been extremely well received by clients.
The IoD comments: “The business was heavily impacted by Covid-19 but Marisa took full accountability, reviewed the values and culture of Safety Forward Ltd., building a business case for a new wellbeing service. Flexibility and an ethical approach to the needs of clients during the crisis highlighted how the business’s slogan of “Putting People First” is more than just words.”
Marisa says: “I can’t describe how much this award means to me after such a challenging 12 months. There have been times when I have doubted myself, but have had the undying support of family, friends and the team. I am truly grateful to them. I was once told I was a “housewife who got lucky” which has spurred me out of my comfort zone for the last 10 years to do what I truly believe in.”
Utilising grant funds from Staffordshire Business Skills Hub, Staffordshire Innovation and the Government it has upskilled, including SMAS (Safety Management Advisory Service). Marisa Firkins says: “I was so thrilled to find a young man locally via the Govt. Kickstart Programme which we are using again. My best talent has a limited skillset but passion and drive. I will provide technical, qualifications and mentoring.” It is also recruiting qualified, experienced consultants locally, in the Midlands and the UK.”
The company offers free PDF Covid-19 Health and Safety Guides available to download from its website, including a business continuity plan, business impact analysis, developing a return-to-work plan, pandemic contingency plan, Covid-19 Tool Box Talk, free health & safety health check. Introductory webinars and podcasts for local businesses.
Independent, practical health and safety consultancy, fully qualified and certified, providing bespoke training available online, is key. Addressing a gap in the market for hands on cost effective, accurate health and safety advice demonstrates real business benefits, moral, social and financial. From helping local companies gain industry accreditations to tender for new contracts such as CHAS, Constructionline, Safe Contractor, HSE, Altius etc. to unique hands-on bespoke health and safety consultancy across a variety of business sectors including the likes of recently floated Brickability Group. From manufacturing, engineering, construction, aerospace, warehouse & logistics, charities, retail, food, to universities and more. It is CDM (Construction Design & Management Specialist) accredited.
Marisa believes: “The pandemic and supporting clients through Covid-19 has reinforced just how important people are within businesses as assets requiring care and consideration. Effectively managing remote workers attracts the best talent.”
Contracts are negotiable, flexible and ethical. “Traditional health and safety methods will need to change and adapt in light of the greatest overhaul our economy has seen.” Marisa concludes.
Safety Forward took part in and invited clients to The Lighthouse Charity Golf Day on 20th October, in support of the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing of construction workers and their families, if ill or injured, (now covers mental health). Men working in construction have one of the highest suicide rates compared to other industries.
Marisa worked for the National Crime Agency UK for over 22 years moving into health & safety, setting up Safety Forward 8 years ago.
Every client is treated individually, with a bespoke, people focused service, including laws and regulations governing health and safety at work.
*T100 Business Safety Systems is a class-leading solution for the management of compliance in any organisation, from SME’s to large corporations.
Order recycled wrap now or miss out says Lindum Packaging
Lindum Packaging, the UK’s leading expert on pallet wrapping and stability, is urging businesses to order recycled content pallet wrap now, or risk facing shortages ahead of the plastics tax.
From April 2022 UK businesses will be taxed £200 for every tonne of plastic they use that does not contain a minimum of 30% recycled material, and pallet wrap is subject to the tax. As a result, many businesses are already looking to replace their standard wrap with tax-exempt materials.
But, as Lindum’s in-house packaging technologist Rick Sellars warns, supplies are already limited: “The Plastics Tax is getting ever closer and pallet wrap with 30% recycled content will remove or limit the liabilities of the tax. For this reason, demand is already high and UK stocks are limited.
“There simply won’t be enough material on the market to satisfy demand if businesses wait until the last minute to make the change. So, I would strongly advise businesses not to wait until the last minute to make the switch.”
Lindum has recently launched a new range of pallet wrap made with 30% recycled content to add more sustainable options to its existing range, as well as help its customers avoid paying the new tax. The range also includes recycled content variations of its high-performance nano films.
Unlike 100% virgin polymer films, the range contains polythene resin material that has been recycled and then re-granulated. It also meets the stringent OPRL definition of ‘recycled’ and is compatible with a circular economy model.
Mr Sellars adds: “Switching to these films should be a case of making a simple adjustment to existing equipment, so many businesses will find it a worthwhile investment come April.”
£2m pilot to develop UK’s first wind turbine blade recycling solution
A major project to develop wind turbine blade recycling in Britain for the first time has been given the go-ahead after winning a UK Government grant.
The £2m three-year project involves a consortium led by Aker Offshore Wind, the University of Strathclyde and the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, with contributions from academic and industry partners including the University of Nottingham, global waste management firm SUEZ, composite distributor GRP Solutions and composite part manufacturer Cubis.
The initiative aims to ensure a more sustainable future for the global wind industry and the wider composites manufacturing industry – accelerating the drive towards net zero emissions and waste and creating new skills and job opportunities in the UK.
At present, when giant turbine blades reach the end of their working lives, there are only two options for managing the waste: send them to a landfill or to waste-to-energy plants where they are combusted with significant carbon emissions.
The project aims to commercialise a revolutionary fibre recovery method pioneered by the University of Nottingham and further developed by the University of Strathclyde to separate the glass-fibre and resin components in composites and recover the glass fibres which can then be reprocessed using a novel method developed by the University of Strathclyde, moulded, and reused in other industries, such as the motor trade and the construction industry.
Experts at the University of Nottingham will support the development of a fluidised bed fibre recovery process which it has been investigating for many years.
Dr Thomas Turner, Deputy Director of the EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub in Composites at Nottingham, said: “Large volumes of glass fibre composites are used in wind turbine production and currently there is no established recycling solution for end-of-life blades – but this project aims to develop a solution that reprocesses glass fibre composite waste and helps us to move towards a circular economy.”
The environmental benefits from this project cannot be understated as waste from wind turbine blades alone are expected to reach around 2 million tonnes globally by 2050, and UK volumes of composite waste already exceed 100,000 tonnes per year.
Aker Offshore Wind has pledged its support to trade body WindEurope’s call for a Europe-wide landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025 and considers this project a crucial step towards setting a new standard for the industry.
With thousands of turbines being erected and built as part of the transition away from fossil fuels, the project partners applied to the UK Government for support to position the UK as the global leader in blade recycling and provide a futureproofed solution for turning waste into new resources.
Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, awarded £1.3m to the project, with Aker Offshore Wind contributing more than £500,000 to make the project a reality. Cool winter air can deliver up to 80% cost savings on free cooling solutions
With energy costs rising and increasing pressure on companies to reduce their carbon footprint, businesses are being challenged to increase manufacturing efficiency, whilst reducing energy consumption and operating costs.
With the onset of winter introducing cooler outside air temperatures, free coolers offer an enhancement to air-cooled chillers. Using fresh air to provide partial or 100% free cooling, they offer a far more energy efficient and cost-effective way to provide chilled fluid to manufacturing processes.
When ambient air temperatures are low enough, a free cooler starts to dissipate the system heat, allowing the chiller to reduce its power consumption. Free coolers reduce the annual total system energy consumption, enabling the savings made to be reinvested elsewhere into the business.
Richard Metcalfe, director for temperature control and humidity experts, Newsome, explains: “Free Cooling is a fast and effective way to reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint on refrigerated, process water cooling applications. Depending on the external air temperatures and the temperature you want to achieve, chillers can typically be partially or fully offloaded for up to 90% of the year.”
The ROI for implementing a Free Cooler in a traditional chiller system is truly impressive, depending on location, some companies could have a payback period of as little as 12 months. The system not only reduces the energy consumption and contributes to a greener profile for companies – but can also extend the chiller lifespan.
Traditionally, free cooling systems are generally only available to purchase. However, for a limited period – Newsome plans to offer companies the opportunity to rent a free cooling system to allow them to evaluate the potential cost savings available, before investing in a solution that is fully tailored to meet their individual business requirements.
For more information visit the website https://newsome.ltd.uk/
For enquiries email: enquiries@newsome.ltd.uk or call 01422 371711.
Logicor acquires 951,000 sq ft Daventry warehouse
Logicor, a European owner, manager and developer of logistics real estate, has acquired a 951,000 sq ft logistics warehouse on a 38.5 acre site in Daventry, from a joint venture company managed and co-owned by Oxenwood Real Estate.
The 951,000 sq ft property is strategically located in the East Midlands and benefits from good access to the M1. The property is leased to XPO Logistics who use the warehouse to provide national distribution services for a global e-commerce company.
Charlie Howard, Managing Director – UK of Logicor, said: “We are very pleased to add this prime big-box property to the Logicor UK portfolio. Customer demand for well-located logistics assets across the UK continues to remain extremely high.
“This acquisition expands our logistics offering within the UK’s ‘Golden Triangle’ with a strategically important customer and ensures the continued growth of our UK owned and managed portfolio which today stands at 40 million sq ft.”
Jeremy Bishop, co-founder of Oxenwood Real Estate, said: “We are delighted to have successfully sold this substantial asset from our joint venture with AIMCo, the proceeds of which are to be redeployed into our expanding London urban logistics development portfolio.”
DTRE acted as advisors for the seller.
Car parts firm drives into Derby
Digraph is a commercial motor factor businesses, supplying Original Equipment Quality parts from leading manufacturers for the commercial truck and trailer, bus and coach markets. The company has 20 branches under its belt.
Occupying a modern and spacious unit, this property is completed to an open plan shell specification, ready to receive the tenant’s fit out. The unit provides a tracked loading door, ample loading space and allocated parking, ideal for the tenant’s use.
Graham Bancroft, partner at BB&J Commercial and agent responsible for the unit, said: “The letting to Digraph was completed quickly and easily and their use and strong covenant fits in nicely within our client’s portfolio. The transaction showcases the continued strength of the industrial/warehouse market with demand still out stripping supply.”
Workplace technology firm acquires Northampton business
Workplace technology firm, Agilico, has acquired Northampton-based document management software provider, INVU.
Agilico, which has its Midlands office in Leicestershire, says the investment represents a significant step in its mission to build a comprehensive and compelling set of workplace technologies.
INVU adds 300 customers to the group and deepens its expertise in delivering and developing software solutions.
Founded in 1997, INVU’s product suite spans: invoice processing, document management, workflow, purchase order automation and collaboration software.
Simon Davey, Chief Executive Officer, Agilico, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our portfolio of products to help make work easy for our customers who are increasingly turning to technology as they seek to remain agile and effective in today’s operating environment.”
Ian Smith, FD & GM, INVU, said: “We are pleased to be joining the Agilico group. This will enable us to accelerate our development roadmap into the cloud and widen our distribution capability. We share common goals in providing an excellent experience and this should assure our customer base that our high levels of customer service will be maintained.”
