Member News

RHH Franks celebrates 60 years of engineering excellence with fresh look and newly expanded premises

Leading manufacturing firm, RHH Franks, are celebrating their 60th trading year, and have relaunched with an impressive new brand and the unveiling of its newly expanded factory in New Milton.

Following a successful application to the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the advanced engineering business was awarded over £97,000 towards their investment to acquire and equip an additional 6,600 sqft of unit space. Their premises on Gore Road Industrial Estate now spans 30,000 sqft and will increase RHH Franks’ manufacturing capacity to the global aerospace, defence, nuclear and marine industries by over 25%.

The expansion project, which was completed in January 2021, comes after a recent rebrand that will reflect their values and objectives in the 21st century and is part of a growth strategy to double turnover in the next five years.

The extension includes a dedicated and improved Nadcapaccredited heat treatment facility, increased machining and fabrication workshops and storage provision, as well as new technology worth over £150,000.

Managing Director, Elsa Hogan, commented: “We are thrilled to unveil our newly expanded premises in our 60th year, which will significantly increase our manufacturing output to meet the growing demands of our clients and their supply chains.

“Our team and contractors have worked extremely hard to create a modern and fully-equipped facility that provides our skilled engineers with a positive and productive working environment, improving capacity and lead times. When circumstances allow, we are looking forward to welcoming clients to our new facility.”

A-One Insurance Group moves into the top 50

With 10 offices across the south, A-One Insurance Group (A-One), have officially become a top 50 UK insurance brokerage.

Established in Westbourne, Bournemouth by Managing Director Ian Penfold in 1993, A-One have grown through mergers, partnerships and acquisitions over the past 28 years.

Now headquartered at Ringwood, the group comprises around 150 industry experts to provide cover for clients seeking everyday personal and business insurance through to business risk management. They also offer bespoke schemes including marine, aviation, laundry blocks of flats, healthcare and cyber liability.

Ian reflected on the importance of being an independent broker. He said: “What we offer as an independent has been our core strength and continues to allow us to respond to client requirements with industry-leading services – it’s also far more personal.

“We take great pride in a client-focused, jargon-free approach. Clients benefit from individual and dedicated account handlers to manage their policy along with our in-house claims department to manage their claims – clients are looked after personally, every step of the way.

“Not only has the business grown as we approach three decades, but equally, so has the knowledge and skillsets of our staff. 80% of our client-facing staff are fully qualified with a Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Level 3 Certification, with the remaining 20% actively working towards it. This is something that we are really proud of.

“Being an independent broker has given us the freedom to react and respond to the ever-evolving industry requirements. Most importantly, it means our staff are not restricted to the insurers we have available, providing real choice of cover, service and suitability for our clients. That is something that will continue as we plan the future direction of the business, which is an exciting position to be in.”

Freestyle TS champion the progress of their past apprentices

Cloud service providers in Hook, Freestyle TS, are proud champions of apprenticeships. Since 2017 they’ve aided many apprentices at the start of their professional journeys, in all areas of the business.

Mike Roberts, Director at Freestyle TS, explains: “We’ve benefitted greatly by having the apprentices as part of our team; they’re gaining some great experience enabling escalation of their careers and providing excellent customer services.”

Tim Wolfe, IT Helpdesk at Freestyle TS, also commented: “The practical element of an apprenticeship has helped me develop so much, both in terms of my career and as a person. I have learned more in the past three years of work, than in my 12+ school years.”

Get in touch to find out more about Freestyle TS’ Cloud Services.

Alison.cooper@freestyle-ts.co.uk 01256 760922

Philips touches down at Ascent 1, unveiling new UKI health technology headquarters

Ascent are pleased to announce that leading health technology company, Philips UKI, has committed to 40,000 sq ft of office accommodation at Ascent 1 in Farnborough Aerospace Centre to bring all its UK employees together in a new purpose built and dynamic facility.

Philips is a key partner to the NHS and employs over 1,000 people across the UK. The extensive new office, spanning two floors of the newly refurbished Ascent 1 building, will serve as Philip’s new UK headquarters and also bring together all of the company’s supporting offices.

Ascent 1 has a BREEAM rating of excellence; sustainability credentials include solar panels, electric vehicle charging points and natural habitats in the office and in shared outside spaces.

Philips will also benefit from Ascent 1’s adaptable office floorplates and triple-height atrium with a light-filled communal break out space for their employees. In addition, Philips will have access to Ascent’s wider community engagement calendar – regular food trucks, box café, pop-up stores, seasonal markets, gym and wellbeing activities.

KFA Run 4 Respite for Naomi House & Jacksplace

Ringwood‑based software developers KFA Connect entered a team in ‘Run 4 Respite’ this March in aid of Naomi House & Jacksplace.

This involved running or walking 105 miles, with the aim of raising £105 each, to fund five hours of respite care at the hospice for children and young adults. KFA had good reason to want to be involved with this challenge, as their colleague, Joe, and his family had experienced first-hand the facilities at the hospice.

“At a year old, our son Sebastian was diagnosed with Barth Syndrome, a rare, life-limiting illness and we’d been put in contact with Naomi House who offered respite care. Sebastian didn't reach his third birthday and died tragically aged two and a half in December 2013 whilst waiting for a heart transplant.

“Everything Naomi House offered to us was given without strings; they and many hospices rely on the donations of people like you and me.”

All eight of the team completed the 105-miles, raising over £2000 for the charity and are now planning their next challenge!

www.kfa.co.uk info@kfa.co.uk 0800 167 0844

The Port of Southampton announces name of newest cruise terminal

ABP has announced that its fifth world-class, open access cruise terminal is to be named Horizon Cruise Terminal.

With nearly 4,000 name suggestions from across the world entered into a competition, Horizon Cruise Terminal was put forward by Anna Chojnacka Liberska from Chandler’s Ford having been chosen at random from multiple entries of the same name. Anna wins a 7-night cruise holiday offered by the terminal’s cruise partners, MSC Cruises.

The winner of the second token collect competition was Lin Malt from Hampshire. Lin wins a 7-night cruise holiday offered by the terminal’s cruise partners, NCL.

Horizon Cruise Terminal joins the line-up of the four existing worldclass cruise terminals in the port which are named Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal, City Cruise Terminal, Ocean Cruise Terminal and Mayflower Cruise Terminal.

Projected image of the Horizon Cruise Terminal completed.

Director at ABP in Southampton Alastair Welch said: “We are delighted to be announcing the name for the port’s newest cruise terminal. We selected this name as the shape of the terminal roof is such a distinctive silhouette on the horizon as you come through Dock Gate 10. Cruise is such an important part of the city’s heritage, culture and history, and we liked how this name suggests a new start for cruise following a challenging year.

“We knew that reaching out to the members of public to help us name this important piece of the city and port’s future, would generate some fantastic ideas and we have been so pleased with the strong response. “We’re incredibly grateful to have worked with our cruise partners NCL and MSC Cruises to support this competition by providing European cruises as a prize. We’re looking forward to welcoming our first cruise passengers to Horizon Cruise Terminal this summer, and the new terminal becoming an iconic part of the horizon line of the city.”

City centre policing re‑introduced in Southampton

City centre police team comes to Southampton thanks to BID’s crime-fighting campaign.

A much-needed government-backed city centre policing team has been re-introduced into Southampton following months of campaigning by GO! Southampton.

The officers will be reallocated from Southampton Central’s Neighbourhood Police Team to form the Southampton City Centre Policing Team, dedicated to tackling violent crime in the city centre. The policing team will include a sergeant plus support from dedicated PCs and PCSOs.

On a quarterly basis, GO! Southampton will also join with Hampshire Constabulary and Southampton City Council for Operation Deluge. The operation will see a large number of uniformed police officers on foot, in cars and on bikes put into a crime hot-spot area on certain dates to deter those causing problems and deal with prolific offenders. The first day of action took place on 10th May.

This step forward is a great victory for the city and its businesses and will enable a safer city centre experience for residents, workers and visitors.

www.gosouthampton.co.uk/ businesscrime