Birmingham Business Post
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Edition 53
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33188 Full pg ad_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 15:32 Page 1
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Birmingham Edition 53 Contents_Layout 1 17/04/2015 17:07 Page 1
C O N T E N T S Zenith Tax Solutions
4
The Patent Box
5
Zenith Tax Solutions
6
MCS Corporate
8
When is the best time to sell your business?
9
CMC Partners
10
City Business Brokers
11
HCB Group
12
Small Business Rate Relief
13
Trade Finance Partners
14
Business Finance
15
Liquid Finance
16
Independent Banking Consultants
17
Bev James offers some practical advice in “When to Sell Your Business”, we start a major series on business finance looking at non-bank lending, continue our series on Training in the Workplace, discuss the changes to Patent Box and celebrate the Success of the Midlands Automotive Industry.
Growth Street
18
Fiducia Commercial Solutions
19
Else Solicitors
20
Central Helicopters
21
Ascot Business Solutions
22
In our next edition the focus on Pensions continues along with Non-bank lending and Business Finance. We will be looking at Health and Safety in the Workplace, R&D Tax Credits, and paying tribute to the 1000 Companies that Inspire Britain.
Pearson Rowe
24
Coface
25
SCM Direct
26
Pension Liberation
27
MPA Financial Management
28
Wealth Design
29
Sort My Pension
30
The Pensions Regulator
31
Mercer Marsh Benefits
33
Barnett Waddingham
34
Training
35
Business Checkmate
36
Virgin Media
37
GTG Training
38
Wenlock Health & Safety
39
Towergate Insurance
40
Independent Freight
41
Superite Tools
42
Squires Gear & Engineering
46
Lyon Lighting
47
Vincent Interior Contracts
48
Success of the Midlands Automotive Industry
49
Envisage Group
50
B Hepworth & Co
52
Ariel Launch the new Nomad
53
FANUC UK
54
Choosing a Conference Venue
55
Lea Marston Hotel, Golf & Spa
56
Abbey Hotel, Golf & Spa
57
Windmill Village Hotel, Golf Club & Spa
58
Welcome to edition 53 of the Birmingham Business Post, the free magazine for the Midlands business community packed with news, tips and stories from across the region. In this edition we continue the focus on Pensions in light of the recent changes to legislation and the pressure on SME’s to comply with their staging dates for Auto Enrolment.
BBP Media 11 Canalside Office Complex, Lowesmoor Wharf, Worcester WR1 2RR Tel: 08000 807 809 Fax: 01905 726 467 E: hello@bbpmedia.co.uk W: www.bbpmedia.co.uk Publisher: PIL (Europe) Limited Print & Design: Heron Press UK ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. Colour transparencies, prints or any pictorial media for this publication are sent at owners risk and whilst every care is taken, neither PIL (Europe) Limited or its agents accept liability for loss or damage. No editorial submissions will be returned unless accompanied by a Self Addressed Envelope.
DISCLAIMER Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that adverts and articles appear correctly, PIL (Europe) Limited cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of this publication. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor.
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Accelerated Payment of Disputed Tax Will this impact you or your Company? The Government introduced the Accelerated Payment Notice Regime in the Finance Act of 2014 to remove the cash flow advantage that taxpayers obtain from participating in tax avoidance arrangements. The new legislation has the potential to impact individuals, partnerships, companies and trusts who have entered into any planning arrangements that fall into the criteria below. There are two types of notices that taxpayers should be aware of:
HMRC can use a FN to compel a company or individual to amend its tax return where the company or individual has an open enquiry and is pending a court ruling and that lead case has finally been decided. The Courts are deemed to decide that the arrangement does not succeed when there is a:
• Accelerated Payment Notices
• Ruling of the Supreme Court on the scheme, or
• Follower Notices
• Ruling of any other court or tribunal against which no appeal is made, or
Accelerated Payment Notices (“APN”) An APN may be issued to a company or an individual where they have obtained a tax advantage from one of the following types of arrangements; • Arrangements that have been disclosed (or ought to have been disclosed) under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (‘DOTAS’) rules; • Arrangements that have been subject to a counteraction notice by the General Anti Abuse Rule (‘GAAR’) panel; or • Arrangements that have been subject to a ‘Follower Notice’ under the Finance Act 2014 (broadly those arrangements where HMRC consider there to have been a final judicial ruling that applies to the arrangements in their favour). An APN can only be issued where the arrangements are subject to an open enquiry. The APN will be calculated so as to deny the tax advantage that arises from the specific arrangements. Failure to pay the APN could result in penalties of up to 15% of the disputed tax. It is those taxpayers who may have participated in a DOTAS scheme who will most likely be feeling the most anxious at this time as it is likely that most APN’s will be issued in the next 12/24 months. This will mean most individuals will need to start thinking about arrangements to pay the disputed tax.
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Follower Notices (“FN”)
• Ruling of any court or tribunal but permission to appeal against it is refused. Effectively HMRC is trying to stop each individual litigating against the same scheme if HMRC believes it has failed via the Courts. The biggest concern with an APN is the fact that there is no formal right of appeal against them and penalties of up to 50% can be applied if a company or individual fail to amend their tax return as instructed by the notice.
What will happen if I receive an APN or FN? Any tax in dispute will be required to be paid by the taxpayer within 90 days or a further 30 days will be granted where the individual requests that HMRC should reconsider the amount of the payment notice. Penalties will apply for late payment.
How can we help? If you or your Company have any concerns with the Accelerated Payment Regime then please speak to us. We have the experience to assist your clients if they are looking to either litigate or settle (with possible time to pay arrangements) with innovative solutions if you are caught by either Follower Notices or Accelerated Payment Notices.
Please call 01789 201 912 or email david.logan@zenithtax.co.uk
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The Patent Box Some of the uncertainties surrounding the Patent Box seem to be resolving. The Patent Box was introduced by the government as one of the measures to encourage investment and innovation in the UK, but last September a row started to brew as the favourable tax breaks came under adverse European Union scrutiny due to German concerns about artificial shifting of profits between European countries. The row was generated when Britain – joined by Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain – refused to agree to curbs on patent box aimed at stopping “harmful” tax competition that were supported by 40 other countries. Since April 2013 the Patent Box has enabled eligible companies to pay a lower rate of corporation tax on worldwide profits earned from their patented inventions. Patents granted in the UK, Europe and some other EEA countries are "qualifying IP rights" for the purposes of the Patent Box regime. To opt into the Patent Box, a company must have undertaken qualifying development by making a significant contribution to the creation or development of the patented invention, or a product incorporating the patented invention. Companies that hold an exclusive licence under a qualifying IP right can also benefit from the tax relief in some circumstances. You can only benefit from the Patent Box if your company is liable to Corporation Tax and makes a profit from exploiting patented inventions. Your company must also own or exclusively license-in the patents and must have undertaken qualifying development on them.
the patent box tax break, which allows income from the commercial exploitation of intellectual property (IP) to be taxed at 10%, due to pressure from Europe, mainly from Germany. Tax experts in the UK were concerned that such a beneficial arrangement should come under threat in this way, particularly in light of comments by David Gauke Commercial Secretary to the Treasury who commented on the impact that the patent box was having on investment in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries in the UK. "GlaxoSmithKline has attributed to the patent box its additional investment of £500 million in manufacturing in the UK, along with the creation of 1,000 new jobs and the construction of a new factory," he said. "The UK economy will see a positive effect as a result of that." Britain and Germany have worked together to agree a compromise which the Treasury described as a measure that would continue to “protect the interests of the UK as an excellent location for technology based businesses”.
David Gauke informed MPs that a proposal drawn up with Germany to reform the ‘patent box’, as a tax incentive for intellectual property, had been welcomed by international bodies with responsibility for tackling harmful tax practices. In a written statement, Mr Gauke said the deal would create a regime that would “continue to incentivise innovation and its commercialisation in the UK”. The compromise broadly restricts the tax break to R&D carried out in Britain but it has features “to take account of previously expressed UK concerns” by making it easier for businesses to qualify. The compromise is set to bring a lengthy period of uncertainty to an end. Tax professionals are very relieved, commenting that this compromise takes us another step closer to finalising the future direction of the UK’s innovation tax regime. It will mean that companies who have been delaying significant decisions on investment can now move forward with confidence, able to translate historic R&D spends into substantial future Patent Box claims.” Details of the new rules will be agreed by governments taking part in an international forum on harmful tax practices, as part of a global crackdown on avoidance led by the G20 group of leading nations. As part of the agreement, countries will close their existing regimes to new entrants by 30 June 2016 and will abolish them by 30 June 2021. The Treasury said that in line with the normal tax policy making process, it would consult on the legal changes that will begin next year.
In November 2014 it appeared that the UK would have to put forward proposals to change or close
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The Patent Box: Tax Regime? David Logan (Technical Director) of Zenith Tax Solutions provides an overview of the Patent Box tax regime:
What is the Patent Box? The Patent Box enables companies to apply a lower rate of Corporation Tax to profits earned after 1 April 2013 from its patented inventions. The relief is being phased in with the full 10% of Corporation Tax available from 1 April 2017. You will need to apply an appropriate percentage to the profits your company earns from its patented inventions. The appropriate percentages for each financial year are: • 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014:
60%
• 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015:
70%
• 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016:
80%
• 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017:
90%
• From 1 APRIL 2017:
100% of patented profits
Patent holders may wish to licence their inventions for others to develop. If your company holds licences to use others technology it may still be able to benefit from the Patent Box. But to do so it must meet all of the following conditions. It must have: • Rights to develop, exploit and defend rights in the patented invention • One or more rights to the exclusion of all other persons (including the licensor) • Exclusivity throughout at least an entire national territory – rights to manufacture or sell within part of a country, for example, would not qualify as being exclusive or exclusivity.
Remember companies can amend the tax returns as long as the accounting period is within 2 years (i.e. year ended 30 April 2013: an amended return needs to be submitted by 30 April 2015).
Who can benefit from the Patent Box Regime? You can only benefit from the Patent Box if your company is liable to Corporation Tax and makes a profit from exploiting patented inventions. Your company must also own or exclusively licence-in the patents and must have undertaken qualifying development on them. The patents must have been granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office or the European Patent Office plus the countries in the European Economic Area (i.e. such as Denmark and Germany). In order to qualify for the regime the company must have undertaken qualifying development for the patent by making a significant contribution to either: • The creation or development of the patented invention • A product incorporating the patented invention
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Also the licensee must either be able to bring infringement proceedings to defend its rights or be entitled to most of the damages awarded in successful proceedings relating to its rights. Not all of your company profits may come from exploiting patented inventions. To be relevant intellectual property (“IP”) income, it must come from at least one of the following: • Selling patented products – that is sales of the patented product or products incorporating the patented invention or bespoke spare parts. • Licensing out patented rights • Selling patented rights
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• Infringement income • Damages, insurance or other compensation related to patent rights Your company can also benefit from the Patent Box if it uses a manufacturing process that is patented or provides a service using a patented tool.
A special calculation is required to the tax computation because there is no box on the company tax return for making the election. Instead the reduced rate is subtracted as a additional trading deduction from your company profits.
Where can I go for assistance? We are specialised tax advisors that assist companies in making the necessary elections and calculations in relation to the Patent Box regime. We can also work alongside your current professional advisor or accountant should you need any assistance.
Please call 01789 201 912 or email david.logan@zenithtax.co.uk
How and when do you make a claim for the Patent Box? You have to make an election to benefit from the reduced rate of Corporation Tax that applies to the Patent Box. You can do this in the computations accompanying your Company Tax Return or separately in writing. There is no special form of words for this election. You must make your election within 2 years after the end of the accounting period in which the relevant profits and income arose.
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Patent Box
What are attributable profits?
The UK government has found that for every £1 given to companies via Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credits, companies increase R&D expenditure by £3. Therefore, the announced amendment to corporation taxation called ‘Patent Box’ which came into effect from April 2013, is no surprise. The purpose of the scheme is to encourage innovation in UK businesses, by reducing corporation tax rate to 10% on attributable profits. To date, this tax opportunity is not widely utilised, as companies do not know how to access the programme. At MCS we are in the process of accessing the scheme on behalf of clients. This article aims to dispel some of the confusion and make companies aware of how important this could be to them.
Attributable Profits are profits arising from items which are patented, contain an intrinsic patented item, or received via licensing of a patent. This applies to existing patents and patents pending, however the benefits cannot be realised until the patent is granted
Jane Strugnell
What is the patent box?
Patent box is a preferential tax scheme for profits arising from patents. The patent box allows attributable profits to be taxed at a lower rate which is calculated. The scheme has been brought into effect for profits received from April 2013 and, as with the R&D Tax scheme, can be applied retrospectively for up to two tax periods.
What is the purpose of the scheme?
The scheme has been devised to encourage technological innovation within UK based businesses. Working alongside the R&D Tax Credit scheme, the scheme enables companies to benefit from protecting IP gains. The scheme encourages businesses to locate high-value jobs and activities associated with technically innovative work within the UK.
Who can apply for the scheme?
Any company can elect to pay the reduced rate of corporation tax on profits due, if it is making a profit from a qualifying patent. The company has to have been involved in the development of patented item or the development of a product incorporating the patented item. It also has to have been developed in the UK. The patent can have been patented within National or European jurisdiction.
How do you claim?
To register a claim companies need notify HMRC that they wish to elect into the patent box scheme. Once this is done the company has to calculate the relevant intellectual property profit. This figure is then used to calculate the patent box deduction to the taxable profit. Applied as a below the line deduction this reduces the overall taxable profit, effectively lowering the payable corporation tax rate. Jane Strugnell of MCS Corporate Strategies Ltd said, “Companies have nothing to lose by finding out more about the Patent Box Scheme. The Government wants businesses to claim and as we have found with the R&D scheme, only a small proportion of those eligible make applications.” For further information about the scheme, you can go to the HMRC website: www.gov.uk/corporation-tax-the-patent-box Alternatively, if you would like to have a non-obligatory chat about the scheme, MCS’s expert, Jane, will be happy to talk with you.
Join us on...
mcs-corporate.com or call 01926 512475 info@mcs-corporate.com
10 Station Road | Kenilworth | CV8 1JJ
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32832_11875 Bev James_CD Engineering 11/08/2014 17:01 Page 1
Bev James
CEO of The Coaching Academy and Director of Mentoring at Start-Up Loans
When is the best time to sell your business? When is the best time to sell your business? I’m asked this question so often, mainly because at some point people come to the realization that they don’t actually have an exit plan. When I ask business owners if they have an exit strategy 8 out of 10 say no!
Also consider what your business needs to look like to be attractive to a potential buyer. When you decide to work towards exiting you need to make sure the business can work without you. Installing management structures, systems and processes is essential.
I completely understand that when people start a business venture, selling it is often the last thing on their mind however, the sale of your business ideally needs to be part of your overall strategy, the one that you develop sooner rather than later. Some people do set up lifestyle businesses that they never plan to sell and that’s fine too.
Selling your business does not have to be daunting because just like selling a house there are companies who will act as agents on your behalf. These agencies can work with you in the very early stages to help you prepare your business for sale and ultimately find prospective buyers and negotiate the sale for you.
If you want to sell your business for X amount in order to retire then you need to be clear what that figure is – what is your number?
One thing many business owners don’t consider is how they will feel when the business is sold. I have known business owners who have felt a great sense of relief and achievement when they walk away from their business but I have also known people who have felt a great sense of loss. For many business owners their identity and status is wrapped up in the business. Contacts, social circles can all be intertwined. Having a sense of purpose is what make many business owners and entrepreneurs feel alive, solving daily challenges becomes normal. Being cut loose without a plan for what you will do to replace your time, energy and for some status can come as a bit of a shock to the system.
Also consider who might buy your business. Competitors can be potential buyers as they can see the benefit of taking you out of the market and acquiring your client list or products. Selling your business when it’s about to peak and showing a pattern of growth and demonstrating upward trends is attractive to potential buyers. Having said that many business owners have the most fun during the high growth upward trend and they start to thinking of selling it when things start to decline or get much harder.
Having said that, be careful to plan for the future but don’t take your finger off the pulse of your business until the sale is complete. If you spent too much time planning for life after the business is sold you might drop the ball and lose the sale. Whatever stage you are at with your business this could be the right time to stop and think: 1. If I sold my business how much would I want? What’s my number? 2. What does my profit need to be in order to be attractive to a potential buyer at that price? (there are formulas to value a business) 3. What would my business structure need to look like, to run without me? 4. Who might buy it? 5. Who could I engage to help me prepare to exit? Bev James is a business mentor, best-selling author of DO IT! or DITCH IT, CEO of The Coaching Academy and Director of Mentoring at Start Up Loans. For free daily tips, business templates, workbooks and app visit www.bevjames.com
Bev James 9
33247 AP_HorseWorld 09/04/2015 10:55 Page 1
When to sell your business?
If you are thinking of selling your business you need to make sure that you, as the owner, are in full control of the process – and deciding when to sell is one of the most important factors affecting the sale price you will realise. After more than fifteen years’ experience of helping owners to prepare their business for sale, we can confidently say that most owner managed businesses are just not “ready to sell”. This does not mean they are not good, well-run businesses. The reality is that a prospective purchaser will almost certainly use a quite different set of criteria to judge the attractiveness of the business – and will probably arrive at a very different conclusion about the value of the company than the owner. For the buyer, the company represents an investment opportunity – an opportunity to generate a financial return with some level of associated risk. This need for a truly objective, dispassionate assessment of what your business is currently worth – and what can be done to improve the company valuation in a reasonable period of time is absolutely fundamental to achieve a successful outcome.
Bob Brown Once the decision to sell has been made there are essentially two separate and distinct tasks to be completed. The first, and by far the most important, is to prepare the business for sale – a process that is designed to maximise the perceived value of the business for a prospective purchaser. The second is to appoint a broker and take the business to the market. Most brokerage companies are broadly speaking transactional in approach – in the overwhelming majority of cases the broker assumes the business is actually “ready to sell” when you appoint them. You have made the decision to sell – they want to get on with it and earn their fees. So, if you want to make sure you have taken all reasonable steps to improve the marketability of the business and maximise the sale price – you need to find a different kind of professional advisor.
So why is the preparation so critical? Ultimately selling a business is much like selling almost anything else but it is different in some important respects. If you are selling a conventional product or service, there is some expectation the buyer has recognised a need and will end up
10
buying something. In the case of a company sale, the buyer will be comparing investment opportunities – a quite different process – and they can walk away at any time. Preparation is about maximising the expectation of a sensible financial return, and minimising the perception of the associated risk. A lot of this is about creating a business with a strong set of metrics or key performance indicators – the “numbers” all need to be positive, in the broadest sense of the word. And, because, the sale will ultimately be a negotiation about price, it is important the seller can point to robust, factual, evidence to support their assertion concerning the value of their business. The process of getting the business ready for sale can take some time. Depending on how much work needs to be done, the preparation process may take anything from a few months to several years. So if you think you may want to sell your business at some stage in the future than arrange a first consultation with us, absolutely free of charge, for an initial assessment of the market value of your company and a discussion about some of the key ways this might be improve.
Richard Lloyd
“Bob Brown of CMC Partners recently led a very informative seminar to IOD members in the Black Country on the subject of Preparing your Business for Sale – full of practical advice and guidance. Exactly the sort of input anyone considering selling their business needs to understand.” Ian Priest, Chairman, Institute of Directors for the Black Country and Independent Banking Consultant. The CMC Partners team covering the West Midlands . . . Bob Brown – Birmingham South and West from his office in Worcester bob.brown@cmc-partners.co.uk or call my mobile 07940 526801 http://www.cmc-partners.co.uk/cmc-partners/bobbrown/ Richard Lloyd – Birmingham North and East from his office in Derby Richard.lloyd@cmc-partners.co.uk or call my mobile 07973 415 351 http://www.cmc-partners.co.uk/cmc-partners/richardlloyd/
33219 AP _Feature Template 16/04/2015 11:52 Page 1
When is the right time to sell a business? When you have Birmingham’s City Business Brokers to help. That’s the simplest and easiest answer to a question which can bring life-changing consequences. In reality, Dominic Marlow and Kevin Stokes know it requires much thought and preparation to gain a win win sale result. More than a combined 20 years of expertise and the desire to achieve the best for clients drive the City Business Brokers partners in every aspect of their operation. And that’s why 90% of their work is through referrals from other professional advisors, such as accountants, Independent Financial Advisors (IFAs), solicitors and bankers, as opposed to from business owners themselves. Specialising in serving buyers and sellers of companies across the UK, from a wide range of small High Street-type businesses up to £10 million owner/operated organisations, Dominic Marlow Dominic and Kevin are proud of the recognition and to work in partnership with their fellow professionals, and welcome enquiries from new contacts. Such close partnerships also ensure City Business Brokers stands clear above what Dominic describes as a “pretty horrendous” industry reputation, the result of a few larger companies who, he says, are better known for hard sales tactics, over valuing, and over promise of delivery and charging unsatisfied clients large cancellation fees. “That's not how we work. We’re pretty fussy about who we take on, and that’s only if we believe we can meet their expectations.” he says. “We also pre-screen and only send buyers if we think they're a good fit. We don't overprice and most of our work on smaller businesses is on a no sale, no fee basis. Otherwise, we charge only a modest engagement fee plus a percentage upon a successful conclusion, with no exit clauses if we fail to complete.” “In the main we execute a sale mandate under a full service brokerage. We do a lot more preparation, provide better marketing materials and marketing plans and attend all relevant meetings, which most of our competitors don’t.
“We're approachable, knowledgeable and very straight - we deal in reality - and we like to develop working relationships particularly with accountants and IFAs because those are the people business owners typically go to first when considering their options.” Of course, City Business Brokers also welcomes calls from owners, including those who are not thinking of selling soon but are exploring future options. Says Dominic: “Owners need to consider their options which, broadly, are: to put the business into a position where they can work less but for longer and take more money out of it, or to put it into a position where they can sell at a time of their choosing. This will probably also achieve both a better price and deal structure. We encounter many owners who are being forced by an element of distress into selling, such as ill health, a staff or client issue, or finding they just can’t keep up with industry changes - that is not a good time to sell.” So, when is the right time? “When it's right for you, and if you don't plan when it's right for you then it could be forced upon you by outside events,” is Dominic’s response. “They can be good events, too, of which you can take advantage. For example I often approach businesses on behalf of buyers. Kevin Stokes If they are prepared with an exit strategy, they can be ready to show a positive picture with upto-date financials and plan, knowing that everything is in order and that they can maximise such an opportunity. “The vast majority of proactive buyers are hoping to pick up something with an element of distress at a good price. Does a seller want to sell under an element of distress at a cheap price? No. So we can help you do something about it.” To find out how City Business Brokers can help in the sale of a business, telephone 0121 452 5133 or email kevstokes@citybusinessbrokers.co.uk Alternatively visit: www.citybusinessbrokers.co.uk 111 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8LB
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HCB SOLICITORS CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS Is it time to sell your business? As Solicitors and Accountants we get a number of enquiries from clients about their businesses and whether it’s time to sell? If this is something you are maybe considering, here are a few points that you may want to consider:-
Is Your Business Sellable?
Are You Ready to show off your business? My brother is buying a house at the moment, one of the houses he went to see was cluttered with junk and had recently killed game hanging from the ceiling ready to be prepared for dinner. Clearly not an attractive proposition for the buyer. Whereas the house that is clean with a smell of fresh coffee is much more attractive to the buyer. Selling a business is a lot like selling a home. What do potential buyers want to see when they walk into your business? Is all the equipment working? Is the building clean? Does the furniture look modern? Is the stock current? A little bit of work goes a long way in making the business attractive.
Is your paperwork in order? Make sure you have your documents ready to show a buyer upon request, any potential buyer will want to see:
If you are the sole director and perhaps the only person providing a service, the business will not be attractive to a buyer. However once you put some systems in place, have employees providing the service and a healthy client base, the business is then attractive.
Balance sheets and profit & loss statements from the past three years
What Is Your Business Worth?
Other items will be requested as the potential buyer does due diligence which may include insurance policies, employee agreements, patents, customer contracts, bank statements, and much more.
As a business owner, who has maybe built the company up from nothing, you may see a lot more value in the business than the potential buyer. You can of course estimate its worth by using traditional valuation techniques, but before you put your business on the market, ask an objective expert to evaluate it for you. Once you have a value there ultimately has to be someone in the market for what you have to offer, but you can make an informed decision on whether the time is right to present it to potential buyers.
Management Accounts to date A list of all business-owned equipment and stock Lease agreements and other warranties
Who is the potential buyer? It is just as important to know who your buyer is, as any problems after the sale could come back and haunt you. Therefore ensure as a minimum you know:• Contact information • Previous business experience • Education and professional certifications • Proof of investment funds and their source • Time frame and why they’re interested in your business • A signed nondisclosure agreement
Have you professional help? You will need to appoint a solicitor at the very least to prepare the purchase agreement or if the buyer’s solicitor prepares it, ask yours to review the document.
16 Wrens Court, 53 Lower Queen Street, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1RT Telephone 0121 355 6118 E-Mail johnmoore@hcbgroup.com
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33167 Advertorial_HorseWorld 25/02/2015 15:06 Page 1
s s e N i s Bu
VPDOO
rate relief
cutting your business rates down to size
One of the most difficult issues small businesses face is that of Business Rates.
business rates are typically the third largest expense businesses face, after rent and wages.
The high level of Business Rates are one of the most frequently cited causes for the declining numbers of small businesses in our city centres and high streets.
Simon Alexander Consulting was founded in 2010 and launched smallbusinessraterelief.org.uk in 2014 .The company offers a free business rate bill audit and ‘no win no fee’ application for eligible reliefs. Where appropriate, their rating experts will also pursue appeals to reduce or alter rateable values.
It seems that the government is listening at last. In his autumn statement George Osborn announced measures to support small businesses in local communities, the ‘high street discount’ for around 300,000 shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants will go up from £1,000 to £1,500 per annum in April 2015. This is in addition to doubling Small Business Rate Relief for a further year which means 380,000 of the smallest businesses will pay no rates at all. The government will also continue to cap the annual increase in business rates Simon Wanderer at 2% from April 2015 to March 2016 – this will benefit all businesses paying business rates.
The company is able to advise on the various schemes launched or extended over the last year, in addition to Small Business Rate Relief, these include Retail Rate Relief, New Build Rate Relief and Retail Reoccupation Relief. MD Simon Wanderer told us “The government has established a system of numerous business rates reliefs and exemptions aimed at benefiting different classes of businesses and properties. However, the complexity and bureaucracy of the system has prevented many small businesses from taking advantage of the reductions available. This is where we at smallbusinessraterelief.org.uk come in, providing a professional service to ensure your business gets the business rates relief to which it is entitled”. Simon was able to give us a couple of recent examples where their expertise had helped businesses gain the reliefs to which they were entitled. One case involved an element of restructuring, Simon explained, “We were instructed by 2 businesses who shared premises (and a single rates bill). They split a bill of approximately £5,000 per annum between them. We advised them they would be better placed formally delineating their parts of the property through separate leases. We assisted in drafting the leases and were then able to have the property shown as 2 separate rating list entries, each of which then fell within the parameters of Small Business Rate Relief meaning both businesses enjoyed 100% rate relief.” Another circumstance where their knowledge of the system gained a much needed relief was in the case of a social club. Simon told us, “They had not originally been deemed a qualifying business. By a careful review of the government's published guidance, we were able to persuade the council that the club was primarily a 'drinking establishment' and thus eligible for the relief, reducing their rates bill by around 15%.”
Finally, the government will extend the transitional arrangements for smaller properties that would otherwise face significant bill increases due to the ending of ‘transitional rate relief’.
Rather than negotiate the maze of reliefs on government and council websites, the smallbusinessraterelief.org.uk process is quick and simple. In an easy to navigate process simply upload your Business Rates bill, or send it over by fax or email, and the team will get to work.
The experts on business rates, smallbusinessraterelief.org.uk, part of Simon Alexander Consulting Chartered Surveyors who specialise in helping smaller business via a web based platform, welcomed the news, saying
Under their no-win-no-fee guarantee they will never charge any fee except a percentage of the amount they save you. No ifs, no buts. You have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain. After all, any relief on your business rates can be a big relief to your business!
For more information please visit. www.smallbusinessraterelief.org.uk or telephone 0800 804 4349 13
33210 AP 2_HorseWorld 16/04/2015 13:05 Page 1
How TFP have supported their Clients A UK based distributor of solar powered compacting waste bins, had successfully won orders from a number of Local Councils across the UK. Challenges: • Their US supplier required payment either when an order was placed, or for a letter of credit to be provided
Winning orders and building a supply chain are all part of growing a successful business, not having access to finance can stop many from moving forwards.
• The newly established UK Company had limited working capital and were unable to borrow from traditional debt providers, due to their lack of trading history • The UK company’s bank required full cash-cover to issue a letter of credit Solution: TFP provided a $1m Letter of Credit to the US supplier, guaranteeing and ensuring that payment would be made for delivered goods. Goods
Payment
Buying
The challenge of managing working capital has never been more apparent and whether a business is trading in the UK or internationally, having to pay suppliers can hinder many SMEs. It is common practice that a deposit or full payment is required before goods will be delivered, which poses a challenge when there is insufficient cash flow. There are a number of solutions, however the strength of a business’s assets can restrict access to funding. True trade finance is different however, using the intrinsic value of the purchase order and buyer as the security, bridging the financial gap between a business’s supplier and buyer.
Supplier
TFP
Invoice
Payment
PrŽĮt less fees
Invoice
Client
Buyer
Selling
Invoice
A UK based computer software and hardware company had successfully won a contract to supply computer peripherals to a US based distribution company Challenges: • The UK company did not have credit terms with their Chinese based supplier and were required to pay for goods in full when placing an order
True Trade Finance – How Does TFP’s PrŽƉŽƐŝƟon Work Goods
• The UK company were unable to obtain funding from their bank and therefore had no means of paying for the goods required to fulfil the order
Payment
Buying
Supplier
TFP
Invoice
Payment
PrŽĮt less fees
Invoice
Client
Buyer
Selling
Invoice
Many SMEs explore the economic benefits of cross-border trading but are deterred by the inherent risks and challenges this type a trade entails.
Solution: TFP negotiated with the Chinese based supplier, who were happy to receive payment from TFP using a Letter of Credit, enabling the contract to be fulfilled TFP were able to credit insure the US based buyer and gain confirmation of the purchase order and payment from them postdelivery, ensuring payment would be received upon delivery Goods
TFP are experienced at operating on a global basis, providing true trade finance in conjunction with risk and supply chain management to facilitate their clients’ trades and overall success.
We partner with business’s that have trades that are: •
•
The end buyer is credit insurable or can provide an acceptable bank guarantee or letter of credit
•
The purchased goods are: capital goods, commodities or consumer based items
•
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Closed – there is a pre-agreed buyer and seller
The transaction is between £100k and £3m
Payment
Buying
Supplier
TFP
Invoice
Payment
PrŽĮt less fees
Invoice
Client
Buyer
Selling
Invoice
For further information please visit our website: www.tradefinpartners.com Telephone: +44 (0)20 7634 9851 30 Cannon Street, London, EC4M 6XH enquiries@tradefinpartners.com
33213 1pg_Transport Warehousing 17/04/2015 14:26 Page 1
Business Finance Bank’s take note– there are many other ways for businesses to get funding today; the trick for businesses is often just working out where to go and what to ask for! Small and medium sized businesses, often referred to as SME’s, make up 99% of companies in the UK – they employ over 15 million people and turnover over £1.6 trillion. Putting it simply they are the lifeblood of the UK economy – so why are they so often overlooked by banks and continue to struggle to get access to the money they need to grow? It’s a simple story which we all know; since 2009 the big banks, impacted by the combination of the losses sustained during the credit crisis and the legacy of the various miss-selling scandals, have pulled out of many of the traditional products and markets which they used to dominate. Providing finance to SME’s has been the biggest casualty and it’s become increasingly difficult for businesses to get access to funding unless they are looking to mortgage existing property to raise cash. Within this funding gap there has been an explosion of alternative finance providers, the people who have looked at SME’s and quickly realised there are millions of great companies run by dedicated, experienced creditworthy business men and women who need finance and are happy to consider new ways of getting it. You will have heard many terms for these new entrants – challenger banks, crowdfunding, peer to peer lenders, venture finance, short term working capital solutions, merchant cash advances, startup loans, factoring – the list goes on, but the question that most find difficult to
answer is, which one is right for my business and how can I gain access to them! Many businesses have access to an accountant or finance broker for advice; however in the new digital world where we, as personal consumers use the internet to get the best deals for our home finance are now also utilising this medium to source business finance. Of course the challenge here is that if you simply type “I want a loan” into a search engine, you will get a multitude of different responses, so the most important thing is to be specific. If you are a new business and want investment, look for “new start-up lenders or investors”, this will naturally take you
towards the venture finance players and the crowdfunding space. You can even be more geographically specific as there will be local government backed growth funds who may be able to help and who will have the necessary expertise in this area.
For established businesses who are growing quickly, especially those who need to finance their supply chain or complete large orders, the options are even greater. There are online invoice finance companies who provide funding for individual invoices as the business receives them, or short term lenders who will provide loans of 3-6 months (typically up to £50k) within 1-2 days; enabling a company to pay that next supplier bill or complete that profitable order they could otherwise not have met. There’s less choice out there today if you need to export your goods but even with this, if you search for “trade finance” online you will find a number of new players who can certainly help you where the banks cannot. Finally let’s not forget the peer to peer market – a great place to find longer term loans which your business may need to help make that all important acquisition or purchase those new premises! While there’s still a huge amount of pressure on banks to provide more finance to SME’s, little appears to be changing and they may well find that the alternative lenders soon become real competition. The key is for businesses to realise that by investing a little time and being specific about what they want, the internet can quickly become a powerful tool which will provide them with a range of financing options from companies, often also run by entrepreneurs, who want to support business growth and will provide tailored competitive financing solutions much faster and with much less fuss than a bank. Author’s credit - Chris Ash, Trade Finance Partners CEO
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33270 AP_HorseWorld 25/03/2015 09:57 Page 1
Did you know that 58% of small companies believe it is difficult to obtain funding! Do you take card payments for your company’s products or services? Did you know that there is a way you can use those takings to leverage capital in a straight forward and efficient manner without having to offer security or change any of your current processes.
There are no repayment deadlines and Liquid Finance gets paid via your terminal however long that takes. We have a unique automated split processing technology that means that you do not have to change your card processor or any of your current set up. There isn’t a business plan required or lots of complicated paperwork to make a decision - our team is in place to get the cash to you within 10 working days with minimal disruption. So you can get on with what you do best, running your business.
We, at Liquid Finance, understand that business owners like you are eager to maximise your company’s growth. We provide unsecured capital based on your card takings that can be used for any number of business expansion ideas that you may have.
B R A DLEY SMI TH
Here are some ways our customers have used their business advance from Liquid Finance: • Stock purchases • Refurbishments • Equipment Purchase • Product Development • Special Projects that need a quick turn-around time Answer the following to see if a business cash advance from Liquid Finance is for you:
HAIR & BEAUTY
In the words of Bradley Smith who runs three very successful Hair and Beauty salons “I started working with Liquid Finance over a year ago following some challenges with securing a bank loan for my business. I was looking to update my Hairdressing Salon to make it look more professional and provide a more sophisticated service for my clients. The Liquid Finance team were very helpful and professional, leading me through the process and allowing me to move forward with my business plans. The advance worked perfectly for me, making my life so easy with each sale helping to pay back my advance without me having to even think about it! As a result I have continued to use the service to renovate my beauty salon and will do so again to update new premises.
- Does your business take credit/debit cards? - Have you been trading for over 12 months? - Is your average monthly takings from your card terminal between £3,500 and £150,000? If you answered YES to the questions above then a cash advance from Liquid Finance might be the next step in your plan for growing your business How it works. The Liquid Finance Business Cash Advance is based on your average monthly card turnover. This average is usually the amount we will advance you. We charge you a fee for the advance. You repay the advance and fee through an agreed % of your future daily card takings until the advance and fee are paid back.
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I am building a brand and Liquid Finance are standing alongside me making it happen! I would definitely recommend a Liquid Finance Cash Advance to any of my colleagues who need business finance.” The application process is simple - follow the link www.liquidfinance.co.uk and fill out the form – we will do the rest. Or Call 0845 600 3573 and speak to one of our advisors today.
33227 Advertorial_HorseWorld 26/02/2015 10:39 Page 1
Independent Banking Consultants
Ian Priest Associates Ltd t/a Independent Banking Consultants When it comes to business finance experience matters, so says Ian Priest of Independent Banking Consultants. He should know, after 31 years in banking and rising to be Managing Partner at the Clydesdale Bank, he has branched out, becoming Independent Banking Consultants’ first UK franchisee in 2010. The world of business finance has never been more open, as the banks tighten their lending criteria the alternative lending market booms. In the last four years Ian has raised funds for solicitors, care homes, vets, private schools, a golf course, even a fish and chip business totalling £15 million.
The banks are suffering from a lack of staff experienced in lending, for years the emphasis has been on sales training, resulting in a skills gap. Ian has some sympathy, he says, “The guys on the front line in banking often don’t have the time, the skills or the training. They don’t even know what it is they don’t know!” He says the processes involved by the major banks simply don’t work in the real world. It is not enough for an inexperienced person to pay a brief site visit, look around, kick a few tyres and send a report to head office. The borrower is given no opportunity to correct any errors and the person from the bank doesn’t have the experience to recognise the business’s potential. After all, saying “No” is a safe option. This is where Ian comes in. First and foremost he knows how to put a proposal together structured in such a way that it is easy for the bank to say “Yes”. He will go out and write a critical paper and agree it with the client, taking the client’s goals into consideration, and structure the proposal accordingly. Unlike most brokers, Ian adopts a whole of market approach. He will submit the proposal to a number of lenders in parallel rather than adopting the more conventional, one at time, linear approach. Sometimes he will put a shortened version up to see who would be interested and what it would take to get them interested. This approach results in a number of offers. Ian then sees it as a critical part of the process to advise the client on the pros and cons of each offer to determine which is best for that client. There are sometimes hidden charges and long term implications, not immediately apparent, but Ian is there to help sort the wood from the trees. This client first approach has led to them being one of the first business finance advisors to be fully authorised and regulated by the FCA.
Ian’s Top Tips.
Always approach more than one lender. Make sure the proposal is structured in a way the bank understands. Stress test your proposal to ensure that you have done the groundwork to answer the bank’s questions, and most importantly, get help! It pays dividends. For a confidential discussion please contact Ian on 07917 355751, or email him at ip@independentbankers.co.uk www.independentbankers.co.uk
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Accomplish more with fast, simple and transparent business finance Working capital and positive cash flow is a basic need for all businesses to grow, buy stock, manage premises and pay staff. Finances can frequently become stretched, particularly if a business is seasonal or looking to invest in growth. However, access to bank funding has declined in recent years and it is well documented as being time consuming, bureaucratic and fraught with difficulty. Now there is a new and exciting option for businesses looking for finance – Growth Street.
minutes, free of charge and no obligations. After you register, their Head of Client Development Matthew Stephens will contact you directly to get to know your business further. To give yourself the best chance of a successful outcome you should make sure that you have all the information at hand that Growth Street will need to accurately assess your application. CEO and Founder Gregory Carter has some easy tips for Growth Street applicants to boost their chances of a successful application: He says, “You need to be using accountancy software (e.g. Xero, Sage, etc) in order to apply for a Growth Street overdraft as this allows us to streamline the application review process, meaning that you can get a decision – and your capital – sooner. He also advises that clients supply a 12 month cash flow forecast to give an accurate sense of the flow of cash in and out of the business, and stresses the importance of monthly management accounts which enable companies to respond quickly to challenges and opportunities.
With Growth Street your business has access to more capital than with a bank. You pay less, spend less time managing your facility and have a more transparent source of finance than with invoice finance providers.
Greg Carter
Growth Street was started with a single goal in mind: to provide fast, simple and transparent finance and capital to growing businesses. They have reengineered the business overdraft – taking a well known financial product and developing it into a transparent, fast, simple and flexible source of finance for businesses. Growth Street’s facilities allow businesses to access more capital at fairer rates than with the traditional high street banks. Additionally, you get a much more transparent and easy-to-understand source of finance than with various invoice finance providers. A Growth Street business overdraft is a workable option of which you stay in control, as it is entirely flexible. It doesn't tie you into a long-term commitment either, and there are no hidden fees or charges. Working online means they don't have branches, a bloated product portfolio, layers of unnecessary overhead and relationship managers who change every five minutes (although they do have friendly, capable people for you to talk to about your business!). You can apply online in
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Growth Street overdraft
Invoice finance
Bank overdraft
Max facility size
£150,000
Variable
£35,000
Monthly interest rate
0.7 - 1.3%
0.3 - 0.5%
0.3 - 0.8%
x
0.5 - 3%
x
0.7 - 1.3%
Service fee Total monthly cost
0.8 - 3.5%
0.3 - 0.8%
2%
1%
1.75%
Discounting charge
x
Base rate + 1.5 - 4%
x
Annual review fee
x
1%
1.25 - 1.5%
Early cancellation fee
x
0.5 - 3%
x
Audit fee
x
2 x £250
x
Monthly minimum fee
x
x
Annual fee
For more information and contact details please visit their website www.growthstreet.co.uk
33170 QPD_HorseWorld 08/04/2015 13:00 Page 1
growing year on year, and with more confidence in the lending market, businesses are securing funding more than ever. “
TRUST
SECURITY
CONFIDENCE
Although businesses are finding the banks somewhat more accommodating, the lending criteria and high interest rates can mean that while the bank is often the first port of call, it is not always the best option. We spoke to Nina Teeder, Business Manager at Fiducia Commercial Solutions about their business and the services they provide.
Nina Teeder
What effect have the slightly less restrictive lending policies of the major banks, and the availability of alternative lending had on your business? “We are delighted! It gives us more potential sources of finance for our clients.”
How long does it take? “We recently secured finance for a client in under 50 minutes! The client needed £100,000 – to help the business grow. This was funded by one of our panel of lenders that are extremely quick and very competitive.
Can you help even when someone has previously been rejected by the banks? “Often. Through Fiducia, Mr Williams received a £30,000 unsecured loan. He is a retail wholesaler selling clothes to River Island, BHS, Next, ASOS, Boohoo and many more. He needed the money to purchase more stock to increase the supplies going out to the distributors. This loan was initially rejected, but our brokers successfully secured the right loan for Mr Williams. The business has excelled phenomenally!”
To write your own success story contact Fiducia by visiting www.fiduciacommercial.co.uk or calling 01529 410 747, you’ ll be glad you did. We asked how the business was started and why. She told us, “In 2001, Marcus Grimshaw and Anthony Scott, with 30 years’ banking experience, frustrated by the restrictions placed on lending by their employers, set up Fiducia to provide a whole of market service to growing businesses. “The business has grown rapidly. We source funds for businesses day in and day out, providing a range of innovative business solutions from across the whole of the market. Commercial mortgages, business loans and bridging finance, have always been a major part of our offering, but we are finding an increasing interest in the availability of asset and invoice financing.”
What differentiates Fiducia from other Commercial Brokers? “Fiducia don’t just source funds, we source the best and most appropriate funding solutions for our client’s purpose. We like to sit down with our clients and go through their requirements in detail. For instance I had a client who wanted a loan to cover some outstanding invoices, I suggested using invoice financing instead of a conventional loan, letting the invoices effectively finance themselves. The client was delighted. “At Fiducia, we work closely with our clients. We are there every step of the way, and live up to our ethos, providing a service that can be truly recommended”.
How else can you help? “We avoid the major difficulty many companies have in preparing their loan application by almost pre-underwriting the proposal, and then “painting the picture”. Business funding has been
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33285 AP_HorseWorld 16/04/2015 11:18 Page 1
Benefits Of LBA Pads:
• 95% of Elseís debt recovery cases are solved via letters before action. • You will receive 100% of the debt owed to you. • The debtor will pay our legal fees.
Else Solicitors recovered a client's long-term debt of £6894 in just one week for just £25+VAT. The firm, based on Temple Row in Birmingham City Centre, specialise in debt recovery and recently gave away 100 FREE letters before action (LBA) pads to our clients. LBAs are letters to a person or business that owes you money. The letters warn the debtor that a lawsuit will ensue if the debt is not paid immediately. Using these pads clients can instruct Else to send an LBA on their behalf, for just £25+VAT. All debt recovery instructions are carried out within 24hours of being received. After receiving one of our FREE pads a client instructed us to send a LBA on their behalf. They had been owed almost £7000 for more than three months. Their debtor paid the amount in full a week after being contacted by Else. The client said: “My business had been owed this debt for a while and our customer was not responding to any of our attempts to contact him for payment.
“We instructed Else to send a letter before action and low and behold the debt was paid the week after the letter was sent. “Else recovered almost £7000 for us in just a week and it only cost £25. What a great service!” How Do LBA Pads Work?
• Take a sheet from the LBA pad.
• Fill in your current debt details.
• Send it Else's specialist debt recovery solicitors (via post or email). • We will send an official, and legally binding LBA to the debtor on your behalf. • Simple.
• We have a FREE online tracking system so you can monitor how your claim's progressing. • If the debtor does pay upon receipt of the LBA you will have avoided expensive court case costs. How We Make Your Debtor Pay:
• Step One: We issue the debtor with a claim asking for payment of your debt. • Step Two: We add late payment interest to the debtor's bill for every week that your debt is outstanding. • Step Three: We add our legal fees to the debtor's bill. This includes Late Payment Administration fees for every invoice we send.
DDOES OES BBEING EING OWED OWED CASH CASH WIND WIND YOU YOU UP? UP? ORE TTHAN HA N EELSE LSE SSOLICITORS OLICITORS HHAVE AVE M MORE 5500 YYEARS EARS EEXPERIENCE XPERIENCE IINN CCREDIT REDIT MANAGEMENT LEGAL M ANAGEMENT & LE GAL DDEBT EBT RRECOVERY ECOVERY s s s s s
FFree ree rreview eview ooff llegal egal ddocuments ocuments DDispute ispute rresolution esolution & cclaims laims mana gement management LLedger edger ccollections ollections sservice ervice VVariety ariety of of fee fee scales scales Free access access to to our our online online system system with wi t h Free real-time reporting reporting real-time
MA MAKING KING TTHE HE DDEBTOR EBTOR PAY! PAY!
If you would like a FREE LBA pad (no delivery charge) then please call Else on 0121 393 1720 or email info@elselaw.co.uk In the event that your debt is not paid, Else have a strong dispute resolution team that can represent you and obtain a court judgement. This judgement will be enforced if the debtor continually fails to respond. A judgement can include instigating insolvency proceedings against your debtor, winding-up limited companies, and filing for bankruptcy so your debt can be recovered from their assets.
You can find out more about Else Solicitors’s debt recovery service and your personal rights via their website www.elselaw.co.uk
0121 393 1720 elselaw.co.uk 20
REF: 8554 03/13
£7000 Debt Settled Via a £25 Debt Recovery Service
• You will pay a fixed cost of £25+VAT.
33289 1PG_HorseWorld 16/04/2015 12:51 Page 1
Marilyn. “Business people want to get around in double-quick time and do not want to be stuck in traffic on our busy roads. “Our new heliport has ample facilities for people to hold business meetings and networking events and provision for incoming pilots to drop in for fuel, have a bite to eat and make themselves comfortable in our pilot’s lounge before they take to the air again.”
Central Helicopters has settled into its new base at Nottingham Heliport and is relishing the extra space and opportunities it brings. The Briggs family acquired Central Helicopters in October 2007, purchasing the company where Ian Briggs first learned to fly and soon transformed it into a multi-faceted operation that offers a wide range of services across a broad geographical range from a conveniently located Midlands base. Until mid-October last year, the business operated from Nottingham City Airport but now flies out of its own purpose built heliport, (Nottingham Heliport) based outside the city on the A46 Fosse Way, Widmerpool.
As for the future, Central Helicopters look set to continue to soar, with plans to widen its scope still further. “In the future we want to secure more charter flights and really make the most of our new facilities,” says Marilyn. “We have free parking and people are welcome to come and watch their loved ones on their flights from our viewing balcony.”
Discuss your requirements with one of the friendly experienced team who will be happy to help on 01664 823846 or for more information about the company’s range of services please visit www.centralhelicopters.com
We are proud to support Central Helicopters. Wishing you all the best for the future.
Commercial Air Conditioning Starting out life predominantly as a flying school, Central Helicopters still train students to gain private, commercial and flight instructor licences but in addition, now offers pleasure flights, trial lessons and a broad selection of charter services using three different types of aircraft. That’s not to mention the attractive meeting room and corporate hospitality facilities when back on terra firma, including catering, if required. “We have come a long way from the single Portakabin we first operated out of at Nottingham City Airport,” reflects Marilyn, the company’s Finance Director, with Ian acting as Managing Director and Daniel as Operations Director. “Nowadays, whether it’s a trip for Father’s Day, getting someone to that vital business meeting on time or helping someone learn to fly, we are able to help.
Domestic Air Conditioning 24 Hour Response 7 Days A Week We provide a professional service for all of your air conditioning requirements and install, maintain and service every make and model of air conditioning unit throughout the UK
For more info please visit: www.acrcltd.co.uk Telephone: 0116 257 0066
ACR C
Email: actrev@hotmail.co.uk
Congratulations to...
From March until the end of October, mainly at the weekends, a key tranche of business comes from the pleasure flights operated from locations across the Midlands and north of the country, namely Nottingham, Selby, near York, the Lake District, Preston, the Peak District and, more recently, the popular seaside holiday destination Skegness.
Central Helicopters
A helicopter’s versatility makes a number of charter flight opportunities available, including aerial photography, heli-dining (arriving in style for a restaurant meal), VIP transport to sporting events, and, of course, for those in the cut and thrust of business. “We are very aware that time is precious to people who hold prominent, busy executive positions,” explains
from all at C.H Warrington & Sons
...for all your success
T: 0115 989 2597 | F: 0115 9892 799 | E: paulwarro@googlemail.com
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33230 2pg_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 10:16 Page 1
An innovative amalgamation of biometric and document capture equipment within the single unit device ensures that data collection is simple, effective, and can be exported directly into back office systems for immediate processing and real time response.
ASCOT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS TACKLES TERRORISM, FRAUD, MONEY LAUNDERING AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Mark Ingram, Managing Director of Ascot Business Solutions is on a mission to assist organisations across the UK in the battle against identity fraud, money laundering and immigration crime and to assist those with the responsibility to deal with the ever increasing threat posed by terrorism. Renowned for their expertise in providing data and document solutions to organisations of all sizes, Ascot Business Solutions recently launched their Greenbox device, designed to solve the ever growing problem of ensuring that prospective employees and customers are exactly who they say they are, or face tough financial penalties.
Mark launched the award winning Ascot Business Solutions in 2004 following a successful career in digital technology with a major international company. Entrepreneurial Mark soon expanded the company’s customer base throughout the UK and Northern Ireland with customers benefiting from Ascot’s best of breed digital solutions. Other family members joined to develop the company and even through the recession the business continued to thrive. The expert staff now totals eight, and comprises over 50 years’ experience in cost effective data management solutions. A reputation built on quality of service and understanding customer needs made the extension into Greenbox technology a natural step. Financial Services, Education, Healthcare, Retail, Human Resources, Recruitment, Telecommunications and Local and National Government organisations are all set to benefit, with proven applications including student enrolment, employment identity, event security and security company employee and anti-money laundering checks, and financial proof of identity. Making digital capture super-easy, the innovative Greenbox multi-functional input device captures digital records by importing data via integral document and fingerprint scanners, digital signature pad, smart card reader and high resolution digital camera. Incorporating biometric data increases the security levels of the device, which is compact, portable and easily accessible via a USB drive.
Now, the new Counter Terrorism Bill will bring additional responsibilities for local authorities, educational institutions, the NHS and police forces to comply with a duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. Launched in January, just as the French terrorist attacks shook the world, the benefits of the device are evident. Greenbox ensures that the data collection necessary for compliance to the Act is collected in an efficient, userfriendly and cost effective way.
Walletts Chartered Certified Accountants Proud to have helped Ascot Business Solutions to achieve their successes to date. Call us on 01782 212326 or visit our web site to discover how we could help your business.
www.walletts.co.uk
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy viewed the device during his recent visit to headquarters at Stafford Innovation Park and commented, “Technology companies such as Ascot Business Solutions have an increasingly important role in both Stafford’s commercial growth and Britain’s security. A product as unique as Greenbox has great potential to satisfy a very evident need for businesses and organisations to respond to legal and security obligations at both regional and the highest national levels.” For more information on Ascot Business Solutions and Greenbox™ including images and case studies, and to arrange a product trial please contact Mark Ingram on
0845 351 0570 www.ascot-solutions.co.uk
HELPING YOUR BUSINESS TO GROW Marketing & Digital Technology Support
Funding available, for more information please call
Socialise With Us
Hanley office: Adventure Place, Hanley, Staffordshire, ST1 3AF
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t: 01782 264400 www.lawrencedavis.co.uk
33230 2pg_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 10:16 Page 2
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33268 AP_HorseWorld 26/03/2015 15:29 Page 1
Pearson Rowe attains prestigious Lexcel Status Leading Birmingham law firm Pearson Rowe is pleased to announce that it has been accredited with Lexcel status from the Law Society. The accreditation, recognised around the world, is the Law Society’s quality mark for excellence in legal practice management and client care and demonstrates that Pearson Rowe has met the highest standards in seven different areas.
Pearson Rowe Offices
As a firm they were judged on client care, file and case management, financial management, information management, people management, risk management and structure and strategy, and were found to excel in each of these areas. Managing partner Brian Flint said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been rewarded with Lexcel accreditation. Having this means that our clients can be sure that they are working with a firm that has proved its commitment to quality.” As well as achieving the high standards required by the Law Society, Pearson Rowe is also committed to ensuring that it provides its clients with a professional, high quality service at a fair and reasonable price.
The firm recently conducted a satisfaction survey with its clients, which found that more than 60 per cent of the respondents had gone to Pearson Rowe following a recommendation from a friend or associate, while 56 per cent had already referred someone else to the firm having received excellent service.
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Clients were then asked to rate various aspects of Pearson Rowe’s service on a scale where one represented poor and five was excellent. Amongst the features examined were the courtesy with which calls were answered and the efficiency with which they were responded to, the efficiency with which work was dealt with, the commercial competence within the team and the rate of delivery of work. On each of these categories clients scored Pearson Rowe four or more on the scale. Comments from clients described the “friendly, honest advice” provided by a team that is “there when we need them”. Clients also described how they were “confident that Pearson Rowe can handle anything put to them in a clear and secure way” and the “friendly, personal and longstanding” nature of their relationship with the firm, which was “built on trust with them fully understanding and appreciating our business needs”.
33245 AP_HorseWorld 09/04/2015 11:52 Page 1
Next time exploring export markets
Safer trading with Coface Bad debt can cause serious problems for any business but SMEs are particularly vulnerable to disruptions in cashflow. In the second of Coface’s advice articles for SMEs in Birmingham, we explain how effective credit management can help protect your business. Late payment was on the agenda in Birmingham last month. Addressing members of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) at their annual conference, leading politicians from all three main parties – George Osborne, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband – pledged to act against the practice if their party wins the General Election1. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon: many business owners will recognise the sickening moment when they realise they have been hit by a bad debt, often swiftly followed by worries about cashflow, their ability to pay staff and meet other obligations. In fact, it is estimated that a quarter of business failures are linked to unpaid invoices and these insolvencies will have consequences for those further down the supply chain.
offer credit terms can also take steps to protect themselves. A rigorous and consistent credit policy can limit your company’s exposure to highrisk customers. Here are Coface’s top five credit management tips: 1. If you haven’t done so, assign responsibility for determining credit limits and tracking receivables to a trusted member of your accounts team. You could also agree a referral process for particular clients or sums over a set amount. 2. Ensure your contracts clearly set out your payment terms and the interest charged for late payment. Consider a retention of title clause, affirming your ownership of the goods until they are paid for. 3. Don’t be persuaded to increase a customer’s credit limit just because they have paid their first or second invoice promptly and are about to place another big order. Credit limit decisions should reflect the customer’s solvency rather than their commercial potential. 4. Be wary of deviations from customers’ normal payment behaviour eg extending the payment date by a few days or raising disputes shortly before the invoice due dates. 5. Obtain credit insurance to protect you against the risk of bad debt through customer insolvency or protracted late payment. Without insurance you could lose the revenue from the sale, while the squeeze on your cash flow could make it more difficult to pay suppliers and invest in further growth.
The good news is that company insolvency rates across the country are going down as the economic recovery takes hold. According to the latest Insolvency Service statistics2, there were just over 14,000 company liquidations in England and Wales in 2014, down 6.3% on 2013 and continuing the downward trend that began in 2011. However, Coface’s experience shows that protracted late payment probably represents a greater threat to company cashflow. In 2013, we reported that 60% of claims notifications from our UK credit insurance clients in the previous seven months were made because of a customer’s protracted default and 40% because of insolvency, a reversal of the situation in the same period in 20123. It seems some customers will do whatever it takes to hold onto their cash for as long as possible but this is a particular problem for small businesses where margins are usually tighter.
If you do not have the resources to research and monitor credit risk inhouse, consider working with an established specialist. For example, all Coface’s credit insurance clients have access to our CofaNet credit management system, which enables them to check the credit worthiness of potential and existing customers and apply for an appropriate credit limit. They can also use it to report losses, monitor cover on unpaid invoices and analyse their customer portfolio. Coface has developed two policies for SMEs with turnover of up to £10million. Premier Trader and SafeTrader (available online) have a fixed annual price which includes credit insurance cover against insolvency or protracted late payment by UK and overseas customers and payment collection. As well as peace of mind, this gives you the confidence to grow your business and could help you demonstrate your own credit worthiness to investors and suppliers. For more information call 01923 01923 478111 or visit www.cofaceuk.com References 1 Osborne, Miliband and Clegg at Federation conference in Birmingham, Birmingham Post, 26 March 2015 2 Insolvency statistics: October – December 2014, The Insolvency Service, 29 January 2015
Given the importance of SMEs to economic growth, politicians’ commitment to addressing late payment at the FSB Conference is welcome and yet SMEs who
3 Late payment now greater threat than insolvent customers says Coface, Coface press release, 6 November 2013
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33240 Advertorial_HorseWorld 15/04/2015 13:48 Page 1
Power your Financial Future SCM Direct is a challenger investment company that offers clients low cost access to high end wealth management, previously the preserve of very wealthy clients, family offices and institutional clients.
Gina Miller
effectively in the wealth management industry. It allows us to engender trust with consumers via 100% transparency, fair pricing and solution driven products, which culminates in SCM being a disruptive but positive force in investing.
SCM’s investment strategy is a rational one that balances Cost, Risk and Returns and is underpinned by integrity. Because no investment professional as a crystal ball, we concentrate on the elements we can control. We achieve this by: • embracing efficiency and technology
• minimising costs which are accepted as the biggest eroder of investment returns, as well as passing on economies of scale
• reducing risk through significant diversification and only investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
• being contrarian and conducting fundamental analysis rather than following the herd • aiming for consistent positive returns, year after year.
The founders of SCM believe actions speak louder than words and have invested significant amounts of their own wealth alongside clients, on exactly the same terms and fees. This alignment means the team is never tempted to take unnecessary risk, or only think about success in terms of profit margins. Born out of the 2008 crisis, SCM offers clients a better way of investing based on evidence, experience and ethics. Our Chief Investment Officer and co-founder, Alan Miller, is amongst a handful of eminent, respected UK investment managers and possesses a 25 years track record across a wide variety of asset classes and products. His principled, contrarian mindset defines our investment strategy and has earned SCM a respected reputation amongst peers and clients.
We are committed to 100% transparency in all that our company undertakes and also operate a ‘profit for purpose’ model where a significant percentage of profits go to small dynamic community charities, primarily in the UK, doing transformational work with the most vulnerable in society.
Leveraging technology has allowed us to level the playing field and to grow and compete more
www.scmdirect.com or call 0207 838 8650 @SCMDirect
evidence, experience, ethics 26
2 Eaton Gate, Westminster, London, SW1W 9BJ
33352 1pg_Transport Warehousing 17/04/2015 09:48 Page 1
Pension Liberation Beware Those Seeking To Liberate Your Savings From You The new April 6th pension freedoms could mark the biggest pension experiment in the UK. Rather than reforming an undeniably poor annuities and pensions market, the government made this a political football that was poorly thought out, planned and executed. They also ignored the Australian experience where 20 years of pension liberation has resulted in 25% of over 70 year olds running out of money. Worst of all they have opened the flood gates to scammers and pensioner scavengers who will see fat pension pots as rich pickings. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have expressed grave concerns and even Steve Webb, the pension’s minister that brought in the new rules, says he is worried about hard working pensioners being conned and urges caution. Between the Autumn Budget announcing pension freedoms and the end of last year, it was estimated that victims had already lost over £500m, with some estimates as high as £1bn, through targeted scams.
Spot the Scammers What To look Out For •
A surprise phone call or text message, or offer of a “free review” of your pension and how you can obtain a “loan”, “saving advance” or “cashback”.
•
Being asked to transfer your pension fund into one set up by a company promising you early access to your money – usually abroad.
•
Offer of a “loan” of part of your money and talk of “amazing investment opportunities” such as carbon credits, rare earth minerals, buy-to-let, ethical investing, community and overseas property projects.
•
Look carefully at company names and email addresses - scammers often set-up names and emails confusingly similar to those of regulated organisations.
But there are also fears that the over 55s, who can access their pension freedoms, will also be targeted by established big brand investment managers undertaking aggressive marketing campaigns. The problems here is many pensioners will not be able to see exactly what they would be invested in, the true cost of their investments or if the supposed active managers are merely imitating index funds whilst charging high fees. Pension freedoms and the choices facing savers may well be too good to be true. A few pointers that might help are: •
Under 55s cannot liberate their pension. Those younger than that, who take money out, will be subject to an “unauthorised withdrawal” charge by HMRC of 55 -70%.
•
Check for exit penalties. Many policies carry exit charges if you leave before the policy’s retirement age — typically 60 or 65. A recent report found that about £800m of pension savings held by those aged 55 and over carried exit charges of 10%, with some penalties wiping out up to 40% of pension funds.
•
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, so do your own research or seek advice.
•
If you decide to cash in your pension and invest in a fund, make sure you can see 100% of holdings and costs before investing. Look for a provider that wears trust, transparency and integrity as badges of honour and who invests alongside you.
Feature supplied by Gina Miller, Founder of SCM Direct and the True and Fair Campaign
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33265 AP_HorseWorld 04/03/2015 16:09 Page 1
MPA Financial Management Inform, Educate, Inspire
Pensions are Going to be Interesting Again!
The new tax year will herald seismic changes to the way that pensions will be viewed by everyone due to changes brought about by Chancellor George Osborne. Traditionally, pensions have been viewed as boring products that have high charges, are inaccessible, don’t perform very well and die with you. Not any more!
someone who has started withdrawing their pension dies before age 75 then the whole fund can pass to their spouse or nominated beneficiary. The person or persons who receive the pension can withdraw an income from it, tax free or cash it in tax free or when they die can pass it on to another generation tax free. This way the value of the pension can pass down the generations in a very tax efficient manner and it would be free from Inheritance Tax.
The two main changes are around flexibility and tax planning.
Flexibility
We are now using pensions as a brilliant IHT mitigation scheme that can pass to children and grandchildren on your death but you still have control of the assets in your lifetime.
From April 6th any personal pension you have can be cashed in, in its entirety. Full access to the entire fund as long as you are over 55 in age. No longer do you have to buy an annuity or other complex vehicle; you can just cash it in. However, be careful as there will be tax to pay. The first quarter of the pension fund will be paid tax free but the rest will be classed as income and taxed at 20% or 40% (or possibly 45%). Also, if you cash in your pension you will be restricted on the amount you can save in the future to £10,000 per year.
Phil J McGovern
If, added to your income, you then exceed £100,000 earnings for the year you could start to lose some of your personal allowance. (which is the first part of your income you receive tax free)
So, if you want to buy a car, a new kitchen or pay off debts, and have a small pension fund and you are over 55 there is a solution. But be careful of the tax consequences!
Its not a case of losing your fund on death and you can access the capital in your lifetime. It is now the case that we are recommending clients fund their pensions to the maximum which is £40,000 this year but you can also hoover up unused allowances for the previous three years. So, it is possible to pay in £180,000 into a pension before the end of this tax year and receive tax relief on that at 20%, 40% or 45% depending on your earnings. This is a complex area and I would suggest you seek professional independent advice before you embark on some of the complex areas I have mentioned and ideally work with a Chartered Financial Planner. Phil J McGovern FPFS, Chartered Financial Planner Managing Director, MPA Financial Management Ltd.
MPA Financial Management Inform, Educate, Inspire
If you have a final salary scheme you cannot cash it in without firstly transferring the benefits to a personal pension scheme. To do this you will need to take professional advice to look at the merits of the transfer, from a suitably qualified adviser. The adviser would have to have a professional qualification called G60 or similar and they would be deemed a Pension Transfer Specialist on the FCA’s website (http://www.fca.org.uk/firms/systemsreporting/register/search/individuals) All other options for pensions are still available such as buying an annuity, income drawdown or phased retirement and you shouldn’t forget that pensions are designed to provide you with an income when you retire.
Tax Planning
When you retire you can withdraw your income directly from the pension fund in a myriad of ways that can help you reduce your tax bill. For instance if you had a fund of £200,000 when you hit retirement and want to withdraw an income of £10,000 per year you could do so by paying no tax for the first 5 years. This is because you are allowed to take 25% of the fund tax free; in this case £50,000. Then why not withdraw this as your income each year and it would be tax free? One of the reasons this now works is that the death benefits are now much more flexible and tax efficient than they were. So, if
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Approaching retirement – making the pension reforms work for you You’ve been working hard all your life, and saving hard too. In order to make your committed savings work their hardest for you it’s important to understand the pensions market with all its tricky terminology and changing rules and regulations. If you envisage retiring in the next 5 years, it would pay to seek expert advice with regard to your current pension arrangements in order to make the right decisions for you and your family, as the wrong ones could be costly. and therefore it’s even more crucial than ever to be sure you have all relevant facts and the supporting, expert advice that ensures signposting the best route for you.
For your free pension consultation Call: 01564 795997 Email: enquiries@mpafm.co.uk Visit: www.mpafm.co.uk MPA House, 98 High Street, Henley in Arden, B95 5BY. Company registration number: 04111009. Registered in England & Wales. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
33261 AP _FSC Investments Services Ltd QPD 1pg 17/04/2015 13:36 Page 1
Beware of the Uffle Puffle a stranger bearing gifts! This is a salutary tale of caution about the Uffle Puffle (pension derivation: Uncrystallised Funds Pension Lump Sum) who may soon be visiting YOU! The Uffle Puffle will likely visit you after 6 April 2015, with the start of the new pension rules on ‘flexibility’ and will be bearing gifts so tempting you will find them hard to resist! Be warned though accepting these gifts may be very expensive in the long term and tales will be legendary about the financial damage the Uffle Puffle will do to many! What is likely to happen is that the postman will deliver news of your Uffle Puffle in the form of a letter from an old pension scheme, one that you’d forgotten about of had never got around to sorting out. The news could be quite exciting as the Uffle Puffle explains that you can take the pension payment, likely a small, perhaps insignificant part of your pension savings as a one-off lump sum. The news might come just at the right time as a car change is hoped for, a kitchen needs renovating or a holiday would be very much appreciated.
David Philips
It’s a no brainer! We can’t take the money with us let’s just draw it out and enjoy the benefits! At this point you’ve likely fallen to the charms of the Uffle Puffle but is it a no-brainer? How can enjoying YOUR money have a bigger adverse financial impact on YOU? As you were warned at the start of this tale – Don’t trust a stranger bearing gifts. Tom who is 55 years of age gets a visit from the Uffle Puffle. Tom is still working and earning £40,000 per annum. Both Tom and his employer contribute to a pension and contributions totalling £12,000 per annum are made to Tom’s pension. Tom has an ‘old pension’ that he’s amazed to find has a value now of £50,000 and so the Uffle Puffle makes it attractive that Tom can have £12,500 now paid tax-free with the other £37,500 paid as a lump sum but open to taxation, some of which Tom thinks may be available to pay back into his employer’s scheme where he can get tax relief on the contribution.
•
Tom’s annual income for the year is now £77,500 and the tax actually due on the pension payment was only £14,523 and so Tom now needs to pursue a repayment of £799.00 from the taxman
•
By accepting the offer of the Uffle Puffle Tom has lost his Annual Allowance of £40,000 and now only qualifies for a Money Purchase Annual Allowance of £10,000 per annum. This makes £2,000 of Tom’s current total contributions of £12,000 liable to 55% tax and so Tom needs to pay another £1,100 in tax.
•
Tom has lost his ability to put anything more than £10,000 into his pension each year and he has lost his ability to use the Carry Forward rule to utilise any unused contribution allowances.
So the resulting situation is a very unhappy Tom who was blinded by the prospect of the quick fix that the Uffle Puffle offered. Tom did not live ‘happily ever after’ as the impact of his actions restricted his ability for many years to save into pension in a cost efficient way. Remember – Beware of strangers bearing gifts as there may well be a sting in the tail. If you are made an offer that looks too good to refuse make sure you speak to an Independent Financial Adviser who can set out the possible dangers and work out a safe and workable way forward for you. The above matters are the views expressed by the author and should not be taken as Financial Advice. David W Philips DipPFS - Director - Wealth Design Limited 01543 571238 david@wealthdesign.co.uk Wealth Design Limited based at Lagonda Suite, Virage Point, Green Lane, Cannock, Staffs, WS11 0NH are Independent Financial Advisers, Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN No. 647119
Tom considers it a good idea! The tax-free payment will cover a few credit card bills and give him and his wife enough cash to long refurbish the bathroom. So what’s the problem with that little plan? Let’s review the impact of Tom being tempted by the Uffle Puffle: •
First the good news – indeed Tom did get £12,500 paid tax-free.
•
Now the bad news – The £37,500 balance was paid to Tom on a Month 1 basis and the tax man deducts £15,322.
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32886 QPD 2_FSC Investments Services Ltd QPD 1pg 16/04/2015 13:09 Page 1
.co.uk
The consequences of PENSION freedom. Talking about pensions is never going to make you the most popular dinner guest, but the changes that came in to force on April 6th 2015 will almost certainly make for lively debate. ‘Pension Freedoms’ allow you access to your entire pension fund at 55 without the need to purchase an annuity. So what do you do with all of that money you have put aside for your retirement? According to a number of the larger pension providers, many people are looking to pay off debts, purchase properties or pay for a wedding. Some are even considering purchasing a classic car! The questions we should all be asking are not around how we should spend our retirement savings, but what having access to them early, and in full, will mean. • Will there be tax to pay? • If I spend it now, how will my retirement be funded? • What happens if I die? There are so many questions and answers that need to be addressed and whilst having the freedom to use your pension fund as you wish has been a popular move, it has for many, made the decision about how to fund retirement more complicated and has the potential to increase the risk of making the wrong decision, even before you reach your retirement. It is important that you explore all of the options available to you, even if you are a number of years away from your retirement. There is no one single solution that will work for everyone. Indeed, despite the much publicised ‘death of the annuity’, taking that route may actually be the best option.
www.sortmypension.co.uk 65 Waterloo Road Wolverhampton WV1 4QU 0333 222 8989
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PENSION FREEDOMS Sort My Pension offers guidance to allow you to make the right choice for your retirement in clear easy to understand language. For FREE Independent Guidance
call: 0333 222 8989 www.sortmypension.co.uk
33119 1pg 2_Carford Group 16/01/2015 12:48 Page 1
The Pensions Regulator Small employers warned: workplace pensions are here, act now, it’s the law Small employers in Birmingham and Bristol are being warned to act now to ensure they are ready to meet their new workplace pension duties which will soon apply to them. All employers have a legal duty to automatically enrol certain staff into a workplace pension scheme by a deadline that is specific to them. This includes small businesses – from chip shops, to florists to news agents and pubs. The law also applies to employers who have one worker – for example a personal assistant. A national print and radio advertising campaign launched last autumn by The Pensions Regulator has called on employers to take action. The message is simple: if you are an employer then you will have new duties. The regulator has published details of its enforcement activity showing it has issued its first fixed penalty notices - £400 fines – to employers who had failed to meet their duties. The regulator has a range of powers to tackle non-compliance including serving fixed and escalating penalties notices.
The Pension Regulator’s executive director of automatic enrolment, Charles Counsell said:
Charles Counsell
‘Tens of thousands of small employers will be required by law to automatically enrol their staff from June this year. Smaller businesses may be more likely to leave things until the last minute which will put them at risk of enforcement action by the regulator. The regulator expects that with significantly more employers subject to the new duties, it will use its compliance powers more frequently.
Research by the regulator has shown that 20% of small employers and 40% of really small employers (those with up to 4 workers) do not know their staging date. The staging date is a date set in law and is when an employer’s legal duty starts. There are a number of tasks employers will need to do before this date however and the regulator recommends making a start 12 months beforehand. It is vital employers do not guess their staging date. They should use the staging date tool on The Pension Regulator’s website. It takes just a few minutes but they should have their PAYE details to hand. Employers can then use the handy time line planner tool http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/employers/planning -for-automatic-enrolment.aspx which will help show what they will need to do and by when http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/employers/tools/st aging-date.aspx There is lots of information on the regulator’s website and it has recently been refreshed to make it easier for small employers to use. Employers should consider whether they need to find an adviser, such as an accountant or bookkeeper to help them. They will also need up to date information about their staff and they should check if any existing payroll arrangements are suitable for implementing automatic enrolment. A pension and payroll system should be in place at least 6 months before their staging date. As thousands of employers will be doing the same it makes sense not to leave these tasks to the last minute. Five months after the staging date, employers must complete a declaration of compliance with The Pensions Regulator, this is a statutory requirement.
www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
‘Starting plans in good time however can help avoid the risk of non compliance. Larger businesses which have already introduced automatic enrolment agree it’s wise to plan ahead and take a step by step approach.’
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33124 QPD_HorseWorld 12/01/2015 12:19 Page 1
Intentionally Different
Auto-enrolment is here Auto-enrolment has already started for larger organisations and by 2018, every business must operate a pension scheme for qualifying employees, with employee and employer contributions being paid. Although 2018 may seem like a long way off, there is still a lot to do. To make sure employers meet their requirements for auto-enrolment, they should start planning now. Nicklin LLP can help your business prepare for auto-enrolment compliance, providing help and guidance throughout the whole process; from helping you assess the cost for your company and providing assistance in setting up or reviewing your pension arrangements, to managing your payroll function so that you are fully auto-enrolment compliant. We have also prepared a free auto-enrolment pack which is available on our website and includes a comprehensive guide to auto-enrolment compliance as well as a useful Q&A guide to answer all of your auto-enrolment queries. Download yours at:
www.nicklins.co.uk
Contact us to find out how we can help you, call 0121 or email info@nicklins.co.uk
www.nicklins.co.uk 32
550 9916
33130 QPD 2_HorseWorld 16/01/2015 10:25 Page 1
Auto-enrolment – don’t leave it too late! Workplace pension law has changed and every UK employer, from the largest to the smallest, will need to automatically enrol their employees into a workplace pension plan. With larger companies having already completed the process, the spotlight is now on small employers – some 1.25 million in the UK – to ensure they comply with their new workplace pensions over the coming months. The Pensions Regulator has a range of powers to tackle non-compliance including serving employers with penalties and its guidance to companies with right down to just one employee is very clear: “Act now. It’s the law.” At Elect we recognise the extra challenge that SMEs face in making sure they’re compliant with the new legislation. “The new rules are complex and companies who don’t have inhouse pensions specialists will find them onerous and time consuming to deal with. But the important thing is to make a start!” Donna Biggs, UK Head of Elect explained.
NEED ANSWERS ON AUTO-ENROLMENT?
“Auto-enrolment will impact your business in a number of ways - some more obvious than others - and employers need to allow time to fully understand what’s involved in meeting the requirements; whether that’s investing time and resource to make an existing pension scheme compliant, or setting up a new one from scratch. You’ll need to pull in a support team including payroll, providers, HR, IT and assess the eligibility of your whole workforce and the data systems you have in place. There are many moving parts. And of course, the most important factor in all of this is employees. It is your duty as an employer to ensure your employees are fully aware of when and how they will be impacted – bearing in mind that some members of your workforce may have very little or no understanding of pensions. Communications must be direct, clear and comprehensive – and also timely to ensure that employees can take action”. Our specialist Elect team is working with smaller employers across all industries to help them prepare for and implement all of the stages of auto-enrolment. We also offer an Elect pension solution, which has been designed to be fully compliant with the new rules and, like all our products, was built to meet the specific needs of smaller employers with streamlined administration processes, highly competitive charges, and dedicated support from our team. Contact our team or visit our website to find out more about the Elect service and access a wide range of auto-enrolment materials.
www.electemployeebenefits.co.uk Call us at 0800 0232 785
Whether you already have a pension for your staff and need to ensure compliance or you are introducing one for the first time, the Elect team can help you get to grips with auto-enrolment.
Mercer Marsh Benefits is a service provided by Mercer Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 984275. Registered Office: 1 Tower Place West, Tower Place, London, EC3R 5BU. Marsh Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 1507274. Registered Office: 1 Tower Place West, Tower Place, London EC3R 5BU. Copyright 2014 Mercer LLC. All rights reserved.
Elect by Mercer Marsh Benefits — employee benefits made simple for SMEs. Visit our website at www.electemployeebenefits.co.uk or call 0800 0232 785.
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33129 QPD_HorseWorld 01/04/2015 14:26 Page 1
AUTO-ENROLMENT IS AUTO-ENROLMENT COMMUNICATION ACTUALLY IMPORTANT? YOUR COMPLETE AUTO ENROLMENT
Whereas articles one and two of our series looked at the logistics of putting in place an auto-
SOLUTION
enrolment scheme, we now consider an important element of auto-enrolment - making sure that everything is properly communicated.
POWERED BY BARNETT WADDINGHAM & STANDARD LIFE
After all, if the appropriate communications are not issued to the correct people at the right time, an employer will not have been judged to followed the regulations correctly.
“”
EMPLOYERS OFTEN ASSUME THAT POSTPONEMENT MEANS YOU ARE PUTTING OFF THE WHOLE AUTOENROLMENT PROJECT BY UP TO THREE MONTHS. THIS IS NOT THE CASE.
One of the most common misconceptions around
These questions must of course be covered in the
auto-enrolment we encounter is with respect
communications that workers are issued with. Employers
to postponement. Employers often assume that
actually have quite a prescriptive set of wording which
postponement means you are putting off the whole
must be included in these letters/emails that they
auto-enrolment project by up to three months. This is not
receive (and the choice of communication material is an
the case – all an employer is doing here is postponing
employers - for example, why issue emails to workers
assessment by up to three months.
who are not familiar with this media?). Again, workers not receiving the correct wording could result in a breach
In order for postponement to be effective, a
of the regulations.
postponement notice should be issued to all workers within six weeks of staging. This would need to go to
However, moving away from the negative elements of
all workers – as assessment has not yet taken place, the
auto-enrolment, communications used appropriately can
employer would not know which employer would fall
help to ensure that creating an auto-enrolment compliant
into each of the categories. Should workers not be issued
scheme is viewed as more than simply complying with
with the postponement notice within six weeks, the
the legislation. By selecting a high quality scheme, telling
employer will be judged to have not staged correctly, and
people that you have done so and also taking steps such
will have breached the regulations (in our article in the
as making people with tax protected status aware that
last issue, you will have noted how focused the Regulator
you are able to exempt them from the process, could
is on ensuring compliance!)
make the way you approach auto-enrolment a signal that you are an employer who values their most significant
But let us assume that postponement has either been
asset – them.
carried out effectively – or not used at all. The next communication that members should receive are to do with their status. Are they auto-enrolled? If so, can they opt-out, and
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE OUR ANIMATION VISIT WWW.BARNETT-WADDINGHAM.CO.UK/AE
how? If they are not auto-enrolled, can they join the scheme? Will they receive employer contributions?
AUTOENROL@BARNETT-WADDINGHAM.CO.UK
01527 300091
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32772 1pg_Transport Warehousing 17/04/2015 11:47 Page 1
Training We are all agreed that a well trained workforce is an important element in a company’s success but what the data suggests is that prospective employers want someone who is well qualified, experienced i.e. already trained, yet who is prepared to start at a trainee rate! Well qualified graduates tell us that prospective employers want experience, folk that chose to go into work straight from school but have experience, say that employers ask for qualifications. The best way to bridge the gap is training, skills can be taught, and the increasing value being placed on apprenticeships and the growing number of them, show a growing recognition of the value of training. Apprenticeships and internships are not the whole story; all new starters need to be trained in a company’s own methods, but ongoing training is vital too. With the recent hard times easing, companies expanding and new people being taken on, now is a good time to take a fresh look at your training provisions. With the austerity of the past few years, budgets have tightened and businesses have looked to jettison costs that they believe they can do without. When it comes to training, it’s tough to quantify its rate of return. Therefore, it’s often an area that gets the heave-ho in the budget meeting at the first sign of troubled financial waters.
Economic growth in recent months means that it looks increasingly like those waters are being left behind. But this doesn’t herald booming budgets, flippant spending and a golden age for Learning and Development. Despite widespread fiscal improvements, the majority of companies are still working within the confines of economic austerity, which means that trainers still need to work hard to justify their worth. Training is all about the value we place upon our people, whether the training subject matter is a new procedure, a technology solution or a flexible working policy, if a workforce is not put first in a training scheme, the organisation will fail to realise any benefit. Remember it’s your front line team that directly impacts the bottom line of your business so neglect them at your peril. A dis-engaged, badly trained employee can damage your company reputation and cause you to lose valuable customers without even knowing it. Assess and prepare effectively however, and the reverse will occur. Constantly evaluate the training strategy and business transformation will follow. A committed, motivated, highly trained employee will generate additional customers and repeat business by demonstrating their expertise and delivering on their promises. Choose carefully if you decide to outsource your training needs, consider what you want to achieve, take time to choose the right training to fill the knowledge or skill gap, in fact treat training as you would any other investment and don’t just invest in training for training’s sake; training is only as good as the future it gives you.
No matter how important training may be, some small companies just can’t afford it. Whilst you may not be able to invest in external training you can still develop your team from within. There is a strong argument for training in house; on the job training can be very effective. But an employer needs to be sure that the person being asked to do the training, has the ability to communicate the required skills effectively to the trainee, and that they have the time to do it. There is no point in overloading a valued employee, and you should never overlook the negative effect misinformed or unprepared trainers can have. Coaching or some form of ongoing mentoring programme should be linked to training wherever possible as very often people leave training courses, put the manual on the shelf and continue as they did before. Coaching helps maximize the benefits of training and helps to ensure that the investment in acquiring knowledge and new skills is put into action. For every training session there should be an individual or team coaching session to ensure implementation, follow up and follow through. Mentoring your own team or having your team mentor each other in different aspects of their job role can be an efficient and cost effective way to bring everyone up to the same level. Behind every successful company is a competent training strategy. Remember, training is not something that only happens in formal sessions. It is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the workplace. Communicate success clearly and regularly throughout the entire organisation so staff can share in progress. Not only does this generate a sense of community, but it also helps create advocates of the changes taking place. This group is vital for maintaining momentum and they are a powerful stakeholder group.
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33313 AP_HorseWorld 07/04/2015 10:21 Page 1
BOUNCE
The winning move in business
%) !"#$%&$' !#(&$)(( !*&++&,$
‘Business Bounce Academy’ - 8 powerful business management events in 1 year for ambitious business leaders
Rachel said “It’s great to have Colita on board - and it’s going to be a busy year! Our ‘Business Bounce Academy’ is an innovative new programme for the most ambitious company leaders in the region.
Successful Hereford-based training and coaching consultancy Business Checkmate recently launched their ‘Business Bounce Academy’ for company directors looking to develop their leadership edge, grow their company and share best practice.
We continue to work with national and international clients, advising on leadership excellence and developing high performance teams. Our enhanced leadership & management training is completely tailored to build and inspire high-achieving leadership behaviour. Our Building Brilliant Teams programme enables senior managers to effectively manage talented employees and build cohesive, high-performing, success-orientated teams.
Business Bounce will also provide unique opportunities for them to network and explore business challenges with influential peers. Members have access to cutting-edge DISC psychometric diagnostics and Business Checkmate’s immensely effective 1:1 executive coaching. They have designed their 12 month programme to feature a session every 6 weeks, to fit in with even the most hectic executive schedule.
With GrowthAccelerator becoming part of the Business Growth Service, we are also keen to continue to support local SMEs with their business growth strategies. Our 1:1 coaching enhances great managers and promotes a culture of coaching across a whole organisation. Our Delivering Sales Success training drives sales success through professional, engaging and powerful sales team development.”
Rachel Carr, Director of Business Checkmate, continues to expand the thriving consultancy. Rachel worked for many years at director level in international blue chip sales organisations and she was awarded GrowthAccelerator Outstanding Coach Winner 2014 at the prestigious national GrowthAccelerator Awards ‘The Brave and Bold’. Last year Colita Dainton joined the team, bringing an in-depth knowledge of the local area and a wealth of business acumen “having worked in key corporate environments such as the Chamber of Commerce, I was keen to join a dynamic organisation to really challenge my creativity, business expertise and people development skills”.
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Business Checkmate provides completely bespoke business, leadership and management coaching and training. The company delivers inspiring individual, team and organisational growth and development and has a 100% success rate with clients in the public and private sectors, both nationally and internationally. Their proven range of business and management training courses are specifically tailored to meet an organisation’s needs. Business Checkmate work with their clients to fully understand their requirements and then provide practical leadership, team and sales coaching, that rapidly delivers tangible, measurable business results. Business Checkmate is passionate about helping clients to truly develop their business brilliance. They have a strong portfolio of motivating organisationwide growth, people development and sales success with individuals, teams, companies and influential leaders.
To find out more, please visit www.businesscheckmatetraining.co.uk For further information on this press release contact Rachel Carr, Director on rachel@businesscheckmate.co.uk or 01432 769 096
33312 1pg_FSC Investments Services Ltd QPD 1pg 18/03/2015 12:02 Page 1
Kayleigh Hunter – Virgin media Apprentice As Virgin Media begins the largest private investment in the UK’s internet infrastructure in more than a decade, a further 1,000 apprenticeship roles will be created over the next five years. Virgin Media, with support from parent company Liberty Global plc, is extending its unrivalled fibre-rich network to approximately four million additional premises by 2020. The £3 billion of additional private investment will provide a multi-billion pound boost to the national economy, allowing more consumers and businesses to benefit from ultrafast broadband. With nearly 40 per cent of university graduates still looking for work six months after graduation and with one quarter still unemployed after a year apprenticeships are a valuable alternative to traditional further education. Research from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that 27 per cent of university graduates earned less than the wage enjoyed by apprentices in 2014. Chris Starling, Head of Apprenticeships at Virgin Media, comments: “Our apprenticeship programme has gone from strength to strength, with more applicants per place every year. Our vocational courses provide apprentices with valuable insights into business and the skills they need to fast track their careers.” Kayleigh Hunter, 24, from Great Barr, Birmingham is currently completing her BTEC Levels 2 Qualification to become a fully qualified Virgin Media Access Field Technician.
from a friend who was already on the Virgin Media apprenticeship scheme, Kayleigh decided to trade beauty for broadband and applied for a position. Talking about her experience, Kayleigh commented: “The idea of starting a new career from scratch with no previous experience was initially very intimidating but the support I’ve received from colleagues and managers has been incredible. Being able to train on the job whilst earning a good wage is a great advantage.” When asked what advice she would give to others looking to change career paths, Kayleigh added: “Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and move out of your comfort zone. The opportunities I have been given so far have been fantastic including meeting the Prime Minister and taking part in our national 'Voice‘ forum, which is a Virgin Media initiative allowing employees to make a difference and have a say in the things that affect us at work. I love that the apprenticeship is challenging me both professionally and personally and is helping me to realise my potential. I’ve always had a fear of public speaking but since joining the scheme I’ve started speaking at schools to raise awareness of apprenticeships among students which has completely boosted my confidence.” Since launching its apprenticeship programme in 2008, Virgin Media has helped almost 1,000 current and graduate apprentices and has been recognised as a top employer by the Government’s National Apprenticeship Service. Virgin Media was also one of the first companies to support the Government’s traineeship initiative, with the first trainees having since undertaken Intermediate Apprenticeships at the company. Further details can be found at careers.virginmedia.com/early-careers/apprentices Send us an email at apprentices@virginmedia.co.uk
Last year, Kayleigh found herself looking for a new challenge after several years working in the beauty sector and most recently as a self-employed massage therapist. After hearing positive feedback
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33176 QPD_HorseWorld 09/04/2015 10:09 Page 1
What apprenticeships can I do at GTG Training? Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn on the job and get your foot on the career ladder. You will be taught by experienced instructors that have been doing the job for years, what better way is there to learn? At GTG Training West Midlands, we have a wide range of apprenticeship programmes on offer. Whether you are more of a car person, or more of a people person, there will be one to suit you. So let's take a look at a few of the programmes on offer, and what you can expect to learn from them.
Motor Vehicle Technician (Mechanic)
There are many more apprenticeships available at GTG, so take a look at our website for the full list. You can also hear from past and present apprentices, outlining their experiences at GTG Training. If you are interested in applying for an apprenticeship, or would like more information, visit www.gtg.co.uk/apprenticeships
Funding may also be available: please contact GTG Training Academy on 01902 308090 to speak to a member of staff. Follow us on Twitter @GTG_Training
If you decide to enrol on this programme, you will cover all aspects of vehicle repair and maintenance. With regular assessments and reviews, you will acquire the skills you need to become an excellent mechanic.
Motor Vehicle Body Repair
This course will teach you how to repair accident-damaged vehicles. Once you complete this apprenticeship, you will be equipped with the skills you need to fully restore vehicles following major accidents.
Driving Goods Vehicles
GTG Training Academy
Apprenticeship Programmes
If you are employed within the logistics sector and are looking to get a licence so you can drive a particular vehicle, this is the programme for you. Expert instructors will help you master skills such as manoeuvring, route planning and vehicle control.
Forklift Training
An apprenticeship in forklift training will equip you with the qualifications you need to work with a range of machinery. Once you’ve completed the course, you will be able to operate and repair electric and hydraulic systems, with either diesel or gas powered engines.
Business Administration
Administrators play an important role in providing support and resources to businesses. This programme covers areas such as creating and maintaining administration processes and dealing with customers and suppliers. GTG apprenticeship programmes are always popular, with around 130 apprentices taken on each year.
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Aged 16 or over? Looking for a new challenge? Want the opportunity to earn while you learn? From motor vehicle technicians and vehicle reȴnishers to business administrators and customer services oɝcers, there are a huge number of career paths to choose from. Apprentices can join straight from school, from further education or from their current employment. GTG apprenticeship programmes are always popular, with around 130 apprentices taken on each year. Visit our website to ȴQG our more about the appreQticeship programmes RQ Rer. Calls may be recorded for quality or training purposes.
GTG WEST MIDLANDS
BEARING DRIVE, WOLVERHAMPTON WV11 3SZ
Tel 01902 618495
www.gtg.co.uk
33263 QPD_HorseWorld 02/03/2015 10:39 Page 1
Wenlock W enlock HEAL HEALTH TH & SAFETY L LTD TD Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd was set up in April 2002 by Managing Director, Jackie Horsewood RMaPS FIIRSM RSP TechIOSH, with the aim of giving affordable help to smaller contractors in the construction industry. Having worked in construction since 1975, Jackie saw the positive effects of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 almost from its conception, and witnessed first-hand how the accident rates fell over the years down to approximately 40 per year now. By working for contractors on site and also experiencing other construction disciplines, she has developed a comprehensive understanding of how health and safety legislation has evolved and the positive effect it has had on safety within the construction industry, something that is all too easy to overlook when politicians seem determined to undermine its very basis A fundamental factor in this downward trend was the implementation of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (or ‘CDM’) which first came into force in 1994. At that point, Jackie became the Safety, Health and Environmental Manager for a local contractor, gaining a wide range of health & safety experience, winning 6 safety awards over an 8 year period, and developing an aspiration to provide the pragmatic assistance required to nurture other contractors and construction businesses. Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd has grown from strength to strength since its establishment in 2002. The Company specialises in construction but also acts for a wide range of UK business sectors such as retail, warehousing, factories, education, church bodies, agriculture and design. The Company prides itself in offering very practical advice and guidance at all levels, and ensuring that our systems are meaningful and easy to implement. “The support provided by Wenlock has enabled us to introduce robust health and safety systems into every aspect of our business. Their common sense approach has greatly assisted us in improving the culture and overall attitude towards health and safety.” – Rodgers Leask Ltd The Company’s wide ranging construction experience has enable the development of a very effective and well respected CDM Co-Ordination department, an essential role under the CDM Regulations for the last 20 years to assist businesses in undertaking their legal responsibilities when commissioning ‘construction’ work. Legally, the term, “construction work” includes “…the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance, de-commissioning,
demolition or dismantling of a structure” as well as other operations. Contrary to the common misconception, the CDM Regulations apply to all companies and persons engaged in, or commissioning, this type of work regardless of the nature or the duration. The CDM Regulations are set to change dramatically in April 2015, placing greater emphasis on the legal duties of both designers and those who instigate work, including on domestic projects. This will present Jackie Horsewood challenges throughout the construction industry, but particularly to designers, contractors engaged in design & build projects, and those who commission any such work. But challenges such as this are where Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd excels. With such a depth of experience and understanding of both the past and present construction industry and regulations themselves, we can assist all parties seamlessly translate legal duties into practice. There’s no need to agonise – contact Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd to discuss the issues.
Wenlock W enlock HEALTH HEAL TH & SAFETY LTD LTD
Specialising in the construction industry industry,, undertaking all types of site-based and managerial health and safety requirements.
It’s not about what you spend but what you save! 2nd Floor 14-16 High Street Ironbridge Shropshire TF8 7AD t: 01952 433901 f: 01952 432415 e: enquiries@wenlockhs.co.uk www.wenlockhealthandsafety.co.uk www.wenlockhealthandsafety.co.uk 110 Corve Street, Ludlow Registered address: 110 Ludlow,, Shropshire, SY8 1DJ Wales. Company number 04409992 Registered in England and Wales.
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33282 AP_HorseWorld 15/04/2015 14:58 Page 1
Are you covered where it counts? According to recent research, over half of all UK businesses could be underinsured*. The same research suggests that millions of firms do not have adequate cover for elements like Employers Liability Insurance meaning they are breaking the law and leaving themselves open to pay thousands of pounds in fines. Rob Ashburn, Trading Director within Towergate’s SME Division say’s: “We often receive calls from potential customers who are underinsured with their current provider. If they have a policy elsewhere, or have purchased a cheaper one over the internet where perhaps their business doesn’t quite fit the drop down menu options, the cover just doesn’t protect what the business does in reality. Many businesses don’t understand what they are paying for, which is shocking when you consider the implication if something goes wrong”.
What can you do to get it right?
As needs change, businesses grow, relocate, move into different areas, sometimes even downsize; remember it could have an implication on your business insurance policy. Towergate offer the following handy hints:
• Take the time to understand your policy and any jargon you don’t understand.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. For example do you know what Business Interruption or Goods in Transit really means for your business?
• Check and double check the levels of cover you have. A good insurance provider will be happy to explain, and won’t want to put down the phone until they are sure you understand what you are paying for.
• Check the assumptions made against your business. These can often be hidden away in small print when you buy over the phone. Do any of them apply to you?
• Speak to your insurance provider if something changes in your business. Have you taken on staff or has your turnover increased? • Seek some independent advice from Towergate Insurance. Their teams are business specialists with access to over 200 products.
• Challenege Towergate Insurance to find you a better deal on your insurance before you renew. Not just on price but quality of cover – find out more: 0844 346 0964
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Towergate have your business insurance needs covered. As one of Europes’ largest independent intermediaries with over 100,000 customers within the SME market alone they’re in the position to offer great products, services and advice.
8/10 customers renew with Towergate Insurance each year and they also say things like:
"Very professional adviser. New contract sorted quickly and efficiently. Pleased with the cover provided and the cost."
"Very fast and efficient staff helping me to find the right insurance." “I recently found the service very good indeed. They rang me back on more than 1 occasion. The representatives on the phone could answer all my questions, and gave me good advice for the best option and I will certainly be looking to transfer my other insurances in the future.” All comments have been taken from Towergates live feefo customer feedback feed.
For more information and contact details please visit their business pages at: www.towergateinsurance.co.uk/business-insurance Original research source:
• www.freshbusinessthinking.com
33283 1pg_HorseWorld 09/04/2015 11:05 Page 1
Ten Years of Specialist Freight Services Independent Freight, one of the Midlands’ best-known specialist national and international freight and transport services, has announced the award of a prestigious new contract for the Middle East. The agreement, with construction company Roodsafe, means Independent Freight is playing its part in the construction of the King Abdullah Football Stadium in Saudi Arabia by handling all the international export and shipping arrangements. Winning major overseas contracts is, however, nothing new for the company. Independent Freight has developed particular expertise in the Middle East due to the growing level of demand, and also recently won a deal to support the international logistics for a major building project in Iraq, along with other major contracts for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The company has also notched up many other world-wide successes.
Jenny Hooper
The privately-owned company was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur and international logistics expert Jenny Hooper with the aim of providing a more specialised service to businesses involved in international trade than that offered by most freight forwarders.
Ten years on, the company has moved to a new headquarters and warehousing facility in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Independent Freight also has an East Midlands base in Derby and a further network of warehouse facilities and suppliers throughout the UK, providing nationwide coverage and support for freight consignments. Independent Freight’s customers range from small and medium-sized UK-based businesses involved in manufacturing and retail to major companies across the globe, exporting or importing components and finished goods to and from their overseas markets. The company handles a wide range of freight, from documents and packages to pallets, containers and high value commodities, outsized or heavy duty machinery and complex or hazardous shipments.
Roodsafe managing director, Simon Rood, said: “Working with Independent Freight has made the whole export process seamless from start to finish. Our business in the Middle East is growing and having a partner like Independent Freight to support and advise us is essential.” The contract confirms the value of Jenny’s philosophy to “Provide a more professional, less risky way for our customers to organise their international trade, using our expertise, practical experience and reliability. Our customers have come to trust our professional expertise and we make sure we always live up to their expectations.”
SPECIALIST BUSINESS INSURANCE
We have been protecting businesses like yours for 20 years
Challenge Us 0844 346 0964 Don’t renew your business insurance until you have challenged us to find you a better deal. Towergate Insurance is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England with company number 4043759. VAT Registration Number: 447284724. Registered Address: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Rd, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
We are proud to support Independent Freight wishing you every success for the future! Trade Squad is the company of choice for all property owners in need of quality facilities management services. We offer a full range of solutions to help you keep your residential or commercial building both comfortable and safe.
Please call 024 7665 9999 Or email info@tradesquad.co.uk
Jenny said, “Handling the movement of goods nationally and internationally can be very complex and stressful and we make it our business to reduce the burden for our customers. We know our customers are entrusting us with their valued goods and their business reputation and we have built a great team of professionals who have the knowledge and expertise to handle their requirements. “It is not just about moving an item from one location to another, it is about understanding our customer’s business and providing the services they need. That is why Independent Freight has chosen to specialise in providing a bespoke service. We give expert support to those businesses and individuals new to importing and exporting, whilst also providing guidance with complex matters such as project management, customs advice and the shipment of hazardous goods.”
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33207 4PG_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 16:59 Page 1
A Black Country Story
60 Years of Superite Tools
Alan Collins, founder of Superite tools was born on the 2nd of July 1926 weighing 2 pounds 5 ounces, he was christened immediately as doctors were certain he, and his twin sister wouldn’t last the night. He is now 88, 89 this year and still maintains his fighting spirit. This spirit combined with his strength of character has been a major factor in his success.
When Alan came home on leave from the Navy he met Audrey when she came to watch him play football for the team he used to play for before he went away. The attraction was immediate and mutual. Audrey was from a wealthy family, her father William Bunn, otherwise known as Billy owned Aldridge Garage, fondly known as ‘Billy Bunn’s’. William was extremely hard working and committed to providing his wife and daughter with the best life possible, he even used to have his Sunday dinners delivered to work so that he could keep the petrol pumps open all day. He would never buy anything unless he could comfortably afford it. He built the home that Martin currently lives in, which he paid for in cash in 1953. Audrey was the apple of her father’s eye and they had a really special bond. When she introduced Alan to him he approved of their relationship on the condition that Alan worked hard to provide for her. When Alan finished his service In the Navy and returned home to Aldridge, he began working for BRD now known as GKN in engineering. He later married Audrey. In 1955 he decided to use his experience in engineering, combined with a strong work ethic and the desire to make Audrey and Billy proud, by starting his own business ‘Superite Tools Ltd.’
During his early years he discovered a real talent for football, always striving to do everything to the best of his ability, he pushed himself until he got a place with Walsall FC. He was known for being the quickest player on the pitch and affectionately known by team mates and friends as ‘Cogger.’ Later in life he would go on to prove that he wasn’t only a quick runner but a quick thinker, and a natural business man. This was surprising, as he and his sister were the youngest of seven brothers and sisters from a very poor mining family, and it had seemed a given that Alan would follow in his father’s footsteps and go down the mines. Alan decided that wasn’t the life for him and that there was a big wide world he wanted to explore. He used his initiative and strong personality to secure an apprenticeship with Crabtree’s Engineering in Walsall. There he found he had a flare for engineering and he flourished. Aged 19 he got the opportunity to fulfil his desire to see the world by joining the royal navy. Due to his success at Crabtree’s and because they recognised his natural ability he went straight in as a Petty Officer, which was a real achievement. Being in the navy and travelling the world at a young age really broadened Alan’s horizons, it also instilled into him a strong work ethic, self-discipline and the realisation that to run anything successfully all parts had to work to optimum efficiency. This is a principal he later applied in business and passed on to his sons Michael and Martin.
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To begin with, he continued with his day job and would work on the projects for his own venture in the evenings in a wooden shed in Paddock Lane that his father- in-law (Billy) let him use. While his mother - in- law lent him £150 to purchase his first lathe. He had made such a good impression on the company he worked for at the time, that when he started out on his own they supported him and sent work his way. Superite became very successful and Alan gained Billy’s respect and support which resulted in the running of Aldridge garage being handed down to Alan in 1970. The garage grew into ‘Aldridge Accident Repair Centre’. Today both Superite and AARC come under the umbrella of ‘Collins Group International.’ Superite expanded from the shed in Paddock Lane, to larger premises, also on Paddock Lane, and then due to compulsory purchase moved to a purpose built site in Brickyard road in Aldridge. Amazingly it was built on the land of the former miner’s cottages where Alan’s father was born. AARC started on the Walsall road. A local news article of the time detailed a charming story relating to the company’s move to Brickyard Road.
33207 4PG_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 16:59 Page 2
PENSIONER WINS THE RIGHT TO STAY IN HIS OWN HOME An Aldridge Pensioner has won his fight to live two yards away from a new factory. Charlie Bayliss aged 79 watched this week as his new neighbours, the staff of Superite Tools moved in. “Live and let live”, said Superite’s MD, Alan Collins. “If he wants to end his days in his own home, who am I to insist he moves out?” Mr Bayliss has lived at 115, Brickyard Row for 15 years.
Both Alan’s sons, Martin and Mike, came on board with Superite and AARC from an early age and when, in 1991, Alan retired he handed over the reins to the boys. In April 2005 when the property market boomed, the boys sold the Walsall Road and Brickyard Road sites to Bellway Homes Plc for development, today Superite & AARC are in 32,000 sq. ft. premises in Vigo Place Aldridge. During difficult trading times, Martin, Mike and the team at Superite showed how adaptable they are. When the recession hit, it hit tool making hard. Rather than bemoaning
Originally No 115 was slap in the middle of a row of 12 houses, but three years previously Aldridge – Brownhills Urban Council said they must all be knocked down. The Council wanted to be able to offer the land to Superite after they had moved them out of their factory at Paddock Lane Aldridge. All the houses came down apart from No 115. Mr Bayliss began a long and bitter struggle with the Council for the right to stay in his own home. “It was a hard fight said Mr Bayliss this week. My wife died 2 years ago and for about 6 weeks I didn’t care if I lived or died. But then I decided to stand up for home, it was all I had left.”
FOTAS Four Oaks Taxation & Accounting Services Limited CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS - TAXATION SPECIALISTS - REGISTERED AUDITORS
He now cheerfully admits the struggle was all that kept him out of his coffin. “It brought me back to life.” He said. And the Council let him stay in his house, it now stands right next Superite’s new factory, separated only by a 4 foot pathway. The view from his back window is a picturesque brick wall with two medium sized windows set in. “I used to have a 150 yard back garden now I’ve got a 2 yard one.” Mr Bayliss said. His only problem was that the buildings blocked out nearly all the natural light, but the company have agreed to knock out a window in his wall. Mr Bayliss and Mr Collins have struck up quite a friendship, which is probably just as well, after all they are neighbours!
We are proud to support
Superite Tools and wish them all the best for the future. Tel: 0121 3235005 Fax: 0121 3235115 Email: info@fotas.co.uk Suite D, Astor House, 282 Lichfield Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74 2UG
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33207 4PG_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 17:00 Page 3
he attributes the positive turn around to a committed and long standing workforce, for example Sue Weaver, Purchasing Manager who has been with Superite for 25 years this year and, Tool Room Managers Steve Taylor who has been with Superite for 50 years from the age of 15 and Craig Dingle who has been with Superite for 22 years.
overseas competition they took advantage of it; cleverly turning the trend for importing cheap tools from overseas into an opportunity for a niche service, carrying out fast response repairs and modifications to imported tools. Being one of the few companies in the county that can handle tools weighing up to 20 tonnes means they have very little competition and have built a sustainable client base. It hasn’t been easy for Superite, but by embracing the changes in the industry they have been bucking the trend and over the last 3-4 years have seen excellent growth and an upturn in their fortunes. In August 2014 Mike Collins, Alan’s eldest son retired from the businesses after 39 years to help his children pursue their business ventures. Martin is now Managing Director of the group. Martin is very proud to be celebrating Superite’s 60th year in business and is proud of the company’s traditions and values,
“Are pleased to be associated with Superite Tools�
Tel: 01922 745 836 Fax: 01922 453 062
Providing insurance solutions to commerce and industry throughout the Midlands
Web: www.resolute-is.co.uk 3 Vigo Place, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 8UG
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REPAIR CENTRE The Professional Vehicle Repairers
Mobile: 07957 354 120 Email: mac@aarc.co.uk Telephone: 01922 451151 Fax: 01922 743176 Visit www.aarc.co.uk or call for FREE advice 01922 452 103 Or come in for a no obligation quote 3 Vigo Place, Aldridge, West Midlands WS9 8UG
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We are proud to support Superite Tools and wish them continued success for the future. Aldridge Accident Repair Centre
33207 4PG_HorseWorld 23/03/2015 17:00 Page 4
Martin is aware of a growing skill shortage which he attributes to the unwillingness of many companies in the industry to invest in training during the recession and that the time has come to start offering apprenticeships. The company continue to move with the times and innovate by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Going Green.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; As part of various energy saving processes, they have installed solar panels and are heating the factory by burning wood pellets. Martin is feeling very positive about the future of Superite and Collins Group as a whole, having welcomed the 4th generation on board. His daughter Jessica will be carrying out the marketing function for the group and William his youngest who has come on board as an apprentice with AARC.
SUPERITE TOOLS LTD Established in 1955 Contact us Call: 01922 451151 Fax: 01922 743 176 Email: enquiries@superite.co.uk Online: www.superiteprecision.co.uk
Superite is thriving and we wish them well for the future.
safetybootoutlet.co.uk
Leading brands and styles of safety footwear at unbeatable prices.
Inspiring confidence and delivering assurances
One of the leading online suppliers of safety footwear in the UK. Stocking brands such as CAT, Dr Martens, JCB and many more..
We are proud to offer a wide range of styles and sizes all suitable for a number of industries - Including a huge range of ladies safety footwear. visit www.safetybootoutlet.co.uk
As part of our celebration with Superite Tools we are offering a discount code worth 10% off your order throughout March. Simply use the code SUPERITE at the checkout.
www.safetybootoutlet.co.uk
Corporate Styling
CORPORATE CLOTHING, EMBROIDERY & WORK WEAR.
We specialise in corporate clothing, on-site embroidery, and workwear products. With an established reputation for customer service and excellence, delivering clothing and work wear customised exactly to your branding embroidery requirements.
Have a question? Or just need some advice? Please just get in touch and we will happily help.
Contact us at 01922 276 200 email office@corporatestyling.co.uk or visit www.corporatestyling.co.uk
We are proud to support Superite Tools and would like to congratualte them on their 60th Anniversary.
www.corporatestyling.co.uk
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33222 1pg_HorseWorld 30/03/2015 10:25 Page 1
SQUIRES Gear & Engineering Ltd No matter how strange or complicated a component you require, give Squires Gear & Engineering a call - you may be surprised.
“This is the internationally accepted standard for any company involved at the highest level within automotive supply and often evades companies employing many more staff than our 22,” states Tim. “So many of our Tier 1 and OEM buyers are extremely impressed that an SME such as ours, with limited resources, not only gains but retains this demanding standard.” Emerging successfully from the global recession, Squires is moving forward with its journey of growth and expansion. Its anniversary year will see it seeking new clients within established markets and in those where it sees a potential gap. “Linking up with our casting and forging supply chain partners will be key in being able to offer customers a complete finished product,” adds Tim. “We also aim to expand into aftermarket and lower volume spare parts supply.”
That’s the advice from the Coventry company which is celebrating 30 years working in automotive and commercial vehicle sectors, and more recently the mining and petrochemical markets, with a host of materials in different shapes and sizes. “There is very little that cannot be produced at Squires,” promises Commercial Director Tim Squires. “We may one day be producing high precision performance brake discs while the next, cold forming U-Bolts for the commercial vehicle sector. “Constantly looking at new ideas has kept the firm thriving through many recessions and other periods of austerity where other companies have failed.” Since its 1985 formation as a micro engineering company in a shed, Squires has grown to serve the global market with CNC machined components, primarily for the automotive industry, with the emphasis on axle, suspension, steering, braking and driveline parts. All items are produced to client drawings. Popular items include performance brake discs and bells, brake drums, pinch and cartridge nuts, torque arms, ABS sensor rings, dust shields, heavy duty brake levers, stub axles, hubs, and steering knuckles. Offering a very diverse range of parts, Squires also works a lot with castings, forgings, aluminium and nylon as well as more exotic materials and, through partnerships with global multinationals and its own determined sales drive beyond the UK, sees its customer base spread across the world. Dedicated to quality right from the start, Squires quickly gained, and has continually held, a solid reputation for quality, reliable supply and unprecedented service. Industry accreditations were quickly awarded and the company is proudest of gaining and holding TS16949 for a decade.
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Meanwhile the senior management team will continue its involvement with industry led initiatives, such as the Bank of England Business Advisory Board, the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, the High Value Manufacturing Group and Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub. “They keep our name and opinions heard and allow us to give something back,” says Tim.
For more about Squires Gear & Engineering, visit www.squires-gear.co.uk Alternatively call 02476 231110 or email info@squires-gear.co.uk
BALDWINS NOT JUST GOOD WITH NUMBERS
Baldwins are the region’s largest, independent family-owned firm of accountants within the Midlands and have been serving the business community since 1971. Congratulations to Squires Gears & Engineering on your 30th Anniversary
For further information on Baldwins Accountants or to find out how we can help your business please call 024 7625 8621 Address: Clifford House, 38/44 Binley Road, Coventry, CV3 1JA
www.baldwinsaccountants.co.uk
At KimberMills we produce and supply a wide range of products. If the part you are looking for is not listed, please do not assume that we do not make it, contact us • Bodies • Bolts • Brackets • Braking Sytems • Cam Shafts • Chains • Clamps • Cutting Tools • Gears • Heavy Axle • Hinges • Hubs • Levers • Mounts • Nuts • Picks • Pinions • Pins • Pipe Fittings • Rings • Rockers • Selectors • Shafts • Spiders • Stub Axles
• Tel: (0044) 2476 555559 • Or: (0044) 1384 414500 Mills Forgings Limited • Charterhouse Road • Coventry CV1 2BJ • Web: www.kimbermills.co.uk • Email: sales@kimbermills.com
33251 1pg_FSC Investments Services Ltd QPD 1pg 18/03/2015 16:19 Page 1
YON IGHTING For all your lighting and electrical needs. Lyon Lighting Ltd which supplies energy saving LED lighting solutions for a wide range of domestic and commercial applications, everything from non-corrosive factory lighting to LED light bulbs for domestic homes is a proving to be a shining success.
William Chisholm
The brainchild of William Chisholm, a young Burton entrepreneur, who started his business on line as a school leaver while only 16, with no previous experience or qualifications, and has just opened
his first retail premises employing 3 staff.
We talked to William, now 21, about how he started out and what motivated him. He told us, “After finishing school, I started selling electrical items on eBay for a few hundred pounds turnover a week and realised that I could make a business out of it, particularly energy efficient LED light bulbs. “It started from there and I made enough money to start a business proper and become a limited company. “After the first year I focused my time and effort into building the website to what it is today. Five years later we have over 25,000 product lines and are set to do over £1m turnover this financial year.” William explained that working from home in the early days could be difficult, being unable to hold meetings and having to travel to the suppliers’ offices instead, although some suppliers were happy to deal with him on that basis. As many start-up businesses will recognise he also found it quite challenging at first to manage everything himself in terms of accounting, stock management, customer service and sales.
Nothing daunted, William undertook a part time 4 year AAT accounting course while working. He explained that the first two years were free as he was under 19, but he had to pay for the last two years.
We asked about the day to day operation of the business. William explained, saying, “We are a mainly online supplier with a small retail showroom and trade counter for local customers. Domestic customers order online and orders are dispatched the same day for delivery anywhere, we have supplied to nearly every country including remote places like Afghanistan and Israel.” Most of the items are sold through distributors and sent direct to the customers. “Sometimes we don't even see what we are selling!” William is thrilled about the way the business is growing; particularly creating three new jobs for people aged 21, and to be a runner-up in the Small Business of the Year category in Burton Business Awards.
On his plans for this year? William is not one to stand still and miss any marketing opportunity. He said “Making the website into an app making ordering from mobiles easy, as mobile websites now account for approximately 30% of online sales.” The future for Lyon Lighting Ltd and William Chisholm is looking bright, definitely a company to watch!
To view their products visit www.lyonlighting.com or drop in to the showroom at Unit 3, Greenline Business Park, Burton DE14 2AS
Red Arrow is proud to support Lyon Lighting in their ongoing expansion and success! We are an importer and distributor of quality, well priced, lighting and electrical products.
0800 1950006 Elsworth House, Herries Road South, Sheffield S6 1QS
www.redarrowtrading.com
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33231 AP_HorseWorld 02/03/2015 13:36 Page 1
Vincent
VINCENT – The Complete Office and Factory Fit-Out Specialists. GEA Group were struggling to fit three of its companies under one roof, until Vincent Interior Contracts took up the challenge. GEA could not find a property that suited their requirements until they realised how Vincent Interiors could transform an industrial warehouse to meet their exact requirements of office accommodation and warehouse space, not to mention the staggering amount they would save in rent over 10 years by taking on the warehouse property rather than offices which would still not work for them. What’s more – with a 12 week deadline Vincent Interior’s skilled workforce completed the design and installation of new windows, mezzanine floors, partitions, ceilings, electrical, IT, plumbing, carpets and office furniture within 8 weeks, thus bringing GEA a huge cost saving. The entire project is a classic example of Vincent Interior Contracts signature modus operandi. “Vincent Interiors works alongside all of its clients from the first outlining of their requirements and costing through to the final installation, ensuring they are completely satisfied every step of the way” explains Managing Director Keith Vincent.
“Every project we undertake is viewed on an individual basis and we give each the care and attention required to maximise its potential both in terms of space utilisation and overall aesthetic effect, while being mindful of budgetary restrictions and implementation timescales.”
Vincent’s expertise has been applied to a host of office, factory and warehouse fit-outs and refurbishment projects to government sites, schools and universities. A CAD design and consultancy service form part of the busy portfolio and Vincent Interior Contracts also regularly work with Architects on large-scale installation schemes providing a full project management service if required. Vincent Interiors look forward to giving your business a truly inspired working environment, something out of the ordinary – a solution exactly designed and tailored to your needs.
• MOVING
• EXTENDING
• DOWNSIZING
• SPACE CREATING • REFURBISHMENT
To find out more about the services and facilities, including a FREE site survey, available from Vincent Interior Contracts visit www.vicltd.co.uk Alternatively telephone 01384 295463 or email sales@vicltd.co.uk
Vincent Interior Contracts Ltd Buxton House, Dawley Brook Road, Kingswinford DY6 7BD
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33180 1pg_Transport Warehousing 17/04/2015 14:10 Page 1
Success of the Midlands Automotive Industry Even amid all the good news stories surrounding the economy, the automotive sector stands out as being especially successful. 2014 saw major investment announcements and product launches, whilst 2015 will see new models from several UK car makers that will boost output in both unit and value terms, and generate significantly increased exports. Vince Cable, Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Co –Chair Automotive Council wrote, “The Automotive industry is at the forefront of the UK economy’s recovery. In 2014 we built over 1.6 million vehicles and 2.5 million engines, exporting over 80% of our production. “The UK is the second largest producer of premium cars in the world, with over 40 companies making vehicles here, at some of the most productive car plants in the world. Output is rising, productivity is rising, employment is rising, and there is a realistic expectation that annual UK vehicle output will reach 2 million vehicles over the coming years.” Brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, MG, Honda, The London Taxi Company and Rolls Royce are flying the flag for British manufacturing and engineering innovation, but these well-publicised successes of the major manufacturers are only part of the sector’s growth story. As the knock on benefits to the supply chain gather pace, in more good news for UK based manufacturing, research is revealing an increase in the numbers of British cars being made with British-sourced components. Conversations between vehicle makers, suppliers and Government have led to a number of new supply chain investments.
Sales from UK suppliers to UK vehicle makers have grown by 19% through 2014. Through this period, UK vehicle makers have been investing in new products for European and global markets, putting in place the conditions for robust growth in coming years, and expanding the opportunity for investment in the UK supply chain. A steady flow of new supply chain investments is fuelling the opportunity afforded to suppliers by a growing UK vehicle industry as new models come into production and output increases. Research has revealed a £3 billion parts supply gap currently sourced from overseas which represents a growth opportunity for British parts manufacturers. The appetite for local sourcing is strong, bringing as it does the benefits of responsiveness and reduced logistics costs. As a result British industry has seen a general growth in re-shoring and UK vehicle makers have indicated that at least £1 billion worth of parts production has been re-shored since the original £3 billion opportunity was identified. Being able to source more components in the UK will help boost the case for further UK investment at the vehicle companies just as investment by the vehicle companies in the UK boosts the investment case for suppliers. Looking ahead, UK vehicle output is projected to reach two million units in coming years, and this will amplify the supply chain opportunity both for existing UK businesses and those yet to invest here. It should be recognised that to change established sourcing patterns for multinational foreign owned companies is not an easy process: OEMs need to be
convinced of the credibility of an alternative UK supply; Tier 1’s need to be convinced that investment in new UK facilities will realise a return; SME’s need to be convinced that their organic investment growth will find OEM and Tier1 customers; and Government needs to efficiently commit incentives to act as a catalyst to the process. The evidence indicates that good progress is being made towards re-shoring the UK automotive supply chain. Vehicle makers report increased UK purchasing spend and this is supported by analysis of available data. The experience of re-shoring to date has been very positive, and the opportunity to increase UK sourcing is stronger than ever. The Business Secretary Vince Cable confirmed “Our automotive industry has seen a resurgence in recent years and that success means work of some £1 billion has returned to the UK. This is testament to the strength and capability of our supply chain manufacturers and will no doubt lead to new jobs and further growth. “This has not happened by accident but is the result of government and industry working together through the Automotive Council to strengthen our supply chain – meaning an increasing number of parts made in this country are contained in vehicles rolling off UK production lines.” Elsewhere in the work of the Automotive Council, the Government is working closely with leading UK automotive manufacturers to boost skills across the sector, inspire the next generation of vehicle and component makers and create new routes into automotive careers.
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33274 DPS_Carford Group 09/04/2015 12:02 Page 1
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING SKILLS IN DEMAND
Coventry based, integrated and turnkey engineering services supplier, Envisage Group have started 2015 as they mean to go on! Focusing on growth, Envisage and its affiliated companies Visioneering, CH Technical Recruitment and Envisage Manufacturing Ltd (EML) are pulling together to really make an impact on the Automotive industry and in the transport sector as a whole, with years of knowledge in the areas of design, engineering, model making, prototyping and low volume manufacture.
Concept...
Once a design is agreed the engineering team take full control of the project, liaising with the design team as required, in order to mature the design in accordance to their requirements. The Group’s specialist knowledge in all areas of body and trim systems are highly prized assets, and are comprised of widely varied experience from a mixture of OEM and Tier 1 suppliers. With full ownership of the vehicle’s complete exterior design and development, including composite skins, dynamic sealing, brightware and glazing, the dedicated team is able to focus on separate aspects, and their location within Envisage’s state of the art studio facility, enables the team to offer the most expedient delivery. Envisage’s multi-functional facility allows their project teams to be closer to the quality, manufacturing, and purchasing functions, reducing communication and decision making times.
Having recently won one of their largest development projects to date, Envisage’s team of automotive engineers have been heavily involved in the development of a very high profile and extremely iconic vehicle. Working with a number of prestigious OEMs and design houses including Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Nissan, JCB, Honda and more recently ThyssenKrupp and Tesla, the teams are well accustomed to starting diverse projects, which typically begin with a series of consultations; whereby the team focus on accurately capturing their clients’ needs and expectations. Envisage’s in-house creative design team are also always on hand at this stage, to support clients should they require. The Group offer a unique, creative design process which is completely joined up with the Engineering function; this allows a streamlined development process, with information passing between the teams at the earliest of stages to ensure feasibility for manufacture, legislation and function.
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Whilst doing all of the above the engineers have to keep abreast of the latest legal and safety requirements which must be adhered to for each surface and its package of related components. The team also utilise a suite of analytical tools, which often form the grounds on which recommendations for changes to the vehicles design and development can be suggested to clients.
33274 DPS_Carford Group 09/04/2015 12:02 Page 2
For the project so far Envisage have already designed and supported the build of two fully functional demonstrator vehicles. The next stage is now fully underway, focused on the productionisation of the selected designs, which involves detailed manufacturing checks, tolerance analysis and various robustness studies. Having supported the Automotive industry for almost two decades, Envisage’s manufacturing business, Visioneering, provides development solutions of the highest quality to meet the Group’s client’ requirements. With large projects Envisage are able to draw on this hub of extensive model making knowledge.
With strategies to increase machinery as well as enhancing in-house capabilities and embracing cutting edge technologies, Envisage are the “go to” supplier within the Automotive industry at present. Committed to supporting the transport sector, with a number of other sectors seeking them out, especially Rail, Envisage are excited to share transferable practices and processes that can work to modernise products across these sectors.
Many of Envisage’s clients take full advantage of their model making capabilities. Whether it is a full size or scale model, clay, clinic car, demonstrator, feasibility, buck, preproduction data reference model or an environmental cube, the team will cater to your every modelling need, even supplying models that look so real its double-take territory! With nine CNC machines working on shift systems Visioneering’s machines are run to the max and where possible for 24 hours. The machinists’ wealth of experience means they effortlessly produce high quality intricately detailed parts right through to complete vehicles.
The Envisage Manufacturing team’s unparalleled hand forming skills facilitate the realisation of clients’ designs, complete to body in white assembly and perfect for limited run prototype vehicles and individual panel manufacture. The team is supported by both the engineering team, who work with them to provide all data, and the model making teams at Visioneering who support the design and manufacture of tooling, fixtures and jigs which all aid the manufacturing process. Craftsmanship and innovation are at the heart of the services that the Envisage Group offer, with flexibility and guidance running through at every step of their clients’ journeys.
...Production
Envisage’s relentless focus on investing in the future is clear from their support in introducing fresh talent into the business. Their teams are made up of seasoned experts interspersed with graduates and apprentices, with both sides eager to share and continue learning valuable skills from each other.
...Recruitment And it doesn’t end there! The Group’s in-house recruitment team, CH Technical Recruitment work very closely with Client and Candidate to determine their requirements. The team have placed hundreds of technical and skilled permanent and contract staff in the engineering scene and continue to do so. Their focus is to assist clients in managing their project’s development after Envisage has provided any number of their design, engineering, model making, prototyping or low volume manufacturing services. If you are interested in learning more about their recruiting expertise you can contact the team here www.ch-recuit.com
+44 (0) 2476 442 777 enquiries@envisagegroupltd.com www.envisagegroupltd.com
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33255 Advertorial_HorseWorld 11/02/2015 10:21 Page 1
Nomad is wipered-out! Ariel's stunning new Nomad all-terrain car made its debut at the Autosport International show in Birmingham in January and will offer a completely different type of all-terrain high performance driving when it is released for sale in the summer.
some complex challenges for their design team to overcome, most notably packaging the system around the structure of the vehicle. Martyn Groves of B Hepworth commented "Our expertise in developing and building bespoke, high quality wiper systems, whilst simultaneously being a UK manufacturer meant that we were the ideal choice. With Ariel being a wellknown name amongst petrol head and sports-car enthusiasts worldwide it was an exciting project to be involved in and a perfect way to show our flexibility to design bespoke wiper systems"
The Ariel Nomad, recently featured on BBC 1's Top Gear programme, is able to reach 60mph in a blistering 3.4 seconds; with a top speed of 125mph, the car is powered by a 2.4 litre Honda engine that has been configured with Ariel electronics, with an end result of 235bhp at 7200rpm.
Ariel Director Simon Saunders thinks that the Nomad will be bought mainly for recreational driving, both on and off-road, but also feels that the car could compete "with honour" in the Dakar Rally. The Nomad has been tested on well known WRC stages, winch challenge courses and closed forest roads and so far the Nomad has shown excellent levels of performance, adding up to a whole new kind of driving fun!
With this being such a unique vehicle aesthetically, and its sister car the Ariel Atom being an iconic sports car, B Hepworth and Co Ltd, a Midlands-based manufacturer of high performance bespoke windscreen wiper systems was excited to have the opportunity to work with Ariel to develop the Nomad's wiper system. The project began in 2012; dual pendulum wrap-over wipers and wiper arms with a 50Nm motor were used, but there were
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For further information please contact B Hepworth & Co Ltd 4 Merse Road, North Moons Moat, Redditch B98 9HL or email commercial@b-hepworth.com www.b-hepworth.com Tel 01527 61243
Find us on...
33256 1pg_Transport Warehousing 23/03/2015 12:15 Page 1
Ariel Launch the new Nomad
Ariel Motor Company announces the launch of the latest addition to the Ariel family – the Ariel Nomad. A brother to the now iconic Ariel Atom, the Nomad shares the same Ariel family genes as well as the proven Atom recipe of light weight, high performance and ultra-reliability. But where the Atom is to road and track, the Nomad is to road and off it.
Outboard suspension, raised ground clearance, long travel dampers, damage resistant body panels, washable interior and a host of options tailor the Nomad to go off road to places that an Atom and most car owners couldn’t or wouldn’t consider. Ariel’s mission to put the fun back into driving takes another big and dirty step. The Nomad will be shown for the first time at the UK International Autosport Show and will made in low volume, alongside the Atom, at the Ariel factory near Crewkerne in Somerset. To be
manufactured in similar quantities to the Atom, at up to 100 cars per annum, production of the Nomad began in spring 2015 with orders being taken immediately. For power the Nomad continues to build on the long standing relationship between Ariel and Honda that began with the Ariel Atom, and continued with the Ariel Ace motorcycle released in 2014. Featuring the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder K24 iVTEC engine the Nomad combines the ultradependable, high volume drive train from Honda with Ariel’s particular low volume production skills and bespoke build system. The result is a highly individual and exclusive vehicle, but one with the reliability and provenance expected in today’s market. As with the Atom and the Ace, the unique way that Ariel build vehicles allows each Nomad to be exactly tailored to individual customer choice and personalised for their own particular use and taste. With an emphasis on the advantages of low volume production and the particular benefits that this gives the customer, the Nomad demonstrates the positive aspects of Ariel’s size and approach. No two Nomads will be the same and each one will be made to customer specification - a quality that is only possible with Ariel’s hand built production.
“There are things that we can do at low volume that you simply couldn’t contemplate with mass production.” said Simon Saunders, Director of Ariel. “We understand niche markets and we understand customers’ demands completely. Everything we have learnt from the Atom has gone into Nomad and it shows. Nomad is Atom’s tough brother and a continuation of our ‘SERIOUS FUN’ philosophy. If we can put a smile on people’s faces, on road or off it, we have done our job”. With a longer term ambition to compete off road, Ariel are considering the possibilities of rallying the Nomad as well as looking at Rallycross and Autocross possibilities. Competing in the 2 wheel drive class of Rally Raids is also a long term ambition for the Nomad. Henry Siebert-Saunders (Henry S-S) of Ariel, heading up the Nomad development, said “Competition has always been an ambition for the Nomad since Day 1 of the project and, like the Atom, we know from experience that it directly improves the breed. It’s early days but I want to see Nomads competing in as many forms of motorsport as possible, from local club racing to international level.” From an ultra-cool road car or a 21st Century take on the dune buggy, to a high performance, off road competition vehicle, the Nomad is the third Ariel to put the passion back into driving.
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33308 HPD_HorseWorld 01/04/2015 10:38 Page 1
Chris Sumner, managing director, FANUC UK said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The automotive industry continues to be one of our key markets and largest growth areas, providing product solutions and services for all areas within automotive manufacturing. We are seeing an increase in our order books across the Midlands for the provision of industrial robots to support an automated solution, assisting high performance car manufacturing.
FANUC UK fuels automotive manufacturing growth in the midlands FANUC UK has continued to fuel the success of the automotive industry within the Midlands region. Operating in the West Midlands area, a leading automotive company has invested for future growth with the installation of over three-hundred industrial FANUC robots. The FANUC robots provide an integrated automated solution to the car manufacturing process. As an integral part of the body shell manufacturing, six different robot models were installed varying in size and function. The robots vary from small 200 kilogram models to larger 700 kilogram handling robots, performing a variety of different applications for vehicle production.
The installation of FANUC robots within the leading automotive midlands business builds on our success in other areas of the north of England, across the North West and North East, where we have installed in excess of 2,000 robots for two large automotive manufacturers.â&#x20AC;?
One common platform, infinite opportunities
WWW.FANUC.EU
All you need is yellow. 54
33356 1pg_Transport Warehousing 17/04/2015 12:52 Page 1
Choosing a Conference Venue Careful planning is the key to a successful conference, that, and setting aside a realistic budget. Start in plenty of time as there are a lot of decisions to make, and preferred venues are often booked up well in advance.
an open air event or one in a marquee in the depths of winter, or a venue without air conditioning at the height of summer! The assistance of a professional venue finder can be very helpful when trying to choose the most appropriate location for your event.
Decide what the purpose of the event is, what you expect to achieve, and who the event is for, and is it private or public.
Hotels often make ideal venues and usually have a dedicated event and conference manager on hand to help and guide you through the process. Whether you are looking for a discreet board only meeting or a larger affair incorporating activities such as golf or a spa there will be a hotel with the facilities and expertise to suit your requirements.
Private conferences are often held when large companies need to get their employees together to either celebrate a success, start a new initiative, or to inform about new products and staff. On the other a hand a public conference is one where it is up to the organisers of the conference to attract people to attend. Conferences that are free to attend are usually either government sponsored, to facilitate some knowledge sharing, or to get a particular group of people together, as in a party conference, or they are paid for by a company that has a product to promote, such as a new book launch. In some cases a public conference will be held purely to make money from the people paying to attend. In this case there will be a lot of focus on advertising and marketing the conference to attract paying customers. Decide on the venue. The size and style will be determined by the number of attendees expected and your budget. The choice of location needs to take into account access, transport links, parking, and conference amenities such as lay out, screens, projectors, audio etc., catering facilities, health and safety issues, and the season; for example it is no use booking
In the case of a conference stretching over more than one day a hotel really comes into itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own, the obvious advantage of on-site accommodation and catering cannot be underestimated. Besides the comfort and convenience of a hotel there is a bewildering choice of other venues of all sizes out there, some formal, some slightly more quirky such as a narrow boat or a windmill, some are suitable for a select few delegates, others vast, such as the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, or sizeable with added interest such as Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit. The host plays a key role in holding the function together. In a private conference one of the company directors may take on the role of host, otherwise it is often the person tasked with organising the conference. Check that whoever is designated host is comfortable speaking in public, or invite a good speaker. Speakers could be your friends, for your fees to be cheap, or renowned speakers
in their fields, for an effective and purposeful conference. Create clear professional support material that makes clear the aims of the conference, the agenda, who the speakers are to be and their relevant expertise, and a map for delegates to find their way about the venue in the event of the conference taking place in separate locations within the venue. Invitations should contain not just the time, subject of the conference and its general location, but directions and local information about accommodation, if necessary. Hosting a conference does take time and effort. Preplanning and good organization are the keys to success. There is as much help as you need, for a short conference with a small audience, you might be able to do much of the work, whereas a larger, more complex conference may require assistance from experts, such as a professional conference planner, speakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bureau representative, and a caterer. Professional conference planners are often able, due to their network of contacts, to negotiate very favourable rates, meaning that taking advantage of their industry nous may end up costing less than you might expect. Once it is all over, take time to evaluate, did the event achieve what you set out to do, how could it have been improved and what aspects worked best. Happy conferencing!!
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33318 DPS_Grenville Engineering 2pg DPS 07/04/2015 12:55 Page 1
HOTEL | GOLF | SPA
++++ Event organisers looking for the ideal venue in the Sutton Coldfield area know they can get down to business at the Lea Marston Hotel, Golf & Spa. Located in Sutton Coldfield, just off Junction 9 of the M42, close to M6/M6 Toll and only 10 minutes from Birmingham Airport and Birmingham NEC, this stylish and luxurious family-run establishment is perfectly placed to host national and international gatherings. With a total of nine rooms available for conferences or special events, Lea Marston has the capacity and flexibility to accommodate occasions ranging from board-room type meetings for as few as eight people, up to launch events, training courses and small exhibitions.
With audio visual and secretarial support available upon request and first class business accommodation immediately available, Lea Marston Hotel has the capacity and flexibility to accommodate every kind of business conference requirement. That also includes team building and corporate hospitality. Working extensively with a range of top class partners, the hotel can offer endless possibilities to enhancing an event. And having two 9-hole pay and play courses and 28-bay floodlit driving range means a whole new sporting aspect can be brought to the gathering.
Its flagship facility is the Perry Barton Suite Conference Room which forms the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest integrated area and, with its own private bar, can host dinner dances for up to 130 guests. The addition of sound proofed partitioning means it can be divided into the Perry Conference Room, suitable for meetings for 12 to 50 delegates or private dining, and the Barton Conference Room, accommodates 30 delegates boardroom style, 100 theatre style or 100 for a dinner. The recently refurbished Dunton Manor Conference Suite, with its private bar, air conditioning, natural daylight and separate entrance is also popular, particularly as a banqueting facility for up to 120. Again, this room can be partitioned via sound-proofed ash doors into two separate meeting rooms. The hotel offers a full range of delegate packages which include data projector and essential equipment, unlimited refreshment breaks, mineral water and delegate lunch in the restaurant and has a dedicated conference team on hand to ensure meetings run exactly as planned, to provide services on time and respond immediately to any requests which may arise.
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Of course the 88-bedroom four-star Lea Marston Hotel has so much more to offer visitors. Many guests choose to stay here especially to experience the home-from-home warm welcome from a long-serving dedicated team experienced in and passionate about delivering high service. Whether you wish to dine at the two AA rosette Adderley Restaurant or Hathaways Bar, to celebrate a family occasion or wedding, enjoy a luxury spa treatment or fitness workout at the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health club or spend time on the golf course, the Lea Marston Hotel is the place to be. To find out more about all the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facilities, go to
www.leamarstonhotel.co.uk Alternatively email info@leamarstonhotel.co.uk or telephone 01675 470 468
33318 DPS_Grenville Engineering 2pg DPS 07/04/2015 12:55 Page 2
GOLF & SPA
++++ In the ever-changing business conference environment, Redditch’s Abbey Hotel remains a constant. Seven high quality meeting rooms, a business lounge, equipment and a dedicated conference team to ensure an event runs smoothly, organisers know they’ll be able to do business here. And it won’t necessarily involve serious brain storming or the chewing over of sales figure facts - with the hotel surrounded by six acres of land for outdoor activities, including a championship standard par 72, 18-hole parkland course measuring over 6,700 yards, team building fun is also high on any corporate event agenda.
Accommodation is just one of the many aspects included in the Abbey Hotel’s conference packages which, at minimum feature: a dedicated conference manager, a meet and greet for delegates, unlimited free flow refreshments, data projector or plasma TV, stationery toolbox and free WiFi access. Not to forget free car parking. With conference rooms available on the ground floor, it allows easy access for delegates with disabilities or for any required setting up, while the flexible Henley-in-Arden Suite can be used as a large conference room, separated into four syndicate rooms or transformed for an elegant and exclusive evening dinner with use of a private bar. Once the business of the day is over, apart from enjoying the comforts of their rooms, delegates can enjoy some of the hotel’s other superb facilities. There’s the opportunity to really unwind in the Health Club and Spa, or release some pent up energy on either the golf course or floodlit driving range. And of course there’s the chance to refuel with some great food too, either experiencing some stylish contemporary dining at the Bramblings Restaurant or something a little more relaxed and informal at Tawnys Bar.
Archery, shooting and It’s a Knockout days are just some of the activities organisers have opted for but, thanks to the Abbey Hotel’s superb indoor facilities, others have enjoyed race nights, casinos, murder mystery evenings and themed dinners. Whatever the requirement is, be it an exhibition, product launch or team-building away day, the hotel’s dedicated conference team works with companies to create tailor-made packages.
With every member of the hotel’s 100 or so strong team dedicated to ensuring guests, be they visiting for business or pleasure, have the best stay they can possibly have, it’s no wonder visits to this four-star establishment have been described as five star. To find out more about the Abbey Hotel, its conference services and other facilities, go to
www.theabbeyhotel.co.uk Alternatively email info@theabbeyhotel.co.uk or telephone 01527 406 600
The Abbey Hotel Golf and Spa, renowned for its excellent customer service, is a four-star family owned hotel in an ideal location for events attracting guests from across the country and beyond. Just off Junction 2 of the M42, it’s also only a short distance from Birmingham NEC and the airport. The 100 ensuite bedrooms, designed with comfort in mind, are the perfect for resting of weary heads, especially after a day conferencing.
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33137 QPD_HorseWorld 01/04/2015 14:46 Page 1
Windmill Village Hotel, Golf Club & Spa www.windmillvillagehotel.co.uk Golf at the BEST WESTERN PLUS Windmill Village Hotel Whether you are new to golf and want to give it a try, or a more experienced golfer, and looking for a Golf Day or a Golfing Break, the 18 hole par 70, parkland golf course at the BEST WESTERN PLUS Windmill Village Hotel is an excellent choice. The parkland golf course has superb views over the lake and the surrounding West Midlands countryside, and offers a wonderful array of testing holes to challenge the lower handicapper while still allowing a more modest golfer the chance of a low score. The hotel’s experienced P.G.A. Golf Professional is always on hand to provide advice and tuition on the day if required. When planning a corporate golfing day out as a team building exercise or an incentive, or maybe a golfing weekend conference, the Windmill Village is conveniently situated within easy reach of national and international travel links to Birmingham and the NEC and offers comfortable accommodation and the first rate facilities you would expect from a luxury hotel, ensuring that you and your guests have a great time. Golfing societies too enjoy the excellent range of facilities provided by the hotel which offers a range of packages to suit the requirements of your group, from the Doral package - coffee or tea with bacon roll on arrival, 18 holes of golf and Burger and Chips right up to the Augusta package providing coffee or tea with bacon roll on arrival, 18 holes of golf, a lunch of soup with rolls and selection of sandwiches with chips, a further 18 holes of golf followed by a superb three course dinner, the only restriction being the hours of available daylight. The hotel’s P.G.A. Golf Professional can arrange your whole event by administrating your competition, prizes and a leader board. If you would prefer to hold a private dinner for your society or corporate golf day, the hotel offers a choice of suites for small or large groups. Experienced staff will guide you through room lay outs, seating plans, menus, wine selection, entertainment and etiquette to suit the occasion. They are also happy to assist with any special themes you may wish to adopt, leaving you, on the night, to relax and entertain your guests. Golf and leisure breaks include dinner, bed and breakfast and full use of the extensive leisure facilities. Served in the elegant Fairways restaurant with stunning views of the golf course and surrounding countryside, you can enjoy a three course dinner with coffee each evening from 7pm to 9.45pm and a full English breakfast each morning, served from 7am to 10am. Any non-golfers in the party will enjoy the facilities of the hotels’ leisure centre and spa. While their partners are out on the course, they can relax and take full advantage of one of the super range of spa packages. As a family business, the hotel is proud of its friendly relaxed atmosphere, whilst providing a professional service and attention to detail. If you have any special requests or requirements please ask, they will be delighted to help you.
So whether you are looking for a golfing holiday, golf lessons or just a day trip, the BEST WESTERN PLUS Windmill Village Hotel is the perfect place for you. For more information call us today on 02476 404041 to speak to a member of the team. 58
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Nicklins LLP
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