Business Edge 59

Inside 4 business matters 5 changing landscape of global trade 12 ask the expert 20 big interview 21 be the change 32 training and events 34 new members 38 diary of a fundraiser the magazine for sussex chamber of commerce members

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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.

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

sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

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

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Distinctive Publishing 3rd Floor Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 6UF Tel: 0191 5805990 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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FEATURE EDITOR Helen Compson helen.compson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

Welcome to our Business Edge magazine!

The Sussex Chamber and national Chamber network is calling on Government to provide more financial support to businesses across the UK facing a bleak future from the debilitating squeeze of coronavirus restrictions.

Cash strapped businesses need measures to support cash flow such as extending and expanding business rates relief, prolonging VAT deferrals and offering an immediate, further round of upfront cash grant support, at least equivalent to levels of around £25,000 available in the first national lockdown, with sufficient funds to provide for all businesses that need it in every sector.

More certainty is also needed to help protect jobs and livelihoods by maintaining the Job Retention Scheme, until a full reopening of the economy is possible, and expanding income support for limited company directors.

Businesses cannot afford to wait until the Chancellor’s budget in March; they need these measures now and a guarantee that support will be available throughout the year so they can plan for more than a few weeks ahead. The Chambers have highlighted the desperate situation facing thousands of businesses. The drip-feed approach to business support measures has meant many firms simply cannot plan for the future. We are urging the government to urgently adopt a package of measures that covers the whole of 2021, and that takes away the cliff-edges firms face in a few weeks’ time when reliefs, forbearance and furlough are set to end.

The Chamber network has also urged ministers to work closely with companies across the UK to accelerate the rollout of vaccines, using their space, capacity and people as much as possible. In the meantime, a fit-for-purpose Test, Trace and Isolate system remains critical to keep the economy moving once the current lockdown ends.

As part of its mission to help businesses across Sussex prepare for new trading arrangements in 2021, Sussex Chamber has launched additional support services, which includes technical training and a customs declaration processing service for importing and exporting.

Ana Christie

Chief Executive Sussex Chamber of Commerce

With the introduction of new procedures for import and export, companies must ensure their staff have the capability to deal with these changes such that they can complete the necessary paperwork with a high degree of accuracy thereby avoiding delays, errors or financial penalties. We offer a suite of technical training opportunities, including various training courses in International Trade, Customs Declaration and Tariffs and Commodity Codes courses.

Further, we offer bespoke training, where the course content is aligned directly with your specific business needs.

Now is also the time to ensure you are fully maximising your membership by raising your company profile through member to member offers, news blogs, editorial and virtual networking to increase your business contacts. Contact our team to make the most of your membership.

Enjoy reading our magazine which is packed full of amazing member stories and please do contact the team for advice on your membership benefits, marketing, events, training, exporting, customs declarations, the kickstart scheme or any policy issues you may have.

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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.

CONTENTS welcome

3

changing landscape of global trade 22-23

business matters

4

big interview

24

changing landscape of global trade 5

business matters

business matters

changing landscape of global trade 30-31

ask the expert

6-11 12

25-27

training and events

32-33

changing landscape of global trade 13

new members

34-35

business support

changing landscape of global trade 36

big interview be the change

14-18 20 21

member to member offers

37

diary of a fundraiser

38

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

3

business matters

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Why marketing is more important than ever in a global pandemic.

Marketing is often one of the first things that business owners look at when needing to cut costs, but this is a fatal error.

During the first national lockdown of 2020 between March and June, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) reported the largest decrease in business marketing spend since it started its research more than 20 years ago, superseding the global financial crisis of 2008. IPA recorded that 50.7% of UK companies drastically reduced their marketing budget, and with England deep into its third national lockdown, companies are struggling more now than ever. But it is of vital importance to an owner’s business that they continue with as much marketing as possible, as the IPA also reports that cutting marketing budgets reduces profitability and growth of a business, which is a sure way to send a company into insolvency in the current economic climate.

Matt Turner, CEO of The Creative Group which holds six companies, including

you are going to find those clients is by marketing.

We have always known that you need to strike while the iron is hot, and over the last ten months, we have witnessed this more than ever with our clients. We have seen a massive increase in businesses approaching us for marketing assistance, and those that have invested in this activity have seen the huge benefit it can have. For many of them, it is likely to be the reason they are still around in the next 12 months. award-winning marketing agency, Creative Pod, said “The reason businesses are becoming insolvent is because they don’t have enough clients to break even, but those clients are out there, even in our current economy, it’s just a little more difficult to reach them. Well, the only way

Right now, it’s about keeping your head above water, and for most businesses, their life jacket will be marketing.”

For help with your marketing, or if you would simply like some advice, please contact Creative Pod on matt@creativepod.uk.com

Pass the Keys are excited to be expanding into West Sussex and Surrey!

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Pass the Keys was created to give homeowners the ability to maximise their short-term rental income without the requirement for hands on management.

We do all the hard work for you, eliminating the stresses and challenges of property management, leaving you to simply enjoy the rewards.

Providing a fully-managed service, Pass the Keys finds, manages, and cleans up after your guests, even offering a 24/7 guest support service to avoid those late night calls!

We increase the money landlords get back from their properties through use of dynamic pricing technology and precise manual adjustments and what this all means is, if you're a landlord, more money and less work.

How we reduce your hassle From listing your property on the best platforms with professional photography, to messaging guests and doing the cleaning. It’s all taken care of. Our dedicated team does everything for you.

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We have a significant presence across the UK and with a Trust Pilot score for 4.7, you can be sure your property is in safe hands With significant demand for 2021, why not seize the opportunity and find out how you could benefit?

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Simply visit https://www.passthekeys.co.uk/

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Mark Mullan Franchisee Director, Pass the Keys

june/july February/March december/january 2019 business 2021 2018 business edge business edge edge

changing landscape business of global matters trade

A new future and new opportunities rediscovered in Sudan We start this year 2021 with so many uncertainties, with the current Covid 19 restrictions; the beginnings of life without the EU now we are a Sovereign Nation; the changes that will be forthcoming following in the elections in the USA. Is there any good news about? Possibly!

Ian Ratheram Export Director, KC Controls Group

Whilst the UK media was focusing on the current events in November and December they were not reporting a significant change to the Republic of Sudan. Little is known about the history of Sudan in the UK so let’s look at a brief history of the key events.

In 1989 the Bashir regime took hold of the country. This dictator ran the country for 30 years causing havoc with diplomatic relations and bringing the country into disarray. Sanctions were imposed by the USA meaning the Sudan could not trade with Western Countries and had to rely mainly on China. Western banks were forced to close their offices in Khartoum and were not able to transact. Goods from the USA were not allowed to be sold into Sudan. This included sub-components into major assemblies. Huge fines were given to companies that broke the rules.

Despite the sanctions Sudan was able to sell its oil to China to fuel its economy and stay economically stable. However, following the formation of South Sudan in 2011 the north reduced its revenue in oil by approximately 75%. This was a huge blow to the country that relied in the oil wealth to support itself.

When Sudan was liberated from Bashir by a revolution in 2019, the country was brought once again into a coalition government. This government has struggled from the start due to lack of foreign currency, bad debt and huge inflation. The USA began lifting sanctions.

This started under Obama and continued under the Trump administration. On 14th December 2020 the final sanctions were lifted.

Sudan is an estimated 8 times larger than the UK and has a population of nearly 43 Million people. A large land area but relatively few people. However, the country has a wealth of resources that have yet been developed. They have untold tons of minerals including gold, (currently 14th largest world supplier), oil reserves (being 23rd in the world), they also have

significant deposits of iron ore, lead, aluminum, phosphate, nickel and others too numerous to mention.

With the new government and sanctions lifted its people now have hope that things will change for the better with the help of the international community. The USA cleared the $1Billion arrears to the World Bank. This now gives Sudan access to $1.5 billion funding from the International Development Association. The International Monetary Fund will be able to support the Sudan’s finances and aid can be directed from countries including the UK. Mastercard has been the first in Sudan to launch cards once again as credit cards were unavailable. Financial institutions can now freely invest into projects and new opportunities.

So what does this have to do for the readers of this magazine?

Sudan has a lack of infrastructure, resources and equipment. In nearly every sector there is a lack of new equipment.

Engineers and Technicians are in short supply. As an example, in the aircraft industry Boeing were recently in discussion to supply new aircraft to Sudan Airways.

Khartoum Airport is currently under development and will require all the

facilities to support 7.5 million passengers per year at the new airport. Everything must be supplied from outside Sudan as very few items are manufactured locally due to a lack of industry.

There will be opportunities for engineering studies, design engineering and all sorts of consultancy, new supply chains, training and financial investment.

The UK has always been close to Sudan and this is the chance to participate in a whole new territory.

Founded in 1986, we at KC Controls pride ourselves on providing high quality products alongside great customer service and this ethos has allowed KC Controls and its subsidiaries to become a significant part of our customers’ supply chain.

KC Controls and its subsidiary KC Global Procurement support the procurement process for many industrial customers overseas including Algeria, Nigeria and Sudan. We also have a subsidiary in Kenya supporting some major Oil & Gas customers.

Our supported industries include: Oil & Gas, Mining, Petrochemical, Water & Waste, Food, Brewing, Pharmaceuticals and many more.

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

5

business matters

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Drallim Industries – Rising from the ashes as new factory opens.

On 9th February 2019, our factory in Drury Lane set alight, and hampered by the presence of gas cylinders, firefighters could not rescue it; by Sunday morning it was a complete loss.

Dave Mooney Managing Director, Drallim Industries

Our disaster recovery plan dusted down; on Monday morning the whole company met at the Hastings Centre to plan our recovery; teams and leaders were set to work as our insurers investigated the fire and finally declared it accidental and covered! This was a massive relief to everyone! Subsequently, we met every Monday at Filsham Convent Library, working wherever we could. We were heartened to find local businesses immediately stepping forward offering help and office space. We then rapidly set about transforming a rental unit with our own hands, turning it into a fully functioning facility and re-equipping everything we had lost.

Sunninghill Construction rebuilt Millwood House, their “can do” attitude rapidly

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delivering a quality building. As work progressed the COVID-19 lockdown hit us, but we closed for just 4 days to adapt and carry-on production, building work slowed a little but never stopped; by October Drury Lane was open again for manufacturing.

Whilst the Drury Lane fire has been a devastating blow to Drallim, our recovery has been a quite remarkable experience! It has often been frustrating, exhausting and almost overwhelming – but I think many of us have enjoyed the challenge, and most of all the great spirit of camaraderie within the

company. In recognition of this, in Feb 2020 we issued medals to all the staff to mark the anniversary at a celebratory dinner.

“Our Customers are the other great heroes as they tolerated our long delays and stuck with us until we have been able to get back into production for all of our products. In the spirit of Brexit, we won a major export contract from Hong Kong Electric and a 10-year MoD contract, showing immense confidence in us all.

“Our Customers are the other great heroes as they tolerated our long delays and stuck with us until we have been able to get back into production for all of our products. In the spirit of Brexit, we won a major export contract from Hong Kong Electric and a 10-year MoD contract, showing immense confidence in us all.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

business advertorial matters

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7

business matters

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

New Year, new challenges, new hope.

The Cyber Security Risk Of Outsourcing Aston Information Security has worked with an array of organisations and over the years we have developed a market leading service in Third Party Risk Management (TPRM).

Jason Parker-Smith Director, Aston Information Security

Our service covers the initial due diligence through to the on-going monitoring that incorporates Open Source Intelligence (OSInt) and our in-house algorithms to produce Cyber Security Ratings, similar to a credit risk score, to oversee information and cyber security in the supply chain.

One weak link

As the outsourcing trend grows, the supply chain information security risk rises and it's clearly essential for Senior Management to identify how their supplychain partners may, unintentionally, compromise their business and to be able to understand how to protect themselves.

The starting point is to identify your 3rd, 4th and Nth party suppliers, i.e. who are your suppliers and do they outsource the services they deliver to you.

Profile the risk they present to your business.

One weak link can open the chain up and down stream. The ICO recently fined British Airways (£20m) and Ticketmaster (£1.25m) for personal data breaches and both were caused by one of their suppliers.

Identify your business, legislation and regulatory security requirements.

Is your supply chain secure? Do you understand the risks when outsourcing?

And what about scope creep? i.e. the service a supply provides now is so much bigger than when they were initially vetted a few years before.

Complement reporting and continuously monitor using Aston’s Open Source Intelligence and Cyber Security Ratings that incorporate Threat Intelligence.

Cyber security assumptions in the supply chain Senior Management have to be aware of false claims that imply a higher level of cyber security than suppliers actually have. E.g. a supplier claiming "data stored in an ISO27001 environment" giving the impression they are IS027001 certified when they are actually piggybacking on AWS or Google Cloud’s ISO27k certifications. In this case, the supply chain is not ISO27001 certified.

8

The Third Party Risk Management Lifecycle

Assure suppliers security compliance.

Report to Senior management the findings.

Look beyond the boundaries of your own cyber security The time to make supply chain security enhancements a priority is now. Aston has developed a well-structured supply chain information risk assessment approach that provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to ensure every aspect is covered.

As I write this, we are 2 weeks into 2021 in which time we have already seen tumultuous world events and an ongoing battle between good and really grim news regarding Covid-19. It is going to be a long year but if we can look beyond the early months there is cause for optimism.

The last-minute signing of a Brexit deal avoided the harshest possible break with Europe. The greatest cause for relief for businesses was that the deal avoided the broad introduction of new taxes (i.e. tariffs… but VAT payment and collection is a new issue in some circumstances) and volume limits (quotas) that would have been applied to exports and imports had there been no trade agreement.

However, it has still triggered a number of changes that pose new challenges and an extensive range of new customs requirements for trading with the EU. Any talk of there being no ‘non-tariff barriers’ has soon fallen silent.

The rules for dealing with non-EU countries may also change, depending on whether they have trade deals with the EU and the UK (think Ghana and bananas) and the first challenge for many firms will be finding a customs agent or adviser to help them deal with customs red tape. For Chamber members that at least is less of a challenge.

There will still be frustrations, delays and increased processing and compliance costs, but above all there is increasing clarity and certainty. We now hope the same will start to apply to the vaccines roll-out and then the real game changer of ‘confidence’ will start to creep tentatively back into our vocabulary and decision making.

Find out more about how we can help you conduct Third Party cyber security audits. www.astoninfosec.co.uk

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Rob Clare

Chairman Sussex Chamber of Commerce

business advertorial matters

june/july February/March december/january 2019 business 2021 2018 business edge business edge edge

Gatwick Station Project Year in Review: 2020 2020 was a year to remember for the Gatwick Station upgrade to increase capacity, improve accessibility and transform the experience of passengers.

In the critical first year of works the project team made excelled progress despite many challenges, including Covid19 and Storm Bella. Here’s a whistle stop tour of the main achievements.

January/ February: Setting up for success The Gatwick Station project started the year by getting ready to set up the main construction site and completing surveys around the station to better inform the design for the upgrade. Trial holes were conducted between the back of platform 7 and the Passenger Terminal area to test the ground and two underground tracks were completed to help with the construction.

March/ April 2020: Gatwick Station upgrade is on track despite Covid19 Weeks after the first Covid19 lockdown was announced, Gatwick Airport agreed for the project to use the car rental area as a work site compound and 39 enhanced welfare eco units were initially installed for individual use by site workers. This has since increased to over 100. This best practice solution ensured the continued safety, health and wellbeing of all site workers. Project enabling works continued as track 6 was removed.

May/ June 2020: Stage 1 gets under way successfully The first major milestone for the upgrade stage 1 - was achieved on 17 May 2020 with the closure of platform 7, which enabled the start of stage 1 demolition work. The project team was able to take advantage of the drop in passenger numbers and reduced timetable to press on with demolition to safeguard the continuity of the programme. A small ITV Meridian crew filmed the work on site and spoke to project representatives.

July/ August 2020: Building strong foundations The start of piling - laying foundations - at the back of platform 7 was an important step for the project and by mid-August the

Artists impression of the new, additional station concourse above platforms 5 – 7 team had started to demolish the canopy over platforms 3 and 4, in preparation for the arrival of a new lift and stairway, as part of major accessibility improvements around the station. The team prepared the foundations for the arrival of a tower crane on site and 89.5% of respondents to a passenger survey told us they support the Gatwick station upgrade.

September/ October 2020: Scaling new heights In late September, despite difficult weather conditions a tower crane was successfully erected in the small construction site at the back of platforms 7 - this was a significant achievement for the project and it will enable construction of the brand new station concourse above platforms 5 to 7. October saw the start of enabling works for the new Back of House building for Gatwick employees, which is due to be complete in 2022.

“This best practice solution ensured the continued safety, health and wellbeing of all site workers.”

November/ December: Stage 2 under way and a major effort over Christmas 1 November saw the reopening of platform 7 marking the start of stage 2 of the upgrade. To mark the occasion Henry Smith MP for Crawley joined project partners and stakeholders for a Covid secure tour of the construction site on 2 November - two days before the second lockdown began! This was followed by critical stage 2 demolition work to safely remove the Northern and Southern overbridges and platform 5 & 6 structures.

In a major effort over a busy Christmas 10day period the final span of a site access bridge across platforms 3 and 7 was lifted in, which will allow work to continue across the platforms throughout 2021.

Strengthening work and laying foundation continued on platforms 3 & 4 and on island platforms 5 & 6, which will be widened, and new escalators and stairs installed connecting to a brand-new station concourse above.

For more information on the Gatwick station upgrade visit www.networkrail.co.uk/gatwick

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

9

business matters

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 business edge

Empowering your staff with financial skills for life Wellbeing is a term that is becoming more prevalent in the workplace as employers are aware of the impact that mental health has on the performance of their employees.

Will Hendricks

Chartered Financial Advisor, Brewin Dolphin

cover employees who leave. However, there are solutions that can help alleviate this problem.

How we can help

Yet financial wellbeing support is frequently neglected, often due to employers failing to appreciate its importance in general wellbeing, or not wanting to be seen delivering financial advice.

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A financial wellbeing service delivers financial education to employees in the workplace. By providing guidance, support and financial education opportunities, this can help transform the wellbeing of employees, which, in turn, should boost their performance.

However, according to surveys of UKbased employees, 94% stated that their finances caused them some degree of stress (Financial Wellbeing for the legal professional, Brewin Dolphin 2020), whilst 36% stated that financial worries impacts sleep or their performance (Employer Guide to Financial Wellbeing, Salary Finance, 2019).

Under Brewin Dolphin’s Financial Wellbeing programme, we can offer a financial education session for your staff. This could be delivered as a one-off event, or a series of sessions. The content could include, for example, making a basic financial plan, saving for their or their children’s future, or making sure adequate protection is in place.

These sessions would include follow up oneto-one clinics for staff that need additional assistance.

Research also shows that employees who are suffering from financial stress are also almost thirteen times more likely to be unable to complete daily tasks, and much more likely to take additional sick days.

Brewin Dolphin can also provide newsletters with financial wellbeing tips and information, a digital self-service financial planning tool on your intranet, and insight presentations on key topics.

The impact includes reduced productivity, poorer staff collaboration and lower employee engagement, whilst increasing staff attrition and, potentially, hiring costs to

Finally, we can also offer one-to-one consultations with senior staff or directors to help them with their financial planning.

We also have specialist services that can

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

look at cashflow management, business succession planning and corporate exits.

Through a dedicated financial wellbeing programme, Brewin Dolphin can enable you to develop a healthier, happier and more effective workplace and, in turn, reduce staff turnover and improve your ability to attract new talent.

If you would like to find out more about how Brewin Dolphin could support your organisation with our financial wellbeing programme, please e-mail me via william.hendricks@brewin.co.uk or call 020 3201 3340, and I would be delighted to provide a free proposal.

The value of investments and any income from them can fall and you may get back less than you invested.

Opinions expressed in this document are not necessarily the views held throughout Brewin Dolphin Ltd. This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as investment advice.

No investment is suitable in all cases and if you have any doubts as to an investment’s suitability then you should contact us.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information contained in this document is believed to be reliable and accurate, but without further investigation cannot be warranted as to accuracy or completeness.

tel: 01444 259 259

june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

leadership and business entrepreneurs matters

Construction opportunities in the South East In a year when the construction industry is facing heightened levels of uncertainty, leading lights in the industry will be joining together in Sussex in October to share their expertise and insight into how to tackle the challenges ahead for the industry.

Carole Black

Managing Director, South East Construction Expo

There will be an opportunity to meet, get inspired, do business and generate wealth at the South East Construction Expo at the South of England Event Centre on 21 October. This event is FREE and open to everyone. Full details can be found at www.constructionexpouk.co.uk 1500+ visitors 20+ speakers 100+ stands Alongside industry leading speakers will be a prominent Meet the Buyer and over 100 exhibitor businesses showcasing their products and services, in a unique and exciting display of the latest technology.

The South East Construction Expo will enable business leaders to engage with each other and build prosperity bringing together companies in the construction sector and beyond.

What you can look forward to Find out how to capitalise on projects worth £billions Identify and receive updates on major development and regeneration projects Find out more about building a digital future for the construction industry

South East Construction Awards

Best Architectural Design

Awards celebrate hard work and success and are great PR opportunities. It's fantastic to be recognised so it's important to make sure that people know what your business has achieved.

This award will recognise those projects which have been designed in sympathy with their local environment.

Winning a business award can open doors to getting contracts, finding new supply channels and breaking into new markets.

The businesses that will always stand out are those that have AWARD WINNING next to their name, because it raises them above their competitors.

The Award Categories Women in Construction

Complimentary ‘Meet the Buyer’ appointments - up to 500 available

Celebrating the outstanding contribution women are making to the construction industry.

News on innovations within the construction industry

Best Construction Project

Building a sustainable future for construction Health and Well Being

Celebrating the region’s most outstanding new construction projects and recognising the teams involved for their high standard of work.

“What a brilliant day at the South East Construction Expo. We’ve really enjoyed connecting with industry professionals and checking out all the latest products and services in the industry. Thanks to all for a truly inspiring day”

Best Construction Contractor Celebrating the region's most outstanding main contractors, who have carried out exemplary projects demonstrating the highest levels of innovation.

Best Supplier Recognising those companies which have provided high quality support to the region's construction sector by promoting excellence.

Best Apprentice Recognising those apprentices from across the trades who stand out from the crowd with outstanding achievements.

Entering the awards is free, quick and simple, and can be done via the website www.constructionexpoawards.co.uk The closing date for completion is 30 July 2021 and then the entries will be considered by a team of judges who will shortlist them.

The winners will be announced at the South East Construction Expo Dinner on Thursday 21 October at the South of England Event Centre, Ardingly.

MM Property Development

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11

ask the expert

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Disputes Resolution in Construction – What is it and how does it work?

Sadly, things go wrong in the construction world and disputes are unavoidable.

Stuart Lawrence

Director Founder, Smart Disputes Lawyer | Adjudicator | Mediator

Questions of liability, blame, delay, and damages quickly arise. Questions can also arise as to whether there is even a properly signed contract, was it JCT with amendments or perhaps bespoke, or even some other standard form potentially used inappropriately?

In relation to payment, issues over nonpayment, under payment, the right to suspend works and the right to commence an Adjudication under the Housing Grants and Construction Regeneration Act 1996 (as amended) (the ‘HGA’) are commonplace.

Against this backdrop, it has been estimated that serious disputes arise in between 10% to 30% of all construction projects, and 1 in 4 projects leads to a major claim.

Construction disputes will take up significant time, effort and costs regardless of the outcome.

If you do decide to pursue a claim or indeed are forced to defend one, there are essentially four options, Litigation, Arbitration, Adjudication and Mediation.

The crucial question though is, given the choice, which one should you favour?

Litigation before the Courts is probably the least attractive. Firstly, it is the most

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process driven with interlocutory hearings, lawyer heavy involvement, and long delays.

Save for limited exceptions, the Judges are rarely specialists in the vagaries of the construction world. This often results in high costs, drawn out timings and great expense. Even if you substantially succeed, at best you will only recover approximately two thirds of your legal costs. Finally, litigation is determinative and invariably conducted in the glare of publicity. For these and so many more nuanced reasons litigation should always be your last option.

Arbitration is only marginally better because it is also very process heavy and can become drawn out over many months. It will also likely result in a binary determination, similar to litigation.

Although Arbitration is confidential and the Arbitrator will likely have a more specialist construction background, it remains very expensive and as with litigation will effectively destroy any commercial relationships.

Adjudication is designed specifically for resolving construction disputes and is the most favoured mechanism. The big advantages are speed and Adjudicators having a specialist construction background. Under the HGA once the referral notice is served (the referral notice sets out the details of the claim), unless agreed otherwise, the Adjudicator has just 28 days to reach their decision.

Unsurprisingly Adjudications are also expensive with Adjudicator fees and individual party costs to consider.

Additionally, each party’s legal costs are rarely recoverable. As such, costs of approximately £25,000 per Adjudication are not uncommon. However, due to the

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recent launch of the Low Value Disputes Resolution Panel for Adjudication dealing with claims up to £50,000 and with moderate fixed costs for the Adjudicators, the low value Adjudication panel may be a realistic option.

Whilst compared to Litigation and Arbitration, Adjudication is a good prospect, Mediation is undoubtedly the best option for dispute resolution and merits serious consideration.

Mediation is a process where the disputing parties come together with the assistance of a skilled mediator and try to resolve their dispute in a safe and secure environment. Mediation results in settlement in over 80% of cases, is substantially cheaper, the process remains in the hands of the parties guided by the mediator and it remains completely confidential. On any analysis Mediation is the winner every time which is why it is now mandated by the Courts, save for exceptional circumstances.

So, before you take any action, the SMART option is to give Mediation thorough and serious consideration because it will almost certainly resolve your dispute far more effectively than the alternatives, more quickly and at a fraction of the cost.

For all dispute resolution matters, especially for skilled commercial mediation please contact www.smartdisputes.co.uk

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june/july February/March december/january 2019 business 2021 2018 business edge business edge edge

changing landscape business of global matters trade

The Changing Landscape of Global Trade, including impacts on Supply Chains.

2020 has undoubtedly been both difficult and different, but I’ve been consistently impressed with how everyone across the Bowers & Wilkins business has adapted to deal with each challenge as it has emerged.

Geoff Edwards

CEO B&W Group (Bowers & Wilkins)

As COVID-19 first took hold, our most critical issue was securing the safety of our staff across the business, both overseas and in our UK sites. First and foremost, we set up remote working policies for those staff able to work from home and introduced mask and social distancing as appropriate on factory floor and common areas (e.g. canteen). Employees that showed any signs of illness were required to self-isolate and temperature testing used for critical visitors to the site. Clearly, these processes served a two-fold function: first, it ensured the safety of a significant proportion of our staff and second, it created a safer working environment for the remainder – namely, those that worked in manufacturing. At the same time, we put restrictions in place for non-critical business travel for all our staff and switched our customer and internal meetings over to online platforms to cut

in-person meetings down to the minimum possible.

We also reviewed the business continuity plans of both our own operations and those of our key suppliers to ensure respectively that our and their processes were sufficiently robust. The size, cost, complexity and quality of our products makes them time-intensive to produce (as much as three weeks for a pair of our flagship speakers). In addition, while some of the key components we use are common across models, many others are not. Balancing those various complexities was vital to ensuring our ability to keep manufacturing. We wanted to preserve not only our ability to manufacture full stop, but also our ability to manufacture an appropriate mix of products at differing price points. Fortunately, we have sufficient warehousing to allow us to scale our reserves of critical imported parts in times of need and of course, that’s been helped by our established practice of sourcing a significant proportion of both raw materials and key finished parts from local and European suppliers.

COVID-19 has exerted a significant impact on our established retail channels and practices too, although the effect has been varied by country and region. Typically, we sell online

“Even as we began to adapt our selling process, I doubt many of us could have predicted how consumer habits would change in the face of the pandemic. We’ve seen significant increases in demand for our products as the year has progressed, which I believe reflects consumers choosing to spend on items for the home rather than, for example, on overseas travel.”

only a limited proportion of our offering: we believe our premium loudspeakers are best sold by specialist retailers who are able to demonstrate the virtues of each product in-store. Clearly, that approach had to be adapted as lockdowns and other restrictions on movement had their impact.

We moved to make all our consumer products available to buy online but then worked with our established dealers to ensure our customers got the best possible experience under the circumstances and our dealers would survive. Customers could buy online wherever they were, but a Bowers & Wilkins dealer local to them would then fulfil the delivery on our behalf. Our social media activity was also increased and digital promotional packages for our dealers were developed to help them promote their own online sales.

Even as we began to adapt our selling process, I doubt many of us could have predicted how consumer habits would change in the face of the pandemic. We’ve seen significant increases in demand for our products as the year has progressed, which I believe reflects consumers choosing to spend on items for the home rather than, for example, on overseas travel. As a result, we have at times found ourselves facing shortages of finished goods to sell – not because of any manufacturing issues on our part, but simply because we’ve sold our planned quantities more quickly than we usually would.

That said, December’s combination of COVID-related import issues and Brexit anxiety has presented us with still more logistical issues to deal with, both in terms of importing finished goods from overseas and in terms of raw material supply for our own production. How that will eventually shake out is still open to question but based on what I’ve seen over the past eight months, I’m confident we can adapt and overcome.

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business support

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

2021: The Year CRM Systems Take Over the World Ok…so taking over the world is a bit strong. But if 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that people and businesses can and will adapt to change, but they need the right tools.

And we think CRM systems are just one part of a whole toolbox that businesses will need over the next 12 months.

The challenges businesses face COVID-19 and lockdown have been the biggest challenge most businesses have ever faced. The shutdowns and lockdowns have meant a workforce constantly in flux, never knowing exactly what the next day was going to bring.

But that workforce stepped up. They started working from home, learning new software and skills, and did everything they could to keep the economy (and their company) moving forward.

And, sad to say, it’s not over yet. 2021 is going to be another year of lockdowns and shutdowns.

As such, businesses have been spending the last several months making strategies and budgets to help them not only cope, but thrive over the coming year.

Setting a budget Generally speaking, revenue for most businesses is down (or stagnant) compared to last year. But interestingly, about 85% of European businesses surveyed by SpiceWorks (for their State of IT survey) are planning on increasing or keeping their current IT spending budget.

Gartner backs this up, saying that IT spending decreased or stagnated in 2020, but looks to increase worldwide by a projected 4%. And enterprise software (including CRM) investment is expected to grow by 7.2%!!

John-David Lovelock, distinguished research vice president at Gartner, suggests that this spend is down to a combination of need and trust. Businesses need software to keep their business going (and hopefully to grow it). They saw how well Cloud-based software functioned throughout 2020, keeping their workforce productive.

Recognising the likelihood of continued disruption to “normal” ways of doing business, management teams all over the world are responding by planning their spending.

Making a strategy This spending will, of course, not be made blindly or recklessly. Business leaders are looking to update their infrastructure and change business processes as a response to a change in the way we all work now.

Some businesses are talking about a permanent shift to remote working, either for their entire workforce or just selected individuals or teams. Others just want the option available for their disaster planning processes, recognising that, while remote

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working isn’t for them, there is a strong chance that future lockdowns will require it.

With all this in mind, you’re looking at about 49% of businesses looking to invest in software and/or cloud services, specifically to cater for this shift.

In shifting to a Cloud based software and system, there is a real focus both on the requirements of the team and the security of the systems being used. A recent survey

by Flexera found that around 83% of businesses view security as their biggest concern when shifting to the Cloud.

And we can certainly back this up.

We’re seeing a change in the questions new potential customers are asking us during system demonstrations. People want to know more about the security of our system and infrastructure than ever before. Just as important they want to understand how to control access to their data using our permissions model as well.

We’ve also found that our existing customers are coming to us with plans to expand their use of CRM. They may be replacing an old system that was exclusively desk-based rather than in the Cloud. Or they’ve got departments who could do with being more efficient. Some have even added whole new processes to their business that need integrating to their CRM system.

CRM taking over the world?

One of the big trends that we as an industry are expecting over the next 12 months includes an increased adoption of customer service (or HelpDesk / Ticketing) systems.

There’s also the expectation of an increase of focus on digital marketing.

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Although there are standalone systems that will let you manage these specific needs, there is a real benefit to keeping them within a CRM system like OpenCRM. The main win is the continuous flow of information between the people managing these systems and the rest of your team.

Letting salespeople see whether someone has recently raised a ticket, asked a question, or just clicked on a link in a marketing email can help them tailor their next phone call.

And vice versa…if an agent on your customer service desk knows someone has recently signed an order or has an outstanding invoice, they can change their response to any complaint or question.

This kind of end-to-end solution is better for making sure your whole team is “singing from the same songsheet”…and can save your business money by saving time, reducing how many systems you are using and ultimately delivering better customer service.

If you’d like to learn more about OpenCRM or see more information on the stats discussed in this article, please head over to www.opencrm.co.uk.

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

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june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

New Virtual Courses Launched to Support the Water & Environmental Industries During COVID-19 Learning & Development Associates (L&DA) have revealed the launch of two new online short courses, adapted from their larger classroom-based programmes, and developed to assist the water and environmental industries in leading innovation and managing risk and resilience.

Since water industry regulator Ofwat’s announcement in 2017 that water companies would be required to put innovation at the heart of their business plans, followed by PR19’s outcomes, the subject has been an increasingly key theme.

Covid-19 represents a further material challenge to the water industry’s service provision capabilities. It adds to the spectrum of risks against which Ofwat expects organisations to display ‘resilience in the round’. The corporate, financial, and operational risks facing each organisation require that they mount an enterprisewide response. Only by developing the right leadership, skills and systems can organisations maintain stakeholders’ trust and prosper.

Together with their associates, L&DA recognised both the opportunity and the need for expert, company bespoke training. The courses, Leading Innovation within the Water and Environmental Industries and The Management of Risk and Resilience will address the numerous challenges faced by organisations in the sector and provide employees with the knowledge and understanding to successfully apply appropriate techniques within their organisation and cooperatively across the sector.

The launch of these courses is timely.

Ofwat recently revealed the details of their innovation competition, which includes £200m of funding aimed at uncovering new affordable solutions to long term challenges. This fund is part of their wider strategy, ‘Time to Act, Together’, which discusses the challenges that water and wastewater services face, including climate change and population growth. Covid-19 compounds those challenges, particularly to the achievement of organisations’ common and bespoke regulatory performance commitments. Acquiring competences to identify, correctly characterise and robustly manage risks and opportunities is fundamental to achieving successful outcomes.

L&DA are confident that their training will assist companies to drive awareness of: leading innovation; implementing risk and resilience good practice; and how to build organisational cultures to deliver these initiatives. Employees will gain an understanding of how to apply principles

and processes within their specific roles and their contribution to achieving personal and organisational objectives.

Water Industry Drivers and the Application of Innovation Techniques & Building a Business Case.

Simon Buckingham from Learning & Development Associates commented: “To meet the growing challenges facing the water and environmental industries the need for organisations to have a strong innovation culture and structure is more important than ever. At the heart of this is a well-trained, motivated workforce equipped with the knowledge and understanding of innovation techniques”.

The Management of Risk and Resilience course takes place over three days with numerous activities being covered.

Examples include: regulatory perspectives, risk tolerance and strategic, tactical, and operational resilience.

Glenn Jackson, Managing Director of Learning & Development Associates added: “To meet the long-term resilience challenges facing the water and environmental industries the need for all staff within the organisation to recognise where risks and opportunities exist has risen in importance. It is essential that businesses have a workforce that understand these risks and the contributions individuals’ actions can make toward improving organisational resilience.

Since ‘more of the same’ will be insufficient to meet increasingly challenging objectives, embracing risk as opportunity also needs to enter peoples’ thinking.

Seeking opportunity through innovation is not without risk, so the two courses are complementary.”

Employees are the best people to address the challenges faced by the water and environmental industries. These courses allow organisations to equip, mobilise, and empower employees’ aspirations, talents, and enthusiasms. The reward for individuals arises through their ability to make stronger, more informed, and more confident contributions to delivering organisational success.

Learning & Development Associates has substantial experience in designing and developing flexible role-focused, bespoke interventions, which provide learners from varied backgrounds with the necessary skills to better understand the principles involved in both courses at a level appropriate to their roles.

Visit https://learninganddevelopment. associates/ or contact enquiries@ learninganddevelopment.associates for more information.

The Leading Innovation within the Water and Environmental Industries course will take place over a two-day period, with learning outcomes split into two core agendas – The Introduction to Innovation &

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business support

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Offices axed as remote working grows City firms may axe office space in London as the demand for remote working forces them to review how much square-footage they need.

A survey by the Confederation of British Industry and professional services firm PwC has found that 74 per cent of London-based banks and insurance firms are re-assessing their office requirements.

Of the 133 firms that took part, 88 per cent said COVID-19 had resulted in a more significant shift towards working from home with more than 90 per cent of their workers able to do their jobs without being tied to a physical office.

A separate study by MobileIron of 1,200 workers across the US, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, found that more than 80 per cent don't want to return to their office – at least not full time.

Employees and their managers are questioning the high cost of city office space, the safety of working in the centre of London or any other city as the pandemic persists.

More productive A report by Cardiff and Southampton Universities suggests that most people are as productive when working from home, if not more so.

Given that people working from home are among the most productive, "preventing them from choosing how they work in the

future does not make economic sense," said Professor Alan Felstead from Cardiff University.

Some companies are already making a permanent shift to more home working.

Microsoft has told staff that they will have the option of working from home permanently with manager approval.

Facebook and Twitter have also said remote work will be a permanent option.

However, Professor Nicholas Bloom from Stanford University in the US did extensive research last year into emerging working patterns. He said many companies are considering policies that combine two days a week at home with three days at the office. But the office will remain necessary

IMAGINE HAVING ACCESS TO ALL THE BEST IT SERVICES.

for meetings, building company culture and loyalty and for essential mental health.

Gary Jowett, from Computer & Network Consultants in Brighton, said: "Recent news of effective vaccines being developed may change some businesses' attitudes towards remote working. However, it's also evident that the pandemic has accelerated existing trends towards more flexible working and given senior managers increased confidence in the effectiveness of a range of new technologies that help teams meet 'face-to-face' in a virtual environment and share information securely. But it's wise to seek independent advice before making fundamental changes to your operational infrastructure to ensure your virtual solutions are the most appropriate for your business needs."

ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 27001:2013 Certified

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CNC provide the most comprehensive range of IT services in the South East including: – IT Support & Outsourcing

– Hosted Phones & Mobiles

– Internet Connectivity

– Security Services

– Installation & Infrastructure

– Cloud & Hosting

– IT Hardware & Software

– Disaster Recovery

– Cloud e-Mail Archiving

– Apple Support

– Mobile & Remote Access

– Virtualisation

– Off-Site Data Backup

– Office 365 & Azure

We would love to talk to you and offer a Complimentary systems & security 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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business support

june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

When it comes to pathogen transmission. Delay breeds danger…

Forensic Cleaning Professionals lead the charge against Covid-19 in the workplace.

Whether your duty of care is towards your clients, employees or the public, electrostatic medical grade disinfectant cleaning is the only method that can guarantee a Covid-19 free (99.9%) environment for 28 days.

Traditional office and industrial cleaning methods no longer provide the forensic levels of hygiene required to satisfy government regulations, health and safety regulators and of course your employees and customers.

What is Electrostatic cleaning?

Forensic Cleaning’s electrostatic delivery system adds a positive charge to the droplets of medical grade disinfectant which then enables them to be attracted to neutrally charged surfaces, desks, walls, handles, office partitions, tables for example leading to an even touch free distribution that prevents dripping. The product can also be applied to soft furnishings and upholstery.

Traditional cloth and mop methods can easily relocate deadly germs to different

surface areas, and cheaper fogging options can not guarantee a Covid free surface due to their negative droplets attaching to negative surfaces.

Effectively you are spending a small fortune on disinfecting your premises but still leaving your business and reputation vulnerable. ​ here is another way. Reach out to Forensic T Cleaning Professionals and mitigate the

risk, we are certified by the World Health FORENSIC Organisation’s “Health Emergencies CLEANING Program”, and proud members of the British Infection Association and the Sussex FORENSIC Chamber of Commerce.

PROFESSIONALS

CLEANING

www.forensic-cleaning.co.uk PROFESSIONALS

FORENSIC CLEANING PROFESSIONALS

How do we effectively disinfect air and surfaces during the Coronavirus disease pandemic to ensure staff and customer safety?

Are you worried that the current cleaning procedures that are being carried out in your business premises are not sufficient, plus the use of harmful chemicals is also having a negative impact on the environment and your bottom line?

Is it taking you and your staff a lot more time and effort but with no certainty that it has worked and that your surfaces are properly cleaned and disinfected? Without the guarantee that your premises are virus-free, how do we really know that what we are doing is sufficient.

it is on surfaces or in the air. As a result of the absorption of particles by DNA / RNA cell proteins, their structure is permanently damaged. This process is irreversible, which means that from that moment onward, the pathogen cannot survive or reproduce.

UV-C light – is this your solution?

The process is responsible for the elimination and neutralisation of 99.99% of microorganisms, including pathogenic pathogens.

East Sussex based company, LED-UK Lighting Ltd have introduced a new range of UV-C lights, to combat, not only Covid-19 but all known common germs, viruses and pathogens.

UV-C light has been used to disinfect operating theatres for over 70 years. It is a common method of conducting specialised disinfection mainly in medical facilities and food processing plants.

How does it work?

High-energy particles of UV-C rays penetrates the cell membrane of the pathogen whether

UV-C light is part of ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 200 to 280nm (specified in PN-90 / E-01005).

The OCTA UV-System, a highly effective and powerful disinfection device will carry out non-contact air and surface disinfection.

Scientifically proven, and using a dosimeter, which records the correct use of radiation has been reached, we can guarantee effectiveness and elimination of 99.99% of all known common germs, viruses and pathogens.

Information on our full range of UV-C Systems, including the UVAir 216 shown above, and copies of all the certifications and approvals is available from LED-UK Lighting Ltd, 01424 222200, www.led-uk.co.uk or enquiries@led-uk.co.uk

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business support

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Virtual Training Launched to Sustain Intelligence and Security Professionalisation Intqual-pro has launched a new series of virtual training programmes to support continued professionalisation across the intelligence, cyber and safeguarding communities.

As organisations continue to operate remotely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Intqual-pro, a global leader in the delivery of intelligence and security training, has adapted the delivery of their programmes to allow those across the communities the opportunity to achieve high-quality, role relevant training in a socially distant learning environment.

The launch of virtual training in these fields has been important to ensure intelligence and security professionals can continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively in their role, whilst inperson training programmes remain on hold.

Intqual-pro have recently announced dates for their Intelligence Operations, Intelligence Management and Internet Research & Investigation programmes, as well as new course in the application of a Virtual Machine for Research & Investigation.

Commenting on the new Virtual Machine course, Mark Burton, Director of Operations at Intqual-pro, said: “This programme has evolved as a result of multiple client’s feedback from our Internet Research course.

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The ever increasing need to have a platform that can be used for a single line of enquiry and provide an audit trail for research and investigation will provide utility, increasing efficiency and effectiveness of an analyst’s work. Much time and effort have gone into producing a programme that shows how a suitable virtual machine, an appropriate browser and a number of relevant tools can be put together to meet an organisation’s requirements when using online resources.

The aim is post attendance, delegates will have a functioning virtual machine, operating system with a number of tools relevant to their role installed and running.

There is the added benefit of quarterly catch-up workshops where delegates can share experiences, successes and be bought up to date regarding latest applications and updates to current tools.”

The programmes delivered by Intqualpro represent some of the UK’s leading and first vocational qualifications in their specialist fields. These include: The Higher Diploma in Intelligence Operations, which quickly became the UK’s leading vocational qualification in Intelligence Analysis; the Level 3 Internet Research & Investigation, which was the first recognised qualification within this discipline; and the Level 6 Diploma in Intelligence Management, the first Level 6 qualification specific to Intelligence Managers that can be achieved outside of a university setting.

Current and ex-serving military personnel have also been invited to join Intqual-pro's virtual training series using their ELCAS credits, following the training providers recent approval to join the Ministry of Defence’s Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme.

Delegates attending the virtual training courses can expect to gain parity of skills with those in similar roles throughout highprofile organisations from both public and private sectors.

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SUPPORTING THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

WE TAKE YOUR IDEA FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION

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big interview

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

The family business with a finelytuned palate Seasonings and ready-mix manufacturer Leonards has proved a dab hand at being able to predict consumer trends, sometimes correctly identifying the direction of travel long before would-be customers actually set out.

By HELEN COMPSON Managing partner and the second generation to be at the helm of this family business, Jon Lelliott said: “We try to be proactive rather than reactive, working out what we think people will want.

“Sometimes we pitch far too early though.

About 25 years ago, we developed a range of gluten-free products which for a long time didn’t sell very well at all and then suddenly, six or seven years ago, gluten-free became massive.”

He laughed: “Sometimes we just have to wait for people to catch up.”

The company was launched in 1989 by the eponymous Ray Leonard. An ideas man more keen on innovation than the brass tacks of building a business, within a few months he sold on what was little more than the name to Jon’s father, Barry.

Today, the company supplies butchers and manufacturers with the seasonings and ready-mix kits that turn sausages, burgers and kebabs into the Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Moroccan, Thai – you name it – flavours of their choice.

In the early days, 95% of its trade was with butchers, but nowadays there’s a rather more even split. “Our aim was to expand into the manufacturing side of things too,” Jon said, “and in the end, it happened quite naturally.

“The food industry is quite close-knit and people move from business to business, so Leonards grew thanks to word of mouth.”

For 20-odd years, the business was based on the site of a former egg farm, inhabiting

Jon Lelliott Partner, Leonards

first one, then two and finally three of the industrial units created there.

Perhaps the most exciting development of late for this Uckfield-based business is its recent expansion into the direct consumer market with a new brand, Spicemule.

Using an element of what it does for butchers, it has packaged its rubs, glazing and stuffing for household use and launched a dedicated website on which to sell them.

“There has been a huge growth in the barbecue trend in the past few years and, what with lockdowns and people not being able to eat out, the time was right for us to launch this new arm to our business,” Jon said.

‘Cakes in a mug’ is another recent addition to the portfolio, recipes that can be vegetarian or vegan – like some of the sausage and burger mixes – if the customer so chooses.

For Jon, who graduated with a degree in chemistry before joining Leonards, product development is the most fascinating part of the business. There is nothing he loves more than exploring the foods of other cultures and discovering new flavours.

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“Whether I’m on holiday or in a local restaurant, I try a little bit of everything they have to offer,” he said. “I’ll got into all the butchers’ shops too, asking them lots of questions.”

Jon was 14 when his father bought Leonards and he has seen many changes in the industry over the decades, but it remains to be seen, he says, how the biggest one of all, Brexit, will ultimately play out.

He said: “85% of our business is in the UK, but we were hoping to increase our international trade.

“We were already exporting to Hong Kong and Dubai and we were just starting to send our products to France and Spain and other places across Europe - anywhere there are British expats who love sausages and burgers.

“But that’s hanging in the balance now, because it was already quite price-sensitive due to carriage costs. With the sudden increase in both carriage costs and the amount of paperwork, it is a much more difficult proposition now - even sending products to Northern Ireland is harder.

“To be honest, we’re just waiting to see what happens.”

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be the change

February/March 2021 business edge

Foundation supports young people through the pandemic with virtual programme The LoveLocalJobs Foundation C.I.C is to offer their 2021 ‘Be the Change’ programme to young people in a virtual format, for the first time since the programme was launched in 2015.

Be the Change is an inspirational programme aimed at helping students who may face challenges and difficulties to realise their full potential. The programme focuses on happiness, confidence, hope, relationships and employability and encourages students to identify their personal barriers to success, before helping them find ways of overcoming them.

The virtual offering coincides with the reintroduction of home-schooling, amid a crisis that has seen young people experience more severe stress and anxiety than in previous years. Sponsored by a plethora of leading local employers, the programme is set to make its biggest impact to date. Supporters of the programme include Sussex Police, Legal & General, First Central, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and PwC. Business representatives from organisations across the local area

have been invited to participate in the programme as business guides and positive role models – they will be sharing their experiences and stories regarding their lives and career journeys on virtual tables, as well as encouraging the students and listening to their day to day struggles.

The need for a programme such as this is greater now than ever, as is the drive to support the local community. The LoveLocalJobs Foundation C.I.C remains committed to supporting young people from the area and is stepping up to support their futures, at a time when they need it most.

continue to give everything we can to energise, accelerate and support young people in our local area, at a time where the need for this programme is greater than ever before.” said LoveLocalJobs Foundation Founder, Gary Peters.

The LoveLocalJobs Foundation ‘Be the Change’ virtual launch conferences will be taking place across 2nd, 3rd and 4th February. Visit https://www. lovelocaljobsfoundation.com/be-thechange to learn more.

“We are incredibly excited to be able to hold our ‘Be the Change’ programme in a virtual format. In the midst of a year unlike any that’s come before, and with schools closed, there really is no better time for young people to be inspired and learn from those who are leading through disruption, confusion and turbulence. We

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business matters changing landscape of global trade

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 business edge

Supply chains in 2021 and beyond Among ongoing Brexit uncertainty, the pandemic, and a demand for rapid global vaccine distribution, global trade is facing unprecedented disruption.

From 1st January, companies moving goods between the UK and EU will have to change the way they do things. Preparations have been in the works for months. However, we may see a demand for certain supply chain actors to take on new roles at a scale that no one predicted before this year.

Of the vaccines developed to act against Covid-19, some of the leading names require ultra-low temperatures – in some cases as low as -80 degrees Celsius – during transportation. The World Health Organisation reported 65 to 70 percent of the global population requires vaccination against Covid to build herd immunity. We will soon see many organisations outside of medical supply chains required to aid the process and to do so, they will need to adapt to significant challenges.

Organisations in the UK and EU that transport goods across the channel or may do so in the future will need a detailed understanding of the process to avoid issues and hold-ups. Completing declarations with or without the help of a customs broker and understanding record-keeping

responsibilities are the tip of the iceberg.

Companies should review their export and import procedures and ensure procedures are put in place to smooth the transition.

With so much still unknown in the coming year, not only between the UK and EU, but globally, those in the supply chain will need to evolve. Planning and logistics experts will be tested.

Organisations will be financially cautious as they continue to recover from the pandemic. Supply chains will need to build agility into their systems to adapt to changes while managing costs. In addition, the challenges that the global pandemic has distracted from will return to the spotlight.

Finding means of creating greener and circular supply chains will be a priority for many.

Supply chain integrations are a means of adding value for minimal cost increases.

More organisations will outsource roles to experts to offer a more holistic approach. In the coming year, those with experience in global trade and supply chain management

Jason Webb Sales Director, ETI - Electronic Temperature Instruments

will be in great demand. This is an opportunity for the sector to demonstrate what it is capable of but, with ever evolving challenges, it will need to demonstrate its capacity for resilience and evolution.

Resilience and Communication in the Workplace and Workforce Unprecedented the buzz word for 2020 and rightly so.

Jason Allen Sales Manager, Emcel Filters

During this year so many businesses have learnt a huge amount about themselves, some have had major misfortune due to their reliance on industries that have been decimated by the pandemic, i.e. aviation and hospitality.

Emcel are now beyond our 60th Birthday, we have found even over easier times that a spread of industries for our air filtration products has provided a resilience to our business model. We currently supply Defence, Nuclear, Pharmaceutical, Industrial Process, Utilities and Hospitality Industries among others. This has held us in good stead during tough times in the past and looks to have been a major factor for us coping and thriving through the pandemic period. That said, this of course

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is not practical for all companies and we empathise with those who don’t have the possibility of a more flexible customer base.

The first wave back in March and April had a major effect on Emcel’s business.

We found ourselves in the middle of an unknown situation, changing daily as new Government advice was issued to the wider public. We took the decision fairly early on in the crisis that we could not effectively implement social distancing and other measures so a split shift was implemented for seven working days a week. This left us with a huge dilemma, having decreased working hours and had an increased workload due to our efforts with a NHS contract during the pandemic.

Communication with customers, suppliers and staff during this period was paramount, their understanding of why the measures had to be put in place i.e. mainly for staff safety and secondary to allow the business to function. Internal buy-in was required from production staff with changing working hours and office staff who now in

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the main would be working from home with some key exceptions.

Looking back now, having introduced COVID safe measures to allow a single production force and more office staff back into the workplace we realise how much of our business strength relies on communication and the people within.

While we are still in this experience, the knowledge regarding our customer base, resilience and staff has been undeniable.

We look forward to a less eventful 2021!

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june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

changing landscape of global trade

The new industrial revolution has landed in Sussex — and it begins with 3D printed silicone Matthew Bishop, Operations Manager and 3D silicone printing specialist, explains more about this new breakthrough technology.

Matthew Bishop Operations Manager, Viking Extrusions

The new wave of technological advancements — what has been dubbed the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ — may be materialising slower than predicted, but there’s no doubt some of that technology is already with us.

And one of the most exciting, capable of launching a minor revolution in of itself, is silicone 3D printing. This is the awesome power that we now have at Viking Extrusions’ headquarters.

No doubt most people will have heard about 3D printing in some form already.

But silicone 3D printing is an extremely nascent technology. That’s not for a lack of trying. Because silicone has a very high viscosity, along with certain other material properties, it has been notoriously difficult for manufacturers to develop a way to 3D print silicone in a reliable way.

Now that the technology is finally here, silicone 3D printing can be regarded as one of the major breakthroughs of new manufacturing methods. Especially when it comes to allowing manufacturers more room for experimentation and low volume production.

Why silicone 3D printing is important The new method of 3D printing is set to massively change how manufacturers create silicone prototypes.

To the average person, this might not sound like much. But silicone components are very important in everyday life. They are everywhere in functioning buildings. Where they are used for seals to keep machines operating, or as tubing to deliver food and pharmaceutical items. Silicone parts are a bit like cement. We might not think a lot about cement, but we are surrounded by it and take it for granted.

Before silicone 3D printing technology existed, silicone prototypes could only be made using two processes: injection moulding, and compression moulding. Both are relatively slow and expensive compared to 3D printing, and require extensive tooling in order for the prototypes to be made properly.

With 3D printing, no traditional tooling is needed. Models for prototypes can quickly be turned into shells, which can

then be printed and moulded. The entire process requires just a single tool and the end product is finalised with tighter tolerances and greater accuracy. Meaning manufacturers can save money and time, and get faster results.

How it works At Viking Extrusions, we can make 3D printed mould prototypes using a DLP 3D printer, a silicone rubber compound, the necessary pigments, and a silicone injection mechanism.

extreme temperatures, insulate electrical currents (even under water) and can be used in all types of sterile, biocompatible, UV-resistant and flame retardant environments.

The potential for 3D printed silicone applications are immense. Because prototypes can now be manufactured quicker, cheaper, and more accurately than ever, new and innovative prototypes are not only encouraged but allowed to be rapidly tested.

First a 3D model of the required part is used to design a shell mould. This shell is then printed and silicone can either be poured into the shell mould or injected into it under pressure. The shell mould is then heated to a specific temperature (dependent on the type of silicone used for the mould) and cured.

It is hard to comprehend just how much positive change this tech will bring about in the future. New and improved, experimental prototypes will develop everything from improved medical technology, more stabilised robotics, to improved air conditioning and more. No one will be untouched from this part of the fourth industrial revolution.

Once the silicone is cured the shell mould is removed, leaving the final part. After some post-processing, such as post-curing and quality inspection, the new mould prototype is ready to ship.

If you would like to know more about 3D silicone printing, or to discuss silicone component requirements, don’t hesitate to contact our team here at Viking Extrusions.

We will be more than happy to help.

It sounds so simple, and yet it has required tremendous effort on behalf of engineers to get to this point.

About the author

The potential for 3D printed silicone Silicone is an incredibly resourceful material.

Which is why silicone components are all over the modern world. It can withstand

This article was written by Matthew Bishop, Operations Manager at Viking Extrusions. Viking Extrusions is a specialist manufacturer of extruded and moulded silicone rubber parts. Their products can be found throughout and in virtually all industries.

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big interview

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Creative design agency capable of weathering a hurricane Storm12’s mastery of supremely customer-focused campaigns was highlighted in November by the latest award to be added to the creative design agency’s trophy cabinet.

By HELEN COMPSON Founder and Managing Director Matt Saunders was particularly pleased it was the Brighter Thinking category the team won in the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards.

“Because it recognises we put the customer at the heart of everything we do,” he said.

“And that ethos goes right back to the beginning – from day one, I have been determined to listen to the customer and to avoid being a precious creative agency.”

Matt launched Storm12, with just a Quadra 800 Mac, a telephone and a fax machine in a rented barn “in the middle of nowhere”, in 1999.

Last year, the business came of age with 12 members of staff and an annual turnover of £860K. Among the 12 is Ben Harvey, Chief Technical Director who steers the digital side of the business, an excellent senior leadership team and a bunch of talented designers and digital developers.

The journey in between has been one of unfaltering, steady growth, thanks in no small part to the honesty and transparency of Matt’s approach. “At the time I founded Storm12, I was working in another agency, which was quite large in that it had 25 to 30 people,” he said.

“I spotted a niche. I had seen myself and lots of other people just creating pretty pictures, stuff that looked good, but the results weren’t monitored.

“I thought I could create a much more results-focused proposition whereby I would listen to a client and find out what their aims were and then – and only then – design a strategy to help them meet their goals.”

A common tendency among agencies was to go straight in with a sales pitch, a ‘big idea’ for a marketing campaign, that often had little to do with the business development aims of the would-be client.

“You would be amazed how many companies don’t measure outcomes, even in today’s digital world.”

Most of all, if a campaign has actually failed to meet its targets, both agency and client need to know.

“We have longstanding clients because we are transparent and honest,” he said. “If something hasn’t worked, why not? And how can we improve on it and get it right next time?”

There was no lucky break or significant first client waiting in the wings when Matt went into business for himself. Rather, he spent hundreds of hours on the telephone that first year, creating his own opportunities.

Matt said: “We try to share accountability with our clients as well. If they aren’t already doing so, we will push them to measure the outcome of what we do.

Having studied animation, he’d taught himself how to build CD-Rom cards using Macromedia’s Adobe Director package.

Consequently, Surrey University, which wanted an interactive prospectus it could send out on CD-Rom, became his first client.

“How did this campaign go? Did it reach its intended audience? What new leads did it generate?

He got several more jobs like that which, as it turned out, proved the perfect launchpad for designing websites. “Back in 1999,

Storm12 took a very different route.

“You would be amazed how many companies don’t measure outcomes, even in today’s digital world.”

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hardly anyone had a website,” he said. “It was exciting.”

The first one he designed was for Bakers Timber Buildings, which is still a client today.

In year one, Storm12, named after the most powerful storm on the Beaufort Scale, achieved a turnover of £100,000. That trebled the following year.

The target of £1m in 2020 was stymied

by Covid, of course, but thanks to Matt’s prudence and the balanced spread of contracts across a diverse range of sectors, Storm12 is well set to weather this hurricane.

On the one hand, he has both owned his own premises, on Handcross High Street, slap bang in the middle of Sussex, since 2006, and been sensible with cash reserves for years.

And on the other , while his Tier 1 clients, among them Gatwick Airport, an aircraft parts supplier and a highways agency, have had to pull their horns in for now, his Tier 2 clients – mostly SMEs with turnovers between £2m and £10m – are going hell for leather, sharpening their digital assets.

“We’re obviously not going to meet our growth targets at the moment,” he said, “but we have enough business to cover our costs and to keep our staff employed, which I think is a brilliant position to be in.

“It’s a healthy position to be in during Covid.”

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business matters

February/March 2021 business edge

Your top personal finance actions The events of 2020 have presented challenges for everyone and resulted in many of us reflecting on our personal financial circumstances. Regardless of your level of wealth, it is essential to plan for the future. Here is a simple personal finance action list to help you 1. Set financial goals and do an annual check up Consider your personal financial priorities: What do you want to achieve?

What lifestyle would you like in retirement?

What would you like to leave to your family?

What can you do now to achieve these?

Your plans and priorities are likely to change throughout your lifetime. Review your finances and goals annually and adjust accordingly to keep on track.

2. Write a Will and keep it up to date If you have not written a Will, now is the time to do so. If you have young children, you may wish to appoint guardians in your Will.

For those who do already have a Will when did you last review it? Have you had any changes to your personal circumstances since it was written?

3. Consider a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) An LPA is a legal document and is a safe way of maintaining control over decisions should you no longer be able to make them yourself.

There are two types of LPAs, ‘Property and Financial Affairs’ and ‘Health and Welfare’.

We recommend you sign both versions as it is vital your finances and future welfare are covered to protect your best interests.

4. Review, update and invest in your pensions Review your state pension Check your entitlement for free and when you qualify to receive at: www.gov.uk/checkstate-pension.

Collate your old pension arrangements If you have old pension policies to which you no longer contribute – you can track these down using the government’s free ‘Pension Tracing Service’.

Update your pension beneficiary forms Where the benefits under a pension are paid at the discretion of the pension trustee they do not usually form part of your estate for inheritance tax purposes and are not usually inherited under your Will.

A tax advantageous beneficiary’s pension may be obtained by ensuring funds remain in the pension wrapper and an ‘Expression of Wishes’ form should always be kept updated.

Invest in your pension Investing in pensions throughout your lifetime is one of the most effective ways to plan for and fund your retirement. Review your fund regularly. Will this provide enough funds for the retirement you are aiming for?

If not, consider investing more or finding alternative funding methods.

5. Review and consider your insurance policies

Daniel Grainge

Review your existing policies regularly to ensure you are adequately covered. If you cannot locate your policy documents, contact your provider.

Head of Tax Kreston Reeves

Check if they are written in trust. Where they are it may mean that when funds are paid out, they may not automatically form part of your estate and may not be subject to inheritance tax.

If you do not already hold life insurance, critical illness or income protection these could serve to protect you and your family.

6. ‘Future plan’ your role in a business

Sarah Mannooch

Director of Legal Services Kreston Reeves

We recommend that those who own all or part of a business consider its future plans, their ambitions as part of the business, and how a future exit might be structured. This will help ensure that both the business and you are ready for the exit, maximising value where appropriate, and minimising the various tax exposures.

Business owners should also consider the formalities associated with the business (for example a partnership agreement or shareholders’ agreement) and how this interacts with their personal affairs, in particular their Will. There are significant tax exemptions for qualifying business assets, and these should be considered when drafting your Will and business documents.

You may wish to consider a Business Lasting Power of Attorney and Key person insurance to ensure your business interests are protected.

7. Understand your inheritance tax (“IHT”) exposure Complete a periodic review of your financial position from an inheritance tax (IHT) perspective and understand your current potential exposure. Consider lifetime giving as a way to mitigate your estate’s liability sooner rather than later to start the sevenyear period for a gift to be exempt from IHT, bearing in mind your ongoing financial needs. You may also wish to consider the tax benefits of making charitable donations whether during your lifetime or on death.

Make sure you understand the tax implications before gifting assets to family or friends. IHT, capital gains tax and stamp

Kim Williams Financial Planner Kreston Reeves duty land tax may all be relevant on a noncash gift. For cash gifts only IHT needs to be considered.

Contact us today so that together we can discover what steps you need to take to achieve your personal financial goals whether you are accumulating or distributing wealth. Visit www.krestonreeves.com or call us on 0330 124 1399.

The content of this article is for information only and does not constitute formal financial advice.

This material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal or other forms of advice.

You should not rely on this information to make, or refrain from making any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.

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25

business support

February/March june/july 2019 2021 business edge

Intelligencia Training Reveals New Behavioural Detection Analysis Programme Intelligencia Training has announced the addition of a drama-based, online programme in Behavioural Detection Analysis. skills in the basics of good Behavioural Detection Analysis.

‘odd’, empowering them to act upon observations and gut feeling.

Launched in collaboration with parent organisation, Intqual-pro, the new online programme presents an opportunity for those working in this crucial area of expertise to engage in compelling, distance training, with key learning outputs embedded within a unique filmed drama.

Nick Atkinson, Commercial Director of Intelligencia Training, commented: “This rewarding programme builds upon the success we have engaging with an ever growing number of Government agencies, public sector departments and the security industry, the ability to further develop the specialist skill sets required to operate in these sectors is a huge advantage.”

By involving each trainee in the role of Behavioural Detection Analysis, organisations are able to build a robust culture of risk mitigation – enhancing the ability to both spot and act upon anomalous behaviour, as well as improving overall customer service.

Relevant to any organisation involved in crowded public spaces, such as those across retail, entertainment and travel sectors, the new online programme aims to provide parity of knowledge and

The key aim of the programme is not about increasing suspicion, but about increasing awareness. Delegates will gain a general understanding of anomalous behaviour and what makes things

As the UK’s leading provider of intelligence and security apprenticeships, Intelligencia Training recently recognised the need for the provision of training within Behavioural Detection Analysis.

“This rewarding programme builds upon the success we have engaging with an ever growing number of Government agencies, public sector departments and the security industry, the ability to further develop the specialist skill sets required to operate in these sectors is a huge advantage.”

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The Behavioural Detection Analysis programme has been a welcomed addition amongst Intelligencia Training’s portfolio of established offerings across Intelligence Analysis, Counter Fraud Investigation and Financial Services Risk/ Compliance.

For more information, contact info@intelligenciatraining.com or visit www.intelligenciatraining.com.

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business matters

june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

Employment Contracts Amy Drake, Employment Solicitor at Healys LLP, highlights a few things to consider when reviewing employment contracts.

Recently, many employers are being faced with unprecedented challenges; it has changed the way that both employers and employees work, and it has highlighted the need to stay current and adapt to everchanging economic demands.

During the past year, employers have taken a step back and examined their workforce.

Many employers are thinking what their workforce might look like now and in the future, and future planning for the business.

We have come up with some tips to ensure that employers stay current in such difficult times.

Revisiting Employment Contracts Employers often review their employment contracts, policies and work-related documents to ensure that they are kept up to date. Last year highlighted the need to amend terms of employment agreements in order to provide the employer with more flexibility.

If an employer needs to make a variation to an employment contract, they can only do this if: There is a flexibly clause in the contract, which allows the change; The employee agrees to the change, or;

Amy Drake

The employee’s representative agrees to the change, for example a trade union.

We have seen an increased number of contracts of employment that are silent on short-term working, layoff or flexibility clauses, which has resulted in the employer having to gain consent from the employee to agree changes to their contract. These changes could include salary reductions, reduced hours or being furloughed, which if not agreed by the employee, could lead to complications and dismissals.

A change can be agreed verbally or in writing. However, any change that relates to anything that must be legally in the employee’s contract of employment/written terms (such as employee pay or working hours) must be in writing and the employer must notify the employee of the change in writing within a month of the change taking effect.

Managing Redundancies Many employers are forward planning and are currently considering redundancies in the next few months in light of the Government’s Furlough Scheme coming to an end. It is important that employers get this right and follow the correct procedures.

We have included a few tips to minimise the risk of legal claims when dismissing employees by reason of redundancy.

Redundancy is one of the five reasons that an employee can be dismissed fairly.

Employment Solicitor Healys LLP

In order to avoid a successful claim for unfair dismissal by way of redundancy there must be a genuine redundant situation, sufficient warning, a meaningful consultation with the affected employees, a fair selection process, consideration of alternative employment and a fair meaningful procedure. If you are proposing to make more than 20 employees at one establishment redundant within a period of 90 days, there must be consultations with all affected staff before the dismissals can take place.

So what is a genuine redundancy? Usually a redundancy situation exists where the business as a whole is closing down, part of the business is closing down, the business is closing down in a particular location or the business needs fewer employees with the redundant employee’s skills to undertake the work.

Individual consultation is vital for a fair redundancy. It is essential that meaningful consultation meetings happen before the dismissal. Issues to be discussed at the consultation meetings include the reason

for the redundancy, explanation of the process, pool for selection, selection criteria, timescales, financial package, alternative employment and any other suggestions to avoid the redundancy. Before applying any selection criteria, employers need to consider and identify the correct pool of employees which the criteria would be applied to. Once a pool has been selected, the selection criteria should be objective.

Care should be taken at this stage to consider any discrimination legislation when applying the criteria; for example, check reasons for absences to ensure that this does not put disabled employees at a disadvantage.

A fair procedure must be followed if the employee has more than two years of continuous service. For those employees, they are entitled to receive a redundancy payment.

Healys Employment solicitors can advise and assist you in these matters. If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact their legal specialists at: enquiries@healys.com.

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27

finance focus

February/March 2021 business edge

New Year, New Hope!

Probably never has a New Year been cause for greater hope than 2021! Even the turn of the Millennium, which was the biggest New Year so far in my lifetime, not least because being an accountant we were all slightly concerned about time and the “Millennium Bug”, can’t compare with the arrival of 2021.

For those of you too young to know, that was when there was a huge amount of uncertainty as to whether some of the digital clocks that were embedded in older software would have understood that ’00 came after ’99, not ‘100! For those of you old enough to remember, you probably don’t care because it was largely a nonevent.

For many of us, regardless of our age, 2020 was to a certain extent a non-event, we didn’t do holidays, we didn’t do face to face anythings, we didn’t go into the office for large parts of the year. For some of us, it may have been a real struggle, hopefully you’re still here, but not all of us will have survived and yet some of us will have thrived. But, I suspect like our business, your business has been largely treading water.

We’ve done enough to get through, we’ve tried to get the business grants from our local councils, some of us got some, some of us didn’t! We didn’t, I’m not bitter about it, well, not anymore!

With the continued roll out of two vaccines to protect the most vulnerable, coinciding with lockdown 3.0, there is a cause for hope. We all know what to expect from this lockdown, hopefully we can dust of our coping mechanisms for a third go and perhaps make them even better.

In the meantime, we just have to get through the next three or four months, there

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might be a little bit of extra cash for some businesses, the COVID loans are extended to March, but there’s no sign of a Bounce Back top up, you’ll have to get a CBILS loan if you need more money.

But…… there is additional hope, an alternative source of funding, still so often overlooked by a majority of businesses, both large and small, Research and Development Tax Credits! What’s even better is you won’t have to pay it back like you would a loan! It is a pat on the back from the Government and HMRC for doing something innovative, something exciting, something a little bit edgy or even dangerous, something where you took a risk, a jump into the unknown.

The vaccines that have been/are being developed are just that, yes for some of them the delivery method already may have existed, but the identification of the right part of the virus to mimic, the dosage, the safety and efficacy, were all a jump into the unknown, that’s why they have been through clinical trials.

You don’t have to have been through that level of detail, you don’t have to be involved in clinical things, you don’t have to have a lab or a scientist working with you.

celebrate failure). It can’t have a readily deducible solution, although if you were to look back once you’ve done all the work and go now that we’ve finally got there, the answer was more obvious than we thought, that is the benefit of hindsight and won’t prevent you from claiming.

You have to have spent money on wages and salaries, subcontractors, externally provided worker, software, utilities, material that has been consumed in the R&D process, and if you have been involved in clinical trials, you can claim for the payments made to those trial participants.

If you think you have done some or indeed all of this, then you could be in line for a refund of up to 24.7% of the spend, or if you are a loss-making start-up or just had a bad year, you could surrender your losses in exchange for a cash injection of up to 33.35% of the spend.

If you want to find out more, you can book a 15-minute discovery call with me at www. calendly.com/simon-bulteel and let’s make 2021 a year to remember!

You do have to have gone through a process of trial and error to get to the final result or the decision to scrap a project, because you can’t complete it (yes, we

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business support

june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

2021: A Year for Businesses to Take Control of their Digital Voice Be Everywhere, a B2B and niche industry marketing specialist, is emphasising the importance for businesses to take control of their social media strategy.

With the latest figures projecting an increase in users from 3.6 billion to 4.4 billion by 2025, social media is rapidly becoming our primary source of information. For businesses, social media presents an opportunity to connect and build brand awareness that resonates deeper with their customers.

Newcastle-based digital marketing agency, Be Everywhere highlights that the benefits of social media go beyond business to consumer sectors and that business to business and those in niche industries can use social media as a tool to provide a window into their business.

Social media has become a platform we all use to learn more about a business

and can heavily influence our opinion.

Businesses with unoptimised or no social media channels could be losing potential new customers simply by how they are perceived by their, or lack of, online presence.

Adam Horn, Digital Marketing Executive at Be Everywhere, commented: “When creating a digital strategy, it is important to approach social media from a targeted perspective. Not all platforms will be relevant and not all engagement is good engagement – it's about quality over quantity.

From an organic perspective, businesses should look to ratio the type of content they are pushing out and avoid a ‘sales

“When creating a digital strategy, it is important to approach social media from a targeted perspective. Not all platforms will be relevant and not all engagement is good engagement – it’s about quality over quantity”

heavy’ strategy. By providing content that is valuable to customers and industry, businesses can build a truly engaged and relevant digital audience.”

A content marketing strategy that offers value and insight can allow businesses to break through the noise of the busy social media landscape. While social media algorithms are difficult to understand, it is key to remember that organic content that generates engagement will always be ranked higher and gain more visibility.

By implementing a social media strategy, businesses are also able to take more control over their brand and what their audiences see, which in an era of ‘cancel culture’ can be critical to mitigate the risk of a reputational crisis.

Be Everywhere is dedicated to delivering driven digital marketing solutions to help businesses achieve their online ambitions and find their digital voice. Since 2014, the agency has supported a wide range of businesses across B2B sectors and niche industries including water, chemicals, intelligence and security.

For more information contact info@be-everywhere.co.uk or visit www.be-everywhere.co.uk.

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29

business matters changing landscape of global trade

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 business edge

The changing face of the ‘automotive’ Industry As businesses across the South look to navigate the changing landscape of global trade, including understanding the extreme challenges faced by supply chains, Ricardo’s Market Head for Industrialisation, Rob Capaldi, explains how the company is working with startups and new entrants to help them successfully bridge the gap to production.

Rob Capaldi

Market Head - Industrialisation, Ricardo Performance Products

Headquartered in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, Ricardo is a global engineering consultancy, focused on solving the world’s complex mobility challenges such as decarbonising transport sectors, and is also a successful manufacturer of a range of complex, high performance automotive systems.

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The range of systems Ricardo Performance Products manufacture are produced at niche volumes – quantities greater than those seen at the prototype stage but lower than the typical volumes seen in mass production. Manufacturing complex products at these volumes demands an approach that considers both the high levels of quality that are essential for volume production and the ability to provide flexibility in the production schedule.

The automotive industry is seeing a significant shift in the range of companies producing products in all areas, from components through to OEMs; traditional car makers are being joined by new start-

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ups in all corners of the car-producing world. The technology these start-ups bring is typically cutting edge and innovative, aligned with the industry megatrends of connected, automated, shared and electrified mobility.

These new entrants face significant challenges to prepare their innovative products for production, progressing the early concept and prototyping phases through to successful and sustainable volume production. Significant investment is absorbed in the development of manufacturing processes and facilities to enable profitable volume production.

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February/March 2021 business edge

changing landscape of global trade

McLaren engine assembly

Typically, start-ups work with an accelerated time to market, introducing new products very rapidly with significantly shorter development times than traditional automotive companies. This adds to the manufacturing investment challenge with an increased pressure to ensure profitable growth; repeatable and reliable manufacturing is essential to deliver this in a compressed timeframe – the best way to facilitate this is through the application of a robust New Product Introduction (NPI) process.

To reduce the risks associated with an accelerated NPI process, strength and skills in manufacturing engineering are essential.

These skills become of greater importance when the product is of high value or complexity and is being produced in niche volumes.

To ensure risks are managed, three key skill areas are important:

the profitability of the product, with an optimised NPI phase.

Process – to ensure the manufacturing facility operates in a controlled and repeatable way, delivering high levels of quality throughout the production process.

The application of ‘large volume’ processes to ‘niche volume’ manufacturing can present challenges due to the mismatch in requirements, however the successful implementation will lead to a process that is tightly controlled and delivers products ontime, in specification and fault free.

Supply chain management – large scale manufacturers put a high level of focus on development and management of their supply chain, start-ups are typically unaccustomed to the additional management of a complex supply chain for their component and system parts – the application of a well thought out supply chain quality management methodology can deliver significant efficiency benefits while reducing the ongoing product cost.

Design for manufacture – ensuring the product design phases pay attention to the manufacturing requirements and constraints, will improve both the efficiency of the production output and

“Typically, start-ups work with an accelerated time to market, introducing new products very rapidly with significantly shorter development times than traditional automotive companies.”

We are seeing innovative approaches to manufacturing with increased localisation – rather than the traditional automotive manufacturing method of a single plan being deployed to manufacture product at a high volume for multiple markets, innovative companies are pioneering small scale manufacturing techniques with a high focus being placed on the localised supply chain to enable production at smaller scales.

Ricardo Performance Products support clients in the application of a robust NPI process to support the transition from concept phase to production, applying large scale production techniques to niche volume products.

For more information on how we can help your business, please contact performance-products@ricardo.com

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31

training and events

February/March 2021 business edge

Training and Events Diary Customs Declaration E-learning Training The Chamber of Commerce network has partnered with some of the leading industry experts to launch brand new Customs Declarations Training designed to prepare businesses and trade professionals for the future of trade.

The way we trade with the EU is about to change, introducing the need for forms and processes not previously required. Up-skilled people are the key to continued training success once the UK leaves the EU.

Course content is based on the following topics: Introduction to Trade

Export and import controls Reliefs Preferences

Business Responsibilities

Customs simplified procedures – explanation of procedures and benefits

The Customs Declarations Training programme delivers flexible, bite-sized e-learning modules, classroom courses, and virtual classroom sessions.

Export process

Grant funding: Visit our website (training) to obtain applications for HMRC training funding.

Classification – determining the use of commodity codes

Course pre-requisites: there are no prerequisites for this course.

Using Customs Procedure Codes – use of appropriate CPCs

Import process Valuation – explanation of the main methods and their application

Assessment: no formal exam will be taken however delegates will get to complete simulated forms to ensure they can complete simple customs declarations correctly.

Registering Interest: To register interest please email info@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Funded & Accredited Virtual Training Working in close partnership with Sussex Chambers of Commerce, East Sussex College Group have developed a suite of qualifications to support business to change and adapt by developing skills in 4 key areas; Digital Skills, LEAN Management, Equality & Diversity and Mental Health Advocacy in the workplace:

Level 2 Certificate in Digital Skills for WorkBecome qualified in the use of the latest digital applications used in the workplace including Microsoft Teams, Onefile/Dropbox, Instagram, Linked In etc. understanding best practice and how to use the evolving technology in a GDPR compliant way across your organisation.

and continuous professional development process.

Level 2 Certificate in Lean Organisation Management TechniquesThis Certificate is aimed at team leaders and project managers wanting to improve business performance through continuous professional development of employees and their skill set. Learners will develop an understanding of lean organisation techniques in business, develop their knowledge and understanding of business improvement tools and techniques and understand what makes and effective team including how to handle conflict.

Level 2 Certificate Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Advocacy in the Workplace-

Level 2 Certificate in Equality and DiversityQualify your staff with an accredited certificate to ensure equality and diversity is embedded in your strategic planning

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Raise your employees’ knowledge and awareness of the different types of mental health problems and

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their prevalence, as well as understanding individuals with these conditions in order to care for and interact with them..

Using an intuitive online platform with optional 1:1 support from tutors via video conferencing we are providing a Government funded training package to give your staff the skills and resilience to meet the challenges of recovery.

Use the promotional code SUSSEXCHAMBERS1 to access any of these 4 courses free of charge for yourself or your staff while funding is available.

To enrol go to escg.theskillsnetwork.com and follow the application process. You will need to complete a short maths and English assessment and be asked some short questions about how the course will benefit you.

If you would like more information please contact: sussexskillssolutions@escg.ac.uk

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training and events

june/july February/March 2019 business 2021 business edge edge

Training Courses Gold & Premier members - You can now use your credit pots to pay for training International Trade - Virtual Training

25th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Motivation through Delegation

28th Jan

13.30 - 16.30

Export Documentation

26th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Managing Staff Performance

4th Feb

9.30 - 12.30

Inward Processing Relief

10th Feb

9.30 - 12.30

Incoterms® 2020

15th Feb

9.30 - 12.30

Becoming an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)

Personal Development & Communication Skills Virtual Training 9th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Unshakeable Confidence

10th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Mental Toughness

11th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Confident & Effective Communication Skills (Session 1 of 2)

16h Feb

9.30 - 15.30

Live Customs Declaration Training Delivered Remotely

25th Feb

13.30 - 16.30

Rules of Origin and Preference

1st Mar

13.30 - 16.30

Understanding Export

12th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Confident & Effective Communication Skills (Session 2 of 2)

3rd Mar

9.30 - 12.30

Classification of Goods - Using Commodity and Tariff Codes

16th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Resilience

8th Mar

13.30 - 16.30

Import Procedures

18th Feb

14.30 - 16.30

Introduction to Mindfulness

9th Mar

9.30 - 12.30

Customs Procedures and Documentation

25th Feb

14.30 - 16.30

Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace

16th Mar

9.30 - 15.30

Live Customs Declaration Training Delivered Remotely

9th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Confident & Effective Communication Skills (Session 1 of 2)

19th Mar

9.30 - 12.30

Methods of Payment/Documentary Letters of Credit

10th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Confident & Effective Communication Skills (Session 2 of 2)

24th Mar

9.30 - 12.30

Export Documentation

11th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Mental Toughness

14th Apr

9.30 - 15.30

Live Customs Declaration Training Delivered Remotely

12th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Unshakeable Confidence

16th Mar

14.30 - 16.30

Introduction to Mindfulness

Management & Leadership Skills - Virtual Training

18th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Resilience

25th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace

28th Jan

9.30 - 11.30

Managing Staff Performance

1st Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Supervisors Role & Leadership Style

2nd Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Motivation through Delegation

Sales & Customer Service - Virtual Training

3rd Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Managing Staff Performance

4th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Great Customer Service (Session 1 of 2)

23rd Feb

9.30 - 11.30

The Manager's Role and Coach

5th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Great Customer Service (Session 2 of 2)

24th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Motivation through Delegation

17th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Selling Skills for Results (Session 1 of 2)

25th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Managing Staff Performance

18th Feb

9.30 - 11.30

Selling Skills for Results (Session 2 of 2)

1st Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Great Customer Service (Session 1 of 2)

3rd Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Supervisors Role & Leadership Style

4th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Motivation through Delegation

2nd Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Great Customer Service (Session 2 of 2)

9.30 - 11.30

Selling Skills for Results (Session 1 of 2)

9.30 - 11.30

Selling Skills for Results (Session 2 of 2)

5th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

Managing Staff Performance

16th Mar

24th Mar

9.30 - 11.30

The Manager's Role and Coach

17th Mar

Events Virtual Events 11th Feb

14.00 - 15.00

16th Feb 9.00 - 10.00

Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week

Free for all members & non-members - Find out more about apprenticeships

Outlook for the UK Economy (Bank of England speaker)

Members: £10 & Non-Members: £20

25th Feb 13.30 - 14.30

Purely Virtual Networking

Have you elevator pitch ready! Members only: FREE

9th Mar

Maximise Your Membership - protecting your business, saving money and marketing

Members: FREE & Non-Members: £10

30th Mar 10.00 - 11.30

Purely Virtual Networking

Have you elevator pitch ready! Members only: FREE

19th May 14.00 - 15.30

Purely Virtual Networking

Have you elevator pitch ready! Members only: FREE

9.00 - 10.30

Affiliated Chambers - Networking with Sussex 24th Mar 15.00 - 16.30

Affiliated Chambers Purely Networking

Join members from our affiliated local and town chambers - Free to attend

For more information or to see our 2020 Calendar visit our website www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk to book please call us on 01444 259 259.

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

33

business new members matters

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 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.

ACT-London

Ecolectrical Contractors Limited

Felcon Limited

34 Sea Lane, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 7RT

483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4BS

Unit 11, Euro Business Park, New Road, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0DQ

01304 273652

07948 433459

01273 513434

www.act-london.com

www.ecocontractors.uk

www.felcon.co.uk

ACT is an independent privately owned freight forwarder offering surface freight services, both import and export, to and from global destinations. The owners and key staff are highly experienced with over 75 years experience in the freight forwarding industry.

Ecolectrical Contractors is an NICEIC registered company working across Europe, but our home will always be Sussex. As well as being experienced electricians, we specialise in the installation and setup of network-controlled electronics, offering solutions for smart technology. We’ve built our reputation with some of the world’s largest warehouse-based firms.

Felcon Limited are a specialist Manufacturer for cleanrooms, laboratories, and hospitals.

Roseli Diffenthal Travel

SafeSite Facilities Ltd

Synapsys Solutions Ltd

35 Renfields, Haywards Heath West Sussex, RH16 4TG

Unit 1, Martello Enterprise Centre, Courtwick Lane, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 7PA

1 Woodlands Court Albert Drive, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TN

01444 420004

0800 012 5348

01444 246 128

www.tctravelmanagement.co.uk/roseli.diffenthal

www.safesitefacilities.co.uk

www.synapsys-solutions.com

Corporate Travel Manager helping SMEs with all elements of travel.

SafeSite Facilities has been providing safety and security solutions for construction sites, public events and vacant properties across the UK for over 10 years. The company offers a wide range of products and services, available to buy and hire, with nationwide delivery. For more information visit: www.safesitefacilities.co.uk.

Synapsys’ innovative hardware and software solutions help improve a buildings performance, sustainability and the wellbeing of building occupants.

Post BREXIT Import & Export Customs clearance services a speciality

An independent, full-service Travel Management specialist in Haywards Heath.

Assisting you with everything from implementing your own company travel policy, savings analysis, advice on travel regulations and organising air travel, global car rental, transfers, accommodation, and group events.

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

We have a team of experienced in-house Design, Mechanical, Electrical, Software and Test Engineers, we can design and build to suit any application, large or small.

Keeping up with an ever-changing world and providing the highest standards possible.

Our range of solutions include SIP energy and integration products, software services for Billing and Building performance monitoring, along with LiGO smart lighting controls and our partner products from Lunatone and B-meters.

tel: 01444 259 259

business new members matters

june/july august/september February/March december/january 2019 business 2021 2018 2018 business edge business business edge edge edge

Tension Technology International

Plus X Brighton Ltd

West Control Solutions

32 North Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1DW

Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 4GL

The Hyde Business Park, Lower Bevendean, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 4JU

01323 504167 www.tensiontech.com

01273 056128 www.plusx.space

www.west-cs.com

TTI is an independent research, design and development company based in Eastbourne, with consultants also in Holland, USA, China and India. TTI’s services include design, engineering and testing of fibres, wire and fibre ropes, chain, cables, umbilicals, mooring systems, riser protection nets and subsea tethers.

Plus X transforms places. Plus X create work spaces in areas with unlocked potential, driving business growth, innovation, community collaboration and positive social impact. Through commercial hubs incorporating inspiring workspace, access to growth services and a curated culture of collaboration, Plus X creates a fertile environment that drives prosperity.

Lasiaf Industries Limited

Seryt Limited

Liqui Group Ltd

Unit 11, Teknol House, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9LH

Unit S, Consort Way, Burgess Hill West Sussex, RH15 9TJ

Units 5-6, Cheapside, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4GD

01444 523211

0800 085 7553

01273 513434

www.lasiafindustries.co.uk

www.seryt.co.uk

www.liquidesign.co.uk

We are pleased to announce the opening of a Sussex based manufacturing unit of bespoke polythene films, bags & tubes using 100% recyclable material, at very competitive prices. Our products offer safe packaging, protection from dirt, dust and moisture and offer great tear resistance. We deliver all across UK & Europe.

Seryt Ltd (www.seryt.co.uk) are a West Sussex based commercial tyre re-manufacturer and one of the largest wholesalers of commercial remanufactured and new tyres in the U.K. We are also the largest independent commercial tyre service provider and fleet management company on the South Coast thanks to our sister company Horndean Tyres (South East) Ltd.

Based in London & Brighton (UK) and Los Angeles (USA), Liqui Group is an award-winning, full service, design practice founded on innovative thinking and a multidisciplinary approach. This is combined with a commitment to design excellence, sustainability and technical understanding informed by our in-house manufacturing capabilities.

West Control Solutions (part of Gems Sensors & Controls) is a manufacturer of temperature & process controls in Brighton since 1946. Our controllers are installed globally in essential machinery such as medical devices, food processing, car manufacturing & solar panel production. We are dedicated to customer success through high quality.

If you’re a member – why not refer someone, we have a very generous referral scheme – that saves both you and your referral on membership costs.

For more information call us on 01444 259259 Sussex Chamber of Commerce

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

35

business matters changing landscape of global trade

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 business edge

Nurturing Export Business At Thesis Technology we manufacture the LimbO Waterproof Protector, the Neocape barbering gown and the CombiPod Thermostation. We recently won the FSB Family Business of the Year award for the South East.

Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain and Italy. This event was great fun and allowed our guests to see the factory in action, gaining a stronger appreciation of the LimbO story and our company heritage. As well as productive sessions it was a chance to thank the distributors for their valuable contribution to our 25 years in business. The event was an enormous success, and one which we are keen to replicate, however given the ongoing restrictions the next conference may well be virtual!

We have a number of different approaches to our export sales depending upon the local market, but one thing is always consistent – our commitment to a close distributor partnership in each country.

The LimbO is a class 1 medical product so to reliably fulfil demand and properly manage local regulations, we have developed a strong network of expert distributors who often sell to their national health services.

Both the LimbO and Neocape products also suit an e-commerce approach and this has allowed us to expand quickly in certain markets such as Italy and Japan, with relatively small teams on the ground. For North America, we realised that a physical presence was more appropriate and we established an office and fulfilment base in Portland, Maine in 2014.

Whatever the approach, our commitment to the local teams has always been central to our strategy: we have exhibited at numerous overseas trade shows or secured funding to help teams, for example winning inclusion on an EU trade mission to Japan

Whatever the marketplace or approach, our personal commitment to each local team has been key to the past success of our products internationally and we hope the strength of those relationships will help us prosper in the post-Brexit and post-COVID world too. to exhibit at Medtek; we have also trained local sales or clinical teams and invested in bespoke marketing initiatives.

In 2019 we organised our first ever Distributor Summit in West Sussex.

We welcomed our partners from The

For information on Thesis Technology please contact: adrian.coleman@thesistechnology.co.uk www.thesistechnology.co.uk T: 01243 573417

Does anyone care about small manufacturing companies?

Most people would agree that manufacturing is important. It is responsible for most of our exports, it increases national productivity, and it contributes significantly to UK R&D. John Randle

Managing Director, re:value

we are left with 84380 companies with 1-99 employees. What I call SMCs: small manufacturing companies.

SMCs make up 96% of all manufacturing companies with employees and employ more people than large companies and mid-sized companies. They produce sales of £124 billion. But they are largely forgotten.

It produces 10% of national output and employs 2.7 million people.

But dig a bit deeper and you unearth some interesting statistics.

There are 288,480 manufacturing companies in the UK, but 200,515 of them have no employees. These 288,480 companies have total sales of £621 billion, but just 570 companies have sales of more than all the other 289,910 added together.

A few large companies dominate the statistics and the headlines.

If we ignore companies with no employees, and those 570 large companies and the 3015 companies with 100-499 employees,

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SMCs are found all over the UK, and they are what gets me up in the morning.

It must be said that SMCs are not very profitable and not very productive.

They generate sales per head of £130k compared with £405k in large companies, and most are struggling and many are dying.

You can see why no one cares much about them.

I worked for over 35 years in manufacturing until retirement. I was the Managing Director of a £25m turnover company and increased this to £75m in five years, mostly through export. I had

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

achieved something similar in a £7m turnover company, and I was a Director in a global market leading German manufacturer. I was then asked to help with SME growth and innovation.

I found myself moving from big successful manufacturing to SMCs. It was an eye opener. Large companies have power, small companies have none.

I decided to become a consultant and help SMCs but I soon learned traditional consultancy doesn’t work in SMCs. Another approach was needed.

It’s taken me 5 years to develop a different form of help. Step-by-step guidance that SMCs teach and implement themselves at a fraction of the cost of traditional consultancy, with a potential return of over 500% in the first year.

SMCs need help…and the UK needs stronger SMCs. They should be admired not ignored. johnrandle@re-value.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

member to business member matters offers

june/july February/March december/january 2019 business 2021 2018 business edge business edge edge

Spotlight on Member to Member offers Being a chamber member can save your business money in many unexpected ways.

Many of our members offer great benefits for fellow members of the chamber. If you are a member and you haven’t yet made a Member to Member offer why not login to our website portal and create your own!

You can find the current list of Member to Member offers on our website at: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk/membership/member-to-member-offers Here’s a highlighted selection of these offers:

Janet Webb is offering mentoring, an effective support through transition such as promotion.

An initial session usually has psychometric elements. Sussex Chamber members are offered this is at the cost of testing - £95 instead of the full price of £250 to £350.

Ongoing mentoring sessions are then offered to members at £160 (instead of £200) when three or more sessions are bought upfront.

Contact Janet for more details.

Tel: 07941 921889 E-mail: janet@janetwebbconsulting.co.uk Website: www.janetwebbconsulting.co.uk

Manage your sustainability programme with MCL’s software, ClearChain.

Use it to audit your internal operations and your supply chain to set benchmarks and monitor progress towards your sustainability targets. See www.clearchain.app and ask us for ideas about how ClearChain would help you to commercial, environmental and ethical sustainability. We are offering members an initial no-commitment discussion about sustainability and a 25% reduction in the software license fee.

Want to look and sound your best on Zoom calls?

CASH V CARDS - Covid’s helping hand is KILLING CASH

After 30 years as a director / lighting cameraman I know how to make people look good, I’m offering members a half hour on-line session to help you project the right image on video calls. We will review lighting, composition, backgrounds, sound, camera position and your tech options all for £30 that includes a £5 donation to charity. https:// chicustards.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/ image-matters-in-a-zoom-world/ call Jon on 07831832 439 or email jon.bryant@btconnect.com

This has led to a big jump in businesses taking contactless and contact free payments. And with a 71% slump in cash from ATM’s since Covid, more people are paying by their phone. Many have now taken their business online and need decent ecommerce rates. I offer FREE advice and FREE cost analysis.

So if you are new to taking cards, or already take cards I bespoke the deal to suit YOUR business. k.fabrizi@cardindustryprofessionals.co.uk tel: 07825875961 www.cardterminalworthing.co.uk

Small Manufacturing Companies

Go big from home during Lockdown 3.0 with marketing support from Storm12.

We provide unique step-by-step guidance to small manufacturing companies to help them increase profitability, delight customers, and create happy employees.

The SMC Power Process is new, different, and costs a fraction of traditional consultancy fees with a better return.

We offer a 10% annual fee reduction to Sussex Chamber members.

Contact Andrew Lambert: 01444 892093 + andrewl@marshallcl.com

Contact: johnrandle@re-value.co.uk, 01403 791698, 07867 527012

Power up your data

Brexit/Supply Chain Consultancy

Make data manageable and insightful with Microsoft Power BI, Power Apps and maybe a SQL Database.

20 years’ experience providing industrial, environmental and financial business systems and analytics to SMEs and corporates. Pain free, best solutions – from data entry to dashboard KPIs, all on the collaborative Power and Office portal, ideal for remote working.

Use voucher code CHAMBERS15 for 15% discount on our fixed price packages at www.TickboxSystems.com.

Or contact Phil Curtis through linkedin. com/in/tickboxphil

Wyndham Solutions have been working with a number of companies to prepare their supply chains for Brexit. Now that we have left the EU, many companies are still struggling with import and export and we can offer personal help for your organisation, big or small to help fix the issues and make you competitive in the European and Global marketplace.

We offer members a free initial consultation and competitive pricing.

Contact Paul Mayhew on 07713340641 or visit our website at wyndhamsolutions.com

Storm12 are offering free virtual meeting backgrounds, free marketing webinars and many other tips, tools and tricks to help you get the most out of Lockdown 3.0. Let us help you kick start the New Year and transform your digital offering. See https:// bit.ly/3bIUA8W Find out how Storm12 can help you by contacting Stefan Buss on 01444 40 12 75 or emailing hello@storm12.co.uk

Plus X would love to invite you to experience the Brighton Innovation Hub with a complimentary day pass.

Explore the hub’s curated spaces tailored for wellbeing, learn more about our expert workshop facility and media suites, connect with the community for future collaboration and feel inspired to innovate.

To book a free day pass, please email hellobrighton@plusx.space or visit https://plusx.space/locations/brighton/ <https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/ z5XRC1W53H6BzosLvvpr/> and quote “SussexCC offer”

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

37

business diary of an matters fundraiser

august/september december/january February/March june/july 2019 2018 2021 business edge

Alison Taylor Corporate Fundraising Manager, Chestnut Tree House

Chestnut Tree House Chestnut Tree House is your local children’s hospice and they care for children and young people with life-shortening conditions across Sussex and South East Hampshire, all of whom are unlikely to reach adulthood.

From always being on the other end of the phone to supporting families through some of their toughest moments, Chestnut Tree House is always there for families with children with short and precious lives.

“COVID-19 had a huge impact on our funding, as it has done for all charities – our fundraising income dropped by 70% when we had to close our shops and all events were postponed or cancelled.

And, when the time comes, Chestnut Tree House is there to help families say goodbye, in whatever way feels right for them, either at home or in the hospice itself. They offer ongoing bereavement support for the whole family.

“We receive less than 9% of our funding from central government, so even in ‘normal’ circumstances, we rely heavily on the generosity and support of the community, but now that is even more critical. But businesses adapted and continued to fundraise when we needed their support more than ever. And thanks to people like you, things have started to improve.

An interview with Alison Taylor We caught up with Alison Taylor, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Chestnut Tree House to hear about how the hospice has coped throughout the pandemic, how the world of fundraising has changed and how your support makes a big difference to local families.

“Before COVID-19 hit, the life of a fundraiser was very busy. We were always here, there and everywhere” says Alison. “I had very little time sat at my desk, always networking with amazing local businesses, doing presentations about the hospice, helping businesses get involved with volunteering and all sorts.

“But when the pandemic struck, the world of a corporate fundraiser drastically changed, as it did for many others. For our supporters, office working became a thing of the past. Networking turned virtual. We were concerned as without the support of the local community; children’s hospice care wouldn’t be possible.

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“From virtual brunches, back garden marathons to signing up to payroll giving, the support of the local community was overwhelming. There are so many inspiring and motivational stories of businesses and individuals supporting Chestnut Tree House throughout these hard times. But I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about a team of twelve from Barclays who had planned to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks in June to raise money for Chestnut Tree House, but couldn’t due to COVID-19.

Using their imaginations, they decided to continue with their challenge, and climbed the 24 miles using their stairs instead!

“If you’re thinking about supporting Chestnut Tree House, then please, get in touch! We will support you in creating bespoke and tailored opportunities that will benefit your business. Throughout this journey, we can help you boost staff morale, widen your network, and so much more. Not only will you reap the rewards, but you will also be making such a big difference to children in your local community.

“We don’t know what 2021 will look like, but we do know that we will continue to be there for local children with short and precious lives and their families. And to do this, we need you. There are so many ways to get involved with your local children’s hospice. So please, get in touch today and make 2021 your year to make a difference!”

You can find out more about Chestnut Tree House and the ways you can get involved by visiting www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk

“Barclays has been supporting Chestnut Tree House for many years now, and throughout their fundraising, they have raised over £11,000 this year.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Find your digital voice!

Engaging your brand with audiences that matter.

www.be-everywhere.co.uk E: info@be-everywhere.co.uk T: 0191 580 5990

Thinkers Challengers Innovators Leaders DISCOVER THE SUS SE X MBA FIND OUT MORE

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