Business Edge 67

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the magazine for sussex chamber of commerce members

June/July 2022

Global Market Reopening Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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June/July2022 business edge

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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

Business Edge is a Sussex Chamber of Commerce publication.

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

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Welcome to our Business Edge magazine!

Supporting Business in a Global Market For business, the toxic mix of inflation, raw material costs and supply chain disruption is the flip-side of the coin to the problems facing consumers.

Unless steps are also taken to ease business costs, they will likely feed into the inflationary pressure on the economy and quickly eat into the financial support announced by the Chancellor on the cost-of-living crisis to provide additional support to those worst affected. But more needs to be done.

The cost of doing business crisis is squeezing firms’ finances, driving further increases in prices and directly fuelling the cost-of-living crisis. If we can ease the pressure on businesses, then they can keep a lid on the price rises. Firms will then have the breathing space they need to raise productivity and strengthen the economy. But a change of course is needed now. If the government does not act quickly then rising costs will put our economy in a stranglehold.

The continued sluggishness in cash flow is a key concern as it leaves firms more vulnerable to economic shocks, including the damaging impact of soaring energy bills, higher inflation, and tax increases.

The British Chamber’s most recent Quarterly Economic Survey revealed that: Nearly 2 in 3 (62%) firms expected to raise prices, a ----new historical high When firms were asked what pressures they ----were facing to raise prices, from a list of factors, ----92% of manufacturers cited raw materials, 56% cited ----overheads (the majority of respondents comments ----related to energy costs and transport costs), 34% ----cited pay settlements, and 19% cited finance costs.

More than 3 in 4 (77%) cited inflation as a growing ----concern for their business. Inflationary pressures on ----firms are reaching levels never previously recorded.

Future business activity is likely to stall in subsequent months as surging inflation, rising energy bills and higher taxes increasingly drags on activity.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised the risk of a renewed economic downturn by aggravating the financial squeeze on businesses and households and disrupting the supply of commodities to key sectors of the UK economy.

Businesses are telling us that the rise in National Insurance contributions has been a body blow as they try to get back on their feet. When firms are already facing a toxic mix of surging inflation, rising energy costs and supply chain disruption, this increase is very hard to swallow. The tight labour market is already pushing up staff costs and the NI rise has only served to exacerbate that pressure, without having a positive impact on recruitment.

Ana Christie Chief Executive, Sussex Chamber of Commerce we can ease the pressure on businesses, then they can keep a lid on the price rises.

Acting now will also put businesses in a better position to create the future profits needed to fill tax coffers.

The other two Emergency Budget proposals from the Chamber network include: Help firms manage the impact of rising energy ----prices by cutting VAT on their energy bills from 20% ----to 5% for a minimum of one year.

Address labour shortages by reinstating free Covid -- tests for companies to ease the strain on productivity -- caused by persistent high absences.

Additionally, more must be done to help smaller exporting businesses get the full benefits from trade deals negotiated by government. We need to focus on how we support and measure that.

Government needs to support smaller businesses with export opportunities in UK trade agreements. It is also vital that more effort is put into making businesses aware of the preferential tariffs that trade agreements can offer, and that Government properly measures their take up rate.

The Chambers Network, at home and across the globe, and Chamber Customs have the track record and skills to work with the UK Government to secure both of these aims.

We must maximise the benefits of trade agreements for exporting SMEs if we are to see the real worth of these agreements in encouraging exports and strengthening the UK economy.

With firms’ profits also taking a further hit, after two years of the pandemic, it is no surprise that their investment intentions are also weakening.

Regular news and updates are provided through social media and on our website news. Sussex Chamber will continue to lobby on behalf of business.

But it is not too late to change tack and push the increase back until firms are in a better place to take on the extra burden. The costs crises facing firms and people in the street are two sides of the same coin. If

Share your business news and stories with Sussex Chamber so we can continue to provide the support needed to grow the Sussex economy. Call our membership team today 01444 259259.

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DISCLAIMER Distinctive Media Group 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.

business matters employment & skills sussex chamber business expo

business support

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big interview

18-19

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business matters

20-21

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business matters

24-25

new members

26-27

training & events

30-31

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business matters

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finance focus

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bcc annual global conference

15

business matters

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business matters

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

Cyber Security insurance, things have changed We’ve had many, many conversations of late around this subject, with the consensus being that insurance companies now want a bucket-load more information at renewal.

Robert Morgan Founder, Factory Internet Ltd

Why? Ransomware. This is highlighted several times and in much more detail than before, requiring answers that are much more technical in nature.

The approach insurers have taken to ‘insure anyone’ but litter the policy with caveats – has given them invaluable data about breaches.

When an organisation has been breached, the insurance companies have a front row seat to the incident response and can gather a great deal of data pertaining to which defences reduce risk.

Insurers now have a detailed view into what indicative factors give better or worse Cyber health.

This means that the process of getting insured has changed dramatically. With this newfound data, insurers can assess risk in a more competent manner and make more informed decisions around a company’s particular level of risk and likelihood of being attacked based on their cyber practices.

Our advice With more sophisticated tooling and detection evasion, attacks are becoming more common and aggressive – particularly Ransomware attacks. These are ultimately the attacks that insurers are paranoid about.

Organisations always have issues when the availability of information is compromised and ransomware does exactly that, making it difficult, expensive, impossible - or all three - to get information back.

When dealing with business information and data, there are three important aspects to consider:

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Availability – Is the information readily ---available to those who need it?

Ransomware typically targets the availability of information, which is often immediately impactful – people will notice if something isn’t available, and the longer it is unavailable for, the more likely they are to consider other sources to find that information.

The confidentiality and integrity of information shouldn’t be underestimated either. Whilst changes are less obvious than availability, both can have a major impact on the validity of information or data.

Attacks on any of these aspects scare insurance companies.

Questions to ask Insurers 1.

How will the insurer protect these answers, who exactly has access to this information and what else can it be used for?

2.

If a vulnerability scan is performed, how will they protect that assessment and who has access to its results?

3.

How does the insurer protect the sensitive security posture information they now have on lots of different clients?

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Has the insurer paid out claims where the answers have been the same or worse than ours, in the same geographic/legal region. Will they also confirm this in writing – i.e., not just a verbal ‘yes’.

Ultimately, cyber insurance should be a policy that pays out and gives a level of comfort should the worst happen. However, like any form of insurance, prevention is often better than the alternative.

Considerations to limit the blast radius of ransomware attacks.

Email/Proxy Scanning/Monitoring – The

Confidentiality – Who has access to the ---information?

---majority of attacks come from email or ---web browsing sources.

Integrity – Is the information assured and ---unmodified?

Architectural controls and segregation of ---systems.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Endpoint Protection – Good EDR/XDR ---style endpoint protection can be worth ---its weight in gold.

Endpoint Lockdown – Even with the best ---EDR, locking down endpoints is crucial.

Pull not push backups – Backups should ---be “pulled” to a backup system rather ---than pushed.

Enclave systems – should older/riskier ---applications be required, or should ---features like Macros be required, use a ---terminal server type approach and ---heavily segregate that system and put ---appropriate monitoring around it.

Network Segregation – Try to design ---systems in a way that the internet via ---your VPN or via the Office Wi-Fi is -- essentially just a good internet connection.

---Move to the zero-trust framework and ---don’t assume because a device is on the ---network it should have permissions to ---freely move about.

Cloud Security – if you’re using Cloud ---Services, remember that hardening/----- security is almost two-fold.

Standards – There are some good ---standards out there. ISO27001 used to be ---a good standard to aim for, and in many ---respects it still is. From an actual impact ---perspective though, we’d recommend ---getting Cyber Essentials certified as a ---starting point.

Some of these tips may sound simple and people will often mention getting the basics right. The reality is, even getting the basics to a good level – and keeping at that level – is difficult and shouldn’t be underestimated.

Frameworks such as Cyber essentials are also hard to get right, especially in older and larger organisations.

It is important, however, to invest in time, expertise, and effort to adopt these frameworks, or at least the parts that make sense for your workloads/ organisation, as not just a security measure, but a general IT practice.

Cyber Security Insurance – Things are changing… - Factory Internet Cyber insurance | Business Insurance | ABI Cyber insurance costs up by a third (computerweekly.com)

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

june/july 2019 business June/July2022 businessedge edge

PHL - Sussex born and bred Commemorating 20 years This year Pasante Healthcare (PHL) is celebrating its 20th year of trading! Whilst the Pasante brand and other aspects of the business existed before 2002, the business was officially incorporated on 5th April that year.

Chloe Francis-Smith Marketing Executive, Pasante Healthcare

2002 themed 20th Birthday party at Pasante Healthcare’s HQ in Lancing (8th April 2022)

The Lancing-based business has developed from a small, family-owned company focused on the UK market, to becoming part of the World’s largest manufacturer of condoms. It now represents 4 international brands in the UK (Mister Size, sebamed, INSTI and SunSeal) in addition to its own 4 brands (Pasante, Adore, Clear Sign and MediCheck), with some being exported to over 35 countries.

The company has decided to mark the occasion by hosting 22 celebrations, competitions and thought leadership/ community initiatives focussed on both the PHL team as well as the Lancing area.

Employees, customers, and the local area will all benefit throughout 2022.

A little bit of history on PHL… In 1992 PHL began life as Pasante, the UK’s first ever condom business in Lancing. By 2000 it was established as a family affair.

The product portfolio grew to include further products such as lubricants, HIV and syphilis tests, pregnancy tests and medicinal skincare. With a focus on sexual health solutions, PHL has become the leading supplier to the NHS and non-government organisations in the UK. The success of PHL became internationally recognised and in 2016 the company was acquired by Karex Berhad, the World’s largest manufacturer of condoms.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, PHL has continued to grow. In 2021 it opened the doors to a new head office just round the corner from their main warehouse on the Lancing business park.

This incorporates the expanding sales and marketing team and has allowed room for growth within the warehouse. The company prioritises meeting the ever-changing needs as the business continues to expand online.

Now in 2022 PHL is celebrating 20 years of providing healthcare products which inspire people to make better, healthier choices, making a positive difference to their lives.

The 22 celebrations…

The 2022 celebrations focus on a range of activities to mark the significant achievement of 20 years.

As it is PHL’s birthday, we are giving all our employees their birthdays off work. With this additional day of annual leave, we want to reward and thank our people for their support to the success and growth of the company. A cause for all to celebrate!

In July, we will be hosting a company away day with team building activities and as well as a company update following the end of our financial year, we will be outlining the opportunities and focus for the next 5-year plan ahead.

We are also supporting the local area by engaging in a volunteer programme. Every member of the PHL team is investing a sponsored day towards supporting a charity/not-for-profit of their choice. This is a way of employees being able to give back to their local community. This is an initiative that we will also be carrying into 2023 and beyond.

There are lots of company-based activities going on too. A time capsule will be sealed in December this year to commemorate our 20th Birthday. It will then be opened

again in 2042. It will give an interesting overview for the employees of the business in 2042 so that they can learn about life in 2022, both at work, and culturally. The employees are going to decide what goes into the time capsule.

PHL is not forgetting our customers at this time of celebration, as without them, there would be no PHL. Our main customer focused activity will be a B2B thought leadership project on the past and future 20 years of sexual health. Further initiatives include social media giveaways and website promotions for every month of the birthday year.

To stay tuned and hear more about our celebrations throughout the year, please follow PHL on LinkedIn @pasantehealthcare You can find us at Unit 1 and Unit 21 on Lancing Business Park. www.pasantehealthcare.com

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June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

Nordell’s Growth: Sacrifices, Successes and Lessons Learnt For Paul Mason, Managing Director and owner of Worthingbased plastics injection mould company Nordell Ltd, watching the business grow is one of his proudest accomplishments.

Daniel Grover Head of Commercial, Nordell Ltd

It’s been a busy time for us. Both turnover and staff headcount has doubled in less than two years. And while many looking in from the outside would be envious, the truth is that achieving this extraordinary growth certainly comes with a few “growth pains”.

Behind every successful company, there’s a story of sacrifices, hard work, and lessons learnt. We wanted to share ours with you.

Growth Opportunities A couple of years ago, the Senior Team at Nordell identified potential growth opportunities. The factory had at least 50% spare capacity during our Monday to Friday manufacturing week and even more if you considered the available capacity at the weekend. So, we knew there was an excellent opportunity to grow, but we had to plan for it.

Reviewing the Companies Mission, Vision and Core Values ensured that the company had a clear foundation for growth and our decisions guided by them.

Five-year plans and budgets were put in place, although that was certainly easier said than done. We had to rely on a lot of “gutfeel” when we got beyond a couple of years, but having a plan was essential so that we could identify the labour and infrastructure requirements.

Investing In Future Growth Nordell had to invest heavily in infrastructure and facilities in readiness for the planned additional turnover. This included the build of a 300m2 cleanroom, the addition of 15 moulding machines, and two new lorries. The factory was extended from one site in Worthing to a three-unit multi-site (and we have plans for additional factory space later this year).

Of course, our infrastructure growth required us to take a calculated financial risk. We invested over £1.25million in one year and - with the team increasing from 60 to 200 - had an additional £2.5million annual spend on labour. Trying to recruit over 100 new people during a pandemic was not easy, to say the least. Essential to achieving this goal was the development of our HR team; this was expanded from one to three people, covering recruitment and training and development.

With the team growing significantly, we needed to put a new structure of

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Management, Supervisors and Team Leaders. Certainly challenging when the number of new employees was going to substantially outweigh employees who had some knowledge of the Nordell business. On top of ensuring the management team was extended, we needed to add numerous new skilled roles, including Toolmakers, setters, technicians and quality.

Communication With a growing company, effective internal communication was going to be critical. We needed to find a way to have real-time, two-way communication and feedback to keep the team on board and motivated. We found the perfect solution with Workvivo (www.workvivo.com).

It did exactly what we wanted, linking posts to company values and celebrating individual and team achievements.

Challenges Faced What was the biggest challenge we went through on our growth journey? Without a doubt establishing a new, functioning team. One thing we did underestimate was how much building a new team would impact on our productivity. After more than a year, we are now starting to see productivity improving; however, if you are budgeting for significant growth, I would certainly say you need to factor more on productivity loss than you estimate.

We are now starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, with the factory build programme nearly complete.

Turnover is strong, and productivity is improving. We are investing heavily in “People First” to continue to roll out our training and development plan. We have established a ‘Future Leaders programme’ which is helping us to identify and nurture future leaders of the Nordell business. It’s managed by our Head of HR, Emma Penn and Rachel Stone from the leadership and coaching company Actioncoach. www.actioncoach.com It’s been an arduous journey, but one that has been hugely rewarding and enjoyable.

It’s true what they say: you get out what you put in. The icing on the cake has been two huge awards this year. Paul Mason was recognised by his peers at MD Hub and awarded the MD of the Year award; Nordell, which was just a small business a year ago, was awarded “Large Business Of The Year” at the Sussex Business Awards. We were surprised and humbled, but it was great to celebrate after a marathon of hard work!

Global Markets Global markets and supply chains have become an everyday conversation with the impacts of Brexit, Covid and now the Ukraine situation being felt ever more significantly. Added to that the ‘post-covid’ rebound in global activity, together with supply disruptions and rising cost pressures, have pushed up headline inflation across many countries.

Even before the Ukraine war Global growth was expected to decelerate markedly in 2022, from 5.5% to 4.1%, according to the World Bank.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has downgraded its expectations for UK GDP growth in 2022 to 3.6%, from 4.2% in its previous forecast in December 2021 and less than half the growth of 7.5% recorded last year. The downgrade largely reflects a deteriorating outlook for consumer spending and a weaker than expected rebound in business investment: Consumer spending is forecast to grow at 4.4% in 2022, down from its previous forecast of 6.9%. The downgrade reflects the squeeze on real household incomes and weakening consumer confidence.

Business investment is forecast to grow at 3.5% in 2022. This is down from the previous forecast of 5.1% and materially lower than the Bank of England’s projection of 13.75% as recently as February.

The downgrade reflects the expected weakening in investment intentions from rising cost pressures, higher taxes and weakening confidence amid deteriorating UK and global outlooks, including the current impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine With such a challenging outlook, the BCC is calling for an emergency budget to give firms the breathing space they need to raise productivity and strengthen the economy, including reversing the recently introduced National Insurance increase until at least the next financial year.

The quote “No Pain, No Gain” is true.

However, if you plan, are prepared to put in the hard work, keep the team engaged and remain true to your values, the journey to growth will be far easier!

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Rob Clare Chairman, Sussex Chamber of Commerce

business matters

june/july 2019 business June/July2022 businessedge edge

Legal & General supports Hove students via the Dare to Dream Programme Legal & General are helping students from Hove Park School to raise their aspirations and realise their potential through their support of the Dare to Dream Programme.

Christina Fishlock Head of Community Programmes, LoveLocal Jobs

The programme, created by The Love Local Jobs Foundation C.I.C is delivered

by Programme Lead, radio presenter Jack ‘The Lad’ Hayes who is currently on air with More Radio. Jack provides young people across Sussex with the support and tools to improve their selfawareness, confidence and resilience.

Jack has been working with over 260 year 9 students from Hove Park School with the unique ability to engage with the students and encourage them to think differently about their futures through drawing upon his own experiences and the challenges he himself has faced.

In addition to this, ten mentors from Legal & General have supported 30 year 9 students from Hove Park School.

Each Legal & General mentor has been assigned three students, offering them one-to-one guidance to help promote self-awareness, build resilience, and support employability. The programme is made up of multiple interactions including inspirational assemblies, workshops and one-to-one mentoring which takes place over a six month period and ends with student being shown around the Legal & General site in Hove to experience a reallife working environment.

“I didn’t get the encouragement and support for my career when I was growing up, so I feel privileged to be part of this year’s programme. I get to positively influence young people, help build their confidence, and set them on a path for success.”

Employee volunteering is an important part of life at Legal & General, supported by a volunteering policy which allows their people to take time off to support charities during working hours.

“We’ve been proud to be part of the Dare to Dream programme for Brighton and Hove for a third time.

Commenting on her participation in this year’ Dare to Dream programme, Georgia Mills, Campaigns Manager, Legal & General Retail said,

Legal & General have long been supporters of The Love Local Jobs Foundation and its programmes, with Phil Anderson, Legal & General’s Hove Location Director and Chief Operating Officer, for its Retirement Institutional and Capital businesses commenting,

“All our colleagues involved have found the experience to be inspiring and rewarding, acting as mentors to the students and helping them to build selfconfidence, discover their ambitions and ultimately fulfil their true potential.”

Pentagon have made a lofty £35k investment in a ZERES (Hybrid) 40 tonne injection moulding machine adding to our range Purchased in early April 2022 from valued and long-term supply partner Premier Moulding Machinery the new addition to the existing 12 machine plant will add to our full electric and electric with built in hydraulic machine offering delivering greater efficiency. This press size fits nicely into the lower clamp forces in our range and will be widely utilised for production of medical components as well as supporting other industry sectors for technical moulding production.

Gabby Day Communications Manager, Pentagon Plastics Ltd

Selection parameters for the new moulding press have included energy efficiency and Pentagon anticipates that the ZERES will provide estimated annual savings of 47,352 kWh in energy consumption of excess of £6,000.00 per annum against older presses of similar size.

Delivery for 14th April with instillation just days after, to accommodate the additional press Pentagon are revising the layout of their existing manufacturing facility in Blatchford Road, Horsham. This will include

the relocation of the production offices to create valuable shop floor workspace.

Renovations of a previously disused office area in the neighbouring building (also owned by Pentagon) will create a dedicated management suite thereby facilitating the move of the existing production offices.

This is another big step in the Pentagon renovations that have spanned several years and will allow the full factory footprint to be used to facilitate the manufacturing process.

Other recent self-funded investments for the Moulding Division at Pentagon include three new conveyors from TH Plastics which are wider than the current ones in use.

These were purchased to reduce the risk of waste product due to overflowing when running multi-cavity tools. Two new water

heaters (model TT181) have been purchased from Tool Temp to improve our control of mould tool temperatures during production.

A final April purchase for moulding has seen a new large screen display monitor being installed on the shop floor to deliver live Intouch monitoring of all the injection moulding presses to the work force which follows the recent upgrade to their I4 cloudbased application.

The investment comes at an exciting time for Pentagon as they edge closer to celebrating their 50th year in business and this most recent investment is an additional cause for celebration.

If you are considering moving your production to a new UK supplier or have a project to consider Pentagon’s full plant list can be found on pentagonplastics.co.uk.

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business matters

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

The Goodwood Estate The Goodwood Hotel - Credit Mike Caldwell

Over the past five years Andrew has been overseeing the operation of the Goodwood Hotel, The Kennels (a private members’ clubhouse) and Hound Lodge (an exclusive 10-bedroom sporting retreat).

Andrew Coggings Managing Director of Entertaining and Hospitality, Goodwood

In addition, Andrew is at the helm of the organic farm, golf, clay shooting, afternoon teas, health club and the introduction of a new wellbeing programme.

Running a 365-days a year, multi-function business, Andrew is responsible for more than 300 staff who organise and deliver meetings, conferences, weddings and events across the world-class Goodwood Estate in West Sussex.

Deciding on a career in hospitality I was born and brought up in the North East and I was always fascinated by the local, main hotel -The Royal County Hotel, where I went to school in Durham.

All the big social events seemed to be centred around The Royal County and I became fascinated about working in a hotel that was at the epicentre of everything.

Making the transition It was a no brainer about going into hotel business. During my A-levels I told my school careers advisor that I wanted to be a hotel manager. He was shocked as it was virtually unheard of at my school. He told me to get a proper job and become a quantity surveyor. I totally ignored his advice and never looked back.

The importance of having a mentor in business In the late 1980s, I was employed by the legendary hotelier Patrick Griffin as

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an assistant manager at The De Vere, Coventry. He was suave, sophisticated, drove a Ferrari, which was a rather unusual sight in Coventry at the time.

He took time to guide me and showed me the importance at a young age of doing things with style and panache.

Highlights of my career I followed the traditional route of progression in UK hotels, then spent time running hotels in Dubai, South Africa and Malaysia.

Returning to the UK, I ran some wonderful hotels including Brown’s Hotel and The Grand Brighton. I then spent 10 years running my own pubs and restaurant in Brighton before joining Goodwood.

Now I am responsible for the Goodwood hotel, members’ clubhouse, golf, health club, motor circuit catering, the organic farm, meetings, conferences and events across the 12,000-acre estate, along with afternoon teas at Goodwood House.

Becoming my own boss Before joining Goodwood I spent 10 years running my own pubs and restaurant in Brighton. Being your own boss and taking the opportunity to have your own business is an opportunity that everyone should take at least once during their career.

Big challenges How to best motivate, enthuse and develop the team you work with so they have the skills to provide an exceptional standard of service, consistently, and with enjoyment.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Best business advice I enjoy inspiring younger people, who are just setting out in their careers, who you know will succeed and you just hope that you can help them on their way. I operate an open-door policy at work and people feel they can pop into my office any time.

The best advice I can give is: be energetic, always make eye contact, show enthusiasm, ask questions and you will go far.

Always look after your team. I like to think I have always led by example at all stages of my career and if there is a problem, I will get out there and meet it head on.

I get out there on the floor regularly for walkabouts to meet guests, offer assistance and support my team.

Why have a career in hospitality?

It’s the greatest career in the world! Despite the recent challenges for the industry, we are bouncing back.

Here at Goodwood every day is different.

There is so much variety in my role. I am responsible for delivering outstanding service to 1,500 guests at Festival of Speed’s private black-tie ball, held at Goodwood House which dozens of VIP guests attend.

Other days I can be meeting with people about the direction for the estate’s organic farm shop or consulting about potential development plans for the hotel.

Any regrets?

None whatsoever. I would have been a rubbish quantity surveyor.

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

June/July2022 business edge

Not all member-only business clubs are the same.

While most have a strong focus on networking, County Business Clubs Sussex goes further.

Sam Thomas Co-founder, County Business Clubs

Harnessing such a powerful tool across multiple platforms gives County Business Cubs’ members targeted exposure that really does appeal to the reader.

So, how does the organisation share members’ stories?

As Joint Managing Director Sam Thomas explains, sharing success stories is a major part of the Clubs’ work.

“It is how we raise the profile our of members’ products and services. But not only that, our members’ stories can be the catalyst for future success, inspiring new businesses and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow,” he said.

“Whether a story is about how a firm got from A to B, solved a problem or the way they are reducing their carbon footprint, it’s relevant. Other businesses will be facing the same barriers or problems our members have overcome, so to be able to share how they navigated common issues is a good thing for everyone.”

Business story-telling is one of the fastest-growing and most successful ways to attract and retain customers.

And it is something County Business Clubs Sussex embraces.

Being able to demonstrate how a problem can be solved or processes streamlined to save time and money in a way that emotionally connects with the reader - yes, even in B2B - is extremely effective.

Even telling stories about what a brand stands for can be incredibly engaging.

County Business Clubs Sussex utilises cross-channel promotion - in print via the well-established Sussex Business Times, on LinkedIn and on other social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook.

Of course, networking is still a major part of the Clubs’ work. Members enjoy monthly meet-ups in a successful collaboration with Freedom Works. They also network on the Clubs’ own platform, which also offers a wide range of valuable benefits.

As well as having access to exclusive content, they can enjoy money off hotel stays, sportswear, wine, gym memberships and much more.

Sam says many businesses find the membership fee is more than offset by the savings they can achieve.

“Our website also boasts members’ shops, so they can purchase from each other online. It’s a great way to support one another as well as showcase what they do.”

Of course, County Business Clubs Sussex has its own success story to share. It was launched at possibly the worst time in modern history for UK businesses - at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That leap of faith has paid dividends for businesses caught between the quagmire of lockdowns and work from home directives.

With no in-person networking taking place

anywhere (unless you worked in Number 10!), many businesses were looking for opportunities to connect with others.

They needed new connections, new leads and new ideas. With most stuck at the kitchen table or in a home office, all three of those were in short supply. And with depressing news dominating the headlines, they wanted to find new ways to move their businesses forward in spite of everything.

Being able to join an online community at that time was a cross between a huge relief and a breath of fresh air.

“People really responded to it,” said Sam. “They appreciated the opportunity to connect with others and share their stories.

The move to hybrid working was among the things some of our members were embracing as the pandemic moved out of lockdowns. I am sure their efforts to overcome some of the barriers thrown up during the darkest of days inspired others to adopt the same approach.”

Sam is keen to point out: “Our story has only just begun. We have got exciting things planned for the future. Rest assured, we will share our own success stories - as well as our members’.”

County Business Clubs Sussex is a growing community and you can be part of it. As a Sussex Chamber member, you can join at the reduced rate of just £9.99 per month or £99 for the year and start sharing your stories.

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employment & skills

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

Labour Pains Currently, one of the big challenges for businesses is the shortage of labour with low unemployment rates and a high number of vacancies.

Harry Sherrard Principal, Sherrards Employment Law Solicitors

Among many pressures faced by businesses at the present time, labour shortages present unprecedented challenges. The UK’s unemployment rate of 3.7% is the lowest in nearly 50 years. And it is now believed that the UK economy has more job vacancies than unemployed people for the first time since records began. In April 2022 the number of vacancies rose to a record 1.29 million. By way of example, the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex in May 2022 is advertising in excess of 60 vacancies, a mix of full-time, part-time and casual posts.

The record unemployment rate has led to businesses in all sectors struggling to recruit workers. The worst labour shortages are in healthcare, education and hospitality. Many organisations report that employees are accepting posts, signing contracts of employment, agreeing start dates and then pulling out, having received a better offer elsewhere.

A number of events have led to this recruitment crisis. The combination of the pandemic and Brexit is a major factor.

Many EU workers who qualified for settled status in the UK, and were therefore entitled to live and work here, chose not to do so for a number of reasons, including disruption by the pandemic, improving economies in their home countries and a poor Sterling to Euro exchange rate.

The abolition of freedom of movement within the EU as a result of Brexit makes it much more costly and difficult for UK employers to employ staff from EU countries. It is worth noting however that the Republic of Ireland is within a common travel area, and UK employers have no restrictions in employing individuals with Irish passports. I know of at least one organisation that is actively recruiting in the Republic of Ireland for UK based staff. The candidate does not need to be physically based in Ireland at the time of recruitment; the key factor is the possession of an Irish passport. However, the Irish economy is suffering similar, though less acute, labour

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shortages and attracting quality candidates to make the move to the UK is not easy.

Returning to domestic issues, whilst the

Post Brexit, the process for employers recruiting staff from the EU is the same as recruiting from any other part of the world. No preference is given by virtue of a candidate being from one of our European neighbours. The first step is for employers to apply for a sponsor’s licence, which is linked to a specific vacancy that the employer seeks to fill with an overseas candidate. Matters have been made easier by reducing the skill level required by overseas candidates. Previously the skill level was set at the equivalent of degree, but this has been reduced to RFQ level 3, broadly equivalent to A-levels, meaning that certain “blue collar” roles can in theory now be filled by overseas candidates. However, minimum salaries required to be able to recruit an overseas candidate may make appointments uneconomic.

unemployment rate, the employment rate

What was known as the resident labour test has also been abolished. This required employers to demonstrate that they had advertised the UK and unsuccessfully sought to recruit a UK citizen, before being able to look overseas. That said, in light of the current recruitment crisis, employers can all too easily demonstrate that recruiting a candidate within the UK has not been possible.

a requirement for households to increase

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focus for discussion is usually on the in the UK also needs to be considered.

The Office for National Statistics (“ONS”) reports that the employment rate is 75.7%.

In terms of number of employees, there are approximately 600,000 fewer people in work than in 2019. Worse, the ONS estimates that the workforce is 1 million smaller than if it had continued to grow in line with pre-pandemic trends. This is partly explained by many older workers, after the stresses experienced during the pandemic, opting to retire early, and by the exodus of workers from EU countries. However, with the cost of living crisis beginning to bite, there is evidence of this trend reversing.

Approximately 10,000 workers re-joined the job market in February, but this rose to about 83,000 in March, driven in part by income. If this continues, labour shortages may reduce, but with inflation at historic highs, and a disrupted world economy, the Treasury and Bank of England have a challenging a few months ahead.

Website: www.sherrardslaw.com Email: advice@sherrardslaw.com

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business support

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The Sherrards Academy – building your Employment Law knowledge and skills Sherrards is a leading specialist employment law firm, providing employment law advisory services, HR consultancy and employment related training to clients throughout the UK. The Sherrards Academy is a learning and development platform incorporating a full range of online employment law and HR related training courses.

The Sherrards Academy UK Employment Law Course has been designed for people managers and HR professionals looking to acquire or reinforce their knowledge of UK employment law legislation. The course blends direct contact with an experienced, specialist employment law solicitor with engaging learning content, accessed 24/7 via the Academy website.

Our UK Employment Law Course is certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles, and delegates who complete the course can record 8 CPD hours.

To find out more please visit www.sherrardsacademy.com Sherrards 4 Albourne Court, Henfield Road, Albourne West Sussex BN6 9DB Tel: 01273 834120 email: academy@sherrardslaw.com

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How to Prevent DDoS Attacks…

In its purest form, DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. A DDoS attack is a combined cyber attack on a specific server or network, with an overwhelming amount of information, with the intended purpose of disrupting normal service. That’s the dictionary version, but what does a DDoS attack look like in the real world?

Imagine if you called your favourite takeaway. 45 mins later, the food turns up. Wonderful. Let’s say the phone at the takeaway rings every 5 minutes with a food order. No problem. But imagine if 456 customers, every second, for an hour rang the same restaurant, ordering a fake meal. Very quickly the chef would become overwhelmed with orders. The real meal orders would be lost inside the fake orders.

The legitimate customer could potentially go elsewhere for service, thus immediately affecting your bottom line.

What’s a Botnet?

A botnet is a network of computers running bots, all run by a central bot ‘herder’. It can often happen without the computer owner’s knowledge that their computer is now part of a network of computers or “bots”.

So how can one computer get so many other computers to collaborate with it and create such havoc? We all receive many emails in a day, and it’s so easy to click on the wrong email. The virus software is then quietly installed onto your computer. Then, when commanded by the cyber criminal’s

prime computer, it will send out fake requests to the targeted server.

And it’s getting worse. DDoS attacks are getting bigger in threat level. Only recently a record-breaking 3.47 Tbps (Terabytes per second) DDoS attack was launched, using 10,000 infected computers, from ten countries around the world.

How to Stop a DDoS attack The first thing to do is to create a strategy to deal with a potential attack. Put together an audit of your current systems. This will help to identify potential security flaws within your network. As DDoS or DoS attacks can run for any length of time, so increase your network’s bandwidth, so that you will be able to accommodate unexpected activity.

Strengthen your network infrastructure.

This may include upgrading your firewall security, anti-virus, along with anti-malware software and some form of network threat monitoring systems, and software that will help you to detect any unusual network traffic across your systems.

Look out for any warning signs across your systems. For instance, have you noticed

an increased amount of spam across your network? Has your website been behaving oddly, going offline inexplicably, or slowing down? You should also include a plan as to how the business will communicate with the various stakeholders of the company, both internally and externally.

If your company depends on an online presence, then you need to protect it.

DDoS attacks can be incredibly painful to a company’s bottom line if they are unprepared for one. So, a multi-layered strategy that aims to shield your business is definitely the way to go.

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There’s a huge buzz about this year’s South East Construction Expo It’s being hosted on September 22nd at it’s new home of the impressive K2 conference centre in Crawley, which offers great transport links and free parking to visitors. The size of the venue also means the expo will be double the size of last year.

Visitors can expect to see an inspiring and hugely diverse construction exhibition, including exhibits both inside and outside the hall, live demos, and interactive stands, as well as meet and network with industry connections from across the South East.

This year the show will be officially opened

by Lee Rowley MP, Minister for Industry and Construction. He will also deliver the opening speech of the expo and then visit the exhibitor stands while he is there.

Impressive Industry Speakers Expo organiser, Carole Black, says, “We are really pleased to have the support of the Minister for the show. The construction industry is extremely wide-ranging and has performed exceptionally over the last two years, in that it was one of the few industries that actually grew and helped the UK economy during the pandemic. We think it’s great that the Minister for Industry is coming to show his appreciation of that.”

Also confirmed as a keynote speaker is David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times. He will be discussing; ‘The economic and business outlook for construction. Amid sharply rising inflation, intense cost pressures and supply-chain difficulties, what is in prospect for the economy and the construction industry?

Can we weather the storm?’

Tickets selling fast!

Exhibitor bookings are already up on last year, with companies from all parts of the

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construction industry looking to show off the latest innovations, services and products to attendees. The high ceilings inside the venue mean that large items can be brought inside and exhibitors can get really creative.

In addition, there is also the capacity to have large plant and vehicles on show outside in the car park right next door to the hall.

Don’t worry though, there’s enough free car parking at the venue for both visitors and exhibitors to use.

The show will be highlighting various sectors within the construction industry and also the diversity of the supply line it supports. “If you think that your business can’t get involved in the construction industry, think again,” says Carole, “Construction reaches across many sectors and also requires one of the most diverse supply chains going, from specialist lawyers through to environmental consultancy. You can almost certainly do business in the construction sector.”

Getting to Know You During the day there are multiple opportunities for networking, contact building and knowledge growth. These include the Women in Construction Lunch where, Coast to Capital Chair, Julie Kapsalis, will be sharing the stories of Katie Kelleher and Caroline Gumble. Katie left a career in recruitment to become the operator of one of the largest cranes in the UK, while Caroline tells us how her career path led her

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to become Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Building. Two very different stories but both equally compelling! Tickets for this lunch can be booked separately through the website.

There will also be further keynote speaker announcements, networking areas, ‘meet the buyer’ areas and outdoor displays. “The 2022 Expo is going to be a vibrant, exciting and brilliant place to be on September 22nd and we’re really excited.” says Carole.

South East Construction Awards In addition to the Expo the South East Construction Awards are also open to enter, with the awards dinner being held at Lingfield Park Racecourse on Wednesday 23rd November and six categories to enter.

The event is being hosted by top comedian Aaron Jones and is set to be a celebration of the best and brightest in the South East Construction industry. The awards are judged by a panel of industry experts and categories include; Best Apprentice, Best Architectural Design, Best Construction Project, Best Construction Contractor, Best Supplier and Women in Construction.

If you think you’ve got an award winner for one of these then enter now via www. constructionexpoawards.co.uk For more information on exhibiting or attending the expo please visit the website: www.constructionexpouk.co.uk.

tel: 01444 259 259

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Harwoods Jaguar Land Rover A leading automotive retailer group in the South of England for over 90 years, Harwoods Group is an independent family business employing 850 staff. Over those nine decades, the Group has gained an enviable reputation for delivering uniquely high levels of service.

In addition to luxury brands Aston Martin, Bentley and McLaren, the company represents premium brands, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo. Harwoods has recently opened an ultra-modern Jaguar Land Rover business in Brighton and a Volvo business in Crawley.

Operating a Fleet sales operation based in Crawley, Harwoods’ designated Fleet team has delivered more than 5000 Jaguar Land Rover fleet and business vehicles over the last three years.

The company’s Fleet & Business ‘Hub’ in Crawley has a highly experienced team of specialists on hand to assist with Business sales, Personal and Business Contract hire (leasing), Outright purchase sales and total cost of ownership. This team is also able to help with company car choice lists based on, for example, Outright purchase values, Contract hire rentals, P11d bandings, whole life costs, and emissions.

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Let’s find out more….

Known as BEVs (battery electric vehicles), Fully Electric company cars have many

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environmental benefits. They make financial sense for businesses, too. Those benefits include: No Carbon Dioxide Emissions Lower Running Costs Only 1% BIK, low P11d values Zero Road Fund Duty Congestion Charge Exemption 100% Capital Allowance Reduced Nation Insurance Contributions

PHEVs In addition to Fully Electric Vehicles, PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) are dual fuel, they too enjoy lower BIK and P11d values. But are they expensive? Not necessarily as whole Life Costs, (WLC) can show that the higher taxable list price can be mitigated through fuel savings, BIK and National Insurance, which combine to make the total cost of ownership less expensive than that of running diesel cars.

Mike Harris, Harwoods’ Head of Fleet Sales, says: “Diesel and petrol company cars attract higher P11d costs and National insurance contributions every year. Having abandoned company cars altogether, a growing number of businesses are now considering low or zero emission, electric or hybrid vehicles as company cars. Moving

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forward, we fully expect the downward trend in company fleet vehicles to reverse, with strong growth expected.

Jaguar Land Rover offer an outstanding choice of electric and hybrid models across their respective ranges. As a result, we’ve certainly been busy, and I can see the growth in company cars continue to grow. Company car drivers have made a clear statement of intent around electric and hybrid cars, with many orders now being for alternative fuelled vehicles. Fleet managers are also taking advantage of the comparative low whole life cost of electric vehicles for their fleet.”

This uptake in demand is only set to increase when considering the potential for employees currently not eligible for a company car. Enabling employees to enjoy a low-emitting vehicle through a salary sacrifice scheme, for example, will help us all reach our sustainability goals of reduced carbon emissions.”

Mike concludes: “By taking the cost from the employee’s gross salary, the revival of such schemes will see employees pay less and employers save more. The fleet industry has already shown a very strong recovery from the declines in registrations; should the interest in such schemes increase, we can fully expect company car figures to pass the one million mark in 2023/24.”

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august/september december/january June/July2022 june/july 2019 2018 business edge

Rayner: staying local while going global Homegrown success stories don’t come much bigger than Rayner, and while it’s immensely proud to be ‘Born British’, it also has truly global vision. CEO Tim Clover talks to Karen Southern.

Rayner does things differently.

At a time when ‘Made in The UK’ looks like the byproduct of a long-lost age, this British leader in ophthalmic innovation has stuck resolutely to its roots – and this unwavering focus is paying dividends.

As the UK’s only manufacturer of intraocular lenses (IOL), Rayner helps restore sight to millions of cataract sufferers around the world. In fact, the world’s first ever cataract surgery was carried out in London with a lens made in West Sussex, by Rayner.

But when Tim joined the company as a nonexec director eight years ago, the historic firm faced turbulent times. “Rayner had over 200 optician shops, which quite frankly were being mauled by online competition and the big chains,” he says.

“We chose to sell up and refocus on the medical side of the business. Then when I became chief executive, we decided to build a new factory as our old one in Hove wasn’t fit for purpose – it looked like a set from The Sweeney!

“The general consensus was that we should go to Vietnam, China, or such like,

but we chose to stay in West Sussex.

We knew we could create a hi-tech manufacturing success here.”

This loyalty stems from Rayner’s rich 112year heritage. One early customer was Harold Ridley who got his first spectacles there, aged four. Harold went on to collaborate with Rayner’s optical scientist John Pike on the first IOL, manufactured at the company’s Brighton workshop.

Tim explains, “Originally it all came about in 1949 when a London surgeon was treating Spitfire pilots with bits of plastic in their eyes. He saw the potential for an artificial lens, had a chat with John, and the rest is history.”

Today 10m cataract procedures take place every year. “The modern procedure is actually not that far removed from the original, so we’re proud to say that West Sussex is the birthplace of both the world’s first IOL and modern cataract surgery,” Tim adds.

Rayner’s new state-of-the-art factory opened in Worthing in 2016, with a business model focused on R&D, hi-tech

manufacturing concepts, and global expansion.

Backed by key British private equity investors, it made the huge leap in eight short years from “a UK company that exported to other countries, to a company with a direct presence here and in 80 other countries.”

Small wonder that Tim feels vindicated by the decision to stay local while going global.

“Above all, we’re proud to have built a British manufacturing success story offering highly skilled jobs and real strength in depth in science and technology R&D.”

Tim Clover CEO

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Despite Covid and ongoing national economic woes, Rayner is still actively recruiting. “No one was made redundant in the pandemic, even though about 16m cataract procedures were lost in those two years. We predicted that the waiting list would build very quickly. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to say, well, at some point they’re going to have catch up!”

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Rayner’s state-of-the-art global headquarters and manufacturing plant are based in Worthing.

So yet again, Rayner forged its own path.

With 95 per cent of the supply chain based in UK, manufacturing ramped up even as sales dropped. “We’re really seeing the benefit of that approach now,” says Tim, with some understatement. This year, turnover is set to reach £130m.

Business is booming, but the company is savvy enough to know it can’t compete with the “really big guys” like Johnson & Johnson for market share. “Eight years ago, we had virtually no R&D, so rather than hire 50 people, sit them in a room and ‘hit them

with a stick’ until they came up with clever ideas, we created our own virtual network with a core team who could take late-stage ideas and commercialise them.

“Our specialists can look at a drawing or patent and make it reality. You could say every ophthalmologist and eye surgeon is a frustrated inventor – they have a rich seam of brilliant ideas stemming from problems they see every day.”

Tim continues, “The big companies aren’t interested in profit margins for complex

“Our specialists can look at a drawing or patent and make it reality. You could say every ophthalmologist and eye surgeon is a frustrated inventor – they have a rich seam of brilliant ideas stemming from problems they see every day.”

niche products like ours. If you’re a multibillion pound company, what do you care about £50m? It doesn’t even move the dial an inch. So, we’re sitting in a sweet spot where we’re small enough to care about that amount of revenue, but big enough to commercialise on a global scale.”

This places Rayner as the perfect partner of choice for innovation. However, there’s no resting on the proverbial laurels, and sights are now set on a pioneering intraocular lens.

The current IOL product range is extremely varied but falls into two basic types: one for distance vision, and another which splits the light into three focal points for distance, intermediate and near vision.

“Our new lens doesn’t split the light but moves in your eye to create focal points, much like a human lens. It will be the first of its type in the world,” Tim concludes.

It certainly looks like a new era in ophthalmological excellence is coming into view. More at rayner.com.

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business matters

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

Increased costs and rising inflation - businesses must rethink and recalibrate to shape a better future Businesses are facing increasing costs and soaring inflation. Simply passing those costs on to customers cannot always be the answer, says Andrew Griggs and Andrew Tate from Kreston Reeves.

Follow many months of increased manufacturing and supply chain costs, soaring energy bills and increased wages, inflation in May reached a four decade high The uncertainty of the Covid pandemic, the UK’s new relationship with its largest trading partner and now conflict in Ukraine driving up energy costs even further will continue to create challenging economic and trading conditions for many months if not years to come.

Some businesses will look to pass on these costs, at least in part, to customers, yet for many that will simply not be an option.

Suppliers on fixed price contracts will have no choice but to try and renegotiate or absorb increased costs. Consumers also feeling the pinch will have to make sometimes difficult choices voting with their feet and wallet. Other businesses will look to maintain profitability by slashing costs.

It is unlikely businesses can expect the UK government to provide meaningful support, having spent £370bn over the past two years helping families and businesses through the Covid pandemic. In fact, the tax burden on businesses has recently increased and may increase further with the Government facing the electorate in 2024 with the promise of tax cuts.

A time to recalibrate Now is the time for entrepreneurs to rethink and look towards building their businesses for the next decade. That will mean addressing immediate challenges and, in the longer term, recalibrating business models. A ‘whole business’ view and an investment mindset is needed to build tomorrow’s business.

Labour, energy, property and logistics will typically represent the largest overheads facing a business. Those that have not already done so need to understand the impact of these costs now and in the near future. Look for quick wins but consider carefully the impacts.

Businesses should look too at logistics functions. Innovation driven by large retail and logistics businesses is now also available to businesses of all sizes enabling them to better utilise vehicle fleets, warehousing and delivery schedules.

Customer loyalty is, of course, to be desired but not at a cost to the business. A long and often hard look at the profitability of customers is good practice. This can be achieved through solid management accounting and well thought out reporting. Costs can also be scrutinised through such systems.

Businesses could also invest time to consider more fundamental and structural change in the mid- to longer-term. Now is the time to bring an investment mindset to the business and recalibrate. Areas to consider include: Many businesses are investing in AI technology to drive greater productivity, with matching investment in the training and development of staff. AI will continue to dramatically reshape businesses over the next decade. Those that don’t invest will continue to struggle.

Options to reshoring supply chain. Whilst globalisation is far from dead, businesses

Businesses are already taking radical steps. Home technology retailer Currys in late March 2022 announced that it was to ditch its West London HQ in favour of flexible working space both saving cash and in acknowledgement of hybrid working patterns. Others will undoubtedly follow.

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are looking to bring manufacturing back to the UK from China and Russia. They are looking for greater control over pricing and security of business-critical supply chains. It is a trend that will continue.

Reshoring will demand considerable investment from businesses and drive greater employment demands.

For many businesses, this will mean lower profits as cash is reinvested into the business building for the next decade. A clear understanding what that means for business owners and investors will be paramount.

Whilst businesses crave certainty, that remains in short supply. Yet uncertainty also provides opportunity and sometimes the much-needed driver for fundamental change. For farsighted businesses, the future continues to look promising.

Andrew Griggs, Senior Partner and Head of International can be contacted via email at andrew.griggs@krestonreeves. com and Andrew Tate, Partner and Head of Restructuring and Transformation can reached at andrew.tate@krestonreeves.com.

Visit www.krestonreeves.com/ shapingyourfuture to find out more or call us on 0330 124 1399.

Andrew Tate Partner and Head of Restructuring & Transformation, Kreston Reeves

tel: 01444 259 259

Andrew Griggs, Senior Partner & Head of International, Kreston Reeves

business matters

june/july 2019 business June/July2022 businessedge edge

Baldwin Boxall celebrates 40 years at Firex and Announces Seven Year Warranty Baldwin Boxall is a British manufacturer of life safety communication systems based in Crowborough, East Sussex and, since its formation in 1982, the Baldwin Boxall brand has become a steadfast symbol of reliability and quality.

Alison Cousins Marketing Manager, Baldwin Boxall

Celebrating 40 years the company has announced the introduction of a seven-year warranty on all its own manufactured products purchased on or after 17th May 2022. The news was revealed to all at the Firex show in London, ExCeL in May – where the stand featured a mock-up of a garden shed!

The announcement is seen as proof of Baldwin Boxall’s confidence in their products and sends a strong message to anyone considering their options when choosing life safety communication systems.

The company has come a long way since it was formed in 1982 by four Directors – in a shed at the bottom of a garden – now employing almost 70 staff. The whole team is committed to retain the company’s reputation as one that cares and to provide industry leading customer service.

With R&D, sales, marketing, projects, specials, assembly, test, quality, packing and despatch teams all based on the one site in Crowborough, the company is able to work efficiently and effectively, consisting of a knowledgeable staff base working together as one team.

Core products include voice alarm systems (also known as voice evacuation systems, VACIE), public address systems (PA or, occasionally mistakenly referred to as ‘Tannoy’), microphones and Emergency Voice Communication (or EVC) systems.

EVC systems consist of fire telephones, disabled refuge and roaming telephones.

We also manufacture a range of disabled toilet alarm products. Baldwin Boxall also has a team of engineers who provide commissioning and maintenance services.

Baldwin Boxall products and systems have been installed in many types of public premises and prestigious sites

worldwide. Installations are many and varied and include university campuses, schools, arenas, stadia, supermarkets, shopping centre complexes, factories, commercial towers, warehouses, museums, airports – the list goes on. In fact, it is extremely likely that everyone reading this article will visit or could even be working in a building where a Baldwin Boxall system is installed.

Final Note:

Commenting on the introduction of the seven year warranty, Nick Baldwin, Sales & Marketing Director at Baldwin Boxall, stated “We are delighted to be making this announcement which, I feel sure, will provide further reassurance to customers and users of our systems.

We are often made aware of systems installed 15 years or more ago, which are still fully functioning and in daily use. We really value the strong relationships we have with our customer base and the extension on our warranty is likely to reinforce this further.”

systems – if you have this type of system

These are life safety systems and, as such, MUST work when needed! They are ‘battery backed’ and will still function for a controlled period during a mains failure. However, it is imperative that these types of systems are maintained as laid down in the British Standards – BS5839 Part 8 for VA systems & Part 9 for EVC on site then do ensure that it is regularly checked and serviced. If not, Baldwin Boxall recommends that you contact your supplier or the manufacturer of the system which is installed, as soon as possible.

Further information, including customer testimonial and product videos, can be found on Baldwin Boxall’s comprehensive website (baldwinboxall.co.uk). Enquiries can be sent to hello@baldwinboxall.co.uk or by telephone 01892 664422.

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Manufacturing & Supply Chain IT Specialists DELIVERING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Productivity Projects Full System Implementations & Migrations Business Process Improvement Software & Vendor Selection CRM, ERP, MRP We’re with you every step of the way.

Contact us to hear how we can make your IT add value 03300 580282 roger.bateman@vazontech.co.uk

vazontech.co.uk

Avantguard Security now offer a lone worker emergency response service for a variety of Sussex based companies and organisations This service has been introduced as a response to the changing working patterns that have been introduced as part of the general shift to flexible working conditions.

This important addition joins Avantguard’s existing services which include, Premises Locks and Unlocks, Night -Time Patrols, Security Officers, Empty Property Inspections and Key Holding and Alarm Response services.

Companies now provide lone workers with emergency call devices to keep them safe and secure; Avantguard respond to calls from the call centre once the emergency call device has been activated.

Having already been to the office, factory or place of work and carried out a risk assessment, produced site instructions and discussed with the customer an appropriate plan of action, Avantguard are then equipped to deal with all issues quickly when they arrive at the client’s premises, normally within 25 minutes.

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

23

business matters

June/July2022 business edge

Worthing & Adur Chamber appoints new Chief Exec!

At the 84th Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18th of May at Rooms Worthing it was announced that Tracie Davey, previous Operations Manager for the Chamber will be taking on the role of Chief Exec of Worthing and Adur Chamber effective immediately.

Tracie started at the Chamber 14 years ago, working just 2 hours a week alongside running her own retail business. Tracie became an integral part of the team and after selling her business

Tracie Davey Chief Exec, Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce

11 years ago, became the Operations Manager. Since then, Tracie has been working hard with local businesses, understanding the local business support available and communicating that to the members. Tracie has played a key part in developing the Better Business Show over the past 8 years into the success it is today and is something she is particularly proud of. During lockdown, Tracie worked hard to adapt the Chamber’s services to a virtual world, introducing many different types of online events and support workshops.

The success of this is reflected in the positive feedback from the Members, Ambassadors and Executive Committee.

Tracie’s aims and ambitions for the Chamber are to continue the growth of membership, regularly reviewing and developing the membership benefits,

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

providing an increased variety of networking opportunities and events. To look at how the Chamber can continue to evolve, stay fresh and bring in new and relevant ways of engaging with our members. The Chamber is all about collaborating, highlighting strengths and opportunities and championing its members. Her vision is for the Chamber to be the first organisation businesses turn to for support locally.

Tracie commented “I’m really looking forward to be taking on the role of Chief Exec, it’s a really exciting time for the Chamber. With an increased team, we will be able to build on the great work we have done over the past years and ensure the Chamber continues to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of our amazing local business community.” www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

June/July2022 business edge

business matters

Marshall-Tufflex marks 80 year milestone Leading East Sussex manufacturer of cable management solutions, Marshall-Tufflex is celebrating its 80th Birthday this year. To mark this significant milestone, the company is undertaking a range of activities, including a drive to increase the average recycled content in its PVC-U products to reach 80% by the end of the year.

Jon Chamberlain Managing Director, Marshall Tufflex

For eight decades, the company has solidified its place as pioneers of plastic extrusion and is now market leader in the cable management industry. Today, with warehouses in Watford and Manchester, and its head office and manufacturing facility in Hastings, the manufacturer is marking its 80-year milestone with a series of activities that reflect the company’s ambition.

Notably, the company is aiming to build upon its already impressive recycling credentials, with an ambition to increase the average percentage of recycled content used in its PVC-U trunking and conduit systems this year.

Having built a reputation for being the vanguard of research and development, the company will be applying its expertise in producing quality solutions that incorporate recycled content, to reach an average of 80% by the end of the year.

Jon Chamberlain, Managing Director at Marshall-Tufflex said: “We started using recycled content in our manufacturing over 25 years ago and since then, we have refined our processes to produce superior products that retain their high quality while remaining competitively priced. We want to inspire the whole supply chain to think more sustainably when it comes to any PVC-U specification.”

In addition to improving sustainability in the building industry, the company has worked hard to promote careers in engineering.

The business has employed a number of engineering apprentices as part of an on-going programme to develop local talent and train the engineers of the future.

Jon added: “We are delighted to be marking our 80th Birthday. We are all incredibly proud how far we have come since 1942 and our success is thanks to the people that make our company so great and the relationships we have built over that time. I’m looking forward to embracing the next chapter and the opportunities ahead to enable our continued growth, to take MarshallTufflex into the next decade and beyond.”

Marshall-Tufflex is also focusing on a number of fundraising initiatives to support local and international causes, as well as hosting a celebratory party for staff to commemorate its 80th year.

To find out more about Marshall-Tufflex’s 80th Birthday activity please visit www.marshall-tufflex.com/80th

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

25

business new members matters

august/september december/january June/July2022 june/july 2019 2018 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.

Buzz Capital Limited

Chandlers Worthing Rustington

Greyhawk Media

Buzz Capital provides short and medium term finance in many sectors particularly: Property, Research and Development (R&D), VAT Cash flow; and Creative industry lending such as tax credits and presales.

Our approach is to be simple and quick.

Borrowers tend to get a yes or no within days and finance can be provided very quickly thereafter.

We pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service and a premium experience, whether you are looking for a New or Approved Used BMW. We look forward to welcoming you to our state of the art facility where you can also find our Business expert, body shop, workshop and parts department.

Greyhawk Media offers high quality video production, photography, web design and branding to businesses and entrepreneurs. We also deliver aerial video and photography services with a fleet of industry leading drones. Drones offer a new and exciting way to showcase and document your business and services.

Address: 3rd Floor Hanover House, 118 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG

Address: Chandlers Worthing BMW and MINI​, Unit A, Manor Retail Park, Rustington by pass, Rustington, West Sussex, BN16 3FH

Website: www.buzzcapital.co.uk

Website: www.chandlersworthingbmw.co.uk

Website: www.greyhawkmedia.co.uk

Telephone: 01273 766399

Telephone: 01903 784147

Telephone: 01798 813068

Home Smart Energy

Visual Comfort

ML Services (Sussex)

Established in 2015 and based in the south of England we have installed thousands of solar and battery systems all over the UK. With over 25 years’ worth of experience in the solar industry, we have dealt with every situation and are able to provide customers the best experience possible.

Visual Comfort are the premium resource for signature designer lighting. For over 30 years, Visual Comfort has produced lighting with some of the most influential names in design using natural materials of exceptional quality and distinctive, handapplied, living finishes. We’re proud to offer the industry’s widest range of incomparable lighting choices.

ML Services (Sussex) Ltd is an Information Technology company which aspires to be the best local Managed Service Provider for all your IT needs. Also are able to provide consultancy services including full project management, installation, cyber security, support, AV and guidance in getting the best ROI for your investment in IT.

Address: Suite B, Kings House, 68 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9LH Website: www.homesmartenergy.co.uk Telephone: 01444 708252

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Address: Old Lakers Farm, Mill Road, West Chiltington, West Sussex, RH20 2PZ

Website: www.mlservices.org.uk Website: www.instagram.com/ visualcomforteu/?hl=en

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Telephone: 07814622056

tel: 01444 259 259

business new members matters

june/july June/July2022 august/september december/january 2019 business business 2018 2018edge business edge business edge edge

Peak Performance & Potential

PSI STANEK PUMPS

South East Angels

Peak Performance & Potential offers a range of effective leadership development and coaching solutions, designed to help individuals and teams to be the best they can be. I support organisations to “realise the value of their people”, enabling them to identify their PEAKS, raise their PERFORMANCE and reach their POTENTIAL.

PSI STANEK PUMPS Ltd is a company that provides innovative water solutions. We offer a wide range of services from design and build of bespoke pumping systems, water features and aeration, bringing together advanced technologies, expertise, and sustainable solutions

Address: 24 The Crescent, Rustington, West Sussex, BN16 2PE

Address: 41 Olliver Acre, Wick, Littlehampton, West Sussex, England BN17 6FD

South East Angels is an angel investment network on a mission to increase early-stage start-up investment activity in the South East. We facilitate an engaging and valuable experience for local angel investors where they can gain experience, make connections, and access interesting investment opportunities. Our investor community creates the perfect go-to hub for founders in the South East and beyond looking to secure early-stage investment.

Website: peakperformancepotential.com

Website: www.psi-pumps.co.uk

Address: PLATF9RM, Hove Town Hall, Church Road, Hove, BN3 2AF

Telephone: 07809 422412

Telephone: 07 852 625 919

Website: www.southeastangels.co.uk

Sustainable Footprints

Let’s Do Business Group

Since 2009, Sustainable Footprints has been passionately growing a sustainable, economic, and environmental future for its clients, employees and community.

Expert business support to launch, grow, thrive.

With the experience of working with businesses of all sizes, ranging from SMEs to large, multinational corporations, we will work with your business to manage your risks, exploit opportunities, and drive your energy and carbon performance whilst ensuring you meet your compliance obligations.

The Let’s Do Business Group is a social enterprise providing business advice, support, training, workshops, and finance across the South East of England.

Address: Little Brook, Horsham Road, Cowfold. West Sussex. RH13 8AH.

Our services are for those looking to start a business, those recently started, and established businesses. We are able to provide professional support to small businesses looking to grow and achieve their aspired success.

Website: www.sustainablefootprints.co.uk

Website: www.letsdobusinessgroup.co.uk

Telephone: 01444 350021

Telephone: 0844 415 2272

Address: Unit 1-2, The Bell Centre, Newton Rd, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9FZ Telephone: 0207 101 0096

IT Document Solutions is an innovative and exemplary provider of managed print IT Managed services and Mailroom Solutions. Providing business consultancy and service support for businesses and organisations across the UK. We help our customers optimise their IT systems and environmental performance, while also reducing costs to help increase profitability, and maximise return on investment.

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

For more information call us on 01444 259259

Charter a Victorian Railway Carriage Hauled by The Flying Scotsman at the Bluebell Railway!

The world-famous Flying Scotsman is visiting the Bluebell Railway and hauling trains between August 25th and 29th.

We have a very limited number of opportunities to charter the fabulous 1897 Great Northern Director’s Saloon, which seats 18 in sumptuous luxury and will be attached to each train hauled

by Flying Scotsman. High quality catering included. The ultimate and unforgettable corporate event! bizevents@bluebell-railway.com 07740 423439 (for this offer) www.bluebell-railway.com

Merceric Ltd is currently offering potential new clients a free 45-minute Executive Coaching taster session.

This will help you to find out the benefits, as well as how I approach Executive Coaching, especially if it is unfamiliar to you. ian@merceric.co.uk 07505 19 33 11 www.merceric.co.uk

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

27

business matters

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

Gatwick announces additional focused consultation on its Northern Runway plans – with updated highways design

In September last year, Gatwick began a 12-week public consultation into plans to bring our existing Northern Runway into routine use. Many of you will have responded, so firstly I’d like to thank you for your contribution.

Tim Norwood Chief Planning Officer, Gatwick Airport

In September last year, Gatwick began a 12-week public consultation into plans to bring our existing Northern Runway into routine use. Many of you will have responded, so firstly I’d like to thank you for your contribution.

Our plans would see the airport’s existing Northern Runway brought into routine use, for departing aircraft, by repositioning its centre line further north by 12 metres enabling dual runway operations with the airport’s Main Runway. Similar operations are already in place at major global airports, such as LA International and San Francisco. The Northern Runway could be operational by summer 2029.

When we launched our public consultation in Autumn 2021, we wanted to hear from people and interested groups on our plans and we were successful in gathering some excellent feedback from local businesses, residents, employees and a whole host of other interested parties.

Following this feedback on our proposals, we have listened and taken the decision to amend several aspects of our highway’s designs. As a result, we are now keen to get further feedback on these updated

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changes before we take our plans forward and so will be running an additional public consultation between Tuesday 14 June and Wednesday 27 July 2022.

The UK Government has also just published its 10-point plan for Aviation – a strategy designed to build an industry that is not only fit for the future, but one that is also world leading. Gatwick’s plans align closely with the Government’s strategy to rebuild consumer confidence, build back sustainably from the pandemic, support jobs and build a skilled and diverse workforce that is fit for the future.

The new consultation will be on the airport’s updated highway design, which has changed considerably from our initial plans.

Full details of the revised plans for the roads around the airport will be available on the Gatwick website from 14 June, and will include proposals to: Significantly redesign the original plan for ---the North Terminal junction Add a new lane westbound over the ---Brighton main line Add a third lane to the A23 approaching ---Longbridge roundabout The plans for the South Terminal ---roundabout remain largely unchanged.

The majority of the construction works associated with the airfield would be contained within the existing airport

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

boundary and the cost of works approximately £500m - will be privately financed. The project proposals are also low impact, are in line with Government policy of making best use of existing runways and would generate approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 and an additional expected £1.5bn GVA to the region.

The project would also have a huge impact on cargo – with the volume handled per year by Gatwick forecast to increase by more than 130% by 2047. Volumes would increase to over 200,000 tonnes/year as the Northern Runway potentially enters service in 2029, growing steadily to over 320,000 tonnes by 2038, before hitting 350,000 by around 2047.

The increase is primarily driven by the expected growth in long-haul connectivity, with widebody aircraft to destinations in Asia and the Middle East seen as providing significant growth in cargo in the years ahead – great news for businesses across the Gatwick Diamond region and beyond.

Importantly, the project will be delivered in a sustainable way which helps the airport to meet its goal of zero airport emissions before 2040.

Materials to support Gatwick’s latest consultation will be made available on the www.gatwickairport.com/ futureplans web pages from 14 June 2022, along with details of how to respond.

tel: 01444 259 259

business advertorial matters

june/july 2019 business June/July2022 businessedge edge

The New World As COVID-19 infections start to flatten, Governments around the globe are cautiously re-opening their economies to a new world.

We are all aware of how new technology can assist with efficiencies and strategy. It has never been more important to use cloud based accounting software and additional integrations for your sector, to drive your business forward and make those critical decisions.

The Government has encouraged investment in new equipment via

Denny Carr Director, Honey Barrett

a super-deduction of 130% on the purchase cost of those assets. (e.g. an outlay of £10,000 on new IT equipment, would attract a tax deduction of £13,000).

Technology will open new doors, such as using consumer data to target your customer base. We already see this with personalised The trading environment, particularly for retail and consumers, will

advertising online and there is no reason why smaller businesses

bring many uncertainties.

cannot do the same.

Those businesses with robust systems and processes have managed

Whatever the future holds it is clear that there is no going back

to weather the storm by moving across to digital platforms, which

to the old world and we must embrace change to move forward.

will continue to play a huge part in future successes.

There are many challenges a business will face but with a clear

Business plans and cashflow forecasts play a key role, ensuring

strategy, those who invest in the future will thrive.

opportunities and risks can be constantly monitored, which then

If you require any further advice please call 01892 784321 or visit

enables timely action to be taken.

www.honeybarrett.co.uk

Design Development Mould Tooling Injection Moulding Beyond the Mould

Your technical experts for Toolmaking and Plastics Injection Moulding www.pentagonplastics.co.uk websales@pentagonplastics.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1403 264 397 |

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29

training & events

august/september december/january June/July2022 june/july 2019 2018 business edge

Training and Events Diary

Members enjoy discounted rates for training Tailored Training

course offers one credit towards the BCC Foundation Award in

Sussex Chamber can provide company bespoke training courses which is a fantastic way of designing one of our training courses to suit your business needs. This is a cost effective way of training a group of your employees at the same time, on a date that suits you and at the premises of your choice.

International Trade and candidates attending six or more courses

Foundation Award in International Trade

£1026.00 + VAT per person (members = 10% discount)

These courses are delivered online and are structured to match the ten British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) courses. Each

£1425.00 + VAT per person (non-members = 5% discount)

and obtaining six or more credits received the Award.

Note: receive a discount when booking any six of the courses at the same time. The following prices will apply:

Training Courses Gold & Premier members - You can now use your credit pots to pay for training Foundation Award in International Trade Virtual Training 9th June

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeExport Documentation

9th June

9.30 - 16.30

Essentials of Supervision& Team Leadership- 2 Days (F2F)

14th June

9.30 - 13.00

Foundation Award in International Trade Understanding Commodity Codes

30th June

9:30 - 16:30

Introduction to Supervision (F2F)

21st June

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeUnderstanding Exporting

22nd June

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Management & Leadership Skills - Virtual & Face to Face Training (F2F)

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeMethods of Payment

Personal Development & Communication Skills Virtual & Face to Face Training (F2F) 14th June

9:30 - 16:30

Confident & Effective Communication (F2F)

1st July

9:30 - 16:30

Unshakeable Confidence (F2F)

12th July

9:30 - 11:30

Time Management & Personal Effectiveness - Virtual Training

9:30 - 11:30

Confident & Effective Communication - Virtual Training

23rd June

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeImport Procedures

5th July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International Trade Documentary Letters of Credit

6th July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeAgents & Distributors

7th July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradePrefernce Rules of Origin

2nd August

19th July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeInward & Outward Processing

Sales & Customer Service - Virtual & Face to Face Training (F2F)

20th July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International TradeIncoterms

5th July

9:30 - 16:30

Great Customer Service (F2F)

21st July

9.30 - 12.30

Foundation Award in International Trade Customs Procedures & Documentation

9th August

9:30 - 16:30

Selling Skills for Results (F2F)

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

training & events

june/july June/July2022 december/january 2019 business business 2018edge edge business edge

Events Virtual & Face to Face (F2F) 10th June

11:30 - 13:00

Digital Sector Deep Dive - Education Provider Workshop (Virtual)

FREE

15th June

10:30 - 12:00

South East Chamber Networking (Virtual)

Members: FREE, Non-members: £15

30th June

08:15 - 18:00

British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference 2022 (F2F)

Members: £167+VAT, Chamber Group (via Chamber member): £140+VAT, Membership Organisations: £200 +VAT, Non- Members: £279+VAT

5th July

10:00 - 12:00

The Ultimate Sussex Network (F2F)

Members: FREE, Non- Members: £20

12th July

10:00 - 11:30

Grow Your Connections (Virtual)

Members: FREE, Non- Members: £10

15th July

09:00 - 14:00

Sussex Chamber Business Expo (F2F)

FREE for Delegates, Chamber Members can Exhibit for £50+ VAT

28th July

10:00- 12:00

Discover Your Chamber - Non- Member only (F2F)

Non-members: FREE

We are currently finalising dates for our events – both virtual and face to face.

For Sector-Based Forums, Bank of England events, Social gatherings, MP events, Purely Networking and many more, go to the following link on our website for an updated list of all of our events: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk/events

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31

finance focus

April/May2022 june/july 2019 business edge

“What do you mean I can claim R&D Tax Credits for that?”

It’s a phrase we often hear when we sit down with a potential new client that has responded to one of our adverts or editorials.

“It’s just what we do!” is another common response when we sit down and discuss projects with companies across a vast spectrum of industries but particularly engineering firms and manufacturers.

As we start 2022’s exhibition season, if your company is going to be exhibiting, just check to make sure that you are claiming the most rewarding tax relief for a UK company. If you are not claiming R&D Tax Relief, R&D Tax Credits or RDEC, then you might be missing out!

Why are you exhibiting? Have you got a new product? Have you made some further improvements to your existing product lines? Have you had to experiment and make iterative improvements to your products?

Yes, I know it’s just what you do, but companies like yours are also getting some very generous support from the government for that! Why aren’t you?

Just look at the exhibitions that are coming up where your company might be exhibiting and where we have been able to help companies with a relevant claim.

Packaging Innovations & EMPAC – we’ve been supporting a company with claims for their work on developing high-quality papers derived from Straw. More recently they’ve been working on a fully recyclable pad for soft fruit packaging that meets all of the requirements for Food Contact Materials. We’ve also prepared a claim for a company that designs cutting equipment for both industrial and agricultural uses, one of the projects we claimed for was to redesign a piece of equipment to accommodate a sacrificial blade. The original machine had a blade that had a significant life span, but was incredibly difficult to replace leading to significant down time, redesigning their equipment so that the blade could be removed quickly and more frequently with little fuss, had a significant impact and was the result of a technical innovation.

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and another who is undertaking a variety of different projects across the railway network including projects to improve isolation and earthing of the overhead lines and the Installation of a First of a Kind Static Frequency Converter within Network Rail.

Intralogistex – we are just about to start work with a tech start-up that has developed location optimization software that can be accurate to 10cms, which is far greater accuracy than GPS, imagine how that could change your warehouse management, materials handling and picking and sorting activities.

All of these companies have one thing in common, they weren’t claiming R&D Tax Credits and now they are.

Making Pharma – we’ve been working with a specialist lab that supports the BioPharmaceutical Industry to experiment with pre-clinical activities such as assay development and testing samples, the assay development is the area most likely to be eligible, as the testing of samples is general routine in nature unless they have to design a completely new test.

One of the best things about the legislation is that you can claim for your two previous financial years. This means that you are likely to be able to claim for most of the costs of developing the product, service or software that you are going to be exhibiting at these shows. But you’ll need to be quick you don’t want to “miss the boat”, the opportunity to claim expires on the second anniversary of your company’s accounting year end. So a 30 April 2020 year end can still make a claim up to 30 April 2022, but if the claim is submitted on 1 May 2022, it’s too late.

Railtex and Infrarail – we’ve been working with a company developing a model to use solar power to power the railway network

As you might have guessed, we are experts in R&D Tax Credits and their application.

We’ll talk through your projects with

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

you and help you to determine whether they represent an advance in Science or Technology. We’ll then tease some fundamental information from you and your team on the scientific and/or technological challenges that you faced during the development period and then we’ll work with your financial team to evaluate the money and time you have spent on developing the solution. Our 100% success rate and over £5m in tax refunds for our clients in 2021, shows that we know what we are talking about.

If you’d like to start your journey or find out more, we offer a free no-obligation discovery session, we’ll ask you some questions, listen and maybe ask one or two dumb follow up questions, then we’ll let you know whether we think there is a potential to claim and whether we can add value to the process. You can book a discover call at a time that suits you by following this link https://calendly.com/cooden/dicoverybus-edge or you can call us on 0300 373 0026.

tel: 01444 259 259

business advertorial matters

june/july 2019 business June/July2022 businessedge edge

Rail Fraud: A growing concern for the sector According to British Train Operating Companies (TOCs), it is estimated that 10-30 percent of compensation claims paid out by the rail sector are fraudulent. Intelligencia Training, who specialise in Counter Fraud Investigation training, explore just how common rail fraud is in the UK. Rail travel is in high demand in the UK with almost 2 billion passenger journeys each year, but with punctuality for TOCs averaging 92.7-93 percent on-time, fraudsters are taking advantage of the rail sectors compensation system through lucrative schemes.

TOCs are beginning to crack down on fraudulent compensation claims and successful investigations continue to highlight just how big of a financial impact those cheating the system have. In 2020, one serial fraudster was sentenced to jail time after fraudulently claiming £40,000 from TOCs over a period of 5 years. Fraud Investigators found that the man had used the compensation system to claim for delayed journeys that he had never been on. The sophisticated scheme involved the production of hundreds of fake tickets and false claims across 9 companies totalling a staggering £130,000.

Fraudulent compensation claims are not the only ticket fraud scheme impacting the rail sector. In 2021, the British Transport Police reported in an article that a fraudster had made more that £29,000 over a 5-month period through the sale of fake train tickets.

The fraudster was eventually caught after LNER received a tip off and the British Transport Police launched an investigation.

The scheme would have led to a potential loss to LNER of £263,840.

In a rarer case, one investigation highlighted how the rail sector not only faces threats externally, but also internally. In a 2017 British Transport Police investigation, four rail sector employees were sentenced following a £5 million fraud scheme. The investigation into corruption, fraud, and money laundering found that the employees made corrupt payments to secure a contract and after being appointed, made a series of ‘ghost worker’ claims.

These cases are just a handful of successful investigations by TOCs, but as external and internal fraud threats rise, many rail fraudsters go undetected. Virgin Trains report that they receive almost half a million compensation claims for late or disrupted services each year. For TOCs to improve their ability to identify and investigate fraud, parity of skills across the rail sector is key.

providers Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship Standard has allowed for parity across sectors and comprehensive development of all knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with being an effective and competent investigation professional.

In a new video case study, a number of Intelligencia Training’s Counter Fraud Investigator apprentices spoke about their experience on their apprenticeship and how it is added value to both themselves and their organisation.

To find out more about the Level 4 Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship Standard, visit www.intelligenciatraining.com/ counter-fraud-investigator or contact info@intelligenciatraining.com.

Intelligencia Training supports Fraud Investigators working across a multitude of private and public sectors. The training

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business matters

June/July2022 june/july 2019 business edge

RISE to the challenge with innovation The RISE (Research and Innovation in Sussex Excellence) project was established in 2021 to provide an open door for Sussex-based small to medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) with access to support from two of their main local research and innovationled universities: University of Brighton and University of Sussex.

Lorraine Bell Head of Project RISE

Our mission is to help local businesses take charge of their innovation, capitalise on new opportunities and become more productive, competitive and resilient – enabling them to meet economic challenges and adapt to shifting market conditions.

RISE provides business that have a bright idea and the ambition to take a step forward, providing a low-risk, cost free and time effective route to explore R&D projects to help them innovate and grow.

Lorraine Bell, Head of RISE, says “If you have an idea that has the potential to create value for your business, will help you become more productive, competitive and sustainable, then we want to hear from you.”

“RISE is a really exciting fully-funded programme which offers webinars, workshops, 1-2-1 support, direct access to cutting-edge research from the universities of Brighton and Sussex and access to an online community – all at no cost to members.”

“Our expert team will work with you to draw up an innovation action plan, and navigate the universities for you so that you can access the latest cutting-edge research from the Universities of Brighton or Sussex to develop, or improve a product, process, or service.”

Membership Small to medium-sized businesses in the West Sussex Coast to Capital region are welcome to join, subject to eligibility. Once membership is confirmed, an Innovation Advisor will meet with you to discuss your challenges and opportunities, explore any potential gaps in capability and knowledge, and work with you on plan before putting you in contact with the right expertise.

RISE has three key elements: Up to £7,500 worth of free innovation support. This is not a cash grant, but a transfer of knowledge and expertise.

This includes funding to ‘buy time’ with university academics and get direct input on your project. This could be anything from research on barriers to market, to drawing up a technology map, validating a concept or developing a prototype.

Access to a secure portal. The portal is a digital space where members can connect

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RISE Team L to R - Lorraine Bell, Zoe Webb and Mark Hadley and network with their peers, access toolkits, tips and advice on funding and innovation.

Access to a range of bespoke workshops and masterclasses. Sessions are created to be bite-sized and draw on the latest thinking around innovation, growth, and resilience.

Lorraine says: “RISE is unique in that there’s access to expertise from two universities, no lengthy funding applications to complete, and we’re able to quickly assess and scope ideas and put together a workable plan.

We can also draw up Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to protect intellectual property rights where needed.

“We are working with businesses on all stages of innovation project ideas from proof of concept – using our academic knowledge and research to validate the ideas or suggest improvements; prototyping; feasibility studies; scoping project briefs; market research and developing business cases for funding and investment and pilot demonstrations – with access to over 4000 academics between universities we are able to cover a wide range of R&D support to transfer the capability and knowledge into the business”

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We know that time constraints can be crippling, so there are no two-day workshops, just bite-sized initiatives. We aim for a quick return on investment. Just an hour a week could pay dividends in terms of improving efficiency and productivity.

Our Innovation Advisors can get the bones of an idea in an hour and come back later with questions. Hardwiring the process, working out finances, writing a proposal and documentation is all taken care of by the team, completely confidentially.”

Could your business be eligible?

Visit rise-innovation.uk to find out more.

The RISE programme is receiving up to £603,514 of funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 in England.

Grant Reference: 04R21P04430 The West Sussex Councils are also providing partnership funding to support the delivery of RISE, and through this, to provide help and support to SMEs in West Sussex.

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