BUSINESS NEWS

NAKED SOLAR

Naked Solar has been named National Solar PV Installer and Contractor of the Year at the Energy Efficiency Awards.

MD Tony Sampson, together with operations manager Shelley Sampson, received the award at a ceremony recently, hosted by Dan Walker and comedian Hugh Dennis.

Tony Sampson said: “Being considered as the UK’s highest quality installers by the EEA is always a delight. I’m so proud of the whole team at Naked Solar for their hard work and most of all, their genuine desire to ensure our customers have the best experience possible.” Since launching as a new company under a new brand earlier this year, Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK has invested £1.1 million in new machinery, in direct response to customer demand and growth in newly identified markets.

Michael Gibbs, MD of the UK factories, said: “This is a big investment and this year has seen a number of big changes, showing confidence in our market position.

“Our strategy for growth has enabled us to expand our capacity in the UK, to separate our automotive and industrial sector work across two industry specific dedicated sites and to expand our industrial business even further.”

BREWERYBONUS

St Austell Brewery has taken a minority share in Harbour Brewing Co. The formal arrangement will make Harbour’s beer available to a much wider audience for the first time.

Founder Eddie Lofthouse said: “We’ve always had a fantastic relationship with St Austell

RG Kellow MD Rob Kellow was named Health, Safety and Wellbeing Leader of the year at the Construction News Workforce Awards.

In addition, the company was also highly commended in the Best Place to Work, Subcontractor category.

Commenting on the awards, which were presented during a ceremony held in London earlier this week, Kellow said: “Thank you to Construction News for putting on such an amazing Awards ceremony, and congratulations to all finalists.

LEADER OF THE YEAR £1.1M INVESTMENT

Brewery. When we first started in 2012, they did our bottling before we had the equipment to do it ourselves, and the former brewing director Roger Ryman was a mentor and good friend. Since then, we’ve built strong relationships across the business, from the brewery team to the board.”

Harbour Brewing’s production will remain at its site in Kirland, close to Bodmin. The brewery’s whole range will be available to St Austell venues.

“The industry was well represented and it was a fantastic opportunity to meet other individuals pushing the boundaries and carving their own path.

“It was a huge surprise to win the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Leader award and also to be recognised as Highly Commended as ‘Best Place to Work’. I couldn’t do it without the team here though, and I am massively proud of all they do.”

ADVERTORIAL WHEN SHOULD YOU GET A REGISTERED DESIGN?

By Frederick Noble, British and European Patent Attorney at Albright IP.

Out of all the IP rights, designs are perhaps the most obscure. But in theory they are quite simple – designs are about the appearance of products; a registered design protects “what the product looks like”. So, a registered design can be obtained for almost any product with a new appearance. If it has been designed in the sense that somebody has put some thought into what it looks like, then it can probably be protected.

MINI SILICON VALLEY

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has the fastest growing tech sector in the south west, forecasted to grow 17.9% by 2026. With demand for AI Skills in the UK Labour Market having more than tripled over the last decade, the region is offering some of the most sought after AI and machine learning jobs in the UK, according to a recent report commissioned by CIoS Digital Skills Partnership.

Tanuvi Ethunandan, co-founder of Cornish startup Data Duopoly: “You no longer need to go to the big cities to find innovative tech companies. Cornwall is leading the way in technology development and moving away from just being a tourism economy. And with improving transport links and the growth of hybrid working, the tech sector will only become even stronger.

“I actually came from London and honestly had no idea what to expect when I moved to Cornwall. My view was very stereotypical, it was a great holiday place for me. I was going to the beach doing lots of paddle boarding and even trying my hand at surfing but had no idea there was this fantastic burgeoning, dare I say it, mini Silicon Valley developing.” An Argentine climate tech company has expanded to the UK and set up a base at Newquay Aerohub.

Uali specialises in using AI technology and robotics in tandem with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to survey wind turbines and analyse gas and oil emissions.

Uali is looking to utilise Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly’s testing capabilities, alongside business support and R&D funding opportunities.

CEO and founder, Ian Bogado, said: “Bureaucracy and pace made our Spanish operations more difficult than expected. With the testing facilities, R&D opportunities, funding and support available in Cornwall, we believe our new HQ is the key to developing our company at an international level.”

GOLD AWARD

Cornish maternity fitnesswear company, FittaMamma, has received another Gold Award for its High Impact Maternity and

ARGENTINE COMPANY COMES TO CORNWALL

Feeding Sports Bra.

This time the accolade came from Women’s Running magazine, which tested thousands of products to source the best clothes and accessories for runners – including pregnant women.

The bra was described as having “good support for a maternity bra with nice padding, adjustable straps, easy access clips and great coverage for feeding discreetly”.

Alexandra McCabe, co-founder of FittaMamma, said: “Winning this award is a great achievement. In a recent survey 66% of our customers said they wore the FittaMamma range for running, so we’re really proud that Women’s Running Magazine voted it worthy of a Gold Award - especially following so soon after winning Gold in the 2022 Made for Mums Awards.”

That includes functional products like coat hangers, face cleaning brushes and blind headrails (all of which are the subject of real registered designs which have been successfully enforced). It includes products which are, or could be, also protected by patents. Patents protect the technical invention – the way it works. Design protection is for something different – what it looks like.

A design “update” for a new product version, even making relatively minor changes, should also prompt at least a conversation about whether a new registration should be filed. before a product is disclosed to the public. In the UK and Europe, there is a grace period which makes this a more flexible rule. However, international protection will be compromised and other risks arise if a design is disclosed before filing. Filing first is always best.

Actually filing a design registration is fairly straightforward – the registration just comprises a series of images showing the design. However, what those images actually show is absolutely critical.

Thought needs to be put into what design features need to be protected, and whether the design needs to include colours, contrasts, and other surface features, or whether it is only for the shape of the product. Multiple designs for a single product can often provide the best and most flexible protection.

Seek advice early, and we will help you get the best protection.

Albright IP, Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3PL fnoble@albright-ip.co.uk +44 (0)1209 316161

INNOVATION IN COMPOSITE MANUFACTURE

Composite Integration won the ‘Innovation in Composite Manufacture’ category in this year’s Composites UK Industry Awards.

Since being founded 20 years ago, the Saltash-based company has grown to serve a wide range of sectors including marine, wind energy, aerospace and automotive, with customers in more than 20 countries.

A 75-year legacy of supporting communities through challenging times was celebrated recently as a Cornish charity marked a milestone anniversary.

Staff, partners and beneficiaries of Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC) gathered at Heartlands to share experiences of supporting grass-roots organisations and the people behind them.

Katherine Nissen, chief executive, said: “It’s lovely to be able to get together and celebrate this wonderful charity, especially the people who have made things happen and the people we have helped. It’s a chance to make connections and refresh relationships as we look forward to supporting communities for many years to come.”

ALL SET FOR 30 UNDER 30

Applications will shortly be open for Cornwall’s 30 under 30 class of 2023.

Celebrating the Duchy’s brightest young business talent for the eighth successive year, applications open on January 9 and close on March 6.

The awards, which are being held for the eighth successive year, are organised by the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Business Cornwall MD, Richard Bland, said: “Hill Helicopters gave us an incredibly difficult challenge, and thanks to the ambition, skill, passion and hard work of the project team, supported by Innovate UK funding, the work was extremely successful and pushed the boundaries of what was considered possible. It was an honour to be recognised by Composites UK for our commitment to being at the forefront of innovation in composites manufacturing.”

COMMUNITY LEGACY

magazine, Don’t Cry Wolf, Pirate FM, Whyfield and Truro and Penwith College and supported by Surge.

Chamber CEO, Kim Conchie, commented: “Judging and awarding the 30 under 30 certificates is one of my high points each year. The event where we gather the 30 winners, and their families promises to be more exciting than ever this June.

“And what’s even more exciting is that now, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce keeps inspiring our young stars throughout the year with our NEXGEN events. Look out for them over the coming months. They’ll be fun and informative.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Two successful Cornish businesses have come together to create a new brand offering a full range of fitted interior and furniture products and services. Contemporary furniture company Cord Industries, which ships its steel and timber stools, tables and dining sets across the world, has joined forces with its neighbour, custom-fitted interiors maker Coast Creative Joinery, to form Coast Creative.

Access Cornwall, a Cornish community interest company (CIC) has won more than £80k in funding to help Cornwall’s tourist attractions and hospitality businesses become more accessible.

Local businesses have been supporting a new campaign aimed at tackling litter and waste in Cornwall.

Companies who have signed up as ‘Change-Makers’ as part of the Clean Cornwall initiative recently attended a networking event at the Headland Hotel in Newquay, where they heard from Peter Lefort of University of Exeter’s Green Futures Network, which aims to increase access for organisations to the latest environmental research and resources.

Cornwall’s largest care home operator, Cornwall Care, is under new ownership having been acquired by Sanctuary.

Penryn-based tidal energy developer, HydroWing, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with state-owned company, Indonesia Power, to support and develop tidal energy projects in Indonesia.

The number of ailing businesses in Cornwall reached 3,317 in the third quarter of 2022 (July – September), according to the latest figures from Begbies Traynor’s ‘Red Flag Alert’, which monitors the financial health of British companies. This represents a quarterly increase of 2% in the number of Cornwall businesses that are struggling, but a drop of 2% on the same period in 2021.

Newquay Business Improvement District (BID) has announced the return of its popular LOVE Newquay Loyalty Card scheme alongside an opening up of the programme to visitors as well as locals.

WAS IT A FAIR COP, OR JUST BLAH, BLAH, BLAH?

Ewan McClymont of Bishop Fleming discusses the ongoing challenge of climate change.

So, another COP summit has been and gone.

Whether it has achieved anything for climate change remains to be seen but at least it keeps it on the agenda.

COP stands for ‘conference of the parties’ under the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC). These annual meetings have been taking place for nearly three decades to “avoid dangerous climate change” and find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.

Whilst it is good to maintain a healthy dialogue on what must be one of the most humanitarian issues of our time, it is all too easy to think of climate change as someone else’s problem, a problem so big that our individual efforts won’t make any difference.

But each of us, both as individuals and as businesses, can make a collective difference. At Bishop Fleming, as part of our focus on Responsible Business, we are close to calculating our overall carbon footprint for the first time. The exercise includes independent verification and a wholesale review of operating practices to commit to a sustainable greenhouse gas reduction plan.

An important part of this process is to consult with staff, who represent a main stakeholder group. Indeed, a recent firm-wide staff commuting survey has unearthed a wealth of ideas and suggestions on how we can be a more sustainable business.

To recognise COP27, we also challenged our staff to ‘do something different’ and to share what they’d done with colleagues. There’s been a host of activity ranging from using the stairs instead of the lift, walking / cycling to work, printing less, turning off standby mode monitors, litter picking, recycling / swapping clothes, book recommendations, and saying no to plastic wrapped food.

All little things, but sufficient to get people making new habits and doing something different. As we approach a new year, what will you do to make a difference?

www.bishopfleming.co.uk

SMEs can help drive the economic recovery, says FSB regional development manager Neil Eames, but they need Government support.

Small businesses continue to play a vital role both locally and within Britain’s national economy, and FSB is calling on Government to introduce measures to stabilise the economy and to deliver on the promised support for small firms on energy bills and cutting National Insurance.

SMALL BUSINESSES CALLING FOR STABILITY

Neil Eames Regional development manager – south central and south west FSB

We are very aware that many of our small businesses and self-employed across the south west are being challenged by soaring costs, falling revenues, and the reduction in availability of affordable finance. It is now vitally important that pro-business measures are introduced to secure prosperity in the medium and long term.

The importance of cashflow support through the energy crisis is vital to the small business economy. At a time of pressure on public finances, there is a call to the new PM, to improve cashflow for vast numbers of small firms without a cost to taxpayers and take action on tackling poor payment practices in supply chains. Late payment of invoices is a major issue with more than half (54%) of small firms being a victim of late payments over the last three months. Of course, we mustn’t forget that small business entrepreneurs are resilient and innovative, but the current situation is a real challenge. For small firms to drive economic recovery and future prosperity, they need a pro-small business environment, supported by Government. FSB is committed to continuing to lobby Government on behalf of small businesses.

www.fsb.org.uk