Business Edge 32

Inside 05 business matters 10 chamber benefits 12 the expert 13 fine print 16 feature 24 cover feature 26 inspirational leaders 30 feature 42 diary 44 new members 46 five minutes with 46 movers & shakers

the magazine for sussex chamber of commerce members

august/september 2016

Elekta’s manufacturing heartbeat in Crawley Page 24

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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august/september 2016 business edge

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

Sussex Chamber of Commerce currently represents over 1,000 member businesses. Membership of Sussex Chamber of Commerce offers access to invaluable business advice, money saving benefits, networking opportunities and provides a voice for businesses at a local, regional and national level. Business Edge is delivered free of charge to all Sussex Chamber of Commerce members as well as key business decision makers across the county. It has a circulation of 4,000 copies per issue.

Business Edge is a Sussex Chamber of Commerce publication.

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welcome

business matters

business matters

town chamber news

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business matters

chamber benefits

business matters

the expert

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fine print

business matters

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If you have any stories you would like to tell us about or any comments please drop us an email at enquiries@

feature: finance

sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

SUSSEX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Unit 4, Victoria Business Centre, 43 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill RH15 9LR

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23 business matters

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Distinctive Publishing Unit 6b, Floor B, Millburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2383 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

ADVERTISING

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inspirational leaders

cover feature: manufacturing

John Neilson, Business Development Manager, Distinctive Publishing Unit 6b, Floor B, Millburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 07813 874 970 Email: john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

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30 feature: manufacturing

FEATURE EDITORS John Dean & Francis Griss email:deangriss@btinternet.com

E-BOOK www.issuu.com/distinctivepublishing

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feature: business support

feature: events

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diary

new members

five minutes with ...

movers & shakers

DISCLAIMER Distinctive Publishing or Business Edge cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Business Edge.

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welcome

august/september 2016 business edge

Welcome to the August/ September Issue!

Ana Christie Chief Executive

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century, the UK has had a long history in manufacturing.

By the mid 1800’s Britain was the largest manufacturer in the world and most technologically advanced.

Britain developed international trading relationships with Europe, Asia and the Americas and was manufacturing and trading in textiles, iron, steel, engineering and ship building.

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The UK remained at the forefront of manufacturing for many years and this remains an important sector of the modern British economy. It is one of the most attractive countries in the world for direct foreign industrial investment.

Engineering, food, drink, paper, printing, publishing and brewing companies are amongst the largest.

The UK employs over 2.5million people in this sector, with 69% of business in research and development and contributes to 44% of total exports.

(Source: Manufacturers Association).

However since the economic downturn in 2008, the rate of growth in manufacturing has been the slowest.

regardless of their sector, in terms of what next? There will be a need for stability, clarity and actions to be taken

by Government. The big decisions on airports, energy generation, HS2, house building, employment, skills, devolution deals, EU funding and more need to be followed through. Action and momentum over the coming months are vital to stoking the embers of business confidence.

There will be challenges ahead as well as change. Sussex Chamber will be consulting its members and business and is committed to working with the British Chambers and Government to shape the best possible conditions for future prosperity.

This issue of Business Edge, takes a look at some of our manufacturers in Sussex.

There are some amazing stories to share.

Nevertheless, with the latest Brexit announcement, unanswered questions will be at the forefront of all business,

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

28th annual business awards set to launch early July The Sussex Business Awards launches this month and is set to celebrate yet another exciting year of regional business success. The Awards have built a reputation as one of the most important dates in the business calendar since their inception in 1989.

Sussex Chamber of Commerce is a proud sponsor of the Small Business of the Year category at the Sussex Business Awards. The awards are a great way to recognise and celebrate the contribution that businesses make to both the local community and the wider economy.

Recognising business excellence across Sussex, these prestigious Awards are the longest established of their kind in Sussex and widely considered to be ‘the one to win’.

David Sheppard, Chairman of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, who judged the Small Business of the Year, was highly impressed with the quality of entries from across the length and breadth of Sussex. He is looking forward to reviewing the business entries again this year.

Almost 300 of the county’s leading businesses have received the accolade of Sussex Business Award winner including the likes of Alexander House Hotel, Blue Forest, The Brighton Marathon, Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd, Cash Bases, Checkatrade. com, Chichester College, Domestic & General, Eezehaul, FDM Group, Gatwick Airport, Higgidy Pies, Life Pure Water,

Marlin Financial Group, Natures Way Foods, Neilson Active Holidays, Parafix Holdings Limited, Ridgeview Wine Estate, RSPCA, Southern Water and The Body Shop.

AJS Labels, leaders in the supply and production of self-adhesive labels, stickers and label products within the UK, was the big winner last year after being named Sussex Businessperson of the Year and Sussex Company of the Year - and owner, Andrew Scrimgeour, could not recommend enough that businesses enter the awards.

Andrew said: “It was a great honour, privilege and I have to say surprise to win two awards. We have an enviable reputation in the UK but to be benchmarked against the very best in Sussex - wow that was quite something! It was very motivating for all our staff but especially our young but talented management team. It has also improved our profile and reputation both locally and nationally.”

Another winner in 2015 was the highly acclaimed English sparkling wine producer, Ridgeview Wine Estate, who won Small Business of the Year. Tamara Roberts, CEO, said: “Winning a Sussex Business Award has

helped raise the profile of our business in and beyond Sussex. It not only reflects the hard work and dedication of all our staff but highlights the quality of our sparkling wines and the exciting future for our industry.”

With awards for all-round excellence, as well as for those businesses demonstrating special strengths in areas such as innovation, customer service, professional services and entrepreneurs, there is an award to suit every kind of company.

Businesses can enter up to three categories and deadline for submissions is Wednesday August 31 at 17:00. There is a small admin fee of £50 (ex vat) to enter one award or £100 (ex vat) for up to three entries.

You can also make nominations for the Healthiest Workplace, Best Boss, Most Sustainable Business and Outstanding Contribution to Sussex Charity free of charge.

Winners will be announced at The Grand Brighton on 1 December 2016.

For further information, visit

www.sbawards.org.uk

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business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Auto Enrolment…failure to comply is not an option!

Hayley Jaggers from Automatic Enrolment Solutions Ltd writes about the costly effect of non-compliance with the new Workplace Pension requirements….

The Pensions Regulator’s most recent Quarterly Compliance and Enforcement Bulletin confirms that, to date, 95% of the employers who have reached their Staging Dates have complied with the new Employer Duty AE regulations.

However, as we move towards the new phase of “Micro” Stagers The Pensions Regulator anticipates that these smaller employers are perhaps more likely to leave things to the last minute. Indeed this has been reflected in the increased number of “Compliance Notices” issued by The Pensions Regulator totalling 3,057 for the Quarterly Period 1st Jan to 31st March 2016.

A vast increase considering the total issued since 2012 equates to 7,834.

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Number of People in PAYE Scheme

Daily Accrual Rate of Penalty

1–4

£50

5 – 49

£500

50 – 249

£2,500

250 – 499

£5,000

500 or more

£10,000

Source: The Pensions Regulator – Compliance and Enforcement Quarterly Bulletin 1 Jan – 31 Mar 2016

Where an employer still fails to act upon receipt of the Compliance Notice, then a Fixed Penalty Fee of £400 will be issued.

806 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued in the first 3 months of 2016, bringing total since 2012 to 2,234.

In the event of continuing non-compliance, The Pensions Regulator may issue an “Escalating Penalty” fine to deter or discourage inaction by the employer.

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96 Escalating Penalty Notices have been issued this quarter, bringing the total to 127 since 2012.

These penalties are at a level that could put employers out of business and are based on the number of people the employer has in their PAYE scheme and will build up at a daily rate until compliance is achieved. The DAILY Accrual Rate of the penalty is shown in the table above.

tel: 01444 259 259

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town chamber news

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce Following the success of the Seahaven Business Awards, Newhaven Chamber are proud to announce their next competition – the Seahaven Young Entrepreneur Scheme 2016.

This time specifically for the young people of the Seahaven and surrounding areas (BN7, BN9, BN10 and BN25). We are inviting young people aged between the ages of 16-18 and 19-26 years to submit a business idea either on line or on paper. The best six will be selected from each age category and they will be invited

to ‘pitch’ their idea to a Dragon’s Den type panel of local business leaders.

The winners will receive cash prizes, a trophy and a package of benefits worth up to £2000 at an awards ceremony to be held in November at the new University Technical College in Newhaven. For more information go to

www.seahavenyes.co.uk.

august/september 2016 business edge

Celebrating our manufacturing champions This month’s magazine focuses on our manufacturing sector and it is satisfying to see it remains strong and resilient in the face of harsh global competition.

Often we reflect on the strength of our region’s service, rural and creative sectors and forget the substantive manufacturing companies that are providing high value added jobs in the automotive, defence, aerospace and electronics industries, to name just a few.

But how does it feel to be a manufacturer in the current economic climate? Well, strong April figures offer encouragement to the sector with manufacturing output in April 2016 up 2.3% on the month, and up 0.8% on the year whilst total industrial production in April 2016 was up 2.0% on the month, and up 1.6% on the year This comes after a long run of disappointing results, providing a much needed boost to confidence at a time when most economic figures published recently have been disappointing.

But there is no room for any complacency.

Manufacturing output is still below its prerecession level, and longer-term trends show that the sector is still struggling.

Manufacturing good ideas!

Internship in Brighton talks about the importance of manufacturing good ideas...

The manufacturing of ideas is often as important, if not more so, than manufacturing goods. Ideas help to connect people together, create a buzz in education and add a wealth of knowledge to something that can sometimes go stale with the same employees’ input. Bringing new

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and creative young people in to a business to help manufacture fresh ideas is essential to development and reinvigorates a company’s direction. Businesses could event seriously consider interns from abroad who have a thirst for learning and abundant energy to enhance your development that much further!

Interns have a diverse cultural background and untapped knowledge that your business can utilise whilst your experience provides essential experience to the next generation!

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This is unsurprising given current adverse global economic conditions, but the latest figures show that there are still areas of strength in British manufacturing that must be supported through favourable investment regimes and the provision of skilled and capable staff.

I believe that a healthy manufacturing base remains critical to the well-being of our economy in key areas such as exports, productivity and innovation and it is at our peril that we ignore the significant contribution that our local manufacturing businesses make.

David Sheppard Chairman Sussex Chamber of Commerce

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Why precision engineering is important for the economy Luke Tetlow Delta Tooling (Horsham)

n Manufacturing in the UK accounts for 44% of UK total exports n Represents 69% of business research and development

Luke Tetlow of Delta Tooling (Horsham), Ltd clarifies the role of precision engineering in the UK economy.

Too often one hears or reads the phrase “Well we don’t manufacture anything in the UK anymore.” It is very worrying to hear this, especially when it comes from people who should know better and who have considerable influence on public opinion.

Initially let us look at a few of the actual statistics. Manufacturing in the UK accounts for 44% of UK total exports: Represents

n 15% of business investment n It also employs 2.6 million people directly.

(Source HMG & EEF reports).

69% of business research and development, 15% of business investment –it also employs 2.6 million people directly. (Source HMG & EEF reports).

The fact is that UK manufacturing is alive and well, covers many processes, even though there is considerably less of it than thirty years ago. Without it, life in the UK would be very much the poorer and probably more expensive.

As precision engineers, we have a major role to play in developing items that the public use every day, from mobile phones, to eco-friendly cars, household gadgets and even medical equipment, such as artificial hands for amputees. Not only do we make prototypes, we produce components for testing and proving such things work and then continue to make the components in quantity for other manufacturers to fit to their products. We employ highly skilled people some of whom have served apprenticeships here – and use very sophisticated, ‘High’ Tech CNC machines controlled by computers, programmed by the skilled staff – we have invested heavily in these skills and machines.

Please remember that without precision engineers, life would be much more challenging.

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Sussex Chamber of Commerce

chamber benefits 10

CHAMBER HR

Access to ChamberHR is free of charge. We invest in this service so you’re protected and supported. No need to pay for HR Or employment advice, and you receive free access to over 440 Documents, including contracts of employment.

24/7 Telephone advice n No need to book a call n No limit on the length or amount of calls

Online Database of Documents n Over 400 documents to view n You can download the documents as many times as you need

Use it today

01444 259 259 www.chamberhr.co.uk www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

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business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

A company with a proud history

Eric Dugard Managing Director of C Dugard

Eric Dugard, Managing Director of C Dugard Ltd – a Hove landmark, mulls over the latest 80 years.

Whenever I tell anyone I own Dugard, 9 times out of 10 they say to me “I drive past every day but I’ve got no idea what they do”. It’s no surprise – we’ve got a big building, in a prominent position on Old Shoreham Road and all that people in the traffic outside can see every day are lorries, forklifts and very big boxes. To be honest my response is a not very descriptive, “oh we just sell big machines” that’s generally enough for most people I meet walking my dog in Hove Park. Of course that isn’t all we do, at all, if it was we wouldn’t have lasted over 80 years in the machine tool industry.

and my brother Bob. Initially the company was involved in munition manufacturing for World War 2, then started supplying used machine tools to sub-contractors for engineering projects after the war ended.

Dugards grew gradually over the years, eventually incorporating ranges of new standard machines and finally introducing CNC machinery in 1978 (CNC means the machines can be programmed and controlled by a computer system). Up until 1982 Dugards had been run from the orignal building in Denmark Villas. But, with the massive growth we experienced in the early 80s it was time to move to our new home at Old Shoreham Road, a purpose built 30,000 sq ft showroom, and that’s where we’ve been ever since.

We’ve literally gone from strength to strength – supplying machines worldwide, we’ve got an annual turnover of £22

million, offices and showrooms in Hove, Rybnik in Poland, Moscow and Dubai, and we represent an impressive set of companies throughout Europe, Middle East and Russia. It’s not all been easy, with the recent slowdown in oil and gas resulting in a challenging market for heavy engineering, as well as the continuing issues with UK manufacturing. We’re still holding our own in the machine tool market, constantly developing and evaluating new products, as well as focusing on export markets both in Europe and the Middle East. Most importantly we’ve got a huge team at Dugards with an enormous amount of experience and skill, and that’s what really helps us stay at the top of our game, ensuring that our customers can get the highest technology at the most competitive prices.

We sell machine tools, and machine tools are used throughout the engineering industry to make absolutely anything you can think of. The machines you can get from us could make a tiny little screw right up to huge sections of an aeroplane wing, they can shape vital parts for MOD vehicles, or make tools and pipes to drill massive holes for the oil and gas industry. Some of the machines are over 4 meters tall, weighing up to 80 tons, so that explains the lorries, cranes and very big boxes!

C Dugard Ltd was established in 1939 by Charles Dugard, and today is run by me

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ask the expert

august/september 2016 business edge

What is the problem?

David Jones MD of Burgess Hill based innovator Globe Energy provides a compelling solution

David Jones MD of Burgess Hill based innovator Globe Energy

While working in academia I used the opportunity to carry out several contracts with the European Commission Directorate for Energy DGXVll, to evaluate Global Warming. What I already knew was that global warming could be a possible issue, however, Climate Change was already alive and flourishing.

In 1997, in the early days of the internet, I wrote a piece that predicted the changes we would see as a result of the fact that Mankind wasted almost 80%, on average, of all fossil fuel we consumed. The efficiency of energy combustion is generally poor for many of the jobs we use it for, the greater majority is wasted, converted into polluting gases all because mankind have little regard for energy efficiency. In 1988 the planet took a major retro step with CO2 emissions

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becoming greater than Earth’s climate could handle, it has grown year on year ever since as the ecosystem, the forests and green belt, have continued to shrink, so that today we emit 3 times more CO2 than the planet can handle. Since CO2 takes up to 40 years to reach our outer atmosphere to eventually disperse, we are storing up a major problem for the future of mankind, and we are wasting billions of pounds annually, doing this.

What will you say when your grandson asks you: ‘What did you do to our Planet?

The answer is Energy Efficiency: Build better technologies, invest in the future of mankind, develop the products that consume less energy for the future and do more work for less consumption. Is that possible? Yes, this has been achieved with aircraft for example, they once contributed 7% to the total planetary pollution level, they are now moving to becoming one of the highest efficiency technologies today per man/mile travelled. Lighter planes, more efficient engines, you can carry one man 20 times further today than you could in the 1980’s for the same cost. That is what can come from employing energy efficiency.

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Buildings are the single largest energy consumers, they account for 40% of all fossil fuel consumed, 10% in homes and 30% in industry. An industrial High Volume Building with 100,000 square metres floor area x 15 metres high, costs as much as 12,000 domestic homes to heat annually. This is why Globe Energy focused its attention on the least developed market in the world.

Developing the most energy efficient technology for High Volume Buildings - saving up to 90% of heating costs, delivering a higher quality environment than conventional technologies for the building workforce, when replaced with ‘state-ofthe-art’ New High Efficiency systems. This one action by one company alone, over the last 25 years, resulted in 30m tonnes of CO2 emissions ‘NOT’ being emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere.

We will all profit from fixing the problem, we must first of all understand that there is a problem.

David M. Jones Globe Energy

tel: 01444 259 259

fine print

august/september 2016 business edge

Great Answers to Tough Questions at Work

By Michael Dodd Published by Capstone (a Wiley imprint Paperback original and e-book, £12.99 ISBN: 9780857086396 Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work is a new book for people at all levels of the workforce to help them cope with ever-tougher questioning in an age of increasing accountability.

The book provides the formulae to deal with challenging questions amidst greater personal and organisational exposure via social media, alwayson cameras, free-flowing access to information on the internet and instant round-the-world communication.

Helping people navigate these challenges is former broadcast interviewer and foreign correspondent Michael Dodd.

Trek supports charity fundraising Jane Taylor and Dominic Feeney of eReco, one of the UK’s leading specialist secure IT recyclers based Sussex, have recently completed a gruelling trek in the Grand Canyon to raise funds for the Global Radio charity Make Some Noise.

The charity supports life-changing projects for youngsters and their families living with illness, disability or lack of opportunity. Together with the rest of the group, Jane and Dominic helped raise over £68,000 for this fantastic charity.

Dominic said: “I went into the Canyon one person and came out another! If this isn’t on your ‘bucket list’, I would definitely add it straight to the top. And for a brilliant cause too.” There were terrifying moments, scaling sheer rock faces and the trek out was 10 miles uphill all the way.

Jane said: “I just want to thank Dominic for making this possible as he was fantastic at the fundraising. Parts of this trek were treacherous and in those situations you really learn a lot about yourself. Bringing things back to the very basics once in a while – for example looking after your feet as a priority! – truly puts life in perspective. “ eReco is still raising money for this event and so if anyone would like to donate, please contact them on 01342 777550. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

He offers advice for anyone who wants to improve their communication and answer questions more effectively, whether they’re dealing with media, colleagues, clients, shareholders, financiers, or a potential employer.

Drawing on his experience putting business leaders and politicians under pressure, Dodd outlines strategies to combat even the hottest ‘blowtorch-on-the belly’ questions, whilst helping readers enhance their effectiveness, confidence and image.

Emphasising the power of planning, preparation and practice, the book explains that the art and science behind giving great answers is a learnable skill.

Michael Dodd is an international speaker who empowers audiences to become inspirational communicators.

As a one-time broadcast journalist in Australian politics, he asks volunteer audience members Aussie-style “blowtorchon the-belly” questions on the big stage. He then equips audiences to give the best possible answers to nightmare questions from clients, prospects, reporters, shareholders and career-critical interview panels.

Michael was a political correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney and Canberra before becoming a foreign correspondent in London and Berlin. He covered Eastern Europe before, during and after the anticommunist revolutions that brought down the Berlin Wall.

He became best known amongst international audiences for his newspaper reviews on Sky News and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Michael has had speaking engagements on six continents.

He is a fellow of the Professional Speaking Association and has been President of its London region. He has been awarded the “New Speaker of the Year” title by the Academy for Chief Executives.

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business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

HSBC Sussex business forecast Victoria Mutter HSBC’s Area Director for

Business Banking in East Sussex and Gatwick

The latest quarterly regional trade statistics reveal that the South East accounted for £40 billion of the country’s total exports,* showing the UK’s vast potential in both the products and business opportunities it creates, as well as the way it operates internationally. Sussex is an area playing a key role in the country’s economic development and has a unique set of qualities which is seeing it thrive as a major player in the UK’s business landscape.

The South East now accounts for 15 per cent of the country’s total exports, the greatest share contributed by any single region. Being the largest regional economy after London, the South East is doing notably well in a number of sectors including tourism and manufacturing.

With a large number of customers across

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the region, HSBC is committed to helping encourage businesses to make the most of the opportunities available to them.

In Sussex, we work closely with customers who have both a long-standing presence in the county, as well as those who are new start-ups. This summer we’ve launched a £450 million lending fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sussex, as part of a broader commitment to make banking cheaper and simpler for customers.

We’ve seen a strong desire from ambitious local SMEs to grow their businesses, and we’re responding by ensuring HSBC is providing the funds they need to realise these ambitions. SMEs are the driving force of the economy in Sussex and we are here to support them, whether they are a startup or established business, focused either on the domestic market or looking to trade internationally.

At the end of last year we provided funding for the launch of The Source Skate Park in Hastings, which is a fantastic family

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

business. It’s clear this new development has been embraced by the community and is contributing to the town, which is currently going through a £500,000 regeneration.

We’ve also recently supported Coastway Vets with the opening of its seventh surgery in Sussex, as well as the expansion of Skinners of Rye – a highly established mechanic and second-hand car dealership.

These examples demonstrate the huge variety of businesses operating in Sussex and the common thread throughout is their passion for the area and their industry sector. In any support and advice we provide, we always strive to reciprocate this passion. An intimate understanding of both the local area and the customers’ business sector is essential.

HSBC has been supporting customers for 150 years and our ongoing ambition is to add value to the community and help drive the local economy, which in turn will contribute to further cementing Sussex as a major business player in the UK.

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

The bank isn’t the only option Paul Hartley Creative Leasing

Paul Hartley from leasing specialist Creative Leasing explains “The bank won’t help so I’ll have to cancel my equipment order.” It’s a common call these days but totally unnecessary. However, it does underpin the misunderstanding that the bank is the only place to go. This

is simply not true. Competitive alternative finance is out there and waiting.

Equipment, vehicles etc. are essential to a business but one thing is for sure; money has to be spent. There’s no way out of it.

But whatever the cost, £1,000 - £100,000, outright purchase eats into valuable capital reserves which need to be preserved wherever possible. Leasing is the affordable alternative.

Many types of assets can be leased.

Computers, Furniture, Catering, Industrial, Agricultural, Scientific etc. Surprisingly, this is not widely known. In sales negotiations, whether the company is buying or selling, a leasing option is rarely discussed. “We’ll

have to talk to our bank about it” the client says to the salesman. So what happens?

They talk. The bank can’t help and it all grinds to a halt.

Why? That shouldn’t be the end of it. There are more options.

The belief that the bank will always offer the best deal (even if they say ‘No’) is wrong.

Business models are not what they were.

Any offer could be heavily weighted to the bank’s advantage and, importantly, they can usually call in the loans whenever they like, for whatever reason. Who wants that?

There are flexible choices ‘outside the box’.

Knowing this is the first step.

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feature: finance

august/september 2016 business edge

Understanding the new financial landscape after that vote

These are uncertain times following the EU Referendum vote in June but that does not mean that business should grind to a halt and that companies should abandon the search for funding.

For a start, what has become clear since June 23 is that the departure from the European Union will not happen immediately and that means many business ventures under consideration before the referendum vote will be able to continue in this new climate.

That mindset stretches to funding. Yes, the financial markets dislike uncertainty and have experienced a few wobbles since the vote but those businesses that stay calm and carefully examine their options may well find that the money is still there to allow growth to happen. Indeed, it is vital that

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they do so to prevent the UK sliding back into recession.

The changed situation does mean, however, that good financial advice is more important than ever if businesses are to navigate their way through the new landscape.

Financial advisers have been working long hours to ensure that they understand the new situation and can identify where the opportunities lie, particularly since the Bank of England has been doing all it can to encourage lenders to keep making money available to businesses.

However, although going to the banks remains one way to find the money for expansion, it might also be worth considering venture capitalists, who are adept at spotting opportunities.

Even in difficult economic times, such an approach should not be dismissed out of hand because a good idea remains a good idea and can usually attract funding to turn it into reality.

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For a start, what has become clear since June 23 is that the departure from the European Union will not happen immediately and that means many business ventures under consideration before the referendum vote will be able to continue in this new climate.

tel: 01444 259 259

feature: finance

august/september 2016 business edge

Spofforths and Kreston Reeves merge – offering more for clients On 1st June, Spofforths merged with Kreston Reeves, another highly-respected, long-standing firm of accountants and business advisers, creating one of the largest accountancy and financial advisory firms in the South-East from two of its longest established practices.

Joining forces provides an opportunity for both companies to jointly improve on the service currently offered to their clients. Not only does the larger firm now provide more offices throughout the south of England, but it also can draw on one another’s expertise and experience within the industry.

The merger also provides an opportunity for the firm to grow and develop as a whole, as it is now ranked within the top 25 accountancy practices in the country. As a result, together, Spofforths and Kreston Reeves have the joint capacity to expand on and improve the range and size of clients using the firm and therefore grow the business to offer improved client services.

education, charity, property and agriculture.

This provides a stronger base upon which to develop a range of new services to meet changing business and client needs.

The merger of the two companies into one will have no direct effect on current clients, who will continue to experience the same high quality of service they always have.

For advice and further information regarding mergers, please do contact me at bryan.elkins@krestonreeves.com or on

01403 253282.

The newly merged firm now offers clients a greater depth of resource and breadth of service to support sectors such as

Bryan Elkins, Partners, Tax Consultancy Services

exceptional professional advice for business and individuals

• Audit & account preparation

• Business start up sales and acquisitions

• Corporation and personal tax

• Estate planning including wills & powers of attorney

• Payroll services • Company secretarial services

• Inheritance planning

Springfield House, Springfield Road, HORSHAM, West Sussex RH12 2RG Phone: 01403 253282 Fax: 01403 250926 E-mail: horsham@krestonreeves.com www.spofforths.co.uk

Offices in Brighton, Chichester, Horsham & Worthing

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feature: finance

august/september 2016 business edge

The value of the numbers What you can measure, you can manage. I first heard this strapline in 1985 from guru Paul Dunn, but it is as true today as it was then.

Many small businesses use their financial information for statutory purposes only – for filing accounts at Companies House, for VAT Returns and for the annual tax submissions.

To get real value from the effort of recording all the financial data, the information should be used to drive the business.

Ideally every business should prepare a budget before the start of the financial year which reflects what you want the business to achieve. If that is different from the historical results, then a plan is needed to bridge the gap. The ongoing results comparison with budget provides the tools to the business owner and his team to actively manage. The budget should also include a cash flow forecast to ensure the business can afford the plan, or provide advance warning that additional financing may be required. Finally, stress tests should be performed on a what-if basis to see the

effect of, for example, sales budgets not being achieved.

For example, income variances may lead to decisions on marketing spend or pricing.

Gross margin variances may suggest attention to costs or pricing is required.

Debtors monitoring will make the most of cash flow, and minimise bad debts. Capex budget v actual costs should also be monitored. The budget should be flexed if the original is consistently out of line with actuals.

Do you use financial data to drive your business?

Honey Barrett can provide you with budget help and a PRISM report to give you an analytical review of monthly management accounts. n n n n n

PRISM – KPI reports R&D Tax Relief Tax Planning Trusts and Estates 10 Steps to Success System

For a FREE consultation, contact Paul Knight on 01323 412277 Honey Barrett Chartered Accountants: 53 Gildredge Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4SF Other offices at Bexhill and Wadhurst.

www.honeybarrett.co.uk

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So business success is dependent upon planning, and in turn monitoring and actionning.

For further advice call 01323 412277 or visit our website www.honeybarrett.co.uk.

There are numerous affordable software options available today to provide all this information. The key is to ensure that the management accounts produced from the

Need help with budget planning?

Our services include: n Accountancy and Audit n BACS Payroll Bureau n Xero training n Business Planning n Company Secretarial n Management Accounts n Personal Tax

software are reasonably accurate. Analytical review of the accounts should pick up any major errors that might have an impact on management decisions.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Paul Knight, FCA is Managing Director of Honey Barrett Chartered Accountants.

MDJ Services Ltd Accountants

MDJ Services is a well established accountancy practice serving Sussex and the South East.

We offer a full range of accounting services, working with new and established companies to help establish and grow successful enterprises. We are committed to providing a friendly and efficient service tailored to your needs at a reasonable cost, also we are happy to offer a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION to all of our new clients.

Services we offer include: • Management accounts • Corporate tax • Personal tax • Self Assessment • Company formations and services • Payroll • Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) • Business plans • VAT • Business consultancy • Bookkeeping Unit A6 Chaucer Business Park, Dittons Road, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6QH www.mdjservices.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

feature: finance

august/september 2016 business edge

A footballing lesson to help rebuild a struggling business Your business might possess a solid foundation and have previously been successful, but are you now struggling on a new, tougher playing field?

recoup monies via Research & Development Tax Relief can provide much needed cash flow to assist an ailing business.

Like the England Team at the Euros, a business with proven historical results can sometimes be in danger of not being adequately prepared or resting too much on its laurels when approaching new and more challenging market conditions. This can lead to an unexpected downturn in trade which has a nullifying effect on that all important lifeline for most enterprises: cash flow.

England went in to the Euros riding high on a reasonably long series of recent victories, but none in a major competition, where the stakes are of course considerably higher and success that much harder to obtain.

They were ill prepared for lots of reasons and struggled. It’s arguable whether they were sufficiently well managed and that handicapped their progress.

As England have discovered to their cost the art of scoring goals and defending is critical to success and even focussing on just one area (defending set pieces) might not necessarily lead to that success. Similarly, reviewing past business innovations to discover new opportunities to

When it comes to R&D Tax Relief claims, Cooden Tax Consulting does understand how best to tackle the hard times to help your business to net rewards that will singularly increase your chances of recovery and future success.

Together with the right R&D management expertise behind you, you could soon find yourself in the right position to send off an application that’s highly likely to enable you to win back market share and create an improved outlook for your business.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT TAX RELIEF SPECIALISTS Improve your Cashflow – find out if R&D Tax Relief could benefit your business

Call COODEN TAX CONSULTING NOW!

Validate your claim.

Contact us NOW!

Call us on: 01424 225 345

@CoodenConsults

Office 10

Charter House

email us on: info@coodentaxconsulting.co.uk

www.coodentaxconsulting.co.uk

43 St Leonards Road

Bexhill on Sea

East Sussex TN40 1JA

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19

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Accountancy services for small businesses, contractors and start-ups The team at Quantum Accounting previously operated under the name Ware & Partners.

We are a family business committed to providing professional businesses with excellent accountancy services. We have built our reputation on doing what we do well. Whether it be bookkeeping services or management information that you need from us we will deliver it with the same high standards. Crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s so you can have every confidence that your hard earned cash is doing what you and your business need it to do.

We make no apologies for having an old fashioned approach to service, we like that our clients are happy to give us a call or pop in just to say hi. Our prices are competitive, our team are experienced, our attitude is relaxed but don’t be fooled, it takes an enormous amount of work to appear this way!

FOR START UPS At Quantum we know that every startup needs a good accountant to keep business finances in shape. We are good value for money and have a package to suit you.

FOR SMES

FOR FREELANCERS / CONTRACTORS Quantum provides highquality specialist and hasslefree services to UK based contractors and freelancers.

Working on your own doesn’t mean managing financial issues alone. We’re here to help make sure your tax, bookkeeping and specific accounting is taken care of.

QUANTUM ACCOUNTING Waterside House Basin Road North, Hove East Sussex BN41 1UY

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Quantum specialises in helping small businesses with all their accounting needs, whether you are thinking of setting up a business or have an established one that needs a new perspective.

01273 420377 info@quantumaccounting.co.uk www.quantumaccounting.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Brexit: Data protection is still going to get tougher!

At night, do you know what’s happening in your factory, office or warehouse?

We do ...and we use security audit technology to let you know!

Lisa Downs Commercial Partner

Digital age security services for Sussex from a local company.

All businesses collect and store personal data about clients, contacts and suppliers, but do you know:

• SECURITY PATROLS • EMPTY PROPERTY INSPECTIONS

• PREMISES UNLOCK AND LOCKDOWNS • KEYHOLDING AND ALARM RESPONSE

l how you obtained the individual’s data (by phone, website enquiry form)? l where that data is held (marketing databases, company/personal devices)?

sales@avantguardsecurity.co.uk www.avantguardsecurity.co.uk

l if that individual consented to you collecting/storing their data and how (ticking/unticking a box, signing your standard terms and conditions)?

Our experienced and qualified freight forwarders will be shipping Full & Part load throughout the continent.

l what did they consent to you doing with their data (sending them specific offers, general marketing)? l how long have you have held their data (2 years, 5 years … no idea)? l if

that data is secure (password protected, who has access, can you disable access if equipment is lost/stolen)?

If you don’t know the answers, you need to find out.

It is highly unlikely that the UK Government will be able to negotiate and unanimously agree withdrawal arrangements from the EU before 25 May 2018. Therefore, the new European data protection law will apply in the UK from the 25 May 2018 and until the UK leaves the EU. When the UK leaves the EU, it will need to have in place new data protection laws which will enable the UK to be considered by the EU as a safe destination for transfers of personal data. Those laws could be substantially similar to the new European data protection law.

You need to start assessing your awareness and readiness for compliance now – waiting until 2018 will be too late!

We can help! We have a specifically tailored service to help you manage the transition and your compliance.

For further information, contact Commercial Partner, Lisa Downs -

WE OFFER • UK and European distribution • Full and part load services • Daily European services • Express European Delivery Service • Multi Lingual Office Staff • Specialist Logistics

ldowns@rawlisonbutler.com or 01293 558593. www.rawlisonbutler.com

CONTACT US: + 44 1293 813904 + 44 1293 813905 F: +44 1293 813908 E: transport@hussar-gruppa.co.uk www.hussar-gruppa.co.uk

Hussar Gruppa Ltd. Basepoint Business Units, Suite 56, Metcalf Way, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7XX

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21

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Why keeping up to date is so important

The advantages of Cellular Manufacturing

By Andy Farlow, Operations Manager at Photek Ltd. Responsiveness to customer demand and on-time delivery performance are increasingly seen as an absolute prerequisite for our client base.

To match the expectations of our market we have recently decided to implement new manufacturing procedures into our production facility in St Leonards on Sea. We also hope to improve the quality of the photonic sensors and detectors that we manufacture.

With this in mind the cell manufacturing approach was considered as a suitable way of achieving such goals.

The production department was split into four small teams (associated with their immediate process area), with a team leader and an assigned production engineer.

Specialist industrial filter manufacturer EMCEL explains why the latest advanced quality certification processes need to be carefully addressed.

Felicity Marshall Technical Sales

The Engineering Industry is at the forefront of development within the UK and as such the changes come in thick and fast. EMCEL Filters Ltd have experienced a surge in validation and documentation required for critical industries such as Nuclear, Defence and Pharmaceutical throughout the supply chain.

Certificates of conformity are well known and generally accepted as being standard practise within the manufacturing sector.

However further certification beyond the realms of ISO9001 accreditation is now being required in order to meet the new exacting standards of these manufacturing areas.

This Quality Documentation can include material certificate/validation procedures

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particularly for stainless steel products; weld procedures/qualifications and third party testing outside the scope of traditional manufacturing substantiation and testing.

It is essential this criteria is established prior to commencement of manufacture.

Despite contract review at QA stages it can become clear that documentation has not been requested at order stage and yet is required within the supply chain. The task of adding this retrospectively can be costly at best but in some cases impossible and can thus jeopardize working relationships and possible future contracts.

In order to ensure you quote and produce the correct documentation to meet customer requirements we recommend drawing up a checklist of full documentation options, so these deliverables are transparent from initial quotation offer stage through to placement of contract. This allows your customers to have a hard copy of what to expect but also a list of company capabilities in terms of QA procedures and validation.

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The early results are encouraging, and cell manufacturing now provides us with better communications between production and engineering groups and empowers the team with more decision making at the shop floor level.

Rather than being ‘fed’ priorities from the top down, there is now more organisation and planning within the team to meet the overall plan, with the inherent knowledge that the team have themselves in planning the workflow more efficiently.

With regards quality, the team are now encouraged to work directly with the engineer to come up with solutions to common issues and the team (including the engineer) have defined common goals set to encourage working together to achieve company performance improvements.

The signs are already positive in that there is better focus on key requirements locally, management by exceptions is more visible and communication is already improved.

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Sector looks to the future The plastic manufacturing industry is in ‘reshoring’ mode – Paul Edwards, MD of Pentagon Plastics, highlights the key drivers.

Paul Edwards Managing Director of Pentagon Plastics

‘Reshoring’ is the buzz word surrounding the plastic manufacturing industry. It’s driven by changing consumer preferences, a reduction of the wage gap with emerging economies, volatile international transport costs and a desire to better control quality and supply chain risks.

The UK manufacturing industry is enjoying a renaissance, especially in the plastic injection moulding sector, and will continue to strengthen from this trend. This will provide additional jobs, in sectors ranging from textiles to electrical equipment and machinery.

The plastic industry saw a huge down turn in the 1990s and 2000s. Borrowing money became harder and the education system steered students to believe UK manufacturing was in decline and training facilities started to close down due to lack of funding. It’s said that the reduction in apprenticeships has been a major factor in the skills shortage we see today. When

you combine this with teaching of the time, it’s not surprising it was a hard period for manufacturing.

One of the main reasons for this was a high proportion of UK manufacturers off-shoring to China. The low labour rate and shortened lead times in the Far East made this decision tempting and favourable to many.

It’s clear that businesses that outsourced during the down turn may not have considered whether these suppliers could sustain the advantages they were offering as a long term plan.

Pentagon Plastics – a British plastics manufacturing company - were fortunate enough to withstand the industry downturn, despite finding they were losing some projects based solely on price.

However, since 2012 they have enjoyed seeing a steady increase in the work returning to the UK as cost margins between Far East and UK companies reduce. This coupled with the language barrier and lack of customer control is continuing to drive up interest and trust in UK manufacturing.

As a UK based plastic injection moulder, they are keen to ensure their business continues to nurture this regrowth within

the industry and in order to better cater for the returning work in 2015 they bought in a dedicated Tooling Manager, John Horspool. John’s vast knowledge and skills will heighten their already impressive on-site tooling capabilities ensuring that they can continue to cater for the more bespoke technical moulding projects.

With the increasing demand again for UK manufacture this upturn in demand will in turn drive interest from younger generations looking at career opportunities, making this highly skilled industry attractive once again. It cannot be denied that due to the downturn in demand in the late 1990s and early 2000’s we have been left with a real and evident skills gap within manufacturing.

As the industry in the UK continues to prosper we can expect to see more companies expanding. Large investments in equipment, more money spent on existing staff training as well as offering more career opportunities.

We are well on the road to reaffirming what has been seen as a dying art and this is incredibly encouraging for our thriving industry sector.

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23

cover feature

august/september 2016 business edge

Elekta’s manufacturing heartbeat in Crawley Elekta is a company founded and grown by innovation. From novel ways of treating intracranial tumors without surgery to the rapid and targeted delivry of radiation to inoperable tumors, Elekta, through close customer and supplier collaborations, has been responsible for one advance after another.

Collaboration builds success

n A company driven by innovation

Elekta prioritises unique relationships with its suppliers.

All parties strive to understand each other’s business. And it is that mindset that fuels successful customer-supplier relationships.

n Collaboration is the key n The importance of strong relationships with suppliers

These innovations have helped define today’s oncology clinical practice.

The manufacturing heartbeat/ pulse* of the global Elekta business is in Crawley, UK. In fact, the world’s first commercially available linear accelerator (linac) was developed and built on the Crawley site over 60 years ago. Last year, the 4,000th linac rolled off the Crawley production line. Elekta products now treat more than one million cancer patients globally every year.

Elekta also was the first healthcare manufacturer to research image-guided radiation therapy, the first to have such systems in clinical use, and – in 2003 – the first to market these solutions.

In 2011, Elekta launched Agility™, the world’s fastest multi-leaf collimator (MLC), a device for shaping radiation beams that was developed and manufactured in Crawley.

Since its introduction, Agility has proved to slash treatment times by up to 40%, reducing clinic time for patients. The MLC’s 180 tungsten leaves move at 6.5 cm per second to shape the radiation beam to millimetre accuracy around the tumour contours.

In 2013, Agility was paired with Elekta’s Versa HD™ to deliver

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High Dose rate treatments at even higher speeds. This year, Elekta celebrated the manufacture of the 1000th Agility MLC. Elekta’s ability to innovate is constantly paving new paths and creating improvements in cancer care.

A focus on patients and close collaboration with the region’s suppliers, leading international clinics and researchers, generates groundbreaking advances that result in more efficient, reliable and gentle cancer treatments, often at a reduced cost for the healthcare system.

Today, the Crawley site exports over 95% of its manufacturing output and acts as a support hub for customers worldwide.

Global, national and regional recognition In 2014, Elekta won the Large Manufacturer of the year award at the annual Insider “Made in the South East” Awards.

The company impressed the judges with the development of its market-leading total

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radiotherapy solutions and with its global sales success.

Elekta’s international influence reflects the South East’s international spirit. And Elekta’s tradition, expertise and its future are all part and parcel of the region’s economic infrastructure.

Also in 2014, Elekta won the award for Supply Chain Excellence at the prestigious annual Gatwick Diamond Business Awards, recognising the company’s support of local industry.

A year later, Elekta won the Queen’s Award for Innovation, which recognised Elekta’s 40-year tradition in the development of pioneering radiotherapy equipment.

The 1,000th Agility MLC was an incredible milestone that demonstrated the commercial significance of Elekta’s continuing commitment to innovation. Hundreds of Elekta staff and regional and global suppliers were involved in the project to develop, launch and manufacture Agility for almost a decade.

The company also invites suppliers to take their apprentices and other members of their shop floor staff for site visits. It’s important for everyone to understand where their work fits in. The result is that suppliers feel more involved and they understand how the products and services they provide contribute.

There is often an emotive bond with Elekta’s purpose. Everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer. The manufacturing standards remain high, but the context is clearly different.

The future - legacy, inspiration and innovation Elekta supports local initiatives that encourage manufacturing’s role in the economy. The company has a long history of graduate and apprenticeship programmes. Elekta often hosts local schools, colleges and universities for factory tours and to learn more about engineering and cancer, in particular the contribution radiation therapy makes in cancer treatment.

Elekta is also an honored supporter of the region’s STEM Fest event. The company hopes that by meeting Elekta staff and having a chance to see our technological advances, will inspire more local students to consider careers in engineering, design and the sciences.

tel: 01444 259 259

cover feature

august/september 2016 business edge

Even when Elekta celebrated the beginning of work on its multi-million pound Cornerstone development in Crawley, they challenged students at Sussex College to build the world’s first five-handled spade – a simple, fun way to demonstrate the crucial role of Elekta’s collaboration with its partners and the community.

When it opens in 2017, Cornerstone will become the focal point for global collaborations with clinicians from world-leading cancer institutions from the UK, Europe and worldwide. It will be an international hub celebrating radiotherapy excellence; inspiring healthcare engineering ingenuity and maintaining the momentum of British innovation.

The Cornerstone building demonstrates Elekta’s ongoing commitment to Crawley and the South East and is testament to the strong links and many long-established relationships with the Sussex manufacturing community.

administration functions, which will integrate into the new premises. Manufacturing and innovation teams will collaborate to commercialize the next generation of innovations and make a difference to clinicians and patients.

The 131,000 square foot development is adjacent to, and will integrate with, Elekta’s existing facilities in the Manor Royal Business District. The Cornerstone building is being built by Kier on a five-acre site adjacent to Elekta’s existing site on Manor Royal where the first commercial linac was invented and made.

In a perfect coincidence, planning permission was granted for Cornerstone on World Cancer Day, February 4, 2015. The announcement was wonderful news for the company, Crawley, the South East and the global oncology community.

The facility will combine Elekta’s operations, research and development team, and its global product support and

Last year Minister for Life Sciences, George Freeman, visited Crawley on September 8 to officially mark the start of work on Cornerstone.

The Minister joined more than 40 national and local dignitaries, Crawley Borough Council CEO Lee Harris and Jeremy Taylor, chief executive of Gatwick Diamond Business.

Mr. Freeman’s attendance reinforced the strategic importance of Elekta and Cornerstone to the region’s manufacturing sector. For several years, Elekta had sought to create a building and lasting legacy, one worthy of the life-changing innovations that Crawley has brought to the world so far. And a legacy worthy of the multi-millions of pounds of UK manufacturing exports and contribution to the regional economy.

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25

Inspirational Leaders

august/september 2016 business edge

Looking to the future in an industry that hardly changes Amid all the talk of rapid technological advancements, some industries remain pretty much the same as they always have been, depending on skills that have not really changed over the decades.

That is certainly the case with sheet metal companies and the desire to protect longestablished traditional skills is very much what drives St Leonards on Sea company Stevens Rowsell (Precision) Ltd. Established in 1965, the company has survived the challenges posed by everything from recession to global competition to employ 21 people more than 50 years after it was founded.

For senior manager Kelly Sweetman, working in a traditional industry poses unique challenges, not least of which is ensuring that its skills are passed down from generation to generation.

Kelly arrived at the company in 2002, initially employed parttime on the accounts side of the business and gradually worked her way up to become a senior manager, in 2012.

She said: “Ever since I left school, I had been interested in finance. It is something I really enjoy but as my career developed at Stevens Rowsell, I have had to learn about all

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other aspects of the business, everything from HR to what happens on the shop-floor “A key consideration for us the realisation that we have to plan for the future. Sheet metal working does not really change, the job is done the way that it always was, and 30-40 per cent of our employees have been with us for fifteen-plus years, some much longer than that.

“They are a dying breed and much of our focus is on ensuring that their skills are not lost when they retire.

“That is why we work hard to bring in young people and we have a number of apprentices because the best way to learn the skills is on the job, by watching our skilled workers.

“Sheet metal working is a very traditional business and, for us, it is important to bring in young people to ensure that the company continues to have access to the skillsets we need in the years to come.”

The ability to produce high quality work is just one reason that the company has managed

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to survive for more than 50 years, according to Kelly, who believes that another reason the business is still trading is its commitment to customer service.

She said: “We exist in a very competitive environment with all sorts of challenges. We have endured some tough times down the years, including two deep recessions and having to make redundancies, but we have survived and that is down to our customer service.

“The common perception is that the sheet metal industry is not well known for its customer service but we go out of our way to challenge that view.

“We work hard to build up strong customer relationships with our valued customers. We do answer the phone, we do answer their enquiries and we do everything we can to build and maintain the relationship.

In a competitive business that approach is very important. “

the team at Stevens Rowsell (Precision) Ltd is acutely aware that, although its technology might not change much, the company cannot afford to stand still when it comes to filling the order book.

That is why the company, which already has customers across the UK, is continually looking to expand, including into foreign markets.

Kelly said: “We do take a strategic view of the company’s future and we have plans to expand.

“Exporting is an area that interests us and something we have been exploring and we are also looking at new sectors which use our skills and green energy is an area that is interesting us.”

For a company that has shown remarkable resilience over the past half century, the next fifty years holds plenty of promise.

And plenty of change!

With challenges including the kind of difficulties facing all UK traditional industries, including fierce competition from abroad,

tel: 01444 259 259

august/september 2016 business edge

Inspirational Leaders

Kelly Sweetman Finance Manager Stevens Rowsell (Precision) Ltd

“Sheet metal working is a very traditional business and, for us, it is important to bring in young people to ensure that the company continues to have access to the skillsets we need in the years to come Kelly Sweetman | Stevens Rowsell

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27

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Manufacturing Review 2016 – from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors LLP At the time of writing, Britain is poised to make its biggest decision in a generation as the country goes to the polls to vote on the country’s membership of the European Union. Putting the rhetoric of the past six months to one side, it has been the economy which has dominated headlines as the country prepares to go to the ballot box.

Dorrien Peters Head of Manufacturing

Rob Coleridge Associate Southampton

make use of domestic steel? Only time will tell, and it is time that many say the UK steel industry doesn’t have.

Feeding the nation – support for regional food manufacturers There has been much talk of nervousness and a malaise in the economy whilst the outcome of the referendum is awaited.

Not, it would seem, for the UK’s resilient manufacturers who appear to have carried on regardless and who, in April 2016, confounded expectations by reporting the sector’s fastest month-on-month growth since 2012. If inertia was supposed to have taken hold of the UK’s economy in the run-up to 23 June, it would appear that UK manufacturing didn’t get the memo.

Driving forward – the UK’s automotive sector The UK’s motor manufacturers, from Nissan in Sunderland to Bentley in Crewe, are enjoying a period of robust, prolonged growth. Year-on-year growth through April 2016 exceeded 15% as international demand for UK-produced cars drove the industry to its best first quarter since 2004. Good news for a sector which employs almost 80,000 people across 2,000 companies, and evidence of the “green shoots of recovery” promised for so long by the incumbent government.

Such growth may be difficult to sustain, but the sector has already demonstrated that there is a future in the UK for not only the manufacture of high-added value, premium marques such as Bentley, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar, but also for cars for the masses, with the continued success of Nissan’s operations on Wearside.

And as long as there exists a future for UK automotive manufacturing, there will also exist a huge, interwoven network of suppliers, customers and ancillary businesses built up around the sector.

Reinforcement needed – the UK’s steel sector The picture is less rosy for the UK’s steel industry. It has, in recent months, succumbed in part to the perfect storm of challenges posed by the relatively unchecked dumping of Chinese exports, costly domestic energy bills and a resilient, and at times buoyant, sterling, with job swingeing job cuts announced at SSI and

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Tata, amongst others, with over 5,000 jobs lost since October 2015.

SSI and Tata, in announcing the job losses, joined a sizeable chorus of voices from the UK manufacturing sector denouncing the perfunctory efforts of the European Union to keep UK steel producers competitive. In particular, the sector accused the European regulatory regime of failing to stem the inflow of cheap imports, particularly from China, and levelled criticism at the UK government for failing to enforce ceilings on domestic energy prices.

The political will to keep alive the UK’s steel industry appears to exist. David Cameron wants a “strong British steel industry”, and Sajid Javid has repeatedly extolled the virtues of steelmaking in the UK for a number of reasons, ranging from the preservation of skills to the security of the nation, calling the UK steel industry “absolutely vital for the country”. The perception amongst the UK’s manufacturers is that lip service is being paid to securing the future of steelmaking in this country whilst little, if any, action is being taken to confront the challenges that threaten its existence.

Manufacturers argue that the EU’s tariffs on Chinese steel are trivial, especially compared to those imposed by the USA and commercial energy prices are forecast to rise unabated whilst massive UKbased infrastructure projects such as the construction of Hinckley C continue to be tendered out to foreign-based steelmakers.

Quite what the government is doing to alleviate the pressure on the steel industry remains to be seen.

There are easy wins for the UK’s government in its commissioning of major infrastructure projects. It already points to the example of Crossrail, where almost all of the steel was produced in the UK, as evidence of its willingness to put its money where its mouth is. Other opportunities abound for the government; will the £563 million redevelopment of Bank station, construction of the Thames super-sewer or work to electrify cross-country rail routes

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The last 12 months have seen a major change to the relationships between food manufactures and the major retailers who sell so much of Britain’s food, much of which is grown and produced in Sussex and the South. The report on Tesco publicised by the Grocery Code Adjudicator, and the Code itself (GSCOP), has meant that food manufacturers now have a far more level playing field when it comes to getting their product into our supermarkets. This is a welcome development, particularly for smaller regional suppliers who don’t have the market power of the global brands The retail market is still changing due to innovation and new entrants into the retail market, and those challenges, particularly on price, are being pushed down on to suppliers of every size. However, the food sector is growing and now, with the protection of GSCOP in place, successful regional producers really can make the most of their excellent products, innovate and grow their businesses.

Into the unknown – the consequences of Brexit Britain celebrated its 40th anniversary of membership of the European Union by announcing a referendum to decide on whether to remain a part of the organisation. What has followed from both sides has been baseless prophecies about how a post-Brexit Britain might look however the vote to leave is unprecedented and its consequences largely unknown, or assumed.

Competitiveness might be affected. It has been argued, for instance, that a stronger pound may follow a vote to remain, further hampering the UK’s efforts to remain competitive on an international stage. A vote to leave, meanwhile, might leave the UK kicking at the door of a market of over 500 million people, unable to benefit from the competitiveness afforded to it by a weaker pound.

Uncertainty abounds, or at least it did at the time of writing. As you read this, you may be right to have wondered what all the fuss was about, whichever way the county voted.

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

The Software Age

Ed Liversidge, Director of embedded software specialist Harmonic Software Systems, muses on the future of software.

Ed Liversidge Director of Harmonic Software Systems

Software is the life blood of the future.

The Internet of Things, self-driving cars, smart cities, virtual reality and everyday robotics are all on the horizon. Far in the distance you might think, but developments in technology are happening at an unprecedented rate. It would be wise to imagine how the demands for your products and services will be affected.

Manufacturers should start to consider the benefits and risks of connecting up their previously dumb widgets to the cloud.

For instance, would an air conditioning system benefit from knowing the weather, the cost of electricity or if the windows were open in the office? Could wireless sensors be added to a factory to monitor temperature, fluid levels, or power consumption?

Throw in Blockchain technology, the secure ledger that drives the Bitcoin crypto currency, and it becomes possible for a device to negotiate and pay for resources

as and when it needs it. Imagine your empty fridge buying in fresh veg from the supermarket, which then is automatically delivered by a driverless truck!

The risks in all this are of course huge.

This far-fetched vision will be driven by millions of lines of computer code, with

mind-boggling levels of complexity. Simple mistakes could lead to expensive or even catastrophic consequences. Pile on the need for security – Imagine a hacker diverting your fresh veg into the local tip – and we have a lot to think about!

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29

feature: manufacturing

august/september 2016 business edge

20 years of engineering consultancy at the forefront of the industry Tim Collyer FEA Consultant

British innovation in engineering leads the world, and leadership in the sector is impossible without the technological tools to make it happen. Finite element analysis, or FEA, has been described as the ‘beating heart’ of the design process and Tim Collyer of Sussex FEA specialist, Best Solution Consultancy, is now celebrating 20 years of engineering consultancy at the forefront of the industry.

As a leading authority on magnetic design, Best Solution is now acknowledged as the ‘turn-to’ FEA resource with world-class experience in magnetic field modeling as well as stress, thermal, vibration and dynamic systems. Power industry applications are recently in demand with a focus on the ongoing upgrading of the grid for present and future microgeneration.

Best Solution offers support during the design process; prototyping and short run production as well as the production of special test equipment. All client projects are run by engineers with a deep understanding of the engineering context for analysis work. They see beyond the latest multi-faceted FEA software into the engineering ‘DNA’ of the project, providing an invaluable ‘real time’ engineering resource. This saves clients critical design time by helping them identify and solve problems in a virtual prototyping environment.

projects. So for user- friendly engineering support contact Best Solution on 01483 200993 or visit www.best-solution.co.uk

For Sussex chamber members, Best Solution is offering a free day’s consultancy until end of August for FEA or other

Offering insight in the search for efficiency Derek Burton Managing Director

In a competitive market place like the world of Engineering, manufacturing and public transport every little advantage matters to gain an edge over the competition and remain safe – which is why you need to contact Longsight UK. Based in Eastbourne and employing specialists, the company is an expert in helping businesses of all sizes to operate

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their management systems as effectively as possible as well as obtaining the necessary certification such as ISO9001 and ISO14001.

an insight into how they can improve their processes allowing them to link business objectives with resource utilisation.

Run by Managing Director Derek Burton, the company works with everyone from major transport operators like EuroStar, Heathrow Airport Express and key manufacturers including Bombardier, to small businesses involved in safety critical Engineering and manufacturing services.

“Our team is highly experienced in the rail transport and manufacturing sectors and can bring new ways of thinking that help businesses to become more efficient.

Longsight UK, which has built up a strong client base largely through recommendation from satisfied clients since being created in 2005, specialises in developing management structures and processes in the search for increased efficiencies.

Derek said: “We are not just about helping them obtain the necessary certification. We take a look at the entire business

“Our approach does not just help large companies. It can make a major difference to small businesses as well.”

Longsight works across the UK and understands inter-European business cultural differences.

To contact Longsight to see how we could help your company please feel free to call us directly on 01323 423033 or drop us a line at info@longsightuk.com

“We provide our clients with the process structure that they need to improve the way they work. We take them from ‘management by anecdote’ to ‘management by data’, providing guidance that gives them

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

august/september 2016 business edge

feature: manufacturing

Manufacturing is dead – long live manufacturing!

Gordon Westcott Manager - Development Division, Knighthood Corporate Assurance Services

With recent turmoil in the British steel industry anyone would be forgiven for thinking that this is another nail in the coffin of British manufacturing.

In fact, depending upon which reports you choose, the UK remains a globally important manufacturing nation standing between 7th and 11th in the world for manufacturing output.

At the time of writing this article the outcome of the referendum is unknown, but should it transpire to be ‘leave’ manufacturers will no doubt be gearing up for the inevitable changes ahead, and if past resilience is anything to go by will rise robustly to the challenge.

Many of the threats faced by manufacturers are largely beyond their control such as oil prices, exchange rates and international standards, but there are some that can be even more disastrous for an individual company.

The Association of British Insurers recently published a report saying that of all companies suffering a major loss only 27% were still trading 2 years later. There may be many reasons why this happens, but the most likely is that their insurances failed to respond adequately and illustrates how important it is to seek top quality advice from an independent expert such as an insurance broker.

At its best insurance is an easy and effective mechanism of transferring risk to an Insurance company for a sum of money known as the premium. Most businesses will be aware of the main covers available such as fire, flood, storm and theft to name but a few, but many manufacturing industries remain unprotected against the potentially devastating effects of having to undertake a product recall.

The most high profile company that has issued a safety recall recently is Fiat Chrysler involving 1.4 million vehicles, and they joined a growing number of car manufacturers. The problem is not only limited to vehicles but also extends to kitchen appliances, food stuffs (including cat food!), toys, children’s car seats, mirrors and even selfie sticks!

Product Recall insurance is not included automatically within Products Liability insurance – it needs to be a specifically requested extension or, in some cases, a completely separate stand alone policy which might also include product guarantee cover.

There are plenty of case studies readily available that illustrate the potential problems that can be caused by a product and these include:

n Light-up earrings needing to be recalled from consumers as battery acid could leak from the product posing a burn hazard to end users.

n Children’s books have been recalled as the products may be contaminated with mould.

n Beanbag chairs have been recalled as they pose a risk of suffocation. Two deaths have been reported concerning children unzipping the product and crawling inside, and then getting trapped and choking or suffocating on the product’s foam beads.

n Children’s themed water bottles have been recalled as the paint can contain excessive levels of lead which pose a chemical risk.

The cost of the product recall for these companies is not known but would undoubtedly pose an unexpected financial threat to any manufacturing business and you would be well advised to review your insurances to ensure your protection is sufficient for your needs.

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31

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Forecasting…numbers can give you such an insight Louise Lane of Hillingar explains how data analysis and sales forecasting definitely saves money and can help to reduce stock by 30%!

Louise Lane Hillingar

Stock “performance” is the critical element for a smooth growth. One way of reducing costs is making sure that you have the right stock at the right time. If you have too little stock too late, you can face missed sales, losing customers, lost sales opportunities, additional buying expenses (by airfreighting goods) and extra administration. This is equal to more costs and less income.

Forecasts can be created and maintained in Excel If you would like to try your hand at predicting the future have a look at “Excel Sales Forecasting for Dummies” by Conrad Carlberg.

You can also analyse what is going on in your Business:

1) Cash Saved – if you have a 10% gross margin, every £10,000 saved is the same as increasing sales by £100,000

Cost of stock outs in terms of redelivery, labour and paperwork, yet alone annoyed Customers is often significantly underestimated and wrongly accepted as a cost of Business. If you can analyse the trends of why these are occurring ….wrong quantities, delayed deliveries, uncoordinated marketing activity etc. you will be able to prevent these issues happening in the future. The cost, time and administration for double picking an order can be at least £25.

Not being able to ship full orders just 20 times a week would cost £25,000 a year.

2) Cash Flow – holding stock costs between 15%-35% of the value of stock. For a £100,000 purchase of stock that is “not needed”, it costs an additional £15,000£35,000 to hold it.

Do you have “dusty” stock that has not moved in months? Why is it there? Is it increasing? Are you making/purchasing in wrong batch sizes? Balance the unit price versus the purchase/production volume

If you have too much stock too early, you will have cash tied up in stock, possible obsolete stock and shelf life issues, excess stocks, additional storage costs and extra administration. This is equal to reduced cash flow and wasted money.

What does this all mean?

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You can improve your stock situation with sales forecasting. A sales forecast is a determination of the future based on the past. It is an estimate and not a fact but can help to better plan your future.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

taking into account the cost of storage and insurance etc. Look at what the trend is for the future rather than just remembering what has happened in the past.

As product ranges grow, the risks increase as you can no longer know what is really happening with every single part. You know what the best and worst items are but what’s really happening in the middle?

Where do you focus your attention? What do you invest in and what do you let go?

It is also essential to have some collaboration across the Business with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Purchasing, Production and Senior Management. Sales people know what is happening out in the market place and Marketing are dealing with new products and promotions. Finance are dealing with the budgets and Purchasing and Production need to make sure they are working within these limits. By discussing the results you have found during your analysis you will make more informed, intelligent decisions about purchasing and/ or production and significant savings will be made.

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Persistence pays off for company In 2010, Bola Lafe, Managing Director at Opus Innovations, was at a trade show in Japan and discovered a company who were launching a natural ‘water-like’ sanitiser that was ultra-safe and totally eco/human friendly.

Bola Lafe Managing Director, Opus Innovations

He was amazed at the revolutionary technology behind the product and approached the Japanese manufacturer to enquire about distribution in the UK. Following months of talks and negotiations, he finally secured exclusive distribution rights for the whole of Europe, the USA and Canada.

All was going well and to plan until, in March 2011, the Japanese Tsunami struck and crippled a large part of Japan, but more problematic and of great concern to Opus was the fact that there was a lot of radiation fallout affecting Japan.

As a result of this, importing ‘water’ from Japan with fears of radiation contamination was not an option for Opus any more due to consumer perception.

As Bola believed in the product so much, the only other option that he considered worth exploring was to set up a production plant and manufacture the product.

He discussed his proposal with the Japanese manufacturer, who were reluctant at first, but then understood why Opus needed to adopt a different strategy.

Six months later, they had developed a UK brand for the product, sourced packaging (bottles, closures, labels, boxes) and partnered with various consultants to assist with brand strategy and design, regulatory approvals and logistics.

In addition, they had to source premises, procure equipment from Japan and fly the Japanese engineers over to build and commission the plant.

It has certainly been a journey of discovery with lots of challenges, but it has been a journey that has been very worthwhile from a number of different perspectives.

Opus Innovations was set up by Bola Lafe in 2011 in the Manor Royal, Crawley, to manufacture innovative products in the infant care and personal care sectors.

sell in 15 countries and have secured listings with major retailers in the UK, including Boots, Toys R Us, and Ocado.

Its products aim to provide innovative solutions to everyday problems. At present, its main focus is on the manufacture and sale of an innovative and revolutionary 100% natural sanitising water that kills 99.9% of bacteria in seconds, which they currently

The export business currently represents approximately 70% of annual turnover, and they expect this to increase to over 80% within the next 18 months. Opus won the 2014 Gatwick Diamond ‘New Business of the Year’ award.

Technology attracts funding Lamina Dielectrics subsidiary Capillary Film Technology Ltd (CFT) has received £1.1 million in NHS funding for innovative cardiovascular diagnostics capillary technology. is currently being tested by researchers at Loughborough University and the University of Reading. This research is being led by CFT’s co-founders Dr Nuno Reis and Dr Alexander Edwards.

A low-cost microfluidic fluoropolymer capillary film that possesses unique fluidic and optical properties to facilitate rapid, quantitative, multiplexed immunoassays for life sciences and clinical diagnostic applications, has been featured on the BBC’s technology programme “Click”.

The ‘Click’ programme on 7th May demonstrated the unique fluid and optical properties of CFT’s microfluidic fluoropolymer film that make it ideal for rapid biomarker measurements and accurate diagnostics.

CFT co-founder, Dr Nuno Reis explained in the programme, “Access to sensitive ‘point of care’ technology could make a big difference to the diagnosis of heart problems, cutting the time and number

Dr Paul J Heaney, CEO of CFT, also notes that the company was a recipient of a £1.1M NHS sponsored SBRI programme to develop a desk-top version of the instrument for use in Accident & Emergency Departments. of patients who need to be admitted to hospital.”

The device featured in the programme is used in conjunction with a smart phone camera to detect irregularities in blood samples, even at low levels, and

The instrument, called PICA-Cardiac is now in pre-production prototyping and subject to meeting IVD and CE regulatory approval could be available in NHS hospitals for testing patients with suspected heart attacks as early as the summer of 2017.

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33

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Golf Day raises £2,400 for St Barnabas House A glorious day of golf has raised £2,400 for St Barnabas House hospice.

The event at Hill Barn Golf Course in Worthing on the 10th June was hosted jointly by Computer & Network Consultants (CNC) and Worthing-based solicitors, Bennett Griffin.

Many of their customers and business partners joined them to raise much-needed funds for a hospice which has cared for thousands of people since it first opened in 1973.

There was a golfing competition using Stableford scoring, awarding points according to the number of strokes taken at each hole. There were also prizes for a number of other feats including the longest and straightest drives and the best golfing effort at the Charity Challenge Hole.

Bigger total Generous support St Barnabas House’s Community Fundraising Manager, Wendy Bardsley commented: “St Barnabas is truly overwhelmed by the generous support of CNC, Bennett Griffin and all their guests.

“We’ve been providing hospice care for over 40 years and we can only help our patients and their families with the kindness and generosity of the community who pay for three out of every four patients we care for. Over the years we have helped more than 38,000 patients so this type of fundraising is very important to us.

A big thank you from all of us at St Barnabas.”

Gary Jowett from CNC said: “It was a lovely sunny day for golf and the barbecue afterwards. We’d like to thank everyone who joined us to help support such a worthy cause. It’s our second charity golf day. Last year we raised £1,600 for the hospice, so let’s hope we can raise an even bigger total next year.”

St Barnabas (www.stbarnabas-hospice.org.uk) provides specialist palliative care services to adults with advanced progressive life-limiting illnesses within the hospice and in the comfort of patients’ own homes throughout Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield.

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW IT DEPARTMENT. The benefits of outsourced IT You gain access to a whole team of highly skilled people that are always available, and right up to date with all the latest technology, knowledge and trends. Alongside online monitoring and management tools, we can provide 24x7 cover with regular strategy meeetings.

We would love to talk to you and offer a complementary systems check-up with no obligations to use our services.

— 01273 386 333 — sales@cnc-ltd.co.uk — www.cnc-ltd.co.uk

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

GCL deliver integrated electrical and smart systems within the construction, commercial or property management sectors. Intelligent buildings are a result of innovative advancements in smart building technology. These buildings create a safer and more productive environment for their occupants and are more operationally efficient for their owners.

At GCL Building Technologies, sustainability is at the forefront of our agenda. GCLÙs proven experience and commitment mean that your business or property will be well equipped to meet the technological advancements of today and the future.

We have built our reputation on our innovative and client-centred expertise. We help to keep things simple for you, providing a complete solution to your smart building intra-structure needs.

Our dedication to the quality assurance of all of our products and investment in training will ensure the seamless installation of your system.

GCL can provide you with: n Initial designs or migration of an existing system

n Advice to bring all of your devices into a central, easy to use intra-structure

Benefits to your business: n Reduction in capital investment, support costs and ongoing maintenance costs

n We help you meet your environmental responsibilities GCL have a diverse range of cabling and electrical capabilities for any given environment. From construction or refurbishments, to populated offices, our expert team is committed to a flexible and professional delivery of your cabling and electrical requirements.

If you are looking for well informed, impartial advice from a modern, forward-thinking firm then please call our expert team today on 0845 6000 919.* GCL Building Technologies PO Box 93, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN5 7ZR Tel: 0845 6000 919 * * Calls cost a max of 7p per min, plus your standard access charge

sales@gcl.uk.com g www.gcl.uk.com

feature: business support

august/september 2016 business edge

Cracking the Consistency Code Everyone wants to know what the magic word or spell is to make your business a success. The honest answer is actually all about you and your commitment (and sometimes just a little bit of luck). However, there is one golden (and simple) rule any business owner can use that will help drive their company to succeed, and might just bring some luck with it.

The rule I like to call Consistency.

What I mean by consistency is really very simple. You don’t have to be the best at something or provide a more premium, super-duper service compared to your competition. What you need to ensure is your service and your employees are always reliable and constantly delivering the same level of service, every single time, for every single client.

Look at it this way, we don’t go to Pizza Express because we know we are going to get the most authentic pizza outside of Italy, we go because it’s convenient, reliable, and we know exactly what we are going to get.

It’s this same thought process that you want your business to be known for. You want it to be seen as the Pizza Express of your industry – the reliable, knowledgeable, go-to and really delicious service. OK so maybe “delicious” doesn’t apply in your industry, but for the sake of your business’ success and maximising profits – and your own sanity – being able to get consistent, predictable, reliable results from each and every one of your employees is a must.

Achieving consistency doesn’t take much but it does mean you have to be honest

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with yourself. You might have a sales team that seems to be getting some serious successes, but if you look closer, are these successes down to a couple of members of the team outshining the rest? Sure, you might be getting the results but will your prospects get the same quality and attention to detail regardless of who picks up the phone?

Imagine the seamless and wonderful opportunities available to you if everyone was singing from the same sales sheet.

Sounds like the dream doesn’t it? But it doesn’t take much for it to be a reality.

Control Your Wild Horses Just like the wild horses on the Great Plains, your sales team can be tamed, and this is all down to discipline. If you feel motivation is dipping in your team, the discipline card always comes in handy. This isn’t about punishment, this is about addressing any negatives before they becoming problems.

You’re all trying to meet a certain standard, so if you feeling this is slipping away, reassure the team, boost morale, and make sure any issues are dealt with quickly.

May The Focus Be With You Make sure you staff remain on track every step of the way, don’t let them visit the dark side, and become distracted from not only the task at hand, but the overall goal of the business. That goes for you too. Remember the 20/80 rule, 20% of your tasks are responsible for 80% of your success. So that 20% is your golden ticket, if you struggle with consistency across your entire business, at least make sure that small percentage runs like a well-oiled machine.

When it comes to business we all want more results, more profit and more happy clients. I think the key to achieving this is consistency. It will create the reputation and identity you want, while also leading to some exciting and outstanding successes for you, your company, and your team.

If you have any questions about how OpenCRM can help you achieve consistency heaven, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. Find us at www.opencrm.co.uk or drop us a line at hello@opencrm.co.uk

A Watched Clock Never Moves Don’t forget that, for all the truth in the old adage that “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” that doesn’t mean the people building it weren’t pushing themselves to the breaking point. So have some patience with your team, appreciate what they are doing. and work out how you can make life easier for them. It might be delegating more work or helping them with their organisational skills.

Just have a little patience, set a time frame, and you’ll reap the rewards sooner than you think.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems

feature: business support

august/september 2016 business edge

Does PR work for you?

Please answer the following: Has PR been useful to your organisation?

Yes

No

When was the last time you undertook any PR?

Some companies embrace social media as a means to raising their profile; some prefer a more traditional approach with an emphasis on local papers to build relationships with customers and some leave it to chance! How do you do your PR?

At jag press & publicity, we like to know what is working for SMEs and charities with regard to their PR and this is where you can help us to help you.

For a chance to receive a free 30 minute consultation, please email your answers to the questions opposite about your PR activity. We will select a respondent at random to advise on their current PR plans, via a telephone or Skype call, without obligation.

Within the last year?

6 months?

Last month?

Was it part of a plan or campaign or a one-off?

Plan

One-off

Do you have a Communication Strategy in place?

Yes

No

Don’t need one

Send your answers to: info@jagpresspublicity.co.uk by 31 August to be included in our draw.

For all your PR needs

www.jagpresspublicity.co.uk

contact 01403 793 836

Twitter: @jagpr

or email ann@jagpresspublicity.co.uk

Facebook: jagpresspr

UK SMEs will be out of business in 5 years if they don’t adapt Only 2% of UK SMEs have adapted to meet digital demands. Online sales is the biggest focus area among SMEs to boost growth. Businesses that embrace data analytics are twice as profitable.

Well over a third (38%) of UK small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) believe that if they don’t adapt their business models they will go out of business in five years. However, only a mere 2% have done something about it. These are the findings of the 2016 ‘SME Barometer Research’ commissioned by Exact, which is an annual survey looking at technology adoption among 2,500 SMEs across Europe and the USA. One of the key highlights of the research was that two thirds (64%) of all UK SMEs face competition from new digital players in their space. Yet, surprisingly, only 6% are investing in new technology to keep up with this digitalisation movement and retain market share.

The findings come at a time when SMEs across all seven countries surveyed (UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and the USA) are planning for growth: 73% of UK SMEs have said they are planning to grow.

Interestingly, France had particularly high growth plans with 90% of businesses stating their ambitions.

Gavin Fell, General Manager of Exact Cloud Solutions UK, said, “It’s great to see that there’s such a positive outlook among SMEs, but it’s clear that in order to deliver on those ambitions businesses need to adapt to the times. Digitalisation is going to be key to ensuring you are not only efficient, but remain competitive in today’s highly challenging environment.”

The research revealed that while only 2% of British SME leaders have already taken action to align their businesses with market developments, a further 56% are now exploring new business models, something that is shared with their European and USA counterparts.

In terms of tech adoption, the momentum behind embracing cloud technologies appears to be gathering pace in the UK with 58% now using one or more cloud tools, up from 47% in the same survey last year. This remains a priority from last year’s study (63%) with 65% believing that technological changes are going to have a strong impact on the competitive landscape in the UK in the next three years.

Other tools that are proving popular among SMEs include data analytics and reporting.

Over a third (34%) of professionals surveyed said they could get a complete overview of company performance with a single push of a button. This increased availability of information is driving profit growth, with data-led businesses reporting an average profit margin of 21% last financial year, in comparison to 9% for businesses reporting limited use of data.

Some of the primary focus areas are investing in new technologies and talent. In the UK, SMEs are looking to online sales (30%), partnerships and channel sales (26%) and hiring talent (27%) to boost their businesses. The USA is placing greatest faith in online sales (39%) while Germany is throwing its weight behind new partnership agreements (31%).

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37

feature: events

august/september 2016 business edge

Making the right decisions Whether you are booking a conference or a Christmas event, you need to know the answers to some pretty important questions when it comes to selecting a venue.

So how do you get it right? Well, it’s all down to first impressions - do you like the décor, does it look like it can generate a good atmosphere, are the staff friendly?

It is crucial to select venues that make as many people as possible feel welcome.

Older staff members might not appreciate a busy pub, younger ones might not want a restaurant whose clientele are normally on the older side. It’s worth putting a bit of thought into making a choice that strikes the right balance.

Choosing the right menu is important as well. People like choice so even though most guests will go for the traditional Christmas meal, it’s a good idea to make sure there is an alternative - and definitely a vegetarian option.

Similar considerations apply when booking a conference. Again, the key to making such events a success is spending a little time choosing the right venue and making sure that you get the right support from its staff.

When assessing the venue you are looking at a number of important factors. Can the

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feature: events

august/september 2016 business edge

SEA LIFE Brighton has opened its doors to corporate events!

As the world’s oldest operating aquarium, with all of its original Victorian architecture from 1872, SEA LIFE Brighton has opened its doors as an ideal venue for truly bespoke and unique events.

It has been open for more than 140 years attracting visitors who admire its 3,500 underwater creatures including sharks, turtles, seahorses, rays and even an anaconda!

A stalwart of Brighton & Hove’s business community, SEA LIFE Brighton was once again named ‘The Best Place to Visit’ at the 2015 Brighton and Hove Business Awards, testament to its enduring charm and appeal.

most unusual venues in the City, it is one that everyone loves to come back to time and time again. The best bit is that there is always something new to see - a new creature or a whole new exhibition.”

SEA LIFE Brighton pride themselves on their ability to organise truly memorable events - from lectures read from the Glass Bottom Boat to drinks receptions in the arcade - they can cater for all. The aquarium has previously been booked for corporate networking events, private parties, comedy nights, cocktail parties, seminars and lectures, quiz nights and many more.

Exclusive hire of the venue offers access to the entire aquarium and events can be booked from 5pm until midnight, or later should the need arise. For more information please visit our website

www.sealife.co.uk/brighton

Chair of Brighton and Hove Tourism Alliance, Soozie Campbell, commented: “Not only is SEA LIFE Brighton one of the

We need you!

Who we are Martlets is a charity that cares for people living through a terminal illness in and around Brighton and Hove.

We’re much more than a hospice and we’re working to change perceptions of hospice care.

Our hospice in Hove is a place where patients and their families can use our therapeutic services, drop-in clinics, visit our in-patient unit or just sit and have a coffee in our café.

Our care is only free thanks to the generosity of local people; every donation will help us change lives.

Martlets Hospice, Wayfield Avenue Hove, BN3 7LW www.themartlets.org.uk MartletsHospice

martletshospice

“We provide exceptional hospice care”

You’re the people who make our work possible. You’re the people who have fun while doing so!

Let us entertain you Sept 8th - Martlets Golf Day Dyke Road Golf Club, Brighton Contact Roger Clifton Moore roger.cliftonmoore@gmail.com

“W cha e n live ge s”

Sept 10th - The Cubitt and West Comedy Gala The Grand, Brighton.

Book via John O’Neill, 01273 820600 western.road@cubittandwest.co.uk Sept 14th - Cricket meets Rotary and Martlets Sussex County Cricket Club Hove Contact antonia.shepherd@martlets.org.uk

ch mu n e r ’ e ha “W ore t ice” m osp ah

Oct 29th - The IEP Halloween Ball The Grand, Brighton.

To book nicky.david@martlets.org.uk Fancy a challenge?

21st August - SaltwaterSplash 3rd September - Nuts Challenge & many more for more information call fundraising 01273 718780

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29/06/2016 15:20

39

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

Without a travel agent you are out there on your own Francesca Barone, owner of FB Travel Limited writes about the travel industry Francesca Barone Director

Travel is a passionate affair the vast majority of people have with our world. How they choose to explore the endless corners of the globe of course comes down to personal choices. Be it the more adventurous back-packing variety or the ultra-luxuriousno-expense-spared-don’t-want-to-doanything-myself style of travel, or anywhere in-between, there are absolutely no shortage of exciting and life-enhancing choices to be considered.

Whilst there is no shortage of technology at everyone’s fingertips in the form of the fathomless WWW it’s often the case that DIY-ing trips can be a false economy (and in some cases not offer any savings anyway).

If you don’t secure your travel arrangements through a fully bonded/licenced Travel Agent (or Tour Operator) you have zero protection. Simply ask yourself, if you own your own car and/or property for example, would you possess either of these without the protection of insurance? The potential

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financial hit you could experience in the event of any failure/delays/unprecedented natural disaster etcetera, can vary immensely dependant upon the outlay of any particular trip. Over and above using a bonded Travel Agent in order to maximise your peace-of-mind you also need to ensure you have adequate personal travel insurance to cover your outlay. Hopefully you agree – protection is paramount.

Dependant upon the ‘specifications’ of any particular trip, this will dictate how much research is necessary and what you equate the ‘value’ of that is, should this take you away from other matters in importance – work, significant other, family-life, other pursuits. The ground work that’s necessary in putting a trip together can take literally hours sometimes and this is something that the vast majority of travel agents will do without charging. Having said that, some companies do indeed charge for their time and offer to reimburse same if you decide to book with them. This is a way of preventing potentially interested parties ‘taking advantage’ of the research undertaken and then passing to a competitor (for example), to shave a bit off the price and nab the booking. It’s a cut-throat industry, and this sort of behaviour pattern is, sadly, commonplace.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Travel is a very fickle industry and you should keep the rules in mind. What might they be? Well – it’s simple, the rules are really that there are no rules. Airlines/hotels/ travel-related suppliers have carte-blanche to change their prices as and when they see fit.

Knowing where the best place to source each element of travel is – be it for Business or Leisure, is the key. Why would you drive yourself crazy trying to work all that out when you can simply connect with a trusted Agent who will do it for you? We all have our chosen careers and the right thing to do surely, is to turn to whichever specialist we need for any particular task in hand.

As experts in their field FB Travel Ltd will offer you, from the point of initial contact through to post sale and beyond, a courteous, professional, impartial and informed service. The company’s ethos is that of providing an exemplary customerservice experience and there are many testimonials supporting that statement.

Without a Travel Agent you are out there on your own…

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

august/september 2016 business edge

AM&M ‘Olympics’ targets £30k for 30 years in business Burgess Hill direct mailing company AM&M are going for gold this summer with a crazy charity version of ‘Office Olympics’.

As part of a year-long birthday bid to raise £1,000 for each of the 30 years they’ve been trading, staff are inviting fellow businesses to take part in a bonkers It’s A Knockout!-style event with a sticky end for the losers.

Among the featured races are tug of war in which the vanquished end up in a pool of jelly; melon shot putting; a cheeky fourpin bowling tournament featuring lady’s underwear; and an obstacle course in fancy dress.

“You need to leave your dignity at the door,” admitted organiser and the company’s general manager Alix Bell. “But it’s all in a fantastic cause and we aim to have a lot of fun.”

Alix is one of 29 staff who have pledged to go beyond the call of duty at AM&M to help raise the mammoth £30k for four Sussexbased charities: RockingHorse Appeal, Group B Strep Support (GBSS), St Peter and St James Hospice; and the Sussex Wildlife

Trust. Staff will nominate her for a 30k run, an abseil or triathlon later this year. Others are taking part in a sky dive and sponsored silence.

“The key thing is to raise awareness of smaller charities, who often lose out in the funding rounds, but make a big difference to people’s lives locally,” said Alix.

Twenty-four teams of six are needed to take part in the AM&M Olympics on Thursday 28 July. Entry costs £20 per competitor and teams compete in 10 events. Gates open at 3pm at St Paul’s Catholic College, Burgess Hill, with the first race getting underway at 4pm.

A BBQ, treasure hunt, kids’ stall and bouncy castle for the children are all part of the fun.

Apprenticeship Reforms The Apprenticeship Reforms are a government led initiative to improve the UK’s productivity. The introduction of an Employer Levy in April 2017 will affect all UK employers with a wage bill in excess of £3m. The levy will be set at a rate of 0.5% of a company’s wage bill with an annual ‘off-set’ allowance of £15,000. The tax will be collected by HMRC through the PAYE system and placed in a new digital account, and can only be used for apprenticeship training.

For the 98% of businesses that reportedly fall below this level of wage bill, the government has announced an intention to co-fund apprenticeship training for this group.

As a training provider, JACE supports the government’s initiative and is committed to help businesses grow through the up-skilling of its employees. It is proven that training of staff improves productivity levels and helps in staff retention, creating a sense of worth and belonging.

Contact JACE Training by emailing AskUs@jace-training.co.uk or telephone 0345 241 7738

“It’ll be bonkers,” said Alix. “And I can’t wait!”

Tin can hospitality and barware range available at www.promocan.co.uk

Promocan Ltd Tel: 0845 612 0654 Email: enquiries@promocan.co.uk

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

41

diary

august/september 2016 business edge

New essential employment training Nicole Humphreys Employment Solicitor, Acumen Business Law

As part of the successful Employer’s Forum, ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW’s Employment Department will be offering a series of exciting new workshop training sessions.

The workshops are designed to help, delegates who are responsible for managing employees, get to grip with important employment legislation and give them a good working knowledge of how to tackle often tricky employment situations. The course sessions will be made up of five, three hour sessions which will be held monthly. The sessions will be informal, interactive and give delegates an opportunity to share experiences with fellow delegates on various employment situations.

It’s a great way to make valuable contacts whilst gaining invaluable knowledge.

The course will be delivered by Nicole Humphreys, Head of Employment Law at ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW. In a bold move in the legal industry, ACUMEN scrapped the hourly rate system operating a fixed

fee-pricing model for all non contentious matters and broke away from the aloof culture that is so associated with the profession by their experts being truly approachable, accessible and unpretentious.

Nicole is an Employment Solicitor specialising in all areas of employment law and working with both employers and employees. She works to maximise the potential of your employees and create an effective working environment.

Having worked with all sizes of businesses at all levels, Nicole has the expertise and knowledge of a wide variety of sector industries enabling her to provide relevant advice and guidance.

Each of these sessions will be interactive and draw on the participant’s experiences making it relevant and specific to real issues faced in business. It will also provide an opportunity to draw from the experiences of other businesses.

The course will focus on the following areas: Unfair Dismissal Unfair dismissal is one of the most common complaints raised by employees. This session will explain the concept of unfair dismissal, its legal basis and how it affects and is applied to workplace disputes and how to minimise the risks of a claim of unfair dismissal.

employees who are off sick leaving issues unmanaged and costly to the business.

Social Media and Employment Law Most businesses wish to exploit the benefits of social media and use their employees as tools to develop their business via social media. However, social media comes with its own issues and there has been much case law in recent years concerning disputes between employers and employees and the inappropriate or excessive use of social media.

Discrimination Discrimination laws in the UK are complicated and wide ranging, not least because there are 9 protected characteristics covered under the laws (for example, sex, race, age).

Family friendly rights and obligations New parental leave laws were introduced in 2015 which changed the ways in which the family friendly employment rights apply to your staff. This added to the raft of existing family friendly rights makes this area of employment law an unknown quantity to many employers.

To book your place call us on

01444 259259

Managing absence Absence from work is one of the biggest employment expenses facing employers and many managers are reluctant to deal with

A telesales masterclass Anthony Stears The Telephone Assassin

Call Structures – Objectives and techniques

Perfecting your Pitch – Preparation and the importance of Profiling Self-motivation – For telemarketers and home-workers

This workshop will be led by Anthony Stears aka “The Telephone Assassin”.

Anthony will show you how to generate great leads over the phone with ease, and will cure any feeling of “phone phobia”.

Everyone is given special attention throughout the afternoon to ensure each participant makes a significant breakthrough when it comes to making calls. It will be an interactive afternoon of learning and experience but be prepared to laugh at yourself and accept some of your demons. The topics being covered will include,

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Building rapport over the phone –

don’t leave feeling more confident when you pick up the phone you can have your money back, no questions asked.

Interactive group session – A light lunch will be provided along with a take away pack of the day’s material PLUS an invitation to join a live follow up webinar.

Standing out and being remembered

Tuesday 20th September, 12.00 17:00pm

CRM explained – 3 FREE systems you can start using right away

Member Price: £90.00

The “art” to a perfect follow up call – Building a pipeline and qualifying your leads

Full money back guarantee - Anthony is so confident that you will walk away with a whole new attitude towards making new-business calls, that if you

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Non Member Price: £ 135.00

Venue: The Kings Church Burgess Hill RH15 9LR To book your place call us on

01444 259259

tel: 01444 259 259

events

august/september 2016 business edge

Events August 3rd

Speed Networking & Lunch with Worthing & Adur, Chichester, Bognor and Billingshurst Chambers

Hilton Avisford Park Hotel, Arundel

12:00 - 14:30

4th

Wine Trade in the Global Market

Bolney Wine Estate, Bolney

16:00 - 19:30

11th

Business Networking Breakfast

Stanmer House, Brighton

08:00 - 10:30

23rd

Business Networking Lunch

Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester

12:00 - 14:30

1

September 6th

Business Networking Breakfast

The Chatsworth Hotel, Worthing

08:00 - 10:30

9th

Cricket & Lunch

Arundel Castle Cricket Ground, Arundel

12:00 - 18:00

20th

A Telemarketing Masterclass

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

12:00 - 17:00

21st

Creating a Rewarding Culture - Business Seminar

Jury’s Inn Brighton Waterfront Hotel, Brighton

12:00 - 18:00

22nd

Member’s Summer BBQ

Mid Sussex Golf Club, Ditchling

16:00 - 19:00

October 4th

Business Networking Breakfast & AGM

Wakehurst, Haywards Heath

9.00 – 11.00

7th

Food and Beverage Forum

The Weald Smokery & The Kiln Room, Flimwell

12.00 – 2.30

19th

Business Networking Lunch

Leeford Place, Battle

12.00 – 2.30

with thanks to our sponsors 1

Training August 17th

Introduction to Supervision & Team Leadership

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

09:30 - 16:30

September 6th

Modern Consultative Selling

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

09:30 - 16:30

20th

A Telemarketing Masterclass

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

09:30 - 16:30

26th

An Introduction to Export Procedures

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

09:30 - 16:30

29th

Time Management & Personal Effectiveness

The Kings Church, Burgess Hill

09:30 - 16:30

October 6th

Telesales: Profit not Pain

The Kings Church Burgess Hill

9.30 – 16.30

10th

A Foundation Course in Importing

The Kings Church Burgess Hill

9.30 – 16.30

12–13th

Essentials of Supervision & Team Leadership - 2 Day Course

The Kings Church Burgess Hill

9.30 – 16.30

17th

Persuading & Influencing with Impact

The Kings Church Burgess Hill

9.30 – 16.30

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

43

new members

august/september 2016 business edge

Welcome to Sussex Chamber of Commerce Membership of Sussex Chamber of Commerce can help you increase profits, get the best from your people and find new clients. Also, it saves you money, gets your voice heard and puts you in contact with even more businesses.

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Abacus Training

Chandlers Building Supplies Ltd

Identity Group

Unit 1 The Hub 3 Drove Road Newhaven East Sussex BN9 0AD

The Broyle Ringmer Lewes East Sussex BN8 5NP

Unit 12 Westham Business Park Pevensey East Sussex BN24 5NP

01273 584002 www.abacustraininggroup.co.uk

01273 815100 www.chandlersbs.co.uk

01323 469111 www.identity-online.co.uk

Blackman Terry

Clearwell Mobility Ltd

Jurys Inn Waterfront Hotel

Bolney Place Cowfold Road Haywards Heath West Sussex RH17 5QT

21 Albert Drive Burgess Hill West Sussex RH15 9TN

Kings Road Brighton East Sussex BN1 2GS

08448 800 521 www.blackmanterry.co.uk

01444 253300 www.clearwellmobility.co.uk

08713 769041

British Racing Green Group Limited

DHL International

Kingley Vale Manufacturing

26 Chichester Court Osbern Close Cooden Beach East Sussex TN39 4TL

Unit 20-22 The Birches East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 1XZ

1 ALbert Drive Burgess Hill West Sussex RH15 9 TN

08700 763486 www.britishracinggreen.com

0844 2480966 www.dhl.com

01444 242709

Cancervive

Fizz on Foot

Koru Architects Ltd

41 Western Road Hurstpierpoint East Sussex BN6 9SU

The Vinery 36 Baldwin Avenue Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 1UP

The Studio 15 Lloyd Close Hove East Sussex BN3 6LZ

01273 834912 www.cancervive.org.uk

01323 737271 www.fizzonfoot.com

01273 204065 www.koruarchitects.co.uk

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

new members

august/september 2016 business edge

Marketing Leadership

Stevens Rowsell Ltd

West Sussex Community Solutions

9 Blunts Wood Crescent Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 1NE

6 Wainwright Close Churchfields Industrial Estate St. Leonards-on-Sea East Sussex TN38 9PP

Unit 2, Rotherbrook Court Bedford Road Petersfield Hampsire GU32 3QG

07951 502029 www.marketingleadership.co.uk

01424 852672 www.stevensrowsell.com

01730 234 900

Pressure Vacuum Level Ltd

Trowbridge Gallery Ltd

Unit 9 Lexden Lodge Industiral Estate Crowborough East Sussex TN6 2NQ

16 Sybron Way Millbrook Industrial Estate Crowborough East Sussex TN6 3DZ

01892 664499 www.pvl.co.uk

01892 667600 www.trowbridge.co.uk

Richard Soan Roofing Services T/A Rivercrest Ltd

VAT International

Daveys Lane Lewes East Sussex BN7 2BQ

Nile House Nile Street Brighton East Sussex BN1 1HW

01273 486110 www.richardsoan.co.uk

01273 414 313 www.vatinternational.com

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

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movers and shakers

august/september 2016 business edge

5 minutes with Michele Wietscher

Joint MD of the South East’s largest glazing installer, Newview Windows & Conservatories

New role for Simon Simon Aitchison has become New Business Manager for IT First.

He said: “I’ve joined at such an exciting time, with IT First just about to celebrate its 20th Year in business and while many know IT First as Brighton and Hove Albion Football Clubs official IT partner; It’s my role to ensure companies know that they can also benefit from our expertise.

“Being based in Victoria Park, Burgess Hill, means we are ideally situated to continue our growth with easy access across Sussex, I’m looking forward to meeting business owners and gain an understanding of their challenges and future aspirations, “it is then my job with the aid of the technical team to align the right technology with their personal situation. With nearly 10 years’ experience providing IT consultancy.

My forte is disaster recovery, business continuity, cloud solutions and finding ways to provide solutions, only previously available to enterprise markets (mainly due to expense) and integrating these into small and medium size businesses without the high cost but all the benefits. Meaning they can concentrate on what they do best and grow their business and achieve great success, knowing that I have helped yeah it’s a great feeling.

“I’m also looking forward to the other activities that IT First are involved with, not all are business driven, tomorrow I’m out with two of our engineers to teach a group of young girls how to code. Its great helping the younger generation see the possibilities that are available for them within the IT sector.”

If you would like Simon to review your IT services or procurement please call him on

In business for 12 years based in Northbrook Business Park, Worthing. The most iconic building they have worked on locally is Norfolk House (above Majestic opposite Broadwater Bridge in Worthing) as well as Sussex Police HQ. They are a Main Contractor for Heathrow Airport fitting noise reducing windows under approaching flight paths and work on similar noise reducing schemes with clients like Network Rail.

What was your first job and what was the pay packet?

I took a year out before going to university and took a job in London as a Duty Manager for El Vino, a famous wine bar chain earning £6,500 per annum.

They taught me how to taste wine and I have a Diploma in Wine & Spirits.

However, I was always more interested in the commercial side and became a Buyer before moving industries and concentrating on Commercial roles. I set up my first Management Consultancy business aged 30 and have done property refurbishment as well as owned a chain of delis in Storrington, Steyning and Rustington before investing in Newview with Duncan, my Business Partner and now my husband.

What do you always carry with you to work?

A calculator - there is no problem that can’t be put on a spreadsheet and worked out!

What is the biggest challenge facing your business?

Newview are all about quality and technical proficiency and we spent most of the recession trying to convince housebuilders that by paying a bit more, the end result looked better, worked better and lasted better.

If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change to help business?

The rise of credit reference agencies and the power they have is divisive and damaging to SMEs. Coupled with poor lines of credit, it is the one frustration that is shared across all industry sectors.

What can you see from your office window?

I can see more local trade counters and construction related suppliers – it’s a hive of activity.

If you could do another job what would it be?

I would be a Barrister. I’ve had to study Construction Law for my job and it is an invaluable skill knowing what you can and can’t do before wasting time and effort for no return.

As a business person, what are your three main qualities?

Passion for the business and the people Integrity - treating suppliers fairly and keeping promises made to our staff and other stakeholders An excellent grasp of the numbers.

What was your biggest mistake in business?

Starting a company with someone at the request of a third party that floundered due to personality conflicts and misunderstanding.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Running your own business is the best and worst thing you will ever do. You will have to make sacrifices that the rest of your family won’t understand, you will lose friends and you will have to be prepared to work harder than you ever thought possible. However, stick with it, most entrepreneurs will make a hundred mistakes before making any money, but nothing tastes sweeter than that first big deal or that financial milestone that you hit.

Who do you admire most in business?

My father - he started as tea boy and ended up as Chairman of the Board at P&O. He could talk to the warehouseman and a Company Director and both respected him - he taught me that people buy people and that running a company you have to lead from the front - I try to do that every day

01444 237205.

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Imagine a travel agent of your very own...

Allow me to bring your travel plans and dreams to life – it’s what I do and it’ll be a pleasure to have you join my discerning group of regulars many of whom have been booking with me for as long as I’ve been in the industry.

Francesca of FB TRAVEL LIMITED is all you need to remember. l Highly reputable and respected with in excess of thirty years’ experience

l Company ethos - to provide exemplary customer service from enquiry to booking and beyond

l Personable, Professional, Knowledgeable, Informed and Impartial service

l Exceptional

l All

aspects of travel catered for – Leisure or Business – ‘Off the peg’ or ‘Bespoke’

l Fully

response rate with pretty much 24/7 accessibility

licensed ABTA and ATOL for your protection.

l Loyalty

and Referral Scheme

Feel free to connect with me by: https://facebook.com/luxurytravelagent

P: 0333 121 8 247 M: 07793 714695

@fbtravelltd

E: Francesca.barone@ thepersonaltravelagents.co.uk

Francesca Barone, FB Travel

https://fbtravelltd.co.uk

One call for all....

01444 480444 Our team of fully qualified engineers can assist with anything from a leaky tap to a full electrical installa on - and everything in between. We offer project assessment and prac cal, cost effec ve advice on how we can help make your home and business more energy efficient and make long term savings on your energy bills. All our work is guaranteed and fully insured, and with our 24 hour call out service you can rely on PDP Services.

Electrical

Heating & Plumbing

Ÿ Rewiring & Addi ons Ÿ Full Electrical

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

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Installa ons Electrical Safety Inspec ons PAT Tes ng Security & CCTV Ligh ng Design Ligh ng

Gas Services Gas Safety Checks Gas Appliance Repair New Boilers & Repairs Control Wiring Power Flushing Blocked Drains Under Floor Hea ng

Fire Safety

Solar

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Construction

Fire Alarms Fire Ex nguishers Emergency Ligh ng Fire Safety Training Fire Risk Assessments

Groundwork Trenching Extensions & Altera ons Building Maintenance

Renewables

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Thermal Solar Hot Water Ba ery Storage Immersion Controllers Cleaning & Maintenance Ÿ Bird Proofing Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

T: 01444 480444

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Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Wind Turbines Biomass Thermal Dynamic Solar Rainwater Harves ng Electric Car Charging

E: info@pdp.services

W: www.pdp.services

PDP Services Ltd, Unit 5, 55 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9LH Registered in England. Company no. 05000105

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259