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Steel industry’s plea Firm’s focus on for strategy recgnition future finances see page 4 see page 2
Is there an award Cooking up a treat: with your name on? Young’s goes gastro see page 11 see page 16
Suzuki franchise win Will Mary approve for Read dealership high street leases? see page 21
see page 22
Vision of rapid Offices are finalgrowth piece becomes firm reality of potato aempire puzzle by Dave Laister
SPEAKERS: Sir Roger Carr, left, and Gavin Esler.
Business Editor
by Dave Laister
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE: Richard Arundel, managing director of potato processor AKP. Picture: Jon Corken COFFEE CULTURE: One of northern Lincolnshire’s success stories celebrates 20 years of tantalising taste buds this year. Private label coffee roaster Lincoln & York has just completed a recruitment drive to ensure it is in tip-top shape for a milestone year. See page 17.
dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk
Business Editor
A N
dave.laister@gsmg.co.uk
HI-TECH quality assurance company, formed early hasinbeen when£3-million colleagues the invested into industry making pharmaceutical northern a identified a Lincolnshire manufacturing hub for the niche,central has undergone a needs major ofexpansion some ofasthe UK’s it gears up biggest to meet potato sellers. growing demand. Elsham Wold has justas become Olmec-UK launched the the new headquarters for AKP Group, recession hit in 2007, and in just supplier supermarket over sixto years has gone giant from four Morrisons and major chip employees to 11, winning orders manufacturer McCain. for its specialist integrated ‘vision A state-of-the-art office block, systems’ around the globe. temperature controlled From a Grimsby foodpotato packaging storage and line, firm tofacility factories asgrading far as China together with extensions to and Australia, the camera-capture existing handling have machines that areareas added to just been completed, the production lineswith to protect against 13-year-old headed by Richard potentiallyfirm critical oversights, are Arundel moving the whole increasingly becoming a desired administration back into the area part of a manufacturer’s strategy from York. around integrity. The son months of Grimsby Recent havetown seencentre four and Freeman Street markets recruits taken on, with one from grocer David Arundel, who also vacated neighbour used to act as a potato merchant to Kimberly-Clark, as the workshop the area’s fish chip shops, facilities wereand substantially joined forces Suffolk extended on with Barton’s Falkland businessman Kerr in 1999. Way, treblingBruce floor space. The former KP potato storage Olmec technical director Robert facility which has now been substantially developed, was acquired in 2007, when a project began to grow skin finished potatoes on the Isle of Axholme. “We wanted to show we could produce the required quality locally that supermarkets were buying in from Herefordshire, Scotland or even importing,” he said. “Morrisons backed us with it and we went to Yorkshire Forward (the scrapped regional development agency) putting together a plan. We then tied the supply chain up and got the funding.” That equated to £700,000. With Morrisons’ rapid growth in the retail world, the business has been propelled quickly, and working with Eastoft-based L Harrison & Co, the infrastructure to allow for
Pounder said: “The company has seen significant growth over the past year. Existing customers further increases has now beenhave put the real benefits offered by inseen place. vision inspection andyears haveto asked “We have taken two get to add vision to more of their tous this,” said Mr Arundel. “We got production lines for andstorage we haveand also the grant funding been awarded several projects grading operations in 2009, and by newthe customers. This has led2010, us to built storage throughout inthat the key areasWe which toexpanding be open for harvest. are a real strength the 2010 and have had potatoes inof from comand panythe .” whole project has 2011, been finished with the offices just Applications vary from reading now. barcodes and labelling – with one “Our desire is to of have more machine capable taking an quality producers local to image potato of a moving bottle, this site. It would cuttodown on transforming it on a computer transport There is still lot screen socosts. details on the labelacan ofbe potential, will help the verified –itto ensuring environmental this mass-producedfootprint medical and dressings part the world has theso ability are of packaged properly the to grow some of thebecome best potatoes in wound doesn’t the country, con taminatthat ed. is what we are majoring on.” who has a Mr Pounder, A total of 44 people are now
mechanical engineering background, together with Mark Crump, an electrical and control employed, handling 120,000 tonnes a major Hull ofspecialist, potatoes aworked year. Ofatthat, 35,000 manufacturing facility together. tonnes are self-grown, with a Their wives, and Louise, growing groupFiona in this region and around another site in Suffolk, complete the executive team. contributing themachines balance. are at the “The vision Recently 15business, employees were core of the but we saw added, with three graduate that in manufacturing, companies trainees also part of the company, were limited to sourcing specialising growing, equipment in from either logistics large-scale and technical elements, including European manufacturers, or the agronomy . The companies remaining that smaller local investment hasthe seen a fleetprocesses. of six could handle simple Mercedes rigs brought in to deliver There was a niche inbetween for the potatoes to customers, with and the sophisticated machine design primary Morrisons’ packing control route systems. operations near Harrogate. “We struggled as end users to Keen cultivatethat a prosperous find ato company could offer future for Lincolnshire potato that. That is what we were tasked farmers, the 32,000sq ft storage with as employees, and that’s facility and 4,000 sq ft two storey what we said we should be able to office – which drew offer.development That’s how we started.” inspiration from Genesis Office
It has gradually built up, meeting the high aspirations of Park Grimsby’s flagship the on team, and in the past two Europarc development, will be years Olmec-UK has installed officially opened on thismachinery week by in vision systems Agriculture and Horticulture Italy, Switzerland and Germany Development Board chairman and exported to both China and John Godfrey CBE, himself a Australia. North Lincolnshire farmer. Medical, healthcare, Mr Arundel added: “We’re pharmaceutical, food and looking forward to opening automotive sectors have allthe been new cold store and grading facility worked in, with an industry – the uncharacteristic weather award picked in October conditions haveup brought us a 2012, as reportedyear, in Business challenging but the opening Teleis graph. event just rewards for everyone’s “The systems are put into hard work. manufacturing processes “The new facility will not to only replace enable us manual to meet inspection the demandorof provide quality assurance where our biggest customers, but we’ve manual inspection is impossible also successfully improved the quality and freshness of our or unreliable. From inspection of potatoes by reducing the products themselves to the transportation, ● See page twohandling and using the latest cold store technologies.”
Top table is set for CBI dinner Property events prove a success
Sir Roger Carr, president of the CBI and Gavin Esler, best known for his role as a presenter on BBC Newsnight, have been confirmed as the guest speakers at one of the region’s leading business DDM Property one of the biggest house gatherings laterAuction, this year. sales organisers in Humber the region, has received The event CBI Yorkshire and Annual Dinner a glowing report for 2013. takes place at Leeds University on October 10. Essential Information Group, thewith leading It will be one of the first events John independent source of auction data in the UK, has Fitzgerald, port director for Grimsby and confirmed that per centofofthe properties Immingham, as84 chairman region. offered for auction sold. Mr Esler is an award-winning television and radio DDM Property Auction powered by IAM-Sold. broadcaster, novelist andisjournalist. Residential managing DDM, next Graham His latest book, due director to hit thefor shelves month, Wilson, pon ictlessons ured, said: 2009 DDM & IAM-Sold focuses that“In can be gleaned from came together settell upstories, our leaders in how to they and will be the first auction, took subject of hiswhich speech to the area’s business bosses, placetheir justguests. six weeks after and shaking hands on a For more information about the dinner, which is partnershipwell at the A1 frequently represented by the South Bank and services anear Leeds! features drinks reception within Parkinson Court, “Justtoover years later,& Spencer archive and home the four famous Marks DDM Property Auction has art gallery, e-mail katya.menhennet@cbi.org.uk or become the largest auction visit http://yorkshire-annual-dinner.eventbrite.com house in the region selling more than 120 properties a year and IAM-Sold is now the fifth largest auction house in A FURTHER £4-million of investment across the the UK.this last quarter has seen the total funds region “Clients think of issued by often Finance Yorkshire climb to £23-million. property auctions as being The money, available to firms in northern full of low-priced properties Lincolnshire in seedcorn, loan and equity linked and achieving a low return. investments – ranging from £15,000 to £2-million – However, is often is there toithelp smallquite and the medium sized businesses opposite many selling in excessrequirements. of their guide meet theirwith growth and development price.” The figure amounts to 224 investments in 183 Six live aresized scheduled to take place at small andevents medium enterprises since August Forestleading Pines Hotel, Broughton in 2014, alongside 2010, to more than 4,600 jobs created and the 24/7 online facility. safeguarded in auction the region. In the last quarter alone, the venture capital and loan fund completed 30 investments totalling more than £4.3 million. Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said: “We are looking forward to building on these figures and helping more companies achieve growth in the coming THE Greater Lincolnshire Localmonths. Enterprise “We urge established companies Partnership is to attend and one early of thestage largest property to continue to speak to us to see if a Finance development shows in the world in bid to bring Yorkshire can help turn their ambitions into a reality.” business to the area. Supported by the sites, European Union, it has attracted Key development including Europarc and £30-million investment the European Regional Port of Grimsby, will be from showcased at MIPIM in Development Fund, £15-million from Yorkshire Cannes, France, between March 11 and 14. Lindum Forward’s Single Programme, and £45-million match Group, Waldeck and Pygott & Crone will attend, funding European Investment with LEPfrom chairthe Ursula Lidbetter to host Bank. a reception. For information visit www.finance-yorkshire.com
£20m milestone passed
Global insight
CONTENTS: 8 Food 10 Energy 12 Chemicals 14 Business Support 16 Port & Logistics 17 Careers 18 Business Solutions19 Training/Diary 20 Commercial Vehicles 22 Commercial Property CONTENTS: Energy P6 Chemicals P8 Ports and Logistics 10 Business Support 12 Careers 14 Business Solutions 15 Food 16 Training 17 Commercial Vehicles 18 Diary 20 Commercial Property 21
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