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ARUN is the Centre of Excellence for product Sales, marketing, applications, technical and service support for all our desktop OES and handheld analytical solutions within and outside of the UK.
What is OES analysis and what do our spectrometers do?
Within the metallurgical industry, OES stands for optical emissions spectroscopy. This is a quick method for determining the elemental composition of a variety of metals and alloys such as lead or aluminium.
ARUN’s desktop instruments use arc spark technology. Metal samples are analysed through the application of an electric arc or spark. The analytes then emit light and reveal their presence and concentration by distinctive wavelength signatures. In addition to OES, ARUN also provides handheld analysers using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and x-ray florescence (XRF) technology.
Why is this technology important?
Get it wrong and it all goes wrong. The simplest explanation is to use an example of baking a souffle. The end-product requires so many teaspoons of this and cups of that: get it wrong and it collapses.
A manufacturing example would be the foundry who makes connectors for the railroad tracks. Before moulds are poured to make the connectors, it is crucial they have the right portions of steel, lead, etc.. If they get it wrong, it can all end up in train line shutdowns or even worse: human catastrophe.
Why choose ARUN?...Trust.
Our spectrometers are not an “off the shelf” solution. To meet customer need and instrument longevity; each instrument is calibrated to customer specification with an importance on education, training and support. Our mission is to make sure the customer is sold what they need and not what someone else thinks they need, and to ensure that the instrument consistently gives accurate results throughout the product’s lifecycle and beyond.
www.aruntechnology.com
Martin Buckland
Managing Director
This is the message we have heard recently from some employers in response to employees expressing an interest in a hybrid working arrangement.
“Hybrid Working” is the concept of working flexibly between an office environment or another remote location (such as working from home).
This is a massive mind-set shift for employers – particularly those small and medium sized businesses that have no ‘working from home’ culture historically.
There can however be big benefits for the workforce – and therefore also for the employer in rolling out a hybrid working framework. That is not to say that hybrid working can work for all – depending on the nature of your operation (particularly if you are in industries such as manufacturing, hospitality or construction) there may be limited scope for a hybrid working environment – but even in those scenarios – there may be some roles that may be suitable.
Historically, one of the biggest challenges to the hybrid working concept was the availability and price of technology required to allow employees to work remotely. However, with the cost of technology reducing significantly, the availability of environments like Microsoft 365 and the development of audio/visual communication software such as Teams and Zoom many of those barriers have been removed in a cost-effective manner.
However, just because you can – does that mean you should?
Employers should take care to ensure that employees working remotely are not treated less favourably (or inadvertently overlooked) compared to colleagues in the workplace. A carefully worded Hybrid Working Policy can assist management in ensuring that this new way of working brings the productivity gains and improvements in workforce morale that is intended as the opposite effect can happen if there is a lack of proper process or a failure to meaningfully engage.
One point to take away for employers – can you afford not to have a Hybrid Working environment? In this employee led market, where the entire ‘package’ matters to prospective employees (not just the salary level), do you want to find yourself unable to attract (or retain) the talent that you need in your organisation due to a lack of flexibility?
Speak to us at HR At Work – we are experts in employee relations and human resources. Whether you need your contracts and policies updating, your managers trained or advice on how to deal with performance issues – HR At Work’s team of professionals can help. Give us a call (01737 924703) or drop us an email (info@hratwork.co.uk) today!
4PL Consultancy - Supply Chain Simplified
If you are in the export or import business, then you would know the importance of expanding your outreach to international locations. Additionally, it is also important to maintain conformity with national and international regulations. One needs exceptional knowledge of international trading and its norms to build a compliant organizational framework.
Need help with your International Trade Compliance? 4PL Consultancy has got your back! We are your one-stop Global Trade Compliance Services provider. With our support, you will get ensured risk reduction and cost control. Our trained experts will look over the complete process and lower the chances of compliance or facing penalties. Moreover, through our compliance services, we will also help you centralize the trade management operations.
4PL Consultancy is a reliable name in the International Trade Compliance Services provider industry. We will help you fill the compliance gaps in your organization’s supply chain and make it infallible. This improves the processing efficiency and in turn boosts the productivity, since all manual tasks are automated through technology.
Also, it makes handling customs regulations, export management, and outbound trade financing easier. With our services, our teams will work on reducing the risk factors that might make an organization incompliant with the trade directives. This will help you save some extra by not paying fines or penalties.
4PL Consultancy’s Global Trade Compliance Services will include support on:
Harmonized System of Tariff Classification
Compliance Audit
AEO and ICP Program
Global and Local Customs Compliance
Rules of Origin
Trade Agreements
Tel: +44 330 043 1245 Mob: +44 798 018 1209
4plconsultancy.com
Jim Clark
Director
Jon Fowler
Director
Fowler Clark Ltd
Fowler Clark are Mechanical and Electrical Building Services Consultants based in Sussex and Surrey with over 30 years’ experience in the Construction Industry. We provide professional MEP design and consultancy services in the commercial, residential, industrial and education sectors, working with Clients from concept and pre-planning stages through to construction. Founded by Jon and Jim in 2020, our main objective is to provide a high quality of service to the clients and stakeholders we work with.
Services Offered:
MEP Design to RIBA Stages 1 – 4 • On-site inspections from RIBA Stage 4 onwards • Energy Strategies • Feasibility Studies • Peer reviews / validation of designs • MEP condition / dilapidation surveys • New-build and refurbishment designs • Design of services upgrades • Value engineering reviews.
What Value will we bring to your Construction Project?
Building Services Engineers are integral to the successful delivery of any constriction project. All too often the building services design is developed towards the end of the detailed design phase, typically once the architectural and structural design has been fixed. Our strategy is to collaborate early with the other design team members, enabling us to address the unique coordination and buildability challenges associated with every project. We help deliver the Client’s vision in terms of functionality and energy consumption, whilst also ensuring the seamless integration of mechanical and electrical systems into the architectural and structural fabric of a building.
How can we help your project meet Energy Targets and Building Regulations?
At Fowler Clark we can undertake energy strategies, dynamic thermal modelling and building services strategy reports to demonstrate compliance with regulatory authorities such as local councils, planning and building control, BREEAM assessors and fire offices. Our design and consultancy service ensures that your construction project adheres to the latest Building Regulations criteria, whilst also keeping cost and efficiency in mind.
Local Support
Fowler Clark are a proud sponsor of Sutton and Epsom Rugby Football Club. We believe that supporting local clubs gives something back to the community and all the amazing volunteers that give up their valuable time.
Please contact us for more information:
Email: jim@fowlerclark.com
jon@fowlerclark.com
Tel: Jim: 07540 129232
Jon: 07815 908084
www.fowlerclark.com
Nightingale House, 46-48 East Street, Epsom, Surrey, England, KT17 1HQ
Sunset Boulevard
The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill doesn’t sound very exciting, but behind this rather dull title is a Bill of historical significance.
Harry Sherrard
Principal, Sherrards Law
It introduces what parliamentarians call a “sunset clause”, which is a mechanism to establish an end date to legislation. If enacted in its current form, its effect on the British legal system, and indeed life in general, will be momentous. The sunset in question relates to all British laws derived from EU Directives over the past decades. This amounts to approximately 2400 pieces of UK legislation, of which 318 relate to business and employment and 137 relate to health and safety. As currently drafted, the sun will set on all of this legislation on 31 December 2023, without any further Parliamentary debate or any other action being taken by the Government.
The Bill is the brainchild of arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg and was drafted during his time as Business Secretary. Although no longer in the Cabinet, Mr Rees-Mogg remains an influential voice on the backbenches. Moreover, our new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, also voted for Brexit and, during his leadership campaign in the summer of 2022, made it plain that removing EU legislation was also a priority for him. The Bill enables relevant ministers to retain EU derived legislation until December 2026 if they consider that this is necessary and desirable. Considerable power is put in the hands of ministers who can, if EU based laws are retained, rewrite the rules, without further parliamentary scrutiny of the changes.
What changes might we see in employment law? The Transfer of Undertakings Regulations, known as TUPE, under which employees retain their employment if a business or service is transferred could be substantially modified. Although some Western economies, notably the USA, do not have an equivalent of TUPE, it seems unlikely that this employment protection measure will be abolished completely. However, its effect could be reduced by, for example, introducing a minimum size of transfer to which the regulations will apply, and relaxing consultation requirements. A deeply unpopular and difficult to manage aspect of TUPE is the inability of employers to harmonise contracts of employment after a transfer, and this could change.
Speculation also surrounds the Working Time Regulations. Streamlining measures could include simplifying holiday pay calculations and making it easier to opt out of the 48-hour week. The Agency Workers Regulations are largely unpopular and seen as bureaucratic, so these could go. The Data Protection Act 2018 is based on GDPR, which is also European legislation, but in order to trade with Europe the UK would still need to comply with the principles of GDPR, so substantial change here seems unlikely. Mr Sunak’s stated intention to remove large tranches of EU derived law from Britain’s statute books predated the worsening UK and world economic situation, and stabilising finances is clearly the immediate priority. On the other hand, a reduction in employment regulation is seen by the government as being good for business. If ministers can promote Britain as having a more flexible labour market than our European neighbours, this could be a persuasive factor in attracting investment from overseas businesses.
The opposition parties at Westminster have tabled substantial amendments to the Bill. The SNP has proposed to extend the expiration date for EU law to December 2026. Labour tabled amendments aiming to retain key workers’ rights including annual leave and maternity rights.
The debate continues and, with another two years of the Conservative administration before the next general election, the race is on to consolidate Brexit by making real and substantial changes to how Britons live and work in the post-EU area. Interesting months lie ahead.
www.sherrardslaw.com
Tax relief on energy efficient vehicles
The government has extended the availability of 100% first year allowances from April 2021 to April 2025. This covers the acquisition of zero-emissions vehicles equipment and goods.
Andrew Hookway
Audit Partner, Menzies
The allowance encompasses: Zero-emission goods vehicles; Equipment for electric vehicle charging points; Gas, biogas, and hydrogen refuelling equipment; Electric cars and cars with zero CO2 emissions; Plant and machinery for gas refuelling stations. The measure is made to encourage the uptake of zero emission vehicles, off the back of the government’s statement that the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned in 2030. With new vehicles having a mandatory requirement of zero emissions from 2035.
This means that transport and logistics companies will be able to benefit from 100% upfront tax relief on the purchase of energy efficient vehicles. This does not impact the company’s AIA (Annual Investment Allowance) limit and it remains available for allocation against assets which do not attract specific first year allowances.
Businesses who buy energy efficient vans and trucks before 1 April 2023 will qualify for ‘super-deduction’, which allows for a deduction of 130% of the cost of the asset upfront, but the super-deduction will be withdrawn after March 2023.
For vehicles paid for in tranches, if the expenditure does not need to be physically paid more than four months after the date on which the obligation to pay becomes unconditional each tranche of cash paid will attract the tax relief upfront outlined above.
Where businesses buy fleet vehicles under different lease options, the timing of the tax relief can vary. Under hire purchase arrangements, businesses will gain better upfront tax relief through first year allowances. Compared to assets bought under a finance lease, tax relief is provided as the costs are incurred and so the tax relief is spread over the period of the lease.
In summary, with the recent extension of first year allowances and the preservation of the £1m AIA limit after the recent announcements, there are some substantial tax treatments for energy efficient vehicles.
Andrew Hookway Audit Partner ahookway@menzies.co.uk
Bring your business processes together, so they are cohesive, consistent and scalable – with application integration at Ballard Chalmers
Ballard Chalmers, part of the Transparity Group, is one of the UK’s leading Microso consultancies specialising in custom so ware. Our integration expertise is in BizTalk Server integration and upgrades, migrating from BizTalk to Azure Integration Services and new custom integrations with Azure Integration Services.
