MARCH2024
MANUFACTURING IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS CHAMBER HOSTS REGION’S ANNUAL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE
MEET THE LEADER OF A BUSINESS THAT WORKS BEST UNDER PRESSURE
POLITICS
HOW REGENERATION IS HAVING AN IMPACT IN THE EAST MIDLANDS
According to government statistics UK manufacturing continues to fall as a percentage of UK economic output – outstripped by service sector industries such as retail, hospitality and finance.
And granted, some of the biggest businesses in the East Midlands are giants in the service economy – companies such as Boots, Sytner, Next, Pendragon and Dunelm all feature in the regional top 10.
But manufacturing is still big news for our region.
We are proud to boast huge industrial names such as Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Triumph, Caterpillar, Vaillant, Alstom, Samworth Brothers and Ibstock Brick among our big employers.
And it’s not just the £500m-plus turnover companies that count.
For every one of them there are many, many more SMEs – stand-alone businesses or key parts in the supply chain making everything from car parts to textiles to pork pies, shoes, sensors and silicone chips.
‘Manufacturing is a big deal here and its roots go back centuries’
Manufacturing is a big deal here and its roots go back centuries.
But it still needs help. The UK economy entered recession at the end of last year as businesses faced one crisis after another – Covid, inflation, war in Ukraine, Brexit, sky-high shipping costs, energy price hikes… the list goes on.
One of the many ways the Chamber helps is through its support of the East Midlands Manufacturing Network which is going from strength to strength, bringing business together to share best practice and meet challenges head on.
Likewise this month we host our East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference – which is free to attend – with a wealth of expert speakers, workshops and panel discussions designed to “protect our industrial heritage and drive growth and competitiveness”.
It promises to be an inspirational event.
So, with that in mind, and in recognition of the rich industrial heritage embedded in the DNA of the East Midlands, this edition of Business Network has a manufacturing theme. We hope you find it useful.
Tom Pegden, Editor, Business Network
Editor Tom Pegden
T: 07816 347 451 E: marketing@emc-dnl.co.uk
Contributor Jasmine Thompson
All Submissions
E: magazine@emc-dnl.co.uk
Chamber Membership
E: membership@emc-dnl.co.uk
Follow the Chamber
W: www.emc-dnl.co.uk
Twitter: @EMChamberNews
Publishers Kemps Publishing Ltd 8, The Courtyard, 707 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA
T: 0121 765 4144
w: www.kempspublishing.co.uk
Managing Editor Laura Blake
T: 0121 765 4144
E: laura.blake@kempspublishing.co.uk
Designer Lloyd Hollingworth
Advertising
T: 0121 765 4144
E: jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk
Printers Warners (Midlands) plc
BUSINESS NETWORK is produced on behalf of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire) by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge.
MARCH 2024
4MEMBER NEWS
University teams up with TV star
28APPOINTMENTS
New COO for University of Derby
THE BIG INTERVIEW
31 Gordon Docherty, general manager of Druck, part of the Baker Hughes business
36 STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS
De Montfort University names pro-chancellor
38CHAMBER NEWS
Chamber mourns deaths of leading lights
EVENTS
54 Innovation Festival seeks creative solutions
58 Manufacturer enjoys benefits of solar power
60 Paul Tandy outlines the government support available for exporters
POLITICS
62 Regeneration funding has a range of applications across the region
FEATURES
65CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
Top tips to increase workplace creativity
66 Aesthetics must be part of the equation
68FOCUS FEATURE
A round-up of the region’s manufacturing sector ahead of this year’s East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference
75LOGISTICS, FREIGHT & TRANSPORTATION
Is technology de-humanising the logistics industry?
76 Choosing the right logistics partner for you
78 New chapter as Retail Assist is acquired by Barron McCann
BUSINESS SUPPORT
80LEGAL
Firms team up to offer charity service
82FINANCE
Accountants move to modern new HQ
84SKILLS
Former pupil helps redesign school building
86PROPERTY
Work gets underway to transform Leicester railway station entrance
88MOTORING
Our round-up of the Motorcycle Live event at the NEC in Birmingham
90 Chamber president Stuart Dawkins acknowledges the contribution of the region’s manufacturing sector
A diet and healthy living business headed up by TV’s Gregg Wallace has partnered with Loughborough University to explore the impact and benefits on users’ health.
Gregg Wallace Health (GWH) is an online programme founded by the Masterchef presenter three years ago. It operates on the principles of getting people to eat three healthy meals a day from the range of nutritionally approved recipes; cutting out snacking between meals and takeaways and in their place opting for meal planning and learning cooking techniques to make nutritious eating achievable and easy.
It was inspired by the presenter’s own weight loss journey. Alongside his wife Anna Wallace and daughter Libby, he also has a range of experts covering fitness, health conditions and psychology, to help people lose weight, eat healthily and stay motivated. They also include gut specialists, menopause and diabetes experts to help on specific matters of health.
Now Loughborough University’s Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour is studying the benefits of the plan to see if it really works. A preliminary evaluation of 100 users of the programme suggests 98% felt healthier, nearly two-thirds lost some weight and more than half felt better about themselves.
‘Going back to basic nutritional and eating principles are important components of the programme’
Amanda Daley, professor of behavioural medicine at Loughborough University said: “Good nutrition and physical activity can reduce the risk of developing diseases and improve mental health.
“Going back to basic nutritional and eating principles are important components of the programme, and part of what makes it attractive.”
Chamber member Toyota UK, which has its vehicle manufacturing plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire, recently announced a second year on the bounce of record-breaking new vehicle sales.
The East Midlands manufacturing giant said sales of Toyota and Lexus cars and light commercial vehicles reached a new high of 145,142 in 2023, securing a 6.5% share of the market.
Toyota private car sales reached more than 62,000 last year, a 7.2% market share, with business and fleet car sales at almost 47,400, equal to a 4.5% market share.
The Toyota Professional light
commercial range had its best year yet with sales in both retail and fleet markets totalling 19,764 units.
Sales of Hilux pick-up trucks were up 50% year-on-year, while sales of the Proace family of medium and compact vans achieved 60% sales growth on 2022’s figures.
Among Toyota’s passenger cars, the Yaris Cross hybrid continued to do well, with sales up by one third on 2022. The Yaris Hybrid hatchback enjoyed its second highest annual total with more than 23,800 sales and the Aygo X led the city car segment with 30.4% of all sales in that area in 2023.
Toyota (GB) operations director
Mark Roden said: “The record results delivered in 2022 and 2023 are a great foundation for further growth across all areas of our business –retail and fleet, passenger cars and light commercials. We face important new challenges as the
market adapts to the timetable for full electrification, but we are confident that our new product programme, technical leadership and reputation for quality, durability and reliability will be key to further success.”
Dhas struck a deal to supply and maintain 36 of its Trent XWB-97 engines to Taiwanese airline EVA Air.
The engines – which are built in in both Derby and Dahlewitz, on the outskirts of Berlin – will power 18 new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, servicing routes around the world.
It will be the first time EVA Air has included Trent engines in its fleet, with the agreement transferring maintenance cost risks back to Rolls-Royce. The manufacturer will base servicing on
health monitoring system – which the engineering giant says gives customers increased operational availability, reliability and efficiency.
Ewen McDonald, Rolls-Royce civil aerospace chief customer officer, said: “We warmly welcome EVA Air as a new Rolls-Royce customer and we are delighted to sign this Letter of Intent for a TotalCare maintenance agreement for their Trent XWB-97 engines.
“This announcement will support their journey to modernise their fleet for better efficiency, reliability and customer experience.
Nottingham-based Yu Group has reported revenue growth of 60% in 2023 – rising from £279m in 2022 to £450m.
The business, which supplies gas and electricity to UK companies and also has a meter and smart meter operation, said it was beating earlier expectations which had been raised three times in the last year.
Management said the growth came despite what they called
Bobby Kalar, Yu Group’s chief executiverelationship with EVA Air and to providing operational excellence with our world-class Trent XWB-97 engine and TotalCare service.”
Eva Air president Clay Sun said: “We are delighted to announce the order of 18 Trent XWB-97 powered A350-1000s to support our future long-haul requirements.
“We believe the proven efficiency and reliability of Trent XWB-97 will make the engine a perfect choice for EVA Air to grow in the long-range market.
“The engine also brings significant reductions in carbon emissions,
which is in line with our company’s sustainability goals. We will work closely with Rolls-Royce to make sure the aircrafts deliver the best flying experience for our customers.”
The Trent XWB-97 has been in operation for more than five years and completed more than two million engine flying hours – set to increase to more than five million by 2025. It is used in both shorthaul and long-haul flights, for passenger and cargo operators. It is also certified to operate on a 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend and compatible with 100% SAF for the future.
“unprecedented turbulence” in the UK energy markets, helped by the company’s hedging strategy.
They said strong growth through 2024 was also expected, with its Yu Smart meter installation and maintenance business growing.
Yu Group chief executive Bobby Kalar said: "Once again, the group has delivered a fantastic all-round performance, and I am delighted to report another set of record-breaking results. We have a clear strategy and the processes in place to deliver exceptional profitable growth while navigating a turbulent commodity market.
‘Our balance sheet remains strong and will strengthen further as energy prices continue to normalise’
“The contracted revenue and bookings momentum provides the board with confidence in delivering continued significant organic growth for 2024 and beyond.
“Over the previous few years, the gas and power markets have experienced unprecedented volatility in reaction to geopolitical events.
“Our balance sheet remains strong and will strengthen further as energy prices continue to normalise, enabling the short-term cash held with our trading counterparty to flow back into the group in the coming months.”
A food company has bought out a kebab manufacturer in southern England with support from a regional firm of solicitors.
BAMA Foods has acquired Hampshire-based Ace 4 Kebabs, a meat processing business which can make up to 15 different types of kebabs a day for the fast-food sector.
The deal complements the existing services of BAMA sister company Berry Hill Foods in Mansfield.
Chesterfield headquartered Banner Jones advised on the terms of the purchase, TUPE and staffing issues, as well as negotiating and finalising a business purchase agreement.
Banner Jones director and head of business legal services Andrew Fielder said: “We are delighted to have worked alongside BAMA Foods to provide legal advice and guidance as part of this latest acquisition which further strengthens their food manufacturing portfolio.
“Ace 4 Kebabs Limited is a great business with an impressive, established loyal customer base, and we wish the team every success with their growth ambitions moving forwards.”
Bosses who care too much about themselves are bad for share value – unless they can stimulate innovation and growth at companies suffering from corporate inertia.
That’s according to research, part done in the East Midlands, which analysed how CEO narcissism affects stock recommendations from market analysts.
The study by Nottingham Business School, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Leeds is the first to explore the relationship between CEOs who are linked to excessive risk taking and their value to a company.
Securities analysts provide investors with performance forecasts and recommendations on the attractiveness of investing in company stock.
Existing research has shown that these recommendations can affect a company’s market performance by influencing the price people are willing to pay for its shares.
‘Securities analysts do not consider CEO narcissism to be of value to a company’
non-cash compensation compared to the secondhighest paid executives.
The study analysed data from the Standard & Poor (S&P) 100 index and covered 75 CEOs from 66 S&P 100 firms over a 10-year period.
Researchers adopted widely used, unobtrusive methods to measure narcissistic tendencies –including those that are under the CEO’s control along with aspects of narcissistic personalities such as arrogance, entitlement and selfabsorption.
It included exploring the use of photos in annual reports, firstperson singular pronouns in shareholder letters, and cash and
The research also looked at whether the company’s age, size and reputation were mitigating factors against the impact of CEO narcissism, as well as taking into account variables which could affect analyst recommendations –including CEO age and tenure, and return on assets, shareholder returns, R&D intensity and institutional ownership of stock.
Narcissistic CEOs were shown to have a negative impact on recommendations, with analysts issuing weaker stock recommendations. This was especially so for larger firms where narcissistic leadership could clash with bureaucracy.
Nottingham Trent University, said previous research has focused on the impact of narcissistic bosses on the actual company they run.
She said: “Our study is one of a few that considers their impact on external parties – in this case securities analysts, whose expectations and predictions can have an adverse effect on the legitimacy of a company in financial markets.
“While there are some mitigating circumstances, overall securities analysts do not consider CEO narcissism to be of value to a company and this can have an impact on its strategy and performance.”
Chamber member Derby Museums is making significant updates to one of its cherished sites, Pickford’s House.
The Grade I listed building, which was erected in 1770 by prominent architect Joseph Pickford, has been a living testament to Georgian life and fashion since 1988.
Thanks to funding from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and The Wolfson Foundation, the property will undergo a comprehensive facelift this spring, with each room receiving new interpretation, displays, and more immersive layout exhibits.
The enhancements aim to elevate the visitor experience and offer a fresh perspective on the rich history encapsulated within the walls of this architectural gem.
Among local businesses helping with the
notable updates is Derby and Nottingham-based Glowfrog Video Production which has offered its services on a pro-bono basis to create a welcome video for the museum.
This video will provide an overview of the house’s history as well as offering guidance to disabled visitors who might have accessibility challenges.
Glowfrog director Matt Middleton said: “Offering our services pro-bono for Pickford’s House aligns with our core values of supporting local community, and I’m particularly excited about this project given that Pickford’s is a site I’ve visited countless times over the last 30 years or so.”
Jennifer Cuadrado, director of development at Derby Museums, said: “These updates represent a significant stride in our mission to make history come alive for our diverse audience.”
North Leicestershire firm Abacus Flooring Solutions is moving to bigger premises following a strong year of growth.
The resin flooring specialist will triple the size of its facility when it moves from its site in Coalville to a new 3,000sqft industrial unit in Belton Road, Loughborough this month.
The business was established three-and-a-half years ago by Nick Megson, and has grown from nothing in 2020 to a £1mplus turnover last year – with a current forecast that it will break the £2m barrier by the end of 2024.
The company’s rapid success is largely the result of a “worldfirst” innovation developed by Nick called Abaplas.
Abaplas is a resin flooring system that uses recycled waste plastic as a bulking material instead of the traditionally used silica sand, which is damaging to human health and the environment.
It helped the firm win innovation and environment/ sustainability awards at both the East Midlands Chamber Leicester Business Awards and the LeicestershireLive Business Awards in 2023.
‘I often have to pinch myself to convince me that this is not a dream’
The firm’s expansion will trigger the launch of a new umbrella company, Abacus Materials Ltd, which will consolidate the trading and handling of all recycled plastics and resin flooring systems.
Nick said the Loughborough move is initially expected to create up to five new jobs, adding to the eight full-time staff already employed.
He said: “If you’d told me three years ago that Abacus would grow to a £2m company operating from a 3,000sq ft site, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.
“I often have to pinch myself to convince me that this is not a dream. But our order book has gone through the roof and continues to grow. After winning multiple awards, mostly as a result of the Abaplas invention, we are now making great strides in the global market as well as the UK.”
Home-grown fashion designer Sir Paul Smith has collected an honorary degree from the University of Nottingham.
Sir Paul has been made an honorary Doctor of Letters, in recognition of his contribution to the fashion industry through the brand he has built since opening his first store in Nottingham in 1970.
It also marks the partnership which his company has forged with the university to support the city’s business growth, investment, and global profile.
To mark the occasion, Sir Paul designed a bespoke set of University of Nottingham mortar boards with Ede & Ravenscroft featuring custom tassels taken from the company’s iconic colour palette and with Paul Smith signature stripes.
The mortar boards have been donated to the university to be used in support of its charitable ventures. The collection pays tribute to his connection to his home town and features the company’s striped design alongside a stylised depiction of the university’s iconic Trent Building.
Sir Paul Smith is one of the best recognised British designers, establishing his namesake brand that now creates clothing, accessories, shoes and fragrances.
He opened his first shop in Nottingham in 1970, selling other established brands as well as his own creations. In 1976, he debuted his first menswear collection in Paris.
Now a global business, Paul Smith is sold in more than 70 countries and 3,000 retail stores.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) has teamed up with a tech firm to look at ways to make train inspections safer and more efficient.
The DepotMATE project – funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Innovate UK's First of a Kind scheme – is being delivered in partnership with One Big Circle, which works on intelligent video technology, AI and machine learning for the rail industry
The project will use highresolution scanning, thermal imaging, video cameras and acoustic sensors to remotely assess a train's condition as it enters and leaves the depot.
It will be used to monitor EMR's regional fleet of Class 170 and Class 158 trains and helps cut out timeconsuming and more dangerous manual trackside inspections.
EMR head of engineering Mark Coney said: “We are always looking
at how we can embrace new technologies to improve our fleet for our customers, therefore we are proud to be a key partner in One Big Circle’s groundbreaking DepotMATE project.
“It will be great to see the project progressing and we are looking forward to analysing the
results of the pilot to understand if the technology could be adopted on a wider scale.”
One Big Circle co-founder Emily Kent said: “This project is a fantastic example of how the First of a Kind competition enables SMEs to accelerate initial concepts into cross-industry collaborations.”
More than 100 firms joined a “Meet the Buyers” networking event at East Midlands Airport, which management said opened up the potential to generate millions of pounds of business for companies dotted around the region.
Some 180 attendees representing more than 100 small and medium sized local firms took part together with 18 major buyers, including the Castle Donington airport’s parent company Manchester Airport Group.
More than 600 meetings were held across the day, potentially opening the door for local firms to enter the supply chain surrounding airport operations as well as nonairport-related clients.
Airport managing director Steve Griffiths (pictured) said: “I was delighted to welcome many local businesses to our inaugural Meet
the Buyers event. The buyers who attended have a combined purchasing power worth millions of pounds in potential new sales and contracts and business opportunities for local and regional companies.
“We have recently embarked on a fiveyear, £120m investment programme so the event presented a great opportunity for local businesses to be a part of that.
“East Midlands Airport and our unrivalled cargo operations contribute significantly to the local eco nomy and create a vital supply chain.
“We are therefore geographically and strategically in a good position to host an event of this kind to help local and regional companies win new business, and I hope it will become the region’s leading procurement event.”
A charity saving lives at sea is being supported by an East Midlands rail maintenance firm. MTMS has pledged its support to the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat on the Isle of Wight, to help it continue its vital work for the next three years.
Chamber member trentbarton bus drivers and colleagues have donated £6,000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK after fundraising for their charity of the year for both 2022 and 2023.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity, dedicated to causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure.
trentbarton staff devoted two years on a wide variety of fundraising events and initiatives, including its Namesake programme where people can donate to have a bus named after a loved one.
Events run by staff, including the teams’ charity champions who organise fundraising, included a football match, golf day, Easter and Christmas raffles and bake sales.
Alzheimer’s Research UK was chosen to be the firm’s charity partner after a poll of trentbarton staff between a shortlist of good causes drawn from nominations by colleagues and customers.
Alzheimer’s Research UK regional fundraising officer Zoe Dean said: “We’re so grateful to trentbarton for supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK as their charity partner.
“Fantastic fundraising efforts like this from both staff and customers will help us get closer to a cure for people with dementia and their loved ones.”
The organisation’s operations include helping vessels in trouble in the waters around the Isle of Wight, recovering people from cliffs and searching for people or animals in distress.
Although based 180 miles away from MTMS’s headquarters in Moira, Leicestershire, the decision was made by group chairman Malcolm Prentice, who splits his time between living in South
Derbyshire and the Isle of Wight.
He said: “The Freshwater Independent Lifeboat does such vital work which has saved countless lives.
“It does not get any government support so community and business donations are needed to keep it going.
“The Isle of Wight is a special place to me, somewhere where I have made many happy memories.
“It is an honour for us at MTMS to be able to help such an important and worthwhile cause over the next three years.
“Smaller charities desperately need our support to keep doing what they are doing and we must help them where we can.”
Amock road traffic collision scenario has been played out at West Nottinghamshire College’s Engineering Innovation Centre to highlight to students the kind of dangers that young drivers can face on the roads today.
Watch manager at Ashfield Fire Station Martin Wilford and his fire service crew performed a full demonstration of how the fire service responds to road traffic collisions, watched by students studying on mechanical engineering, fabrication, welding and motor vehicle engineering courses.
The crew demonstrated how to remove a roof on a vehicle which has been involved in a collision, in order to get casualties out safely, using a specialist hydraulic cutter, spreader and hydraulic rams.
The demonstration was performed in a slower than usual manner both to enable students to witness how it is done and for an apprentice fire crew member who was being assessed by his peers.
Martin Wilford said: “Our demonstration today has given a very real insight into how our crews attend and work on road traffic incidents. We performed a full roof removal and extrication of a casualty, which was a dummy on this occasion.
“The demonstration also enabled us to assess our apprentice firefighter so he could practise the different elements that he needs to achieve competency in.
“We hope that this practical scenario has helped students to understand the very real dangers on the roads and the situations they could find themselves in as young drivers or passengers in vehicles.”
Engineering and motor vehicle work placement officer Dan Fenton said: “This has been a very worthwhile experience for our students, many of whom are new drivers. It has helped them to see how important it is to not be distracted while driving.
“This could be through using a phone, being under the influence of alcohol or simply not paying attention.
“Martin and his crew gave sound advice while also demonstrating the seriousness of how their teams have to work when recovering a vehicle and its passengers.”
The largest indoor arena in Leicester has been renamed the Mattioli Arena, after the Ian & Clare Mattioli Charitable Trust were invited to take the naming rights.
The home of the Riders basketball team – which was previously called the Morningside Arena – is currently being rebranded.
The trust has also donated funds to the Leicester Riders Foundation, the charity which supports basketball and other sports for people of all ages across Leicester and Leicestershire.
The arena’s owners offered the Mattioli family the naming rights in recognition of their continued support and generosity.
Recent donations from the trust are in addition to the £500,000 donation made to help fund the arena’s extension in 2022. The arena team is now working with the family to create a lasting legacy.
‘Leicester has always looked after our family in the very safest of environments’
The trust – established by the Mattioli family in 2016 – works to help enhance the lives and opportunities of local people.
In particular it works with communities and socio-economic groups which are often sidelined and struggle to access opportunities for advancement, personal growth, and to fully participate in society.
Ian Mattioli MBE, founder and chief executive of wealth management specialist Mattioli Woods PLC, said: “We are delighted to continue our support of the arena, and are proud to accept the naming rights.
“The Mattioli Arena delivers highquality and high-class events, while at the same time focusing on its
community commitments and increasing the profile of the city.
“Leicester has always looked after our family in the very safest of environments and that is why we are delighted to be part of creating a legacy for the diverse communities we support in the city of Leicester and beyond.
“To also be able to do this through sport and a venue that has the potential to impact so many people is something we will continue to take great pride in, and we hope it will be used by many, many people over coming years.”
Kevin Routledge, chairman of Leicester Riders, trustee of the Leicester Riders Foundation, and a director of the Arena, said: “Once again, Ian and Clare Mattioli Charitable Trust has shown its commitment to the city and the work of our foundation, and the Mattioli Arena, and we are hugely appreciative of that.”
Marketing Derby has located its award-winning Derby City Lab to a new space in the city.
The lab was created to engage and inform the public about the city’s ongoing regeneration story.
When it first launched in 2022, the lab was housed in a unit in St James’s Street, provided courtesy of Ashbourne-based Clowes Developments.
Now, the lab, which is a public/ private partnership involving Marketing Derby, Derby City Council and the University of Derby, has moved to Level 2 of Derbion shopping centre next to Castle Galleries. Derbion also becomes one of its partners for 2024.
The new incarnation of the lab will open to the public seven days a week from 4 March.
Digital marketing agency
Purpose Media is powering into 2024 – fuelled by green energy.
The Derbyshire company, which has started the year with a number of new business wins, has invested in solar panels to provide clean electricity to its South Normanton headquarters.
It has also replaced all its light fitments with LED bulbs, swapped petrol company vehicles for electric models and introduced free EV charging for staff and visitors.
Managing director Matt Wheatcroft (pictured) said the business had been conscious of its environmental footprint and enlisted the help of experts from the University of Derby to conduct a detailed audit.
He said: “We’re committed to doing all we can to operate sustainably, and the university helped us assess the impact we were having on the environment and recommended measures we could implement to improve things.”
He said the study revealed that installing solar panels could reduce the company’s carbon output by 6.3 tonnes each year, while moving to company electric vehicles could save a further 1.4 tonnes.
Beth McDonald, managing director at Derbion, said: “We are delighted to be working with Marketing Derby in bringing the national award-winning Derby City Lab to Derbion.
“We know our visitors will be excited to see the plans and development projects that will transform Derby’s city centre over the coming years.”
Adam Rodgers, inward investment executive at Marketing Derby and Derby City Lab lead, said: “Our fantastic new location will enable us to build on the huge success of the award-winning lab.
“It presents a great opportunity to engage with a wide variety of people, gain their feedback and discuss ideas on regenerating the city centre.”
The business also adopted a recommendation to switch light fittings to LED and decided to introduce two EV charging points which are free to use for employees and clients.
The move has been close to a six-figure investment for the company, although some of that cost was mitigated by a £20,000 Green Entrepreneurs Programme grant from the university towards installation of the 109 solar panels.
Matt added: “We’re delighted with how the project has progressed to date and that we are making our contribution towards improved sustainability.
“On top of the reduction being achieved in our emissions, we are also seeing substantial savings in our energy bills.”
A start-up firm of chartered surveyors has scored a huge saving for the owners of an Essex care home after project managing a £2m refurbishment.
Derby-based Invise Limited landed its longest and highestvalue job to date when it was commissioned to oversee the refurbishment of the 67-room Moat House Care Home, in Great Dunmow, Essex.
The year-long project, which included a number of big changes to the brief, ended up costing around £2.4m.
Under the management of Invise managing director James Baker and associate director Nathan Lovett, the project came in 10% – or £240k – under budget.
James, who founded Invise in 2020 during lockdown, said: “It’s almost unheard of that a refurbishment or construction project of this size comes in so far under budget, if at all.
“Something always comes up during the process that throws original estimates off kilter. That’s just how it is industry wide. But one of Invise’s top priorities when we are asked to project manage a job from start to finish is to ensure our client does not get any nasty surprises.
“Our mantra is always ‘deliver on time and on budget’ – yet on this occasion we actually improved massively on both. We’re delighted with the achievement, especially as the goal posts moved a few times since we started the project. The scope of our work changed drastically between the starting and finishing points.”
The refurbishment was inititally expected to take six months, but a number of issues were uncovered, including inadequate firestopping throughout the building, and various changes to the brief meant the end result was a full-scale refurbishment involving new kitchens and bathrooms and almost taking the entire building back to a shell.
Loughborough University has been included in a scientific consortium behind a new research and training centre being set up to better understand and manage flooding.
The £6.5m hub will have a talent pool of environmental experts invested in protecting against rising river, rainfall and sea levels – and make the UK better equipped to deal with flooding.
The centre is being led by the University of Southampton with experts from the universities of Loughborough, Bristol and Newcastle as well as the National Oceanography Centre, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the British Geological Survey.
A further 37 partner organisations are also involved including climate tech company and Loughborough University spin-off Previsico, which is behind the world’s first surface flood forecasting service.
The university said one in six UK households are in areas at risk from flooding due to increased river flow, surface runoff, storm surges and waves. In recent decades the problems have been compounded by climate change and shifting populations.
Professor Dan Parsons, pro-vice chancellor research and innovation and professor in geosciences at Loughborough University, said: “I am absolutely delighted with this award that will train the next generation of flood researchers.
“The new centre will work to combat the growing challenges associated with the increased magnitude and frequency of flood events.
“The recent flooding across the Midlands and in other parts of the country is a timely reminder of the
critical need to focus research into building a society resilient to flooding.”
Funding for the multimillion-pound centre has been provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) together with the seven centres and other partners.
Loughborough researchers in fields such as geography, the environment, architecture, civil and building engineering will work within the new centre to improve their understanding of flooding using advanced monitoring and new forms of computer modelling, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Notts business scale-up specialist High Growth is repeating the Ultimate Scale Up programme it launched last October in collaboration with Nottingham University Business School (Executive Education).
The programme, which will return in March, was conceived in response to a lack of dedicated support for scale up businesses. It provides a comprehensive support programme tailored towards ambitious businesses in the East Midlands.
High Growth chief executive Stuart Ross said: “Following the initial launch of the Ultimate Scale Up programme last year, we were blown away by the five-star feedback we received from every participant.
“But importantly, it is the remarkable results they have achieved in their businesses and personally as a direct result of the programmes that have been so rewarding.”
Professor David Park, dean of Nottingham University Business School, said: “I am thrilled to once again partner with High Growth to deliver another Ultimate Scale Up programme.
“We know how this programme effectively supports and develops business leaders, with previous participants telling us of the positive financial and personal impact it has had.
“This programme also explicitly aligns with our commitment to
deliver the highest quality business education and coaching support, both in our region and beyond.”
The Ultimate Scale Up programme scheduled for March is aimed exclusively at 12 business leaders whose companies have the potential for rapid growth.
Participants will take part in an intensive residential experience, receive accredited coaching, and access online and peer-to-peer support throughout a three-month period.
The leader of a district-wide business improvement scheme in Bassetlaw has been recognised at a special commemorative event marking the first King’s New Year Honours List.
Sall y Gillborn, chief executive of North Notts BID, was one of four Nottinghamshire recipients of the prestigious Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award, recognising her services to business and the economy in Nottinghamshire.
In total, there were 10 honourees in the region, with three Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and three Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) awards given out.
Ms Gillborn joined OBE honouree Liz Barrett, principal of Sutton’s Academy Transformation Trust Further Education, and Natalie Gasson-McKinley MBE, formerly of the Federation of Small Business Service, among several other honourees at a regional gathering celebrating their achievements.
Sally said: “Driving economic growth in North Nottinghamshire cannot be achieved in isolation.
“It takes time, effort and collaboration, opening pathways for young people and supporting businesses at every level.
‘Driving economic growth in North Nottinghamshire cannot be achieved in isolation’
“It’s why I am so proud to join my fellow Nottinghamshire honourees on this special occasion, who have helped foster a more profitable future in our region.”
The New Year’s Honours event was held at Nottinghamshire County Council Hall, with cllr Carole McCulloch – lord mayor of Nottingham, Sir John Peace – lord lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and cllr John Ogle – chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council in attendance.
A charity that delivers befriending services to older people who are isolated and live alone in Chesterfield, Bolsover and north east Derbyshire is planning its 2024 community champions awards.
The BrightLife Champions Against Loneliness Awards 2024 take place on Saturday 16 March at the SMH Group Stadium, in Chesterfield.
The awards recognise those who have been champions against loneliness across the region, and cover categories including young person, carer, volunteer, business and neighbour.
Ticket details and sponsorship opportunities are available on the Brightlife.charity website.
Marketing agency Cartwright Communications has launched what it calls an “ambitious” 2024 ESG strategy with an event for more than 50 Nottingham College students.
The launch at Nottingham Contemporary provided the students with an insight into the value of ESG (environmental, social and governance policies) for businesses as well as wellbeing and sustainability.
There was also a panel discussion featuring representatives from concrete specialist ConSpare, architects CPMG and social housing consortium Efficiency North.
The event aimed to inspire and support students in relation to an ESG-focused project, for which the college is offering a £500 investment incentive for the best startup or initiative.
Following a successful 2023 supporting local charities across its three offices, Cartwright’s 2024 strategy revolves around building stronger links with causes that bring its own team together with a focus on skills and young people.
Each of Cartwright’s offices will support a local charity or organisation – with the Birmingham team continuing to work alongside the University of Birmingham, and the London team supporting the Prince’s Trust as well as The Soup Kitchen charity, which is close to its Fitzrovia base.
The new plan also sees Chambermember Cartwright working more closely with causes supported by its
clients, including a “We’ve Got You” campaign launched by Lovell Partnerships in 2023, helping young people with experience of care or homelessness into training and careers in construction.
Cartwright will continue its partnership with its 2023 charity of the year Juno Women’s Aid, with the firm’s managing director Liz Cartwright becoming a trustee of the charity.
The agency also works with Juno providing pro-bono PR and marketing support, which it also provides for Television Workshop and Switch Up.
Rose Hayes, director and ESG lead at Cartwright Communications, said: “The event with Nottingham College – who our Nottingham team will be working with throughout the year – was a huge success and the ideal launch for our ESG strategy for 2024, which has a central theme of skills and supporting young people into careers.”
Matt Bunn, sustainability lead at Nottingham College, which is also a Chamber member, said: “As part of our ‘Zero’ campaign to become carbon neutral by 2030, collaborating with local partners is crucial as we strive towards the city's carbon neutrality goals, promoting collective action against climate change through education and community engagement.”
Charlotte Walthall, a student that attended the event, said: “The panel allowed us to discover more about sustainability in the business world.”
The three-strong Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter rangers team in Derby has welcomed a new recruit.
Ian Rollett joins Scott Harris, Jon McKenzie, and Nikki Matthews, who between them have spent a combined total of 35 years walking 10 miles a day patrolling the streets.
New ranger Ian worked in the Merchant Navy during his younger years and travelled the world as part of his job.
He said: “When you’ve seen so many countries like I have, you have a longing to return to where you are from.
“For me, being back in Derby is everything and I am so happy to take up this role working in the St Peter’s Quarter area.
Ian will work alongside ranger
Nikki, who has patrolled the city street for 12 years, and loves her role working alongside businesses and partners such as the police, public protection officers, Streetpride and the Rehousing Engagement Support Team (REST) team.
She said: “We are happy to be a four-strong team again and we have enjoyed patrolling the streets and introducing him to those we work most closely with.”
The role of the rangers in the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) is three-fold – to support the businesses in their respective BID areas, to welcome visitors to the area, and to work closely with other city partners and agencies acting as a support and referral resource.
A Government Health Minister joined the first life sciences event of Leicestershire Innovation Festival 2024.
Andrew Stephenson CBE MP visited Charnwood Campus in Loughborough to join more than 100 delegates considering innovation as a potential solution to health disparities and inequalities.
It was one of a number of events during the two-week festival which is now in its sixth year. Attendees at the Loughborough event included senior representatives from the NHS, as well as clinicians, researchers, and life science business leaders.
The discussion event was designed to consider the impact of inequality on the physical and mental wellbeing, and life chances, of individuals in the hardest hit groups.
The sixth annual festival is led by the LLEP Business Gateway Growth Hub. See our Events section for images of the launch.
T: 0115 947 5662
E: enquiries@higson-accountants.co.uk
W: higson-accountants.co.uk
Homes England is helping hundreds of small and medium-sized housebuilders to kickstart projects by providing development loans of between £250,000 and £10m-plus.
The Levelling Up Home Building Fund is designed for housebuilders based in England that are struggling to access finance from traditional lenders.
Loans can be tailored to individual circumstances and can be used to meet the development costs of building homes for sale or rent.
Financing is also available to support community-led housing projects, serviced plots for custom and selfbuilders, off-site manufacturing, new entrants to the market and groups of small firms working in consortia to deliver larger sites.
Homes England’s flexible approach and knowledge of the housing sector means they can support businesses of all sizes to deliver new homes.
The Levelling Up Home Building Fund can help if you:
•Are a UK-registered corporate entity or limited liability partnership
•Plan to build five or more homes on a site in England
•Have a controlling interest in the land, with outline planning permission in place.
More information about the plans can be found on Homes England’s guidance page and you can arrange a call with a regional specialist by calling 0300 1234 500, emailing: fundingenquiries@ homesengland.gov.uk or completing a short online form on the Home England website.
An international freight company with a longstanding involvement in space tech logistics has joined the dynamic ecosystem at Space Park Leicester.
Founded in June 1972 in central Leicester by brothers Martyn, Stuart, and Chris Burrell, Pinnacle International Freight Ltd has grown into a globally recognised logistics solutions provider with bases in the UK and USA, along with a longestablished network of global partners.
Headquartered in Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, Chamber member Pinnacle delivers logistics across all industries.
It has supported the University of Leicester Space Research Centre in transporting components for various projects – including shipping satellite and telescope
parts – showcasing its commitment to the region’s space sector.
Operations director Gavin Newman said: “Pinnacle has been involved in Space tech logistics for many years, supporting the University of Leicester Space Research Centre with global movement of components for lots of exciting projects, including Swift XRay telescope, Catsat soft X-Ray Spectrometer, AstroSat India and the hugely complex delivery of MIRI for James Webb Telescope to NASA.
“We are proud of our Leicester heritage and the development of Space City Leicester. Joining Space Park Leicester aligns with our goal to support and encourage international businesses to base their operations alongside this unique and innovative community.”
Vinay Patel is head of commercial and innovation at
Space Park Leicester, the £100m facility on the northern edge of the city which has attracted a number of big and small businesses involved in the space sector.
It is part of a new industrial zone called Space City which launched last year to build on the city’s growing reputation in the space sector, to breed fresh talent and attract more international businesses.
Vinay said: “With over 50 years of international trade experience, the company will provide advice, guidance, and support for international trade and worldwide logistics within the Space City ecosystem.
“Their on-site presence will give Space Park Leicester an ongoing resource for day-to-day advice and operations as a logistics services provider, including customs matters and project management.”
Volunteers from a Derby company swapped their pens for serving spoons when they cooked up lunches for the community.
HR & employment specialist Precept – part of the Barron McCann group – took part in the YMCA Derbyshire Community Meal which, in collaboration with local mental health charity Head High, gives local businesses and community groups the opportunity to provide a nourishing meal for people who might be feeling isolated.
They served traditional Australian pie, mash and peas followed by Lamingtons – a butter cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut that is popular Down Under – to mark Australia Day. Precept staff also donned hats decorated with miniature corks and themed the dining room accordingly.
More than 100 people attended the event at the YMCA, in London Road, which is aimed at combatting loneliness, a major cause of mental health problems among adults. Also enjoying lunch were members of YMCA in Capetown, who were visiting the city to hear of the successful projects that their counterparts in Derby have been involved with.
Pictures of the day were sent to the YMCA in Australia to showcase celebrations of their national day.
“We had some guidance about quantities – we have never cooked for such large numbers before – and staff at the YMCA were really helpful.”
Barry Carter has taken over as chief executive of the Hinckley and Rugby Building Society, replacing Colin Fyfe, who had been in the post for five years.
Mr Carter has been the East Midlands’ mutuals chief operating officer since July 2022. He has more than 21 years’ experience in financial services, and was previously chief operating officer at HSBC Private Bank.
He is a chartered certified accountant, chartered banker, and is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments.
He said: “As COO, I have been working very closely with Colin Fyfe for the last 18 months.
“We have shared a vision and have developed the society’s strategy together, enjoying a partnership with the same synergy that a chair and vice-chair would. Consequently, this feels like a very smooth and natural transition.
“In planning for this change, I have sharpened my focus on developing a truly customer-centric organisation. I have strong plans for growth, both in our business and in our people, and a strong desire to make us the most efficient and effective organisation that we can possibly be.
“That’s something I’m very passionate about.
“During the last 18 months, I have come to understand the beating heart of the society and its unique personality.
Freeths law firm, which has offices across the region, has gained B Corp accreditation, meaning it has achieved the highest levels of environmental and social impact and good governance.
Accreditation is measured through performance, accountability, and transparency across areas including employee benefits, charitable work, and supply chain practices.
It means that Freeths is the biggest UK law firm with B Corp Certification.
It will now work with the environmental company Planet Mark to help create a net-zero plan, and establish interim and long-term science-based net-zero targets.
Chris Freeston (pictured), head of the firm’s banking & finance practice, led the B Corp application.
He said: “I’m excited and hugely proud that Freeths has achieved B Corp certification. As a responsible business, it is testament to the hard work of our people and it highlights these important issues and embraces the values that are integral to our firm, our people, clients, and our communities.”
“At Freeths, we take our commitments to people and the planet very seriously and this status demonstrates our ongoing performance in the field.”
“I believe that my strong and highly participative style of leadership will continue to benefit the Society at every level, and that I will lead us into an even more prosperous future.”
Colin Fyfe, who has been appointed CEO of the Unity Trust Bank, based in the West Midlands, said: “I am absolutely delighted for Barry. We have worked well together over the last 18 months, and I know that he will take the society from strength to strength.
‘I have strong plans for growth, both in our business and in our people’
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my five years here, and I feel that’s about the ideal period for a CEO.
“My plan was to make a big difference, and then hand over the reins to someone who would take the society to the next level, and Barry is the right person to do that.
“The society has undergone great changes over the last five years, and has become a thoroughly modern, professional organisation.
“I’m proud of our progress towards being a digitised building society, and of the strong financial performance that has been achieved on my watch. And now being recognised as one of the best UK companies to work for is a success of which the whole team can feel very proud.”
Drones and smart systems are helping farmers deal with plant problems earlier – helping cut pesticide use and increasing earnings for growers.
De Montfort University (DMU) is working with colleagues around the world to help palm oil plantation farming become more sustainable through better crop management, reduced chemical use and providing farmers with financial safety nets through insurance designed to help protect against risks to the crop.
Researchers have created an algorithm which can analyse images taken by low flying drones to spot signs of disease in plants.
The programme is also able to predict how problems can spread through a field, helping show where an issue might show up next and allowing the farmer to target treatment rather than using insecticides or pesticides on the whole plantation.
DMU’s Professor Mario Gongora is working with
colleagues at two universities in Colombia on the project, the early stages of which were funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Council.
He said: “This is a collaborative project to improve the sustainability of the palm crops. Farmers will spray less because they will target areas instead of blanketing the whole crops.
“These are huge plantations, 10,000 hectares which would have millions of plants so having the ability to pin-point where the farmers treat the plants is very important.
“Optimising the management of the current plantations will allow them to increase production without increasing the requirements of land and avoiding deforestation of natural habitats.”
Professor Alejandro Pena, of the Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, also hopes to use the algorithm to help set up an insurance system for the farmers.
Sales have risen by more than £20m at Nottinghamheadquartered Games Workshop thanks to the continuing success of its miniatures, books and games.
The global business behind the ever-popular Warhammer franchise said revenues had hit a record £247.7m in the second half of 2023, compared to £226.6m a year before.
In a trading update the Chamber member said pre-tax profits for the six months were up more than £11m at £95.2m.
It comes as the business works on a new contract with Amazon to try and turn the Warhammer 40,000 universe into a series of potential films and TV shows.
The business said: “We remain confident we will bring the worlds of Warhammer to the screen like you have never seen before.
“Games Workshop and Amazon will work together for a period of 12 months to agree creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon.
“The agreement will only proceed once the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon.”
Commenting on the latest results, chief executive Kevin Rountree said: “Games Workshop and the Warhammer hobby are in great shape.
‘We continue to perform well during challenging economic times’
“We continue to perform well during challenging economic times, delivering record group revenue, profit and dividends in the period. Morale is good at Games Workshop and our hobbyists are having fun too.”
Writing in the trading statement alongside chief financial officer Rachel Tongue, he said the company’s strategy remained on course to make the “best fantasy miniatures in the world, to engage and inspire our customers, and to
sell our products globally at a profit.”
With regard to licensing, they said they owned some of, what they believe to be, the “best underexploited intellectual property globally” and continue to find new partners to exploit its full potential.
The business designs, makes, and sells miniatures and related products under a number of brands, many of which are globally recognised.
The key brand Warhammer covers everything from collecting, building, painting and playing to reading, watching and gaming.
There are two main universes – a “dark, gritty fantasy sci-fi universe”, which encompasses ‘Warhammer 40,000’, ‘Warhammer The Horus Heresy’ and ‘Necromunda’.
There is also a fantasy setting that includes ‘Warhammer Age of
Sigmar’, ‘Blood Bowl’ (a tongue in cheek parody) and, the soon to be released, ‘Warhammer The Old World’.
The trading statement said: “We continue to manufacture all of our core products at our three factories in Nottingham. Work on improving efficiencies has negated the need for the purchase of any additional manufacturing equipment during the period and allowed numerous manufacturing output records to be broken.
“As part of our longer-term capacity planning, we are exploring options for Factory 4 on the site next to Factory 2.
Our total manufacturing headcount has increased slightly during the period with the total number of jobs in our factories now standing at 361.”
Chamber member Capital One and online fashion brand ASOS are joining forces to launch a new credit card.
The new ASOS credit card will be available for eligible shoppers and should be available later this year.
It will provide a range of features and benefits when users shop at ASOS and elsewhere – such as Section 75 protection on purchases over £100, giving protection for goods and services.
Nottingham-based Capital One UK has more than 20 years of lending experience, as well as underwriting, technology, and digital capabilities.
John Birkbeck, senior director of
marketing and partnerships at Capital One UK, said: “Capital One UK is excited to have agreed this partnership with ASOS to offer customers the opportunity to benefit from the convenience of using a credit card, while empowering them to be in control and to use credit responsibly.”
Elle Kim, director of group payments at ASOS, said: “We are pleased to partner with Capital One UK to offer eligible customers a new way of shopping with us.
“We look forward to sharing more details about our exciting partnership and this new product in the coming months."
In January 2024 the Chamber welcomed 27 new members:
• Absolute Networks
• Acuity Consulting International
• Connect with Impact
• Derbyshire Constabulary
• Digital Done
• Elements Green
• Executive Insight Exchange
• Fn Customs Agency
• Francesca’s Recruitment
• Hive Aggregates
• IFABS Global
• Innovation and Design Engineering
• Microtech
• Nexus Fostering
• Noonah
• nxcontrol
• PLMR Advent
• PMAN Consulting
• Presentation Design Services
• Sarah Higgins Corporate Coaching
• Sharewear Clothing Scheme
• Smile Business Support
• Stephen Eve Financial Planning
• Tarpey Harris (pictured)
• The Castle Inn
• With Leila
• Worksop Turbine Innovation Centre
The Schumacher Packaging Group, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of customised packaging made of corrugated and solid board (www.schumacher-packaging.com), successfully continued its dynamic growth course in 2022.
This year, the company celebrates its 75th anniversary and is investing more in sustainability: the focus is on expanding renewable energies and reducing plastics in packaging by using natural raw materials.
By 2025, Schumacher Packaging plans to invest around €700m in the expansion of existing plants and the construction of new ones.
For 2023, however, the focus is on sustainability. This is because the packaging specialist is pursuing the ambitious goal of climate-neutral production by 2035 and is therefore relying on the most modern, efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. Around €45m is being invested in the construction of solar power plants, and €10-20m is earmarked for the expansion of wind energy. Currently, a solar park is under construction at the German site in Forchheim, and two more parks are being built in Poland.
The construction of five more solar power plants in Germany and Poland is planned for 2023 and 2024. The total output of all photovoltaic plants will be around 12 GW/h.
With its innovative solutions made of corrugated and solid board, Schumacher Packaging has grown continuously over the past 75 years and
has become one of the largest family-run packaging companies in Europe.
At the start of the anniversary year, company boss Björn Schumacher, who runs the company in the third generation with his brother Hendrik, explained: “Along our anniversary motto ‘Unboxing the Future of Packaging’, we are pursuing clear goals for the future. We see considerable potential to make packaging even more climate-friendly across the entire value chain. That’s why we want to further reduce the proportion of plastics in packaging across all sectors and replace it sensibly with the natural raw material paper.”
To achieve this, the family-owned company is leading the way in the industry: it provides information, works on innovations and seeks dialogue with stakeholders. The management assumes that more than one fifth of the plastic packaging currently used can be replaced by paper-based solutions. By using plastic-free, biobased barrier coatings, packaging with protective functions can be produced that can be fully recycled. Plastics can thus be completely replaced - with the greatest potential in the food industry.
Sustainability is of great importance to Schumacher Packaging’s business. “The biggest advantage of paper-based packaging is that it is
completely natural. They are not waste, can be returned to the material cycle 100 per cent or decompose in nature within a short time without leaving any residues. Currently, more than 85 per cent of corrugated and solid board packaging is recycled – this means that it is reprocessed into packaging after use. Unlike plastic-based reusable systems, no CO2 is emitted during return transport and cleaning,” said Björn Schumacher. “We exploit this potential by leading the way and constantly developing new industryspecific and sustainable products. In this way, we can offer long-term security of supply and be a reliable partner - now and in the future.”
Raw material supply and security of supply still important
Despite the difficult economic situation due to the Ukraine war and the sharp rise in energy prices, Schumacher Packaging 2022 managed to grow.
The packaging manufacturer reacted flexibly and quickly in the crisis year and was thus able to guarantee supplies to its customers. Strategic decisions contributed to this, such as the acquisition of the Kaierde cartonboard mill, the majority stake in the Italian corrugated base paper manufacturer Cartiere Modesto Cardella SpA and the acquisition of the Leipzig Land GmbH cartonboard mill.
“The consistent expansion of our production and processing capacities represents an important contribution to securing the market's supply situation in the future and is part of our strategy for the future,” said managing director Hendrik Schumacher.
For
EMB Group managing director Danielle Gillett has been appointed as chair of the CBI’s East Midlands Council, taking over from Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, who has stood down after completing his two-year term.
Danielle has 20 years of experience in financial and commercial leadership and is also chair of Leicester College.
She previously held nonexecutive directorships supporting students at De Montfort University and on national skills and enterprise advisory groups.
In her new CBI role Danielle will advocate for increased investment in skills and R&D, boosting business confidence and seizing the economic prizes on offer in regional priority areas.
This includes accelerating the UK’s push to net zero –aided by the development of a new Zero Carbon Innovation Centre as part of the East Midlands Freeport – and building on the skills of the East Midland’s workforce.
RSM UK’s Tyrone Courtman has been appointed as the Turnaround Management Association’s (TMA) European president for the next two years.
Tyrone is a restructuring partner within the audit, tax and consulting firm, based out of its Grove Park office, near Leicester, and specialises in restructuring and recovery.
He has played an active role in the TMA since it launched in the UK in 2001, serving as UK president between 2008 and 2010. More recently he co-chaired its European conference and sponsorship committee. He has also helped to shape EACTP, the industry body’s education programme.
The University of Derby has appointed Stephen Dudderidge to a new role of chief operating officer, to drive forward the university’s ambitions and future growth plans.
Stephen is currently registrar and secretary at the University of Brighton and will join the Derby institution on 8 April.
He is a part of the executive board at Brighton, leading a range of services as well as overseeing its corporate and academic governance.
He joined the University of Brighton in October 2016 after several years at the University of Nottingham, so has an existing affinity with the region.
He said: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Derby at
such a pivotal time for the institution and the sector.
“I look forward to working with colleagues across the institution with a view to building on an
already strong platform of cohesive service delivery.”
In his new role he will work with the university’s executive team –led by vice-chancellor professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL – to build Derby’s reputation as somewhere which already works closely with industry.
Prof Mitchell said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Stephen to the university.
“He has an excellent track record of leading services, and extensive experience of developing and implementing strategic plans and projects, so he is very well placed to support the university as we continue to deliver our ambitious strategy and strive for future success.”
Andrew Granger, a former deputy lieutenant of Leicestershire and well known member of the region’s property scene, has joined Loughborough land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie as a consultant.
He is well known for having established his own estate agency and chartered surveying firm, Andrew Granger & Co in 1989.
From a single office in Market Harborough, Andrew grew the firm to 50 staff, including seven directors, across three offices in Harborough, Leicester and Loughborough.
He stepped down in 2017 and since then has been acting as a consultant.
Outside of his business advisory work, Andrew's achievements include acting as president of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and
deputy lieutenant of Leicestershire in 2008.
He has also held the title of the National President of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, has been chair of the Country Landowners Association (CLA) and is actively involved in charity work and building projects that have helped to improve many high-profile community facilities in Leicestershire –including fundraising initiatives for Leicester Children's Hospital and Leicester Cathedral.
He said, "Being self-employed is rewarding, but can be quite solitary so I approached Mather Jamie as I wanted to be part of a team again.
“The welcome I have received has been absolutely terrific and I am excited to be a member of a company that has such long-standing relationships with its clients and a fantastic reputation across the land and property industry."
TBall-Wood as a conveyancing solicitor in its growing property team.
Connor joined Timms’ trainee solicitor programme in January 2022 and has had seats in the firm’s family, wills & probate and conveyancing teams across all of its offices in Derby, Burton, Swadlincote and Ashby where he will now be based.
Timms partner and the firm’s training principal Adrian Rose said: “We remain firmly committed to achieving growth through home-grown talent and ensuring that young professionals have all the support, training and qualifications that they need for their own career development and to achieve the high standards of work that we expect at Timms.
“Connor has shown great skill and determination throughout his training programme and we are delighted that he has joined our property team now as a qualified solicitor.”
Connor said: “I am excited to move to the next stage of my legal career with the support of the great team of lawyers and paralegals at Timms Solicitors. Although it is hard work to combine case work with studying, my goal is to follow in the footsteps of the others who have developed their careers and been successful at Timms.”
Geldards has announced a raft of promotions including two new partners in its East Midlands offices.
The senior associates promoted to partner in the East Midlands are Natalie Haydon, who works in family law, and Saima Shabir, in commercial law.
The changes recognise the pair’s contribution to the ongoing success of the firm and bring its number of partners across the UK to 67.
Saima is an experienced lawyer specialising in data protection and contractual law while Natalie advises clients on family matters, specialising in complex financial remedy cases.
Alongside their promotions, associate Manjot Shokar has been moved up to senior associate in the Midlands corporate team.
Geldards chief executive Jeff Pearson said: “We are very proud of our skilled workforce and these promotions reflect the hard work and dedication of all our staff who strive to maintain Geldards’ reputation as a market leader in the legal sector.”
Regional law firm Banner Jones has welcomed six more members of staff from its Chesterfield, Sheffield and Mansfield offices onto its trainee scheme.
Each of the candidates has already completed their LPC and is now undertaking a period of recognised training, ahead of becoming fully qualified solicitors.
During their training they will gain an understanding of different areas of the law, spending time in a contentious area of law, a noncontentious area of law and the firm’s compliance department.
The trainee scheme, which is fully funded by the firm, offers staff who want to learn new skills the chance to further their careers, while training for a recognised legal qualification.
As well as helping the six trainees, Banner Jones is supporting Tim Barley in his Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship, Claudia Risorto, who joined in September and is undertaking her law degree apprenticeship, and various other members of staff to undertake CILEx and licensed conveyancing qualifications.
Chief executive Simon Wright, said: “We’re delighted to be training such a large number of colleagues to qualify as Solicitors, in addition to providing support to those undergoing various other qualifications.”
Two experienced solicitors have joined the medical negligence and personal Injury team at Nelsons solicitors, which has offices in Leicester, Nottingham and Derby.
Julie Hardy and Emma Zukowska have made the move from Nottingham law firm Barratts after a combined 32 years there.
Julie, a partner specialising in birth and childhood brain injury cases as well as surgical errors, started her career at Freeths in 1993, becoming a partner in 2002 and head of department in 2012. From Freeths she joined Barratts, where she worked for 10 years.
Emma Zukowska, a partner specialising in birth injury and spinal injury cases, has spent all of her career with Barratts, which she joined as an office assistant before training and rising through the ranks.
BY DAN ROBINSON
From its Leicestershire headquarters, Druck, a Baker Hughes business, designs and manufactures industry-leading pressure sensors that are critical to the world’s infrastructure in sectors ranging from aviation and rail to meteorology and semiconductor production, with 90% of sales made overseas.
General manager Gordon Docherty explains why accuracy and reliability is integral to the products it makes and how it has built an international operation over half a century in business.
The average Formula 1 car is equipped with hundreds of sensors among its huge array of modern technology and the data collected from these is critical to a car’s performance.
A number of these will be measuring pressure, a critical parameter in engine performance and management. Druck’s motorsport sensors are deployed across elite motorsport and manufactured at its global headquarters in Leicestershire.
Part of the $25.5bn energy technology company Baker Hughes, Druck is an international market leader in pressure sensor and instrumentation technology, priding itself on delivering the highest accuracy and reliability in harsh environments, like elite motorsport.
Druck’s sensors are also vital across a range of other sectors, including aviation, a market where Druck is a premium supplier for aircraft and major commercial airframes.
“In an aircraft, there is no room for error – the sensors simply must deliver accurate and reliable measurements,” explains vice-president Gordon Docherty.
“Pressure is one of the most measured parameters on an aircraft,” says Gordon. “Our sensors are used on the engine for the reliable measurement of the fuel and oil pressure, and engine health providing critical engine control data for the pilot.
“Sensors must be able to withstand heavy shock, for example a hard landing, rapidly changing temperature conditions, high levels of vibration and continue to provide accurate and reliable measurements month after month, year after year, no matter what happens.
“Having operated in the aviation industry for over 40 years, quality and reliability are at the heart of everything we do.
“This has allowed us to gain critical knowledge of these operating conditions. For example, we’re one of very few companies that design and fabricate our own silicon pressure sensing element.
“In our Class 100 cleanroom at our global headquarters in Groby, near Leicester, we can tailor the sensors exactly to the engine parameters as defined by our customers.”
Automotive, rail and marine are other key transportation sectors where you can find Druck’s pressure measurement technology.
‘We’ve built an organisation that can develop industryleading products through innovation in engineering and technology’
Braking systems, for example, rely on pressure measurement in their hydraulic systems. Druck is also a major provider to industries such as pharmaceuticals, health, energy and meteorology.
In the demanding subsea industry, Druck sensors measure the pressure and temperature of oil and gas as they are extracted from the earth’s surface.
“Our subsea sensors are in situ for up to 30 years,” says Gordon.
“They are designed to withstand the rigours and challenges of subsea environments at depths of up to 3,300 metres.
“Pressure and temperature are critical parameters for so many sectors as they measure a huge number of changeable conditions that can affect performance and safety.”
DRUCK, NAMED AFTER the German word for “pressure”, has come a long way since its formation in 1972 by two pioneering entrepreneurs, Mike Bertioli and John Salmon.
Their vision was to invent and commercialise the world’s first silicon-based piezoresistive pressure sensors – replacing traditional strain gauge technology – and become an industry leading multi-million-dollar business.
Blending Mike’s engineering ingenuity and John’s sales expertise, the company has grown to more than 900 employees across sites in the UK, Hungary, China, India and the US.
There are 650 people based at its Groby headquarters. The current factory is home to not
only the engineering design and production teams, and many central functions, but also a state-of-the-art clean room facility equipped with advanced robotics for processing more than 300 versions of silicon 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The final products are rigorously qualified during development and as part of the production process undergo a large number of production tests such as pressure and temperature profiling to ensure they are calibrated to the highest accuracies.
Druck also has its own UK Accredited Service (UKAS) laboratory which offers pressure, temperature, electrical and humidity calibrations. The qualification and validation support Druck’s claim of developing the best pressure sensors on the market.
Gordon says: “We supply pressure sensors that provide advanced levels of stability, accuracy and reliability, which are used in critical applications and often in the toughest of environments. We supply pressure instruments to customers for calibration and manufacturing purposes, but we also use them in our global manufacturing sites and UKAS calibration lab.
“To demonstrate the effectiveness of our calibration technology, we sent several units to
“Calculating altitude is extremely important, so we have instruments that are used for testing and checking the calibration of altitude and airspeed of aircraft pitot static systems. Hydraulic mechanisms like the landing gear and wing flaps – where pressure is used to open and close these applications – also require sensors to ensure these systems operate correctly. Other examples include measuring air cabin pressure and pressure inside the fuel tank.”
“We’re working with companies that are developing hydrogen planes, gas turbines, fuel cells and storage tanks. Sensors are used to ensure the hydrogen pressure is accurate, there are no leaks and the equipment is being operated correctly.”
3. METEOROLOGY
“Our sensors are used in weather stations to support short, medium and long-term weather
forecasts. This helps forecasters to predict weather patterns more accurately enabling authorities and agencies to better plan and prepare for extreme weather.”
4. OCEANOGRAPHY
Scientists use our sensors to measure the height of the ocean and understand sea level rises; critical in comprehending the circulation of the ocean and its role in world climates.
5. OIL AND GAS
“In some downhole-drilling applications, chemicals will be injected into the ground to better extract oil or gas.
“When extracted it comes out at a pressure which must be measured to ensure efficient and safe operations.
“We also supply the energy industry with pressure and electrical calibrators capable of working in hazardous locations to ensure our customers’ equipment meet the relevant regulatory requirements and keep operating efficiently.”
The strong international reputation of the Druck brand and pedigree in critical industries over half a century has helped it to develop many new customers, believes Gordon.
One example is in China, where the company has a manufacturing facility, sales office and network of channel partners.
Developing relationships and the growth in this region helped Druck to win the Excellence in International Trade honour at the Chamber’s Leicestershire Business Awards in November.
Gordon says: “We have good relationships with customers in China and good pedigree, so manufacturers come to us as a partner they can rely on.
one of Europe’s most respected metrology laboratories, where they specialise in highaccuracy calibration.
“Their team of metrology experts were so impressed by the precision and stability of our technology that they are now openly
recommending our technology to potential customers and have incorporated Druck solutions into their own operations.
“Another example is in North America where Druck has invested in engineering capability to develop sensors for the western aviation market in close partnership with the UK team. This enables Druck to react quicker to customer needs.”
Gordon says that while Druck’s global headquarters will continue to remain in Leicestershire, having a presence in China and North America is integral to future growth.
“We couldn’t just serve the UK market as this wouldn’t sustain us, so we need to find new ways of achieving international growth.”
“We’ve built an organisation that can develop industry-leading products through innovation in engineering and
Gordon was asked how governments can support companies like Druck to thrive through public policy:
“We employ 650 highly-skilled people at our Leicestershire site. Many of our team are university-educated and working in jobs such as engineering, advanced manufacturing, product management and finance.
“Our manufacturing roles also require high capability to build products that are used in critical infrastructure like aerospace.
“From apprenticeships, thanks to our successful partnership with Loughborough College, through to interns, coaching, mentoring, on-the job and on-line training, I’m pleased with our training capability.
“Indeed, the training and advancement opportunities that we offer at Druck is part of our culture and helps explain why our retention rate is well above average.
“We have taken advantage of the Government apprenticeship levy which has worked well for us. However, if I think about companies especially those startups or those
in their infancies, and the incredible volume of challenges they need to overcome just to survive, I do think that the Government could invest more in manufacturing, design and innovation in the form of tax credits, grants or training opportunities to give many of these businesses a greater fighting chance of prospering.”
“At Baker Hughes we’ve set out our plan to become a net zero company by 2050.
“As part of that, Druck has successfully reduced its carbon footprint, and we were recently certified to ISO5001 status - Energy Management Systems – and have a strong focus on energy management usage. However, I do think that industry needs help here.
“Take for example, access to power. We have to use a lot of power to manufacture our products.
“Going forward, when we think about our growth trajectory, the introduction of electric vehicles and suchlike, we are going to need access to more sustainable power.
“I speak to a lot of manufacturers – and we’re in the same boat – currently accessing sustainable power options is a challenge –more investment is needed.”
technology, investing in manufacturing capabilities and building new markets – all the key functions for a successful international business.”
Exporting has been central to growth for Druck.
From the beginning, Mike and John’s ambition was for the business to be well-known globally. They established sales teams in key markets across Europe, North America and Asia, but also created a channel partner network using representatives and distributors in various countries.
The firm now has more than 100 channel partners, many of which Gordon meets with each year, and that local presence helps Druck to better understand its different markets.
Building design and manufacturing capabilities outside the UK has also been integral to international growth.
Engineering development centres were established in India and China about a decade ago, and a factory also opened in China to build both sensors and instruments. This gives Druck direct access to the Asia-Pacific market helping significantly from a lead time perspective.
The firm exports to more than 70 countries, with many of its products moved by East Midlands Airport’s cargo operation.
“Just because we manufacture sensors to an incredibly high standard in the UK, there is a lot we must do to adapt to a global market,” says Gordon.
“Our customers in other countries also require this high quality, but in addition need product
labelling and instructions in their local language, pressure ratings to be in certain formats, and different shapes, sizes and configurations of our technology.
“We also provide calibration and repair services for our products in different global markets and have approved service providers to ensure our customers have local support wherever they are located.
“We take great pride in being able to take a standard product and adapt it for different customer requirements. This has helped us remain competitive and achieve really strong growth across lots of different markets.”
SUPPORTING BAKER HUGHES’ growth strategy for penetrating industrial markets, Druck’s resilience has also been built upon market diversification.
Aviation, for example, was badly hit by the pandemic as significantly fewer aircraft were being built while borders were closed but other sectors rose in prominence, such as healthcare for calibrating hospital equipment, including lifesaving ventilators used for COVID patients.
Another big growth area is the production of semiconductors, a critical part in electronics such as mobile phones, tablets and computers, as well as electric vehicles.
Gordon says: “Our sensors are used within clean rooms and manufacturing environments to help semiconductor customers produce their silicon chips with a much higher yield and accuracy.”
Meteorology is also increasing its sensor uptake given the increasing impact of climate change in societies across the world.
Druck supplies pressure sensors to weather stations across the globe, which require pinpointaccurate pressure measurements for delivering forecasts that enable authorities to forward plan and prepare for extreme weather conditions.
Gordon says: “They not only help to give an improved weather forecast locally, but also to identify patterns and predict future trends.
“So, the more accurate the sensors are, the better they can plan ahead and better prepare for extremes of weather conditions.
“Druck has specifically designed a pressure sensor using technology called TERPS (TrenchEtched Resonant Pressure Sensor) with higher accuracy and stability unmatched by comparable pressure sensors.
“This means the sensor does not need to be checked or calibrated as frequently, particularly useful in remote applications, like weather stations,” adds Gordon.
Perhaps the biggest growth area on Druck’s horizon, however, is the hydrogen economy, which has been earmarked by numerous governments across the world as an integral component in their journeys to net zero.
Reflecting Baker Hughes’ significant and growing technology portfolio across the hydrogen economy, last autumn Druck launched hydrogen-rated pressure sensors that can be used in applications such as gas turbines, hydrogen production electrolysis and hydrogen filling stations.
‘Aircraft manufacturers are now looking at both electrification and hydrogen for future flight’
Long-term exposure to hydrogen gas can degrade the performance of a sensor due to hydrogen permeation and embrittlement, so Druck’s innovation has involved developing a barrier coating technology that protects the sensor element from the harsh effects of hydrogen.
Gordon says: “We’re seeing significant demand for hydrogen pressure sensors because there is a huge amount of R&D taking place in this sector – from hydrogen fuel cells used in buses and HGVs, to hydrogen-powered aircraft and hydrogen storage tanks.
“Customers need to be aware of the pressure in hydrogen tanks to enable the correct operation of the equipment and ensure there are no leaks.
“The hydrogen economy will provide great potential for growth. We’re already big in aviation and a lot of the aircraft manufacturers are now looking at both electrification and hydrogen for future flight.”
Druck’s hydrogen product portfolio is already being leveraged through its participation in the ‘Future Engine Technology for the Control of Hydrogen’ (FETCH) project to develop key technologies for future aircraft hydrogen fuel control systems.
Having a product that can be applied in so many walks of life and sectors, while armed with a strong international reputation and R&D capabilities, puts Druck in a great position for the future.
“Our knowledge of pressure in instrumentation design means we have been able to design products that serve a huge range of applications,” adds Gordon.
“We’re certainly not immune to some of the challenges in a global trading environment, but with the mix of industries we serve and our strength in new product development, we’re always expanding our markets, which makes us more resilient.”
The chief executive of a Leicester marketing agency and publisher has been made a pro-chancellor of De Montfort University in Leicester.
Jenny Cross (pictured), who runs Cross Productions, will act as an ambassador and advocate for the university, supporting its work and in particular championing entrepreneurship. She becomes one of 15 pro-chancellors there.
Vice-chancellor Professor Katie Normington, who heads up the university, wrote to Jenny at the end of last year inviting her to take on the post after she was voted for by staff who described her as a “distinguished friend of the university”.
Pro-chancellors are invited to preside over graduation ceremonies – joining the platform party that graduands “doff their cap” to as they cross the stage.
Jenny is a graduate of DMU with a PGCert in professional coaching and became an entrepreneur in residence at DMU in 2018. She has gone on to develop a training role on the university’s flagship Crucible start-up incubation programme supporting graduates and alumni with marketing masterclasses and business mentoring.
‘This is a big deal for me and my team at Cross Productions’
In 2020, she joined the Business Advisory Board of DMU’s Leicester Castle Business School, promoting the work of the university in the business community.
She is also a guest lecturer on DMU’s marketing degree course and keynote speaker on its MBA programmes.
As well as founding Cross Productions – which produces Niche Magazine – she is founder of the Amira Forum, which supports female entrepreneurship, working with Dr Glynis Wright MBE and Leanne Bonner-Cooke.
She said: “This is a big deal for me and my team at Cross Productions and I’ve been so excited to share that I’m now a DMU pro-chancellor.
“I am DMU through and through having graduated there myself from the professional coaching course, which has been instrumental to the success of Cross Productions.
“We love supporting the university, especially the Leicestershire Top 200 Businesses list they produced.
“I’m really keen to explore other areas of the university, acting in an official ambassadorial capacity.”
Central Nottinghamshire had more rain than anywhere in the UK as 2023 turned to 2024, so how can farmers cope? Mark Chatterton (pictured) is head of agriculture at Duncan & Toplis, one of the biggest firms of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in the East Midlands. Here he considers the heartbreaking impact of recent floods on the region’s farming sector – and offers his thoughts on how to weather the subsequent financial storm.
From 1 November through to 5 January, central Nottinghamshire had the most rain anywhere in the UK and all farms, wherever they are, have been affected.
Streams and rivers burst their banks, dykes were unable to cope and water was left standing in fields where it had never stood before. We thought 2019 was bad – the worst flooding for many, many years – but this truly was unprecedented.
In 2019, the rains started in October, when many fields were undrilled so the damage was limited. This time, the rain began after winter wheat and barley had been planted in October. As a result,
the work and expense of cultivating, drilling and carrying out pre-emergent sprays has been wasted with seed being flooded and failing to germinate.
‘I’d urge farmers to seek out professional advice and support immediately’
Fields will now need to be drilled with a spring crop, but available seed is in very short supply: costs of £800/t rather than £300/t are being quoted for spring wheat and barley, for instance.
I expect that some farms may still be waterlogged until April but even when the fields are eventually dry enough for machinery, farms will then have to face the cost of cleaning up the debris, which is visible everywhere.
Meanwhile, livestock farmers, who have been moving stock to higher ground and providing feed in boats are likely to also find the stress to sheep and cattle outside will lead to them losing condition and not being ready for spring markets.
All of this means that the floods this year have been far more costly for farmers than in 2019 and farms will face further costs as a direct result for years to come, likely with a poor harvest this year and poor cash flow for 2025.
My advice is to create a new cash flow forecast, work out the impact that the situation will have for the next two years and ways to reduce costs throughout this period.
Meanwhile, tax planning will be important because there will be large bills to pay on last year’s more successful harvest. I’d urge farmers to seek out professional advice and support immediately. These floods have devastated many livelihoods and although the anguish is palpable, it’s important not to be defeated.
Loughborough College has been rated “good” by inspectors, picking up several “outstanding” gradings along the way.
The college was said to be “outstanding” in four out of eight areas – behaviour and attitudes, personal development, education programmes for young people and adult learning programmes.
‘We set the highest possible standards in education and this is a reflection of our student-first approach’
The report praised the college’s standards of teaching and learning, stating that “learners value the quality of teaching, the quality of resources and the level of individual support that they receive”.
It also celebrated how students benefit from an “inclusive and welcoming environment in which learners have room to thrive” and are “well-motivated and positive about their studies”.
Acting principal and chief executive Heather Clarke said: “To achieve an outstanding rating for our young people and adult learning provisions is an absolute testament to all of the hard work and dedication of our wonderful staff and students.
“We set the highest possible standards in education and this is a reflection of our student-first approach.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the overall result and would like to thank all students, staff and partners for their contribution.”
Stuart Lindeman, who chairs the board of governors, said: “Loughborough College offers learners a worldclass education and these results reinforce the sheer commitment and dedication of our fantastic staff body.”
The chairman of an independent training provider based in Nottingham was awarded a ‘Medal of the Order of the British Empire’ (BEM) for services to young people in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Will Nixon (pictured) chairs Access Training in the city, and is among 377 people recognised with a British Empire Medal for their achievements.
He has dedicated countless years supporting young people by helping provide apprenticeships, training and support over the years.
Mr Nixon was formerly deputy chief executive of Aspire Housing in North Staffordshire, and was managing director of PM Training, the housing group’s training subsidiary, which supported more than 2,500 people a year.
Corrina Hembury, managing director at Access Training said: “This is wonderful news and well-deserved. He is an inspiration for us all and we are proud to have him chair our board and share his passion and knowledge of the training sector.”
A not-for-profit housing association which provides affordable homes to people across the East Midlands has decided to do more to help any of its workers going through the difficult process of fertility treatment.
Futures is launching the “supportive and compassionate” scheme for its 450-plus workforce, giving paid leave for any of them getting help to conceive.
The scheme means staff will get paid time off for any medical appointments related to fertility treatments, and paid leave during any treatment
THE
cycle. It also covers staff whose partners are receiving treatment, and includes compassionate leave when things don’t work out.
Laura Watkinson, lead HR adviser at Futures, said: “Futures is always looking to improve the offer we make to our biggest assets, our people.
“We recognised a gap in our offering to those who were going through fertility treatment and felt we could try to make a difficult and potentially stressful period slightly less intense.
“We also went one step further in extending compassionate leave of up to five days for those
who suffer loss at any stage of their pregnancy, whether conceived naturally or not.”
Laura said there is no legislation in place for employers to give paid leave, and the parental bereavement leave many organisations have in place only covers pregnancies over 24 weeks.
She added: “Our offering is market leading, and the support given to get this guidance into place has been fantastic. It’s made me very proud of the place we work in, and it truly epitomises the fact that we always aim to do the right thing for our colleagues.”
Tributes have been paid to three longstanding and highly regarded figures who between them dedicated years of service to the East Midlands Chamber.
Chamber board member John Robinson, former president and chairman of the board of Leicestershire Chamber John Day, and former Leicestershire Chamber head of policy Max Boden all passed away in recent weeks.
Each had been described as key players in the operations of the current and previous incarnations of the Chamber – and in contributing to the success of the region’s economy.
John Robinson died peacefully at home on 17 January, aged 82, after a short illness. He had served as a non-executive director of the Chamber since 2018.
He had a background in international trade, partly gained from senior roles within NATO and the RAF, and a career flying military and civil aircraft. He went on to share his years of experience teaching at local colleges and universities.
He was also the education secretary of the East Midlands branch of the Institute of Export and International Trade and was made a fellow of that organisation in 2011.
He regularly worked with the UK government, and also provided training within the Egyptian government.
John Day, who was 74, was a marketing man through-and-through and ran John Day Marketing Associates, in south Leicestershire.
He served as president of Leicestershire Chamber from 2001-2003, and was chairman a year or two before its merger with Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Chamber in 2013.
He was previously marketing director at Alliance and Leicester, prior to it becoming Santander, and served on the board of the Leicestershire Chamber for around a decade.
Some of the other organisations he was involved in included The King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester, Home-Start South Leicestershire, the Leicestershire Education Business Company and the city’s Samworth Academy.
Max Boden was policy manager of the Leicestershire Chamber for almost 24 years, then held a similar position at the East Midlands chamber for two years until around a decade ago.
Kevin Harris, who chairs the East Midlands Chamber board, worked closely with John Day and John Robinson – and said it was the former who first encouraged him to become a board member.
He said: “I have a lot to thank him for. He was a go-to person, and passionate about the Leicestershire Chamber. He was also incredibly affable. Because of the business he was in he was very good at creating relationships and a really positive, upbeat person to be around.”
Kevin added that John Robinson was incredibly knowledgeable about anything related to trade and export.
He said: “He was always very presentable and very professional – you would never see him without a shirt and tie and suit on – and he was incredibly supportive of the Chamber, and rarely missed any of its events.
“He was an important player in the organisation and contributed a heck of a lot to everything he was involved in.
“It’s a very sad loss, and his death has been a big shock to all of us.”
Martin Traynor, who was chief executive of the Leicestershire Chamber for 14 years, said he thoroughly enjoyed his time working with Max Boden, who he said had a fine eye for detail and was a great source of information, particularly when it came to government legislation.
He said: “Max played a significant role in helping me deliver the objectives of the Chamber. He was diligent and a very clever, intelligent man.”
Martin also enjoyed working with John Day who he described as an “excellent boss and a particularly good mentor, who helped me develop into the role of a chief executive”.
He said: “John made a significant contribution to the business environment here in Leicestershire and steered the Chamber through some challenging times.
“He helped us move some significant economic developments forward in the city and county, helping guide the county’s local enterprise partnership, and joined me on the board of the Richard III Visitor Centre.
“He was the sort of person who got things done, and his wisdom and knowledge were incredible.”
East Midlands Chamber president Stuart Dawkins worked with John Day at Alliance and Leicester, where he headed up the marketing team, and they became good friends.
Stuart said John was responsible for the building society’s Sproggit and Sylvestor ads in the early 90s – for years voted some of the country’s favourite adverts – which featured a young Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. He said: “He was an all-round nice guy who enjoyed his work making the Leicestershire business scene a better place.”
While the latest GDP figures from the Office of National Statistics showed the UK had entered a technical recession after dropping 0.3% in the last quarter of 2023, recent ONS inflation figures defied prediction and stayed static at 4% and annual average regular earnings in the private sector grew 6.2%.
East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Recession is never a word anyone wants to hear, however, there are signs that suggest things could be on the mend sooner rather than later.
‘Without a doubt, it’s been a prolonged and tough time for business’
“Inflation didn’t shoot up as many anticipated, unemployment is low and we’ve seen growth in annual average earnings, especially in the private sector.
“From what businesses have been telling us since the start of the year, we believe that figures for the current quarter will show a return to growth.
“Without a doubt, it’s been a prolonged and tough time for business and while we’re far from being out of the woods it’s good to see some positive economic indications with reasons to have cautious optimism over the next months.
“The resourcefulness and
Scott Knowles
resilience of businesses over the last few turbulent years has been incredible, weathering one knock after another.
“We’ve seen fuel prices rise, recent storms dented spending, especially over the festive season and recovery has been slower than it should have been.
“The challenges faced daily remain real. In the East Midlands we need Government to do more to ease pressure in taxation, we need investment in transport, in digital infrastructure and staff upskilling to get where we know we can be.
It’s important that the Government’s Spring Budget – only weeks away now – addresses the very real barriers that have inhibited growth potential. In a General Election year all ears should listen up, be ready to act and enable businesses to get ahead.”
Responding to the ONS’ first GDP estimate for the fourth quarter of 2023, Alex Veitch, director of policy and insight at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “A contraction in GDP for the final quarter of 2023 means the UK economy is in technical recession.
“Businesses were already under no illusion about the difficulties they face, and this news will no doubt ring alarm bells for Government.
“The BCC’s last Quarterly Economic Forecast suggests annual growth below 1% for the next two years as firms remained gripped by uncertainty and the twin perils of high inflation and interest rates remain.
“The Chancellor must use his budget in just under three weeks’ time to set out a clear pathway for firms and the economy to grow.
“Businesses are crying out for a long-term economic plan that reduces the cost pressures they are facing and unlocks the investment they so sorely need.”
Better rail and road services, training support for employers, clearer taxation and fixing the broken planning system all feature heavily in the East Midlands Chamber’s soon-tobe published ‘Manifesto for Growth 2024’.
The member-led priorities are set to be launched in the Houses of Parliament in front of an audience including the region’s MPs on 11 March with the Chamber hoping to play as big a part as possible in shaping the economic and social future of the huge region it covers.
It states that the next Government can drive economic growth in the East Midlands and beyond by delivering in four key areas:
1. Deliver transport and digital infrastructure fit for the 21st century
“It is the stories on the ground of real-life businesses, grappling with their everyday challenges, that have informed the specific policy asks in this manifesto and should be listened to by political parties when making decisions on their economic policies.
“By focusing on four key areas –people and skills, infrastructure and connectivity, taxation and regulation, and planning – this document provides the building blocks to help us deliver long-term growth that will create jobs, wealth and better lives for our communities.
2 Align the taxation and regulation regime with a long-term vision for UK plc
3. Fix the broken planning system
4.Target skills reform for the realities of today’s workforce.
Following the launch at the Westminster reception the manifesto will be used by the Chamber’s policy team in its lobbying activities with prospective parliamentary candidates on behalf of the region’s business community. Its policy asks were compiled during an extensive consultation exercise with its 4,000-strong membership base across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
‘The upcoming General Election offers a huge opportunity for the voice of businesses to be heard’
East Midlands Chamber director of policy and insight Chris Hobson (pictured) said: “The upcoming General Election offers a huge opportunity for the voice of businesses to be heard loud and clear as the main political parties seek to find policies that will finally drive meaningful growth to a stuttering economy.
People and skills
“While these issues are relevant across the country, we also present ‘The Big Opportunity’ to Government for developing the future of energy production in the East Midlands – which is home to the three big bases of future energy provision in nuclear fusion, nuclear fission and hydrogen.
“The thread that pulls all these areas together is the need for a long-term plan for industry with joined-up thinking. This would provide a vision to businesses, people and potential investors about what the UK stands for, which feels like an opportunity too good to be missed as we enter a new chapter in our political landscape.”
The Manifesto for Growth 2024 builds upon East Midlands Chamber’s economic blueprint for the region, titled A Centre for Trading Excellence: A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond and published in November 2022.
This outlined a vision for delivery against the ‘Four Is’ of infrastructure, international trade, innovation and investment.
Among the demands included in the manifesto are a more long-term approach to business taxation, inline with Government policy –particularly the transition to net zero and decarbonisation of infrastructure which, the manifesto says, is currently “riddled with inconsistencies”.
Also central to the manifesto is the need for a long-term plan for industry with joined up thinking –two points which have been glaringly absent from recent Government policy.
• Flexible incentives to help businesses invest in staff training, with more flexibility on how the Apprenticeship Levy operates
• Continue to back Local Skills Improvement Plans
• Bring forward the Lifelong Loan Entitlement to support retraining and retainment of an older workforce;
• Build on the success of the Kickstart Scheme for 16 to 24-year-olds
• Embed work experience within the education system
• Make it easier for employers to get visas for foreign workers to fill roles where shortages are common.
Transport and infrastructure
• Improvements to the A50/A500 between Stoke and Derby – a 56-mile route that is home to 1m people and 500,000 jobs
• Invest in the A46 corridor between Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire – a 155-mile route along which almost 10% of English economic output is derived
• Support the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route
• More public EV changepoints
• Committing to a timeline of full electrification of the northern part of the Midland Main Line
• Bringing back direct rail services between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham
• Speeding up the rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G.
Taxation and regulation
• Create a long-term approach to business taxation that aligns with policy ambitions such as net zero and decarbonisation which are “currently riddled with inconsistencies”
• A full review of business rates – for instance, so that businesses that invest in their premises are not penalised
• Level the playing field for public sector procurement so that tenders are realistically sized and encourage innovation and social value, and to make sure the whole tender process is transparent.
Simplify the R&D tax credits system
• Bring in streamlined, online exporting checks and do away with barriers such as complex customs checks and declarations, excessive taxes and duties due to tariffs, and increased regulation such as product certification.
Planning
• Enable the private sector to help under-resourced planning departments
• Promote joined-up thinking between planning departments in how local plans are created
• Remove blockages and delays to accessing the National Grid for green energy sources.
East Midlands Chamber hopes interest rate cuts could be coming this spring or summer after the Bank of England decided to maintain UK rates at 5.25% as part of its ongoing commitment to curb inflation.
Rates have been steadily rising since a low of 0.1% in 2020 and have been set at the current rate since last August.
Six members of the nine-strong Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep rates at their current level in February, with two voting for an increase and one to decrease. Bank Governor Andrew Bailey was among those voting to keep the rate where it was.
Commenting on the decision, Scott Knowles, Chamber chief executive, said: “The start of 2024 has again thrown up new challenges for business.
“Problems in the Middle East, disruption to shipping routes in the Red Sea, and the continuing War in Ukraine all present pressures on global supply-chains, which impacts us here in the East Midlands.
“However, disregarding a slight blip in December, recent months have shown that inflation is gradually moving towards the Bank’s long-term economic target of 2%, with further encouraging figures from the British Retail Consortium showing annual shop price inflation to have eased to 2.9% in January, down from 4.3% in December.
“We know from our own surveys that around four-in-10 SMEs say they are directly negatively impacted by the current rate through higher borrowing costs,
David Bharier (pictured), head of research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the decision to hold the interest rate at 5.25%, the same level since last summer, would give some respite for businesses – though the current level was still a source of concern for SMEs.
He said: “The bank has outlined that inflation is likely to remain volatile for the foreseeable future.
“Alongside this, UK firms face significant uncertainties with geopolitical conflicts, new trade barriers with the EU, and ongoing skills shortages.
“The Red Sea crisis has already seen spikes in shipping container and insurance costs which could feed into a renewed wave of inflation.
“With a General Election fast approaching, political parties will need to set out a clear plan for the economy.”
Following the success of the National Business Crime Centre’s national week of action last October, the organisation – which represents UK police forces to work in partnership with businesses to tackle crimes – has announced the first national month of action for retail crime.
To coincide with a traditional rise in retail crime each spring the NBCC has announced March to be the month of action.
With shoplifting having hit the highest level in more than 20 years, all national forces are being encouraged to take part by holding at least one day of action throughout the month.
Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership will be teaming up with Derbyshire Constabulary and other partners to hold a full week of action starting 11 March.
The week will see police, partners and retailers coming together throughout Derbyshire for a day of targeted activity, which will include joint high visibility patrols, proactive operations against known offenders and crime prevention work.
A partnership spokeswoman said: “Police, partners and retailers are keen to keep up the momentum of collaboration in the face of increasing levels
with smaller firms in sectors such as hospitality and retail being disproportionately impacted.
“While a decision has been taken to keep interest rates on hold, we would encourage the Bank to look at reductions throughout the remainder of the year to support those businesses looking to invest and grow their productivity.
“In the meantime, the Chamber remains ready to help local business grow and prosper and ensure the reality of doing business in the East Midlands can inform future decisions by the bank and policy makers.”
of retail crime and violence against shop workers. The aim of the month is to work together to disrupt and deter prolific offenders and we look forward to seeing businesses take part in the events.”
If you run a high street business based in Derbyshire and want to know more about the scheme and/or the week of action, please contact Jackie Roberts on 07919 303816 or e-mail her at jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk
OLIVIA HYAM, OWNER BOHEMIAN BUS CAFÉ, TELLS HER STORY:
After operating a successful street food business, Que Delícia, since 2015, I was always on the lookout for opportunities to expand.
I accidentally bought the bus in 2019 in an online auction (they’re legally binding, apparently) so got busy booking festivals in 2020.
When Covid hit, I realised that festivals were not happening for a while and I needed to start paying off the bus so began googling “how to operate a restaurant” and looking for a spot to pitch up at.
‘Since relocating to the Peak District, the sense of community has enveloped the bus and we have an incredible customer base’
We initially opened up in Disley and have recently moved to Furness Vale Business Centre which is an absolute dream come true – it’s perfect!
We now have loads of outdoor seating, an actual toilet instead of a portable loo, and it truly is the most beautiful spot with incredible views of the nearby countryside.
We have a lot of loyal customers and we attract cyclists and walkers as we are in a top area for outdoor activities.
Our ethos is that everyone is welcome so we also get all sorts of visitors including families, dogs, tourists, canal boaters, and working-from-homers for the wi-fi.
Our USP is our top-notch coffee and that we cook pretty much
Business Peak District (BPD) is a membership organisation for businesses in the area covered by the Peak District National Park, High Peak, Staffordshire Moorlands and Derbyshire Dales. Membership is free.
Its principal supporter is East Midlands Chamber, however it also works closely with relevant local authorities, the Peak District National Park Authority, Visit Peak District and Derbyshire and the University of Derby. BPD has over 700 members and it works with the aforementioned organisations to deliver its vision of a Peak District that has a distinctive, high quality, rural environment with an enterprising, growing and sustainable economy, in which businesses act with a social and environmental conscience. Here we continue our regular series featuring businesses who have benefitted from the support BPD offers.
everything from scratch or get it supplied by local, independent businesses. We also try to grow and forage wherever possible and are setting up a little herb garden in the spring as we absolutely fly through fresh herbs.
Since relocating to the Peak District, the sense of community has enveloped the bus and we now have an incredible customer base
during the week, which we struggled with before.
As the word spreads about our reopening, we now get at least one group of walkers or cyclists visiting per day and this community continues to grow daily.
The support from the local community has been immeasurable. There are so many incredible events to get involved
with and we have recently started the Bohemian Book Club which will be on the last Wednesday of every month. We plan on organising some cycling and rambling events in the springtime.
The biggest challenge we’ve faced recently is the weather, especially in the run up to Christmas when there was a new storm every week. It’s chilled out a bit now, thankfully, but we are so very grateful for those who aren’t put off by a little 80mph gust. After a very difficult 18 months in hospitality, the saying “location, location, location” couldn’t be more apt.
Despite being an entrepreneur for all of my adult life, I tend to focus on the creative and practical parts of the business and often neglect the organisation and planning side.
It has been incredibly helpful listening to other peoples’ projects and operational styles, as well as local business coaches who are incredibly kind and helpful with their time and in offering advice.
It feels as though Business Peak District (BDP) and everyone involved is genuinely considerate and supportive of local businesses and it feels lovely to be involved in that.
After a stressful few months relocating the business and transforming it from an evening restaurant into a café, I am now focussed on developing the business and stabilising it with the hope of taking a step back. I am also exploring channels of marketing to ensure we continue to generate business in the quieter months.
BPD has already offered advice about the most effective methods and has already saved me from a potentially very expensive mistake.
This professional support and guidance have been invaluable and just the opportunity to be a part of this network feels wonderfully reassuring.”
In the dynamic world of business, staying ahead means not just keeping pace with technological advancements but leveraging them to your advantage. That’s where Neuways steps in, offering a comprehensive solution with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP that's tailored for SMBs and larger organisations alike. Our blend of professional expertise, friendly service, and dedicated support ensures that your journey towards digital transformation is seamless, efficient, and, most importantly, successful.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP is a cutting-edge solution designed to unify your business processes. From finance to operations, from sales to customer service, Business Central streamlines your workflows, enhances decisionmaking, and boosts efficiency. However, the true power of this ERP system is unlocked when implemented with the right expertise and understanding of your unique business needs.
At Neuways, we pride ourselves on our comprehensive skill set and in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. We’re not just implementers; we’re your strategic
1. Financial management:
Gain complete control over your financials with features like general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and budgeting. Monitor your cash flow, track expenses, and make informed financial decisions with ease.
2. Sales and customer service:
Elevate your customer relationships with advanced sales and service management tools. Manage leads, opportunities, and customer interactions more efficiently to improve satisfaction and drive sales growth.
3. Inventory and supply chain management:
Stay ahead of the competition by optimising your inventory and supply chain processes. Business Central helps you streamline procurement, production, and order fulfilment, reducing costs and ensuring on-time deliveries.
partner, committed to understanding your business inside and out. Our team of experts are with you every step of the way, from initial consultation to post-implementation support, ensuring that your ERP solution is perfectly aligned with your business objectives.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the comprehensive, cloud-based business solution you've been waiting for. With a wide range of powerful features designed to streamline operations, boost productivity, and enhance customer relationships, Business Central is the ultimate tool for businesses of all sizes, along with full support from Neuways.
Neuways deploy their consultants with first-hand success in businesses like yours every day, applying their deep knowledge to collaborate with your team. This ensures you fully leverage Business Central, tailored to your unique business needs. Their mix of seasoned pragmatism and ERP expertise not only focuses on what drives success but also guarantees to elevate your enterprise with a seamless Business Central implementation, taking your business to the next level.
4. Project management:
Manage projects effectively from planning to execution. Track progress, allocate resources, and monitor project budgets to ensure your projects are completed on time and within budget.
5. Business intelligence and reporting: Make data-driven decisions with powerful analytics and reporting capabilities. Gain insights into your business performance, identify trends, and drive growth through informed decisions.
6. Integration and customisation:
Seamlessly integrate Business Central with other Microsoft solutions like Office 365, Power BI, and Azure, as well as third-party apps. Customise the system to match your unique business needs without the need for extensive coding.
1. Increased efficiency: Streamline your business operations with centralised data, automation, and workflow management. Eliminate manual processes, reduce errors, and save time for more strategic tasks.
2. Improved customer relationships: Deliver exceptional customer experiences with a 360-degree view of your customers’ interactions and preferences. Respond to inquiries faster, personalise interactions, and build lasting customer relationships.
3. Enhanced financial control:
Gain real-time visibility into your finances, enabling you to make informed decisions and adapt to changing market conditions. Ensure compliance and reduce financial risks.
4. Scalability: Whether you’re a small business or an enterprise, Business Central scales with you. Grow your business without the need for extensive IT investments.
5. Data security: Microsoft invests heavily in data security and compliance. Business Central ensures your data is protected and compliant with industry regulations, giving you peace of mind.
6. Mobile Accessibility: Access your business data and insights from anywhere, on any device, with the power of the cloud. Stay connected and make decisions on the go.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to revolutionise your business. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central empowers you to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Take the next step towards success – schedule your personalised demo with Neuways today and transform your business!
Contact us hello@neuways.com
One of the region’s most celebrated business leaders has called for greater collaboration between businesses, public sector organisations and education providers across the Midlands to unlock productivity, innovation and economic growth.
Sir John Peace, chair of the Midlands Engine, was speaking at this year’s Love Business Expo, during a special seminar about raising the ambition of businesses in our region. The session, hosted by KuKu Connect co-founders Stephen Goddard and Philip Brooks-Stephenson, saw Sir John address a range of topics about harnessing the potential of businesses in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire on the global stage.
‘The Treasury is very interested in some of the things the Midlands Engine is doing’
He told the audience of local business leaders: “Collaboration is essential if we’re to achieve economic growth and drive the economy with the potential the Midlands Engine has.
“In terms of productivity, the Midlands is below the national average. If we could simply bring the Midlands up to the national average, we would add £90bn of GVA, not just to the Midlands economy, but to the UK economy. Therefore, the prize here is huge. That’s why the treasury is very interested in some of the things the
Midlands Engine is doing.
“In terms of the opportunities on offer, needless to say, for the home of innovation and the industrial revolution, there are a number of very important clusters in our region, which have huge potential for growth, not just nationally, but internationally. To unlock that, and to fully realise that opportunity, collaboration is the only way to do it.”
Sir John, who also chairs Midlands Connect and is the LordLieutenant of Nottinghamshire, has had a long and distinguished business career at the highest levels, covering the technology, financial services and retail sectors.
He is a founder, former chairman and chief executive of Experian plc, former chief executive of GUS Plc, former chairman of Standard Chartered plc and, until July 2018, was chairman of Burberry plc. He was knighted in 2011 for services to business and the voluntary sector.
During the seminar, Sir John also commented on the vital role that SMEs play in the local economy: “Ambition varies in different sectors of our economy. Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are ambitious.
The reason so many of our SMEs are in existence is because of that entrepreneurial spirit.
“Some 60% of all jobs across the UK are in SMEs, so we must not forget the importance of this sector.”
This year’s Love Business Expo took place at the Holywell Park Conference Centre, in Loughborough. The Chamber, a long-time supporter of Love Business, was once again its headline sponsor.
The event’s theme was ‘Blast to the Future’, and it took a closer look at what’s on the horizon for businesses. It explored the technology landscape in detail, looking at how AI and digital tools will drive business growth, and how best to introduce the next generation of talent into the workforce.
An ‘AI village’ showcased some of the latest tech and innovations from our universities and cutting-
edge companies, while local experts shared their views on how businesses can harness these innovations to support their growth and success.
Elsewhere at the event, the Chamber, in partnership with the SMB College Group, held a panel discussion about strategic thinking for business growth, which covered topics as broad as skills, devolution, the journey to net zero and the growth of AI.
The British Chambers of Commerce is calling for the Chancellor to use the March Budget to work in partnership with business to develop a sustainable growth plan.
Among the recommendations in the BCC’s Budget submission are:
• Government to match industryled funding of £3m for planning qualifications to help plug the lack of local resource.
• Ministers should commit to fund business led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) beyond the current 2025 cut off point to at least 2028.
• The VAT registration review should be restarted with a view to removing the existing cliff edge.
• Government should reform business rates to make it a tax that incentives growth.
• The Chancellor should introduce a new internationally competitive tax-free shopping scheme.
Findings from the BCC Insights Unit’s first major business survey of 2024 highlight the urgency for action at the Budget.
Some 43% of responding firms with a turnover of less than £85,000 say they are concerned about growing revenue beyond this
specifically because of the requirement to pay VAT.
Meanwhile, over a quarter of companies (26%) say they have changed plans to upgrade or open premises as a direct result of business rates.
Almost 40% of responding businesses say they are now paying more following the 2023 rates revaluation. Current business conditions are among the hardest seen in generations as multiple economic crises converge.
The BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 2023 showed that while business confidence has improved slightly, most firms continue to report no improvement to sales, cash flow or investment.
Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “As businesses
Shevaun Haviland
‘The Budget is an opportunity to build on that good work and further accelerate help for business’
choppy economic waters, they want to work in partnership with Government to get the UK economy growing again.
“The Chancellor has shown he is in listening mode. At the Autumn Statement we were pleased to see full expensing made permanent and business rate relief.
“The budget is an opportunity to build on that good work and further accelerate help for business.
“Our recommendations are solution focused. We’re actively working with industry to develop a UK-wide, private sector funded programme to train more planners to work in local planning authorities, to boost their planning skills and capacity.
“Alongside our fund, we’re
more funding to LPA’s in greatest need of skills. That will support the authorities, to employ the additional graduates and upskilled professionals we are training.
Unlocking our planning system is crucial to economic growth.
“Our latest research shows that many SMEs are struggling because of business rates, and are limiting their expansion plans because of the VAT threshold.
“The Chancellor should use his statement next month to announce plans to make rates fairer and restart the VAT registration review.
“Attracting, retaining and developing people with the right skills is crucial for business. But far too many employers are struggling to do that.”
The East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women group is celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 with its annual conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel at East Midlands Airport, on Friday 8 March.
Enterprising Women co-chairs Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain will host an inspiring agenda, bringing together leading women in business from across the Chamber’s membership.
The event will hear from motivational speakers, who will share their knowledge, personal journeys and achievements.
Complimenting that will be an interactive workshop session led by expert facilitator and creator of the
Power of Love Leadership model, Sarah Higgins.
A panel discussion will follow in the afternoon, where the co-chairs will lead a thought-provoking conversation around creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments for us to live and work in.
The day will also include ample opportunity for networking, and attendees will be the first to hear details about the launch of the Enterprising Women Awards 2024.
The conference runs from 10am to 3pm and costs £65 for Chamber members and £80 for nonmembers.
Book tickets at emc-dnl.co.uk
Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain
East Midlands Chamber has joined a delegation urging the Government to fix the chronic under-investment in the region’s transport systems in light of the cancellation of the eastern part of HS2.
The Westminster event, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the East Midlands, saw leaders from the Chamber, local councils and transport bodies raise concerns that a lack of investment in the region’s transport infrastructure was preventing its businesses and communities from achieving their growth potential.
It came as the Government announced more details of how it
plans to redistribute £4.7bn of HS2 funding into transport projects in the north and the Midlands through its Local Transport Fund.
That could include £2.2bn for the Midlands over seven years from April 2025 targetting smaller cities, towns and rural areas – apparently more than nine times more than local councils currently receive through the local integrated transport block.
It could go to things such as new roads, better public transport, fixing potholes and improving street lights as well as more electric car charging points. Under the plans Leicester would get more than £159.6m over the seven years while Leicestershire would get £238m.
The Transport for the East Midlands Westminster event included discussion of a new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the East Midlands calling for five key recommendations:
1. Support investors by giving them long-term certainty about the delivery of infrastructure.
2. Help inform investment decisions by adopting a common method for describing the benefits.
3. Ensure the region’s economic resilience through a better balance between building new infrastructure and investing in what we’ve got.
4 Encourage greater collaboration between the public and private sector so the full benefits of infrastructure investment can be achieved.
5. Establish a credible pipeline of regional infrastructure which supports regional priorities and ensures skilled, trained workers are available to deliver projects.
The new East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire would get a separate allocation of cash which has not yet been set.
However, there are concerns that the Government is replacing a strategic, long-term transport plan in the form of HS2 with a piecemeal approach.
At the same time, council and business leaders are still waiting for the electrification of the final stretch of the Midland Mainline into the East Midlands, which would allow rolling stock to be modernised and dirty diesel engines to be consigned to the scrapheap.
Previous plans for full electrification of the Midlands Mainline were paused by the Tories in 2015, then cancelled in 2017.
The Government’s 2021 Integrated Rail Plan put full electrification of the line to Nottingham and Sheffield back on the table.
Chris Hobson, director of policy and insight at the Chamber, said:
“The East Midlands consistently comes bottom of the table with regards to public infrastructure investment – if we received the national average alone this would be an additional £1.26bn a year coming into the region, that’s the scale of the annual gap we’re facing.
“Nice words and promises only go so far.
“We need long-term commitments, consistency and a recognition that you get more bang for our buck when investing in infrastructure here.
“For our part, we’re working across the public and private sector to ensure we have a list of evidenced priorities and are having the right conversations to maximise opportunities to leverage in additional private sector funding when investment comes.
“One thing that is clear is that we shouldn’t accept the status quo when it comes to infrastructure investment.
“It does a disservice to the businesses and communities that call the East Midlands home.”
of East Midlands Chamber and
of law firm Geldards, is set to join the shadow board of the new East Midlands Combined Authority as interim business representative.
The new authority covering Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has gained Government approval and will see its first mayor elected on 2 May.
It will have annual funding of £38m over the next 30 years as well as £16.8m for new homes on brownfield land.
It will also take control of budgets covering things such as education and have powers to tackle some local issues and provide support to industry.
David said: “It’s tremendously exciting to be right at the coal face of devolution and the benefits it will bring to our region in so many areas like transport, housing and investment in skills.
“The East Midlands has been my home for over 30 years now and working at the heart of business has given me first hand understanding of what the region
needs to thrive. Working alongside political leaders I’m really looking forward to playing a key part in ensuring people and businesses get the very best.
“Bringing decision-making into the region itself, where it’s going to have actual impact brings a great opportunity for economic growth.”
In addition to his roles at East Midlands Chamber and Geldards, David is Deputy Lieutenant for Derbyshire and sits on the board of Nottingham Trent University.
He is also deputy chair of the D2N2 LEP.
The sixth annual Leicestershire Innovation Festival got underway with an event featuring keynote speakers and a panel discussion looking at themes such as barriers to innovation for SMEs, the kind of support on offer, better networking and improving communication.
Speakers included Martin McTague OBE, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, who said the city and county were “leading the way” in promoting regional business innovation – with the festival proof that it was being taken seriously in the region.
He spoke at the launch event at Space Park Leicester – the £100m University of Leicester-led science and research hub which is now part of the East Midlands Freeport.
The morning session kicked off a calendar of events over the fortnight.
Guests at the launch were welcomed by professor Phil Baker, pro vice-chancellor, research and innovation, University of Leicester, and the chair of Midlands Innovation, as well as a message from Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, the chair of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) Innovation Board.
It was hosted by Julian Bowrey, regional manager for Innovate UK, and Rachel Tidmarsh, MD of Ashby-based aerial survey specialist Bluesky International, who is also a LLEP Innovation Board member.
Martin McTague’s speech addressed barriers to small business innovation and offered potential solutions, while praising the efforts of those who are encouraging change that enables business growth.
FSB senior policy manager for Innovation Chris Russell discussed the findings from the FSB’s recent Tech Tonic report, looking into small business innovation in the UK.
Mr Russell also led a Q&A panel discussion featuring Ashraf Attia, CEO of Leicester-based fintech company Predictiva; Chloe Sproston, creative director of Ashby office design specialist Blueprint Interiors; Byron Dixon OBE, CEO of Leicester biotechnology company Micro-Fresh and Sachin Vasani, director of Leicester marketing company Vencha Apps.
The festival is led by the LLEP Business Gateway Growth Hub.
LLEP board member and chief executive of the nearby National Space Centre Chas Bishop said: “The Leicestershire Innovation Festival is always a really exciting time.
“The launch was a great event with great speakers and was great at showing what Leicester and Leicestershire is best at –innovative businesses thinking creatively.”
1. Business leader and Government advisor Martin Traynor
2. Martin McTague OBE, national chair of the Federation of Small Businesses
3. Guests at the launch of the 2024 Leicestershire Innovation Festival at Space Park, Leicester
4. Julian Bowrey, regional manager, South East and East Midlands at Innovate UK opens the event
5. Micro-Fresh founder Byron Dixon on the innovation festival panel
6. National Space Centre CEO Chas Bishop (centre)
7. Bobby Chotai, business development manager at De Montfort University
8. Attendees at the launch of the 2024 Leicestershire Innovation Festival at Space Park, Leicester
9. Guests at the launch of the Innovation Festival
Nottingham lace knitwear manufacturer G.H.Hurt & Son, which celebrates its 112th anniversary this year, has been honoured with a visit from HRH The Princess Royal. Princess Anne visited the business in her capacity as president of the U.K. Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) – G.H.Hurt & Son is a long-standing member of the trade association.
The business, which employs 12 people, continues a local Nottingham tradition, designing and making knitted lace pieces for both babies and adults. Items it designs and manufactures include premium ladies’ shawls and stoles, scarves, baby shawls, christening shawls and knitted layette sets.
In recent years it has expanded its international sales, now exporting around two thirds of everything it makes at its Nottinghambased shawl factory, in Chilwell.
‘We were delighted and honoured to receive The Princess Royal here at our Shawl Factory’
On her tour of the factory The Princess Royal was shown how it takes at least eight pairs of skilled hands and up to two days to make a single lace knitted shawl, prior to their sale to wholesalers and retailers and online at the ghhurt.com website.
She also saw the firm’s unique collection of historic handframes – including two working examples which were demonstrated by staff and a volunteer from the Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum. Towards the end of the tour, The Princess Royal unveiled a commemorative plague to mark the visit before being invited to present a long service award to head mechanic Reg Robbins, for 53 years continual service with G.H.Hurt & Son. Company director Gillian Taylor – the great grand -daughter of the founder – said: “We were delighted and honoured to receive The Princess Royal here at our shawl factory. It is also a brilliant reward for the staff, as our beautiful lace
knitwear depends on their unique skills and hard work. We have always been a creative and innovative business. Our main aim in more recent years has been to continue to innovate and develop international markets.
“Our current business focus is to innovate and continue to develop our knitwear collectionskeeping our customers engaged and interested in what we do, and also, to pursue a simple strategy of developing a number of key international markets.
“The UKFT has been very active, working with us and supporting our international development. We have just returned from the prestigious Pitti Bimbo childrenswear trade show in Italy, which is visited by trade buyers from all around the world.
“As a business, we make an effort to focus and do a small number of things well. I think that’s probably part of our success too. It goes without saying, we are so proud to be a part of Nottingham. We are passionate to continue the local artisan skills of handframe knitting and knitted lace. It was such a pleasure to share all these things with The Princess Royal.”
Work is set to start on a £4m rail innovation and training centre in north Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe) will be built next to the historic Barrow Hill Roundhouse Museum – the last surviving railway roundhouse in the United Kingdom with an operational turntable.
The training centre has just gained planning approval from Chesterfield Borough Council.
It will provide workshop and classroom space for specialist rail industry training, alongside R&D facilities and commercial space for rail businesses – bolstering Chesterfield’s ambitions to be a leading destination for the rail sector.
Funding is coming from the Staveley Town Deal and the scheme is a partnership between Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, Chesterfield Borough Council and New Rail, which is part of Newcastle University.
Mervyn Allcock, general manager at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, said: “Getting approval for these plans has been a long journey but will help establish Barrow Hill as the home of the rail industry and ensure we can continue to preserve our local rail heritage. I look forward to finalising the plans and making a start on site.”
The centre will support a network of training providers – offering rail-related education from
level two through to postgraduate training and research. It will also be a base for companies involved in the rail supply chain, giving them access to the latest research and innovation.
DRIIVe will create around 20 full time jobs and within five years hopes to support around 270 trainees.
‘The centre offers the opportunity to drive growth in the rail sector and help our residents access high-quality jobs’
Mark Robinson, a professor of rail systems engineering and a director of New Rail, said: “Newcastle University and Barrow Hill realised that there was a current and growing need for a railway research and innovation centre that specialised in rail freight.
“DRIIVe is the ideal one-stop solution providing purpose-built spaces for rail research and development activities and a broad base of rail related training.
“Ideally placed within the rail industry, DRIIVe will be a focus for rail freight innovation providing test equipment and facilities for engineers, the supply industry and associated
commercial space for rail related businesses.”
Councillor Tricia Gilby is the leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and vice chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board.
She said: “It’s fantastic that our plans for DRIIVe have now been approved – the centre offers the opportunity to drive growth in the rail sector and help our residents access high-quality jobs. The development of DRIIVe is part of our Skills Action Plan that aims to help everyone benefit from economic growth but it also contributes of the ambitions of the Staveley Town Deal in ensuring that the town is a place where people can ‘Start, Stay and Grow’.”
Staveley, which is north east of Chesterfield, was one of 101 towns across England invited to make a bid to the Government’s Towns Fund and received £25.2m.
Students and management at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) have joined senior figures at some of the businesses they work with to sing the praises of their apprenticeship schemes.
The university – which is a Chamber patron –supports more than 2,000 apprentices at more than 500 employers across the UK.
It has been voted Number 1 Higher Education provider of degree apprenticeships in the Midlands for the second year running, and offers courses in sectors including business, leadership and marketing, construction and engineering, food and drink, health and science, law, and social care
Apprentices and some of the employers offering apprenticeships through the university have shared their experiences to encourage others to consider hiring or becoming an apprentice:
James Butler, director at project managers and building surveyors EDGE, said: “We’re always looking to attract the best people into the business and looking for local, younger people to come through into the construction industry, and to put them into an apprenticeship program when they can learn on the job was perfect for us. We chose NTU as our provider to be able to put our local apprentices through a local university that is highly regarded and RICS accredited to provide them a high level of learning.”
Elliot Holloway works at EDGE as part of the Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship and was last year’s winner of the NTU Outstanding Apprentice of the Year (Construction and Engineering) Award.
He said: “To anyone considering a degree apprenticeship, I would encourage them to go down that route. From the on-the-job experience, alongside the background knowledge from university, I have seen a big improvement in the work I have produced.”
Nicola Lamplough, head of early careers at data analytics and consumer credit reporting company Experian, said: “We chose to
implement apprenticeships as they are a fantastic way to develop a pipeline of diverse young people to key roles in our organisation.
“I would definitely recommend taking on apprentices to other businesses, as it’s a great way to grow early talent in your business and attract a diverse range of individuals from a variety of backgrounds.”
Claire, who works at Experian as part of NTU’s Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship, said: “I think this apprenticeship has given me the technical data science and programming skills I was hoping to gain, but also a lot of soft skills.
“In addition it enabled me to study while also working and not having to worry about student loans.
“Overall I think it’s a great opportunity to get on-the-job work experience and a qualification at the same time.”
Michelle Place, apprenticeships and widening participation lead at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Apprenticeships are a route into employment, which is tried and tested. We find our colleagues who come in via the apprenticeship route feel they have been invested in by us, and show incredible loyalty. We know our retention in our apprentices is good. Apprenticeships allow us to recruit, and train, in particular roles that may be hard to recruit fully trained/experienced staff for.”
www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability
Energy costs at Nottinghamshire-based manufacturer Rapala VMC have dropped by more than £50,000 a year after investment in a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system.
The new set-up means around 25% of its energy now comes from the sun with the remainder coming from renewable sources.
Design and installation of the new energy system, which includes 356 solar panels on the factory and office roofs, was completed by renewable energy experts Geo Green Power, which is also headquartered in Notts.
The Geo Green team spent two weeks installing the solar PV system while Rapala’s Cotgrave-based site – the company is one of Europe’s biggest manufacturers and distributors of fishing bait – remained fully operational.
With 50-100% of its total energy generated entirely emissions-free during the summer months, Rapala expects to see a full return on its investment within four years.
Operations manager and sustainability
ambassador Dave Spence said: “The installation of Geo Green’s solar PV system has given us more independence and control over our energy bills and is another important milestone as we continue to reduce our climate impact.
“The team here are very supportive and customers like it too – in our reception we broadcast ‘live’ visuals showing how much energy we’re producing from solar and I know some have taken that back to their own workplace.
‘We have a system designed specifically to optimise energy production at our site’
“We wanted a local, independent supplier to do the work, not least because that helped reduce the environmental impact.
“We have a system designed specifically to optimise energy production at our site and the Geo Green team did a great job – they were
highly professional and completed their work on time and on budget.”
Results from its first full year of operation show that the solar PV system has reduced Rapala’s carbon emissions by more than 225 tonnes – the equivalent of taking 49 cars off the road.
The installation of solar PV is one of a number of sustainability initiatives at Rapala as it aims to become carbon neutral. The company has converted its manufacturing facility and offices to the most efficient LED lighting, timers and sensors; uses recyclable sustainable packaging; uses 100% biodiesel on site; recycles all its on-site waste, sending none to landfill; organic waste goes to an anaerobic digester to produce electricity; an increasingly high percentage of its ingredients are sustainably sourced; and it has plans to switch its company cars to hybrid vehicles.
Geo Green Power managing director James Cunningham said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to work with companies like Rapala who are so proactive on environmental issues.”
Fresh measures to encourage more drivers to invest in clean, green electric vehicles have been unveiled in Nottinghamshire.
The package of measures includes a grant for schools providing up to 75% of the cost of buying and installing chargepoints worth up to £2,500 per socket – up from the previous £350.
They were unveiled by Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Anthony Browne and also include cash for councils and new proposals to increase chargepoint numbers.
The school grants, paid for by the Department for Transport, come under the Workplace Charging Scheme and are available for state-funded schools, colleges, nurseries and academies.
Though the facilities are aimed at staff and visitors they could also help schools generate revenue by making them available to the public. The government says it is delivering a £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund for councils, with the
first capital payments for charging projects already approved in areas including East Sussex and North Yorkshire, and two London boroughs.
The funding will support the installation of thousands of new chargers and comes despite the Government recently watering down its green agenda.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Through initiatives like the Electric Vehicle Cable Channel Pilot Programme and improving local electric vehicle infrastructure, we’re working hard to help residents without off-street parking, along with road users in Nottinghamshire, to charge their electric vehicles.
“We are continuing with our ambition to make Nottinghamshire healthier, more prosperous, and greener. Initiatives like this are a step closer to achieving these ambitions.”
The NHS is extending its requirement for suppliers to prepare Carbon Reduction Plans (CRPs) for all new procurements from April 2024, as part of its aim to be net zero by 2045.
Here, Ben Roberts, sustainability lead at life sciences industry association Medilink Midlands, outlines the changes and sets out why healthcare businesses should view carbon reduction planning as an opportunity.
While we often think of factories and cars when it comes to carbon emissions, the healthcare industry makes a surprisingly significant contribution.
In the UK, the NHS alone contributes an estimated 4-5% of the nation's total carbon footprint – equivalent to the emissions of around five million cars on the road.
To tackle this issue, the NHS has developed a Supplier Roadmap to help it achieve net zero by 2045.
Last April, the NHS introduced a requirement for suppliers to prepare carbon reduction plans in every procurement for a contract with a value above £5m per year.
In April 2024, it will adopt a two-tiered approach that aims to proportionately extend the requirement for suppliers to prepare carbon reduction plans to all procurements, not just those for contracts with a value above £5m.
Carbon reduction plans help suppliers and customers understand the impact the contract and therefore their wider operations have on the environment.
‘By taking the lead in net zero healthcare, the UK and the companies working here can attract investment and talent in the rapidly growing healthcare sector’
They detail the organisation's emissions across a single year against a range of emissions sources and greenhouse gasses.
To support businesses with completing carbon reduction plans, the UK Cabinet Office has issued a technical standards document which is available online.
The NHS has become the world's first national healthcare system to commit to net zero emissions. This bold pledge recognises the crucial role healthcare must play in tackling climate change, while ensuring quality care for future generations.
By taking the lead in net zero healthcare, the UK and the companies working here can attract investment and talent in the rapidly growing healthcare sector, develop and export green healthcare technologies, create new jobs and economic opportunities, and strengthen the
UK’s reputation as a global leader in healthcare innovation.
Medilink Midlands has supported many companies on their journey to developing greener healthcare.
Through opportunities, grants, and networking, we can advise and signpost your company to ensure your products and services meet new sustainability standards and help position you as a preferred NHS supplier.
While carbon reduction planning is an investment, it can also create efficiencies and cost savings, as well as bring other benefits to businesses, as Bev Fawdington (pictured) of Uvamed Ltd – a healthcare R&D company and Leicestershire-based Medilink Midlands member – explains.
“Carbon accounting is the foundation of subsequent climate action.
“Just like financial accounting, carbon footprinting will provide the basis for business investment, growth, and sustainable development.
“It benchmarks your emissions against market norms, industry competition, and global climate goals, and adds brand value, as buyers increasingly seek to engage with businesses that have strong environmental credentials.”
Chamber member Barclays has published a revised Climate Change Statement to push forward its climate strategy – and said it will continue its focus on clients actively engaged in the energy transition.
Following the bank’s commitment to finance $1tn (£800bn) of sustainable and transition finance by 2030, Barclays is also putting out a transition finance framework to help meet that target and facilitate the transition finance needed to decarbonise high-emitting sectors.
The updated Climate Change Statement outlines:
•No project finance, or other direct finance to energy clients, for upstream oil and gas expansion projects or related infrastructure.
•Restrictions for new energy clients engaged in expansion.
•Restrictions on non-diversified energy clients engaged in long lead expansion.
•Additional restrictions on unconventional oil and gas, including Amazon and extra heavy oil.
• Requirements for energy clients to have 2030 methane reduction targets, a commitment to end all routine/non-essential venting and flaring by 2030 and near-term net zero aligned Scope 1 and 2 targets by January 2026.
•Expectation for energy clients to produce transition plans or decarbonisation strategies by January 2025.
A spokesman said capital was critical to delivering the energy transition with at least $4.3trillion of climate finance needed annually by 2030. He said: “Barclays will continue to support an energy sector in transition, focusing on the diversified energy companies investing in low carbon and with greater scrutiny on those engaged in developing new oil and gas projects.
“The scale of our business gives us the opportunity to help finance the energy transition; to use our global reach, products, expertise and position in the global economy to work with our clients, including those in the energy sector, as they transition to a low-carbon business model.
Laura Barlow, group head of sustainability, added: “Addressing climate change is a critical and complex challenge. We continue to work with our energy clients as they decarbonise and support their efforts to transition in a manner that is just, orderly and addresses energy security.
“We strengthen our commitment to the energy transition, with policies that will focus our capital and resources to the energy companies that play a key role in the transition.”
UK Export Finance is a government department which can support businesses looking to export. Where the private sector might not be willing or able, it can help to provide businesses with finance and insurance. This can help them to overcome challenges such as insufficient working capital or high non-payment risk.
It has a manager dedicated to supporting East Midlands businesses –Paul Tandy. Paul is a corporate and institutional banker with extensive experience of credit structuring and frontline relationship management.
Prior to joining UK Export Finance, he spent 32 years with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, working directly with businesses across multiple sectors and jurisdictions.
He has led relationship teams focused on providing credit solutions, resolving service issues and adding relationship value through the introduction of ancillary products and services.
Paul is currently the UKEF Export finance manager based in the East Midlands, responsible for working with key stakeholders to help UK exporters to win contracts, fulfil orders and get paid.
Here
Whether you’re a seasoned exporter or someone making your first foray into overseas markets, international trade can bring you unique rewards. However, it also comes with its challenges – finding enough working capital, issuing bonds, securing guarantees.
If you want to go global and need to secure the right financial support, UK Export Finance (UKEF) can help. We are a government department which provides support for loans and guarantees, along with insurance to help exporters win, deliver and get paid for overseas contracts. We work closely with our larger and better-known cousin the Department for Business and Trade.
Whatever your niche in the East Midlands business ecosystem, we can help you to access the finance and insurance which will allow you to export.
A couple of months ago, I was delighted to see UKEF announce its increased support for Nottinghamshire business DEA Aviation. This was a great illustration of how our financial backing can help businesses to expand further into overseas markets.
Based at Retford Gamston Airport, DEA is a provider of technology-led aerial data
acquisition services to sectors including intelligence, surveillance, aerial mapping, and search and rescue.
It employs over 200 people worldwide –mostly highly-skilled engineers, pilots, sensor operators, systems architects and software developers operating from Nottinghamshire.
Santander had previously helped them with suitable financing. As DEA continued to expand, the bank turned to UKEF to increase the size of its lending facility for the business.
‘If your business has a viable export, we are here to make sure that it does not fail just because there isn’t the right kind of financing’
We put a UKEF ‘Export Development Guarantee’ in place. This treasury-backed guarantee meant that the business could now access up to £16.5 million in Santander financing, helping them to expand their presence in Europe and beyond.
This is what Joanna Allen, CFO of DEA, had to say: “The funding support from Santander UK and UKEF has made a significant impact on our business. We have ambitious growth plans, and our strengthened financial security is enabling us to make strong steps towards this.
“We have begun investing in our in-house technology capabilities in Nottinghamshire,
developing our systems and recruiting new talent in high-skilled roles such as system architects and software developers.
“Additionally, as we continue progressing our next phase of growth, we are further expanding our flight teams to lead on operations internationally and meet the growing demand from customers.
“Securing the Export Development Guarantee with the help of UKEF has also enabled us to approach new tenders with full confidence, qualifying us for financial standing terms and accelerating our growth opportunities.
“Since securing our funding we have won a contract for a European Union led operation in which our technology driven capabilities will be utilised internationally.”
This is the kind of export success story which we have helped businesses to achieve again and again.
For context, we helped UK firms access around £6.5bn in financing last year.
So, if your business has a viable export, we are here to make sure that it does not fail just because there isn’t the right kind of financing.
As one of UKEF’s regional representatives, I can help you understand your options for export financing.
Finance and insurance don’t need to be the barrier to your exporting ambitions.
You can contact Paul Tandy at paul.tandy@ukexportfinance.gov.uk or on 07500 047523 to set up a free, impartial and confidential discussion.
The European Commissioner for Research and Innovation Illiana Ivanova, and the UK Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have made a united call for UK innovators and researchers to seize the opportunity of Horizon Europe funding – as well as the avenues it opens for collaboration with some of the brightest minds from across Europe and beyond.
Horizon Europe is the world’s biggest programme of research collaboration.
Secretary of State Donelan and Commissioner Ivanova said both the UK and EU were determined to make a success of the UK’s Horizon Europe association – particularly among groups that have not previously heavily engaged in Horizon, such as SMEs.
UK firms already benefitting from Horizon funding include Nova Innovation, whose consortium won more than £17m to develop tidal energy in Orkney, and South Yorkshire tech firm
The UK has signed a partnership with Nigeria to try and help support trade and investment and unlock new opportunities between businesses in the two countries.
The Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) is the first the UK has signed with an African country and is designed to grow the UK and Nigeria’s trading relationship, which totalled £7bn in the year to September 2023.
The government said: “It will see the UK and Nigeria’s shared aspiration to facilitate each other’s lawyers practising foreign and international law in each other’s jurisdictions – a step which could significantly enhance legal services collaboration and exports.
“It will also pave the way for further collaboration in the film and media industry and encourage world-leading UK education providers to offer high quality education in Nigeria.”
Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and one of the world’s fastest growing economies –predicted to be in the top 20 by GDP by 2035.
It is also predicted by the UN to nearly double its population to over 370 million people by 2050.
The Floow who are part of a project awarded just under £3m, looking into road safety.
Horizon Europe is worth around £80bn in total, and with the average Horizon grant worth £450,000 to a UK business or researcher, it offers an enormous opportunity for anyone doing R&D to secure backing.
‘We are determined to do all we can together with our European colleagues to seize this moment’
Michelle Donelan said: “The UK’s bespoke deal on Horizon has opened up a whole world of opportunity for our researchers, from the £80bn funding that’s available, to the vast benefits that come from working hand-in-hand with colleagues from Europe to Canada to New Zealand.
“From grants to support UK applicants to our Horizon comms blitz, we are determined to do all we can together with our European colleagues to seize this moment, and all it could do to help our brightest minds deliver jobs, growth, and breakthroughs that will make life better for us all.”
Iliana Ivanova said: “My message to British researchers and innovative businesses is simple and clear – Apply!
“Thousands have succeeded before, joining forces with European partners, advancing science, boosting academic careers and business growth. I look forward to seeing many more UK beneficiaries in the Horizon Europe programme in the years to come.”
Further information, including practical support on how to apply, is available on the Innovate UK website.
An international trade forum which the Chamber is delivering in conjunction with UK Export Finance and the Department for Business and Trade.
The forum, which is aimed at successful growing businesses, will focus on growth strategies for international trade with a wide range of speakers. It is being held from 9am to 11.30am on Tuesday 19 March at the central location of Radison Blu, near East Midlands Airport. Attendance is free.
Further details and the booking link: shorturl.at/DLWY9
Two industry partners have been picked to ensure the billions of pounds of regeneration work currently underway in Derby doesn’t lose its momentum.
The city council has signed deals with VINCI Developments UK and ION Developments to work on a masterplan for the cultural heart of the city. The plans include a revitalised cultural quarter with leisure, commercial and community facilities, connected to a new business and residential district, incorporating the Bold Lane area and Northern Quarter.
It includes the site of the former Assembly Rooms – empty for more than a decade – with space for meeting, working and creative work above restaurant and commercial space.
‘We’re on a journey to transform Derby into a vibrant city centre with culture at its heart’
The plans also include a redesigned and enhanced Market Place, which will become a focal point for the city with new green spaces.
There will also be “green and blue” corridors to link open spaces, such as Cathedral Green and the River Derwent, and encourage people to walk and cycle more. Recent and ongoing regeneration schemes in the city centre include the Becketwell development, the Market Hall redevelopment, Eastern Gateway project and the Derbion masterplan.
The new partnership will work with the council, businesses and community stakeholders to develop the vision for further work over the coming months. Both firms have extensive experience in long-term regeneration, working with local councils.
Coun Nadine Peatfield, deputy leader and cabinet member for city centre, regeneration, culture and tourism, said: “Derby is a city of growth and economic significance, representing a regional economy of around £15bn, but despite all this our city centre does not reflect our status as an industry leader.
“We’re on a journey to transform Derby into a vibrant city centre with culture at its heart, creating a go-to destination which not only attracts visitors from outside of the city but also offers an affordable place for our citizens to enjoy.”
Plans to tackle Nottingham’s aboveaverage unemployment, low levels of graduate retention and lower than average educational attainment are set to be considered under proposals to boost the city economy over the coming decade.
The city council is working with partners on a new Economic Plan to support the creation of 20,000 new jobs, attract £4bn in regeneration investment, and improve road, rail and other services. Support for start-ups could also feature.
‘As a city, we need to pull together to build on what is going well and to sort out what is failing’
The plan is being overseen by the Nottingham Growth Board, a partnership of some of Nottingham’s key businesses, educational institutions, and public sector organisations –and comes amid big financial problems for the city council, which needs to shed tens of millions of pounds of spending to balance its budget.
Regeneration funding offers a major boost to Mansfield
Mansfield become the third area to get a share of a £400m regeneration programme which forms part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.
The area will get £20m to improve the Notts town centre, help people living in the most deprived areas get access to vital services and help divert young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour.
The investment is made up of:
• £7.4m to remodel the Bellamy and Oak Tree estates, with better housing and access to services
• £5m to support Mansfield Connect being created as a multi-agency hub in the former Beales building. The low carbon construction project will be used as hands-on skills training in partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College and Chamber Strategic Partner Nottingham Trent University
• £3.2m for a youth centre on the Bellamy estate to help stop young people falling into crime and anti-social behaviour.
• £2m to improve the look of for streets in the centre of Mansfield.
THE VISION WILL BE DELIVERED ACROSS FOUR THEMES:
1. PEOPLE AND SKILLS: To support 20,000 new jobs by 2030.
2. ENTERPRISE AND INVESTMENT: To generate £1bn of additional Gross Value added by 2030 in the city.
3. INFRASTRUCTURE & REGENERATION: Develop infrastructure and services to serve a city population of 345,000 and a population across Greater Nottingham of 710,000 by 2030.
4. LIVEABILITY AND EXPERIENCE: To secure the next £4bn of regenerative investment in the city.
Nick Ebbs, chair of the Nottingham Growth Board, said; “Nottingham is a great city.
“Two world-leading universities, enviable cultural assets and high growth businesses in life sciences, digital and creative industries. But there is also another story. A story of deprivation, low
productivity, economic inactivity and limited opportunity. As a city, we need to pull together to build on what is going well and to sort out what is failing.
“The city’s newly emerging Economic Plan, which is still in draft form, sets out a roadmap to a more economically successful, sustainable and inclusive future. It can’t fix everything, but it can make a significant contribution.
“It is important that the draft plan is fully informed by local knowledge and insights.”
Coun Steve Battlemuch, portfolio holder for skills, growth, economic development and property, said: “Nottingham has many success stories, including being home to many global businesses. But we know there is more we can all do to improve the prosperity of the city, raising the hope and aspirations of local people, while making Nottingham the best place to live and work.”
Millions of pounds have been invested into north Leicestershire thanks to Loughborough Town Deal – and more developments are on the way.
The Town Deal is backing 11 projects with several already completed or progressing well. It also secured £16.9m from the Government’s Towns Fund to support the projects which, in total, are worth more than £40m of investment.
Those already completed include a new Careers and Enterprise Hub in the town centre, the regeneration of the Bedford Square area, the creation of SportPark Pavilion 4 at Loughborough University and the upgrade of 1.2 miles of canal towpath through the heart of the town.
The Living Loughborough project has also expanded free wi-fi in the town centre, created an augmented reality heritage trail and helped introduce free business support for local businesses. More elements of this scheme are being developed. In total, the investment for these projects is around £14m.
Other projects also well underway include work to save the last major Bell Foundry in Britain – John Taylor & Co. The scheme, which is also being supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is due for completion later this year.
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, out-going
Loughborough Town Deal chair, said: “I am delighted to see the progress that the Town Deal projects are making on the ground – projects which began as ideas for regeneration and improvements, over four years ago.
“The total investment now being made is simply huge for Loughborough, its residents, and visitors to the town. It will help support the people of Loughborough for many years to come with new facilities, skills, jobs and an improved environment.
“I am proud of what our Town Deal has achieved so far and proud to have played a role in supporting the programme and projects through to this delivery stage. We have faced and overcome a range of challenges, including right from the very beginning when we put together our investment plan with partners and local businesses – just as the pandemic hit.
“Today, work is well advanced, collaborating with many tremendous partners who have coinvested and have led - or are leading - the delivery of these exciting projects. Without the commitment shown by our partners, the programme just wouldn’t have been possible.
“I am really pleased that some key projects have already been completed and will make a lasting difference for Loughborough.”
• £2m for improvements to help traffic run more smoothly at Sainsbury’s junction in the town centre
• £300,000 to refurbish South Mansfield Family Hubs to improve family and youth support
• £250,000 for a school readiness pilot run by Nottingham Trent University in some of Mansfield’s most deprived neighbourhoods
• £250,000 for Mansfield District Council to identity economic and cultural opportunities ahead of the East Midlands devolution deal.
Andrew Abrahams, executive mayor of Mansfield District Council, said: “Mansfield is set to receive investment that will make a huge difference to communities and help to deliver some of our place-shaping aspirations for the district.
“Through Levelling Up we are investing in people and places to make a brighter future for the residents of Mansfield.
“These projects will bring life-changing opportunities that will make a real difference in some of our most deprived areas.
“We’re pleased to be able to finally announce the full funding package for Mansfield, coupled with the Town’s Fund and Long-Term deal for Towns, the district is set to benefit from substantial amounts of much-needed funding to help build thriving communities, grow a more vibrant economy and a place where people are supported to be happy and healthy.”
Mansfield is one of 20 areas which will receive tailored support through Levelling Up Partnerships announced in the Spring Budget 2023 and focused on areas most in need of levelling up in England.
Improving the creativity of your workplace brings a wide range of benefits, but how do you do it? Business Network offers its top tips.
Increasing creativity in the workplace is a win-win scenario for both employers and staff. As well as giving you an edge over your competitors, fostering a culture of creativity can lead to increased job satisfaction, reduced absenteeism and lower staff turnover.
In some industries, however, it might be hard to see how you can incorporate creativity in the workplace. You might be forgiven for thi nking that ‘creativity’ means creating artwork, music, or stories, but it’s much more than that. Creativity is a mindset – it’s about thinking outside of the box, creating solutions to problems and putting existing resources to a different and better use.
Why is creativity important? To put it simply, creativity keeps things fresh and exciting. This will have positive impact on the business as a whole – a company that puts creativity first will always have a wealth of new ideas to tap into to help them to capture new markets and new customers – and also your employees. If your employees spend their days doing repetitive tasks, (no matter how important) they might start to feel like their work isn’t meaningful or that they lack impact.In contrast, a worker that is given opportunities to flex their creative skills will feel engaged, valued and driven to push the business to new heights.
1. Get the design right: Beige wall and cubicles aren’t inspiring. If you want to promote collaboration and idea sharing, an open plan space is much more conducive to your goals. Additionally, think about offering a relaxing break space, where staff members can go to unwind or recharge on their breaks – a boost of energy might be just what they need to get the creative juices flowing.
2. Diversify your staff: If all your staff members have similar backgrounds and life experiences, it’s likely they’ll have similar ideas too. To prevent ideas and outlooks becoming stale, make sure you’re hiring a diverse workforce. A diverse team can bring all sorts of unique
ideas and points of view to the table, as well as introducing different learning and management styles.
3. Share the knowledge: You know that your staff have the skills and qualifications they need to do their jobs, but what secret skills and talents are they hiding that you don’t know about? Encourage your team to skill share their skills with the rest of your staff – if one staff member is a whizz at Excel, ask them to teach the basics. If another staff member enjoys meditation, ask them to lead a meditation session. By encouraging your staff to share their skills and passions you can foster a culture of collaboration and open discussion – two things that are vital for creativity.
4. Don’t be afraid of failure: Not every great idea is going to work the first time, but don’t let your staff to give up at the first sign of failure. Failing is a natural part of trying something new and thinking outside of the box, but if your staff fear that they will be penalised for making a mistake, they are less likely to take creative risks in the future. When failure happens, encourage your team to go back to the drawing board. What can be done differently? What hasn’t been tried yet? This period of reflection and experimentation can help boost their critical thinking skills as well as providing further opportunities for growth and innovation.
5. Listen to good ideas: So you want your staff to suggest ideas on how they can improve your product/service or your business operations. But when they do, do you listen? Failing to act on good ideas, or give proper credit where credit is due, will only serve to demotivate your workforce. If you don’t, they will simply stop sharing their ideas and your culture of creativity will fizzle out. When acting on an idea, let the employee who came up with it know you’re acting on it – and if there’s an opportunity for them to get involved with the implementation, bring them on board. By sharing positive results, encouraging feedback and offering praise, your team will know that they are listened to and that their creative input is valued.
‘People from the same background are more likely to think and work the same, which can result in stale ideas’
Race@home is a local business focused exclusively on designing world-class motion simulators for home and professional use. We build these machines for discerning clients who appreciate that optimum physical performance need not come at the expense of aesthetic form.
As a mission statement, you would be forgiven for thinking that’s a little long winded and somewhat hubristic, but it is a philosophy which guides every aspect of our process and stands us apart from the mass production companies operating in this tiny niche marketplace. I am constantly surprised that my company seems to operate in an industry dominated by ugly, expensive and noisy machines.
Perhaps, as an accountant (FCMA) in one of my former careers I can distance my creative focus at arm’s length from the pure mechanical and electrical engineers which may dominate other companies, but the focus from the first day that Race@home pivoted from supplier to builder during the Covid lockdown has always been “make it pretty or don’t bother”.
‘A powerful lesson learned is do not accept empty promises and guarantees from suppliers’
The creative process started with a few sketches, identifying a local company to bend, cut, fold and shape metal and then months of waiting.
A powerful lesson learned (and this works both sides of the supply chain) is do not accept empty promises and guarantees from suppliers who may want your business but, have no idea what you want and no respect for your business. This is harsh but I guess a common failing of the commercial landscape.
Race@home spent almost a year in thrall to incompetent fabricators who always prioritised larger customers. Understandable as this was, it hurt when a poorly fabricated component was returned to the back of the production queue as this usually delayed us by two weeks or more.
Coming from zero knowledge of the industry, this was an understandable oversight on my part, but I urge anyone that provides a manufacturing service to respect the customer and their deadlines or decline the job. We now have a much better set of partners and production, and design changes are fully documented and signed off.
After about eight months, we had our first product, which we managed to convince Jenson Button to test in an advert for a laptop.
He loved the LowRider concept although he did confide that Formula 1 drivers did not enjoy motion without Gforces. Still, he signed a hat for me. Encouraged, we made our first of many sales to the USA along with a commitment to fix any errors.
Working with our customers, we delivered improved component choices and structural improvements. Throughout this time, we continued to struggle with staggering issues in the supply chain where some
modifications were applied, some ignored and some just completely made up.
Undaunted, the first LowSlider prototype was produced in December 2022 in an Iron Man theme with consent from Marvel Comics.
It was snapped up by a San Francisco 49ers fan and MacLaren F1 sponsor despite being in development. About 20 LowSliders have since shipped.
Race@home have partnered with IGUS who help us with our transport mechanisms and still source metal and paintwork locally, from suppliers who respect our business requirements as we respect their invoice terms. Race@home is gaining a reputation for high quality, creatively designed toys, which is extremely satisfying for a startup.
Getting to this place has been challenging, frustrating, exasperating and stressful for an old boy but ultimately, the love we get from our customers who delight in telling me of their joy is the payoff.
This edition of Business Network has a manufacturing theme to tie in with the Chamber-run East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference on 26 March.
In our focus pages Tom Pegden writes about the day and hears from some of the industry partners supporting the key event in the Chamber calendar.
He also looks at the work of the East Midlands Manufacturing Network and its latest expansion plans and considers the important role it plays in bringing businesses together and supporting the regional economy.
It is appropriate that Loughborough University will host the East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference on 26 March.
Over the decades the university has excelled in manufacturing innovation and design, building a global reputation which today takes in classleading departments and partnerships with big manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce and Caterpillar.
As such, when the doors open to the conference floor, it should prove an inspiration to the guests and participants attending.
The 2024 conference agenda will include keynote speakers, workshops and panel discussions focussing on the evolution of the Chamber’s “A Centre of Trading Excellence – A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond”. The manifesto outlined a vision for delivery against the ‘Four Is’ of infrastructure, international trade, innovation and investment.
With that in mind the conference will consider the current economic and political environment in which the region’s manufacturing businesses operate, and the opportunities and challenges they face.
With the UK in recession in the second half of last year, high borrowing and input costs, conflict overseas affecting the economy here and general elections coming at home and abroad, these are complex times for even the most established business. So it is imperative the Chamber, the East Midlands Manufacturing Network and their members can work together to promote growth.
Ian Bates, policy and representation manager at the East Midlands Chamber, who is organising
• Welcome by Chamber President Stuart Dawkins
• Welcome by Loughborough University ViceChancellor Professor Nick Jennings, an internationally recognised authority in the fields of AI and cyber-security
• Sector overview from Chris Corkan, Make UK region director for the Midlands & East of England
• Briefing on the latest Innovation in UK Manufacturing from Steve Morris, sales & commercial director for the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
• Resilience of Future Supply Chains and Circular Economy: A Case Study in Circular Use of Medical Devices with Professor Shahin Rahimifard, or Loughborough University
• East Midlands Freeport – the role of the freeport in supporting increased inward investment and creating supply chain opportunities - Jon Rawcliffe, freeport inward investment lead
this year’s conference, said more than 200 guests are expected.
He said: “In a year of major economic and political change it is essential we understand where we can enact change, ensuring we protect our industrial heritage and drive growth and competitiveness in the right way in the East
• A specialist from law firm Geldards will provide an update on the importance of getting infrastructure right
Topics include:
East Midlands Manufacturing Network, Made Smarter, Augmented reality, Innovating with Additive Manufacturing (AM) for a Circular Economy and more
• A look at the role of East Midlands Airport in supporting regional growth
• Ian Harrison, head of export development for the Midlands at the Department for Business and Trade will discuss the UK’s export strategy
PANEL DISCUSSION
• Discussion and Q & A Chaired by Professor Jan Godsell, Dean of Loughborough Business School
Midlands.This an open event for any business in the East Midlands – it’s free of charge and there are no barriers to coming.
“It is a chance to really bring everybody together to highlight the strengths of the region and build on our reputation as a manufacturing heartland – and to highlight the challenges and
all the opportunities out there.It’s a space where we can celebrate and challenge ourselves moving forward in uncertain economic times –and the heritage that comes with all the fantastic things we have achieved in this region puts us at the forefront of innovation.
“It’s important that with devolution and Levelling Up, and the fact that we are historically underfunded, that this single voice across the sectors makes it easier for us to get improved investment into the region.”
He said it was good that universities and industry were collaborating to boost growth.
“Each of our universities have specialisms and it’s good to see them working together.
Loughborough in particular has specialisms in manufacturing so it’s a great place to do this –with some interesting content and keynote speakers and workshops.
“We are looking forward to welcoming manufacturers from across the region.
“In a year of major economic and political change it is essential we understand where we can enact change, ensuring we protect our industrial heritage and drive growth and competitiveness in the right way in the East Midlands.”
To book tickets, visit the East Midlands Chamber website or email: policy@emc-dnl.co.uk.
More business leaders will be able to take advantage of the East Midlands Manufacturing Network (EMMN), writes Tom Pegden, as it expands its geographical reach and launches a new website.
East Midlands Manufacturing Network is growing – with a new website planned and new group launching. The changes will be formally revealed at the East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference.
The network already covers much of the East Midlands, with branches in the cities of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester as well as the counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Between them they have 400 members, including companies such as Derby medical product manufacturer Pennine Healthcare, Castle Donington moulding and woodworking specialist Gordon Ellis and Co and Derby drill and cutting tool maker MA Ford Europe.
Now a new branch is being created covering the county of Leicestershire and based in Loughborough – an important historical centre for manufacturing industry as well as further and higher education.
‘The network is a peer-topeer organisation for manufacturing organisations to come together’
Mark Goldby, a business ambassador, coach and non-executive director, launched the first branch in Nottingham a decade ago. He was approached by the Chamber two years ago to see if he could help grow it across the region, and now chairs each of the regional network groups.
He said: “Basically the network is a peer-topeer organisation for manufacturing organisations to come together and share, support, advise and inspire each other.
“We also signpost them – via our partnerships – to the type of things that are out there that can help them.
“For instance, all of the current five groups are hosted by a university or a universityowned facility, while the Chamber is one of the key stakeholders – so there is access to things such as FE resources and potentially Chamber support.
“We are also affiliated to Make UK which has 20,000 members and can update us on industry concerns and the views of its members around the country.
“The individual groups have been extremely well received and our members are very engaged. They can see that we have a strong voice across the region and are a credible bunch of people.
“The network is popular because we don’t just have big companies as members, but lots of smaller members, and we can be really supportive of them because they are often suffering from the same challenges and concerns as those bigger businesses.”
Mr Goldby believed the improved website
and new branch would make it even more accessible to new members.
He said: “There’s going to be a lot more interaction on the new site and a directory too, but it will also allow people who can’t make every meeting – which take place about every eight weeks – to get significant information that can keep them up to speed.”
One of the key bodies the network hopes to influence in the coming months will be the new East Midlands Combined Authority, which is due to launch with an elected mayor on 2 May.
It will cover Nottingham and Derby and their two counties and would have funding of £1.14bn – or £38m a year over the next 30 years – to invest in the area.
Mr Goldby said the network was recently represented at a Mayoral candidates debate and he hoped they could play a part in shaping political opinion when it came to investment in industry. He said: “I think the candidates recognise that the group has a big part to play in making sure the first East Midlands mayor knows who to come to when shaping economic activity.”
You can join the network via the East Midlands Chamber website, and there are regular events through the year.
The new website will launch this spring. Membership is free and open to manufacturers of any size. It also entitles members to complimentary membership of Make UK.
The criteria for joining the network are:
• You are a senior manager or leader
• Your business is based in the Chamber area of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire
• Your business makes something.
Tom Newman-Taylor, chief executive of the East Midlands Freeport, offers his thoughts on what the new organisation is doing to support the region’s manufacturers.
East Midlands Freeport is a unique opportunity to make the region the destination for international investment.
We’re forecast to create tens of thousands of new jobs and add around £9bn GVA to the economy over the next 25 years, making a vital contribution to levelling up.
Our focus is to create highly skilled jobs and foster the use of cutting-edge green tech. Add to that the unrivalled air, road and rail connections we offer, this provides any investors with a superb opportunity to grow and link into global markets. The focus of our activity is to attract international investors to three designated tax
East Midlands Intermodal Park – 173ha/428 acres
EMIP is an emerging strategic rail freight interchange, identified as a pipeline Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, focused on clustered supply chain access with proximity to the Toyota UK facility.
East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster – 160ha/395acres
The EMAGIC site has direct access to the strategic highway network and is adjacent to East Midlands Airport, a renowned global trade hub, as well as Maritime’s Strategic Rail Freight terminal.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar site – 200ha/494 acres
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar site has access to existing high-capacity utilities infrastructure, capable of supporting a range of intensive end uses, such as industrial and manufacturing processes. Its masterplan focusses on low carbon growth.
Business rate relief
100% business rates relief for five years to all new businesses, and certain existing businesses in freeport tax sites.
National Insurance contribution relief
0% employer National Insurance contributions for three years on the salaries of up to £25,000 of any new employee hired at the freeport tax site before April 2026, with the possibility to extend for up to a further 5 years to April 2031.
Stamp Duty land tax relief
0% stamp duty on the purchase or leasing of land or property within the freeport’s tax sites qualifying for commercial purpose.
Enhanced capital allowances
100% capital allowance for companies investing in special rate plant and machinery for use in Freeport tax sites.
Enhanced rate of Structure and Buildings Allowance
10% rather than the standard 3% rate of Structures and Buildings Allowance for constructing or renovating non-residential structures and buildings within Freeport tax sites brought into use.
Simplified Import Procedures: A streamlined process for declaring goods to the Freeport customs procedure at the port, with no supplementary declarations required.
relief sites at East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster; East Midlands Intermodal Park (south of the Toyota plant at Burnaston); and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station.
These sites – totalling some 1,300 acres of land – offer huge potential for the future development of employment and commercial accommodation. This much-needed space will cater for the demand of a multitude of business occupiers.
The financial incentives to those looking to invest in the freeport are also an attractive draw, with a number of tax benefits on offer, such as relief from business rates for five years.
However, we are not seeking to displace businesses from elsewhere.
These incentives are for new, additional investment which will create lasting social value for the East Midlands economy.
While the job may seem sizeable, our task is made easier because the East Midlands has all of the raw ingredients a major investor needs to succeed.
The region is in the heart of the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector, with a rich heritage, representing more than 16% of the region’s economy – hosting an enviable array of household names such as Rolls Royce, Caterpillar and Toyota.
The East Midlands is also home to a skilled and dynamic workforce, as well as six leading universities and a range of higher educational institutions, helping to shape the talent of the future. We also enjoy a prime location in the epicentre of the UK’s logistics sector.
To say that East Midlands Airport (EMA) is a crucial part of the regional economy is no exaggeration – in fact it is an asset of national importance.
Simply put, there are manufacturing businesses which would not be located where they are, or as successful as they are, were it not for the UK’s most important express air freight hub being on their doorstep.
They rely on it to get parts they need, and to send goods they produce, across the world within the next-day timeframes demanded by international trade.
One recent report concluded that it is likely that the airport is supporting the continued presence of around 100 top corporates in the East Midlands region with a combined turnover of more than £16bn and so is enabling their ongoing contribution to regional GVA.
EMA itself contributes around £443m GVA to the regional economy, handling around 400,000 tonnes of cargo and 4m passengers every year.
EMA’s unrivalled cargo operation demonstrated its capabilities and significance during the pandemic when passenger flights were grounded and cargo still needed to be carried all over the world. It responded to a 13% increase in demand which while reducing since post-Covid, remains higher than before the pandemic.
EMA’s central location and proximity to the national road and rail networks put it in a uniquely strong position to support the local
manufacturing sector, one of the largest employers in the East Midlands.
There are a number of other factors which help EMA stand above competitors and provide a seamless cargo service.
Crucially, EMA does not have the restrictions around night flying that other airports have, while the freight that it handles is carried in dedicated cargo aircraft, not in the belly-hold of passenger planes as is the case at Heathrow and elsewhere.
EMA’s single runway with direct access to integrator hubs and no slot constraints add to its strength.
Another advantage for EMA is its proximity to major logistics firms which are often the origins and destinations of air freight, with the East Midlands having by far the highest amount of large-scale warehouse space in England and Wales.
‘There is strong and growing demand for international air cargo connections’
On top of that, EMA is within 200km (125 miles) of 80% of all large-scale warehousing in England and Wales, compared to 53% for Heathrow.
More logistics developments close to the airport are expected to add to this in the coming years, with some investors attracted by the Freeport status and incentives attached to some neighbouring sites.
With around 90% of the population living within a four-hour HGV journey, further strengthened by the presence of East Midlands Airport as the nation’s largest dedicated freight airport and rail connectivity to 18 of the main freight lines, it is easy to understand why the area is so popular to that sector. Advanced logistics is a critical enabler for the manufacturing sector, supporting their global competitiveness – these two sectors are symbiotic.
Now almost a year into East Midlands
Freeport’s journey, it’s clear that the benefits of locating on – and investing in – a freeport site are proving very popular with those operating at the intersection of the automotive, aerospace and low carbon energy sectors.
This is borne out in the range of enquiries we’ve received from potential investors with over 50% of contacts from those in advanced manufacturing followed by 40% in the low carbon energy or net zero sectors.
The exciting plans announced by Uniper last
All of this is great news for the large manufacturing sector in the East Midlands and beyond which relies on EMA’s excellent cargo operation, including the likes of Toyota, Bombardier, Triumph and Caterpillar UK –along with Rolls Royce and JCB which each has its own airside hangar at EMA.
Advanced manufacturing accounts for around 54% of goods shipped via EMA, which on average carry a value of £335,000 per tonne – double that of other UK airports and 168 times higher than other ports, underlining the unique service on offer at EMA.
The vast majority of the freight is handled by the three major cargo integrators – DHL, UPS and Fedex – which have their main UK hubs at EMA, providing one-stop connections between the region and more than 180 of the world's most important economic powerhouses, both to the east and the west.
All have invested significantly in their on-site facilities and aircraft fleet, demonstrating ongoing confidence in EMA’s strength as the UK’s major international cargo gateway.
And signs are positive for the future and EMA’s ability to continue to provide the support the region’s manufacturing sector will need. A report on the economic effects of EMA’s cargo operation commissioned by EMA’s parent company Manchester Airports Group notes that the East Midlands has the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) stock as a percentage of regional GDP of English regions outside London and the south-east.
This means there is a growing demand for international air cargo connections, especially as capacity reduces at airports in the south-east. This is particularly significant for manufacturers in the East Midlands where the proportion of FDI is double that across the UK as a whole, and likely to drive a need for international cargo connectivity to a greater extent.
Moreover, recent analysis suggests that the UK economy will continue to grow gradually and become more global in its focus, driving demand for more air cargo.
EMA’s managing director Steve Griffiths said: “More than half of all the cargo handled here is on behalf of advanced manufacturers, often transporting high-value goods that require the fast and efficient service that we provide to meet demanding deadlines.
“We’re really proud to support that seamless trade and contribute to the success of those firms, which employ so many people across the East Midlands, as well as adding positively to the wider economy.”
year – to create a low carbon energy generation hub at their Ratcliffe site – will provide exactly the sort of green energy (including hydrogen) direct to manufacturing customers in and around our tax relief sites. We’re still in the early stages of this project, but we’ve already landed more than £150m of investment and continue to attract strong interest.
If you think your business could expand or invest in our sites, then to find out more and to get in touch, visit emfreeport.com
Ahead of our Manufacturing and Trade Conference, we spoke to Professor Dan Parsons (pictured), pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation at Loughborough University, the host for this year’s event. He talked to us about the essential role that innovation plays in addressing the challenges for the sector and how it positively drives productivity, growth and global competitiveness.
Innovation plays a central role in our university’s strategy, Creating Better Futures Together. It is a key driver in all our research activity and partnerships – not least those around manufacturing – and not just within our world-leading Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. Working with our partners, we support the development of new technologies and processes, more transparent and sustainable supply chains, policy decision-making, and enhanced product design. We are also passionate about preparing the sector’s future innovators and leaders for the challenges that lie ahead.
With such a broad portfolio of successful activity, there’s space here to offer you just some of our research and innovation highlights – and how they are supporting our partners in the manufacturing sector.
Established a decade ago, our Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and Recycling Technologies (SMART) works with partners across the automotive, electronic, rail, fashion and food industries to develop sustainable approaches to the design, production, consumption and disposal of their products. They have pioneered a range of holistic approaches to sustainability – considering the complete lifecycle of products and production systems. Their work encompasses new strategies, methods and technologies that ensure sustainability and enhance competitiveness while meeting legislative, environmental and ethical standards.
By introducing radical changes throughout the manufacturing process as well as in our consumption of everyday goods, their research leads the way in reducing industry’s and our own individual environmental impacts.
The university is the lead partner in the Made Smarter Innovation Research Centre for Smart, Collaborative Industrial Robotics (aka the Smart Cobotics Centre) – a collaboration with the universities of Bristol, Cranfield, Dundee, Strathclyde and Warwick as well as more than 40 partners across the aerospace, agri-food, automotive, construction, green energy and
space sectors. They are assessing how to overcome the barriers to the adoption of robotics. The safety of human-machine collaboration is paramount, but this emerging area of manufacturing has the potential to vastly improve productivity and maximise growth.
As well as exploring new models for humanrobot collaboration, advances in dexterous manipulation, and the use of virtual and augmented reality, they are addressing the fundamental societal, ethical and cultural impacts of smart automation.
The InterAct Network – another Made Smarter initiative – is co-directed by Loughborough. The interdisciplinary community welcomes UK businesses keen to adopt the digital technologies that will create a stronger, more resilient manufacturing base while ensuring that everyone across the workforce benefits.
The university’s Additive Manufacturing Research Group (AMRG) is widely regarded as the leading centre for R&D in this area. They have expertise across a variety of sectors including aerospace, defence, design, electronics, and health.
Their novel design methods enable ever more complex components to be manufactured in increasingly cost-effective, resource and timeefficient ways. Many of their pioneering methods are available open source, benefitting the wider manufacturing community.
Loughborough University www.lboro.ac.uk/research
Centre for SMART www.centreforsmart.co.uk
Smart Cobotics Centre www.smartcobotics.org.uk
The InterAct Network www.interact-hub.org
Additive Manufacturing Research Group www.lboro.ac.uk/research/amrg
Beyond 3D concrete printing www.lboro.ac.uk/research/beyond3dcp Food-to-go packaging www.lboro.ac.uk
Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park www.lusep.co.uk
Associated work in the laser printing of textile s will significantly reduce the carbon footprint and costs of clothing manufacture.
Some of our work has been directly funded by the Government in a bid to make sustainable textile printing more economically viable. On- and near-shoring production would certainly reduce shipping costs and the associated environmental impact.
Elsewhere on campus, we have unique expertise in hybrid 3D concrete printing.
Food-to-go (FTG) is a burgeoning market. Working with food and packaging manufacturers as well as supermarkets –including MULTIVAC UK and Marks and Spencer – we’re looking at ways to reduce the single-use plastics FTG generates while ensuring food safety.
The goal is to create a novel circular business model that combines smart technology enabled products and services that meets the needs of everyone in the FTG supply chain – from manufacturer to retailer and consumer – and reduces its environmental, societal and economic impact.
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do – our teaching, research and industry partnerships – from nurturing local start-ups, on our Science and Enterprise Park, to collaborating with international companies, like Rolls-Royce and Caterpillar, to accelerate game-changing technology development and deployment. So, it is a pleasure to be hosting this year’s conference and to welcome so many of our partners to campus to learn more about their activity and plan how we can best continue to support manufacturing on a regional, national and international level.
It is well known that manufacturing has always been at the heart of the East Midlands economy. What is, perhaps, lessknown is how many smaller businesses make up the manufacturing sector in our region.
According to Nomis, the UK's largest independent producer of official statistics provided by the Office for National Statistics, the number of small and micro businesses that make up the overall manufacturing sector are between 92% in Derbyshire and 95% in Nottingham, with Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire all falling somewhere in between.
That’s why the Chamber is backing smaller manufacturers in particular – not just through the East Midlands Manufacturing Network but also through the new Accelerator project.
Accelerator, a project funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), helps manufacturers across the East Midlands to start, sustain, grow and innovate. Fully funded and tailored to the needs of each participating district across the region, the project provides manufacturers with support that leaves a lasting impact on their business plan whether it be Business or Innovation Adviser support, action planning workshops and webinars, access to finance, or energy audits.
Here’s a snapshot of what manufacturers can expect from the project:
Accelerator workshops are offered across a wide range of digital subjects including on ChatGPT and how AI can streamline operations and improve marketing. Action planning workshops on HR, sales planning and finance, can help consolidate business growth in other areas.
Whether new or seasoned exporters, there are many factors for manufacturers to consider when exporting. How do the opportunities compare inside and outside the UK? How are overseas enquiries currently dealt with? What company strengths could be exploited to successfully expand overseas? Is the business aware of and complying with HMRC and foreign customs authorities?
Fully-funded export audits of between one hour and one day are being offered as part of the Accelerator project with the aim of ensuring that the business has all the correct documentation in place to ensure compliance with an HMRC customs audit.
For businesses based in the Ashfield area, an export audit service is delivered via the Global Trade Department.
A series of bite-sized sessions on International Trade is also planned.
Food and drink manufacturers also have the opportunity to tap into sector-specific Accelerator support through a series of webinars and in-person workshops held by Chamber partner, the Food & Drink Forum.
A series of bite-sized, one-hour webinars helps businesses learn more about how to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint, and the offer of an energy audit with an environmental expert from Loreus sets them on the right track. Webinar topics include: using ISO management systems to reach net zero; comparing different carbon neutral footprints, verifications & offsets; and the role of environmental responsibility in bringing a business alive.
East Midlands Manufacturing Network is the means through which the Chamber and its partners can reach the region’s manufacturers.
As the leading independent business representation organisation in the East Midlands, the Chamber is well-placed to manage the Network. Network facilitator, Qinesis – The Growth Company, were chosen for their expert team of commercially-minded engineers, scientists & technical CEOs, MDs & directors.
Other key partners in the Network include Make UK, who act as a vital bridge between manufacturers and Government, as well as the University of Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Nottingham Trent.
The network’s new, dedicated website – which will be launched at the end of March – will allow current and potential members to better engage with the network as it expands and evolves.
Diane Beresford, East Midlands Chamber deputy chief executive, said: “The membership now stands at some 400 members. We've already seen several interesting collaborations that have sprung from the network. Making it easier for members to connect through the website will only strengthen our region’s partnerships.”
For anyone attending the Chamber’s Manufacturing & Trade conference at Loughborough University on 26 March, there will be the opportunity to join a breakout session with Mark Goldby, chair of East Midlands Manufacturing Network.
To view our upcoming Accelerator workshops and to book your place, please visit: bit.ly/AcceleratorEvents
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6bn of funding for local investment by March 2025. The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
Advances in robotics and technology are having a considerable impact on the daily lives of delivery drivers, warehouse operatives and supply chain staff.
Both positive and negative effects are being felt and, alongside the severe disruption that Covid-19 wrought on the logistics industry, it begs the question of whether we are de-humanising our future.
Here are some considerations:
The increasing use of warehouse robotics and autonomous vehicles in the delivery industry points towards less reliance on people. If companies choose to replace humans with automated systems it costs jobs and, more subtly, sets humans on a path to prove their worth against machines.
Technology, such as CCTV, GPS tracking and telematics, is routinely used to monitor performance and keep a constant eye on logistics staff. Some people may feel this invades their privacy; it certainly creates a more surveilled work environment.
The use of technology to optimise delivery routes and warehouse schedules increases the pressure on staff to meet ever-tightening deadlines. This can contribute to stress and potentially impact the well-being of logistics employees.
With the rise of the machines, especially in the context of delivery apps and online ordering, there may be a reduction in face-to-face interactions. Some argue that this contributes to a sense of isolation where the task of getting what a customer wants to their door has no perceived human element.
It often appeared as though logistics staff, particularly delivery drivers, were immune from Covid-19. Increasing workloads and a detached ‘arms length’ approach to the final mile of delivery meant many drivers became the unsung heroes of the pandemic.
On the flip side, technology has also brought positive changes to the logistics industry, albeit the main beneficiaries being the operating companies and the end users:
Technology can streamline the delivery process, making it more efficient and convenient for both drivers and customers. Automated routing systems and real-time tracking can help driver’s complete deliveries more quickly and accurately.
Advanced safety features, such as collision avoidance systems and monitoring tools, can enhance the overall safety of delivery operations.
Technology has enabled the gig economy, providing more flexible income opportunities for those individuals who are suited to this style of work.
While technology can bring both challenges and benefits to logistics industry staff it has no doubt advanced the efficiency of the order process along with the speed and visibility of delivery to end users. Bearing in mind that in the not-too-distant past, business-to-business deliveries were often on weekly ‘milk rounds’ and, as a consumer, the norm was mail order that took 28 days.
The inevitable progress towards quicker and more reliable supply chain solutions through technological advances has brought about the consolidation of logistics operators in to the global giants that dominate today’s market.
With a new focus on Artificial Intelligence and automated ‘chat bots’ appearing across the logistics sector this consolidation process looks set to continue.
In the long term it looks likely that a high proportion of today’s lower skilled logistics jobs will be off-loaded to robots and AI-driven processes shedding costs for the corporate sector that drives these technological changes.
One factor that appears to have been overlooked is the end user’s satisfaction with the impact of these changes, in particular, the effectiveness of customer service.
Top of virtually every end user survey of the logistics industry are concerns about poor customer service. Regardless of their track record every operator in the logistics market needs to be aware that customers, in the end, pay their bills and that these people are demanding a higher level of customer service.
The rise of operational technology was accompanied by a similar consolidation of customer services further and further away from the action.
Reversing this process and re-skilling operational staff to enhance customer satisfaction levels may be a way forward to keep jobs safe and meet the ever-growing expectations of logistics industry end users.
‘It looks likely that a high proportion of today’s lower skilled logistics jobs will be off-loaded to robots and AI-driven processes’
Finding the right logistics partner is of the utmost importance for exporters. There is more to the role than delivering products to your customers – a good logistics partner should also be able to improve supply chain efficiency, effectively manage costs and enhance your customer service. Business Network looks at what to consider when choosing a logistics partner.
You may be tempted to choose the partner that is the cheapest, but be warned – a logistics provider that does not meet your needs or expectations could wind up costing you more in the long run. Normally the costs should include transportation, warehouse storage, packaging and shipping, but check that the pricing model is transparent and there aren’t any ‘hidden’ charges you may encounter. Is there a monthly minimum payment? Are you being offered an introductory fee that will be increased in a few months’ time? Do they offer money-back guarantees if you’re unhappy with their service?
There are a lot of logistics companies out there, so it stands to reason that some of them are going to better than others. The reputation of your chosen partner is important – after all, the reputation of your business stands to be affected by the competence and expertise (or lack thereof) of your supply chain. If your logistics partner does a bad job it will reflect badly on you, and you may lose customers because of their mistakes. Check online reviews, social media and testimonials.
Alongside reputation, customer service is another key factor to consider. If something goes wrong in your supply chain, or if there are costly delays, you need to be sure that the issues will be communicated clearly and swiftly dealt with. Will your chosen partner make you feel like a priority, or will they prioritise the needs of larger firms? Will you have a dedicated agent to speak to, or will you be left to the mercy of a chat bot? Do they offer 24/7 customer service, or will any weekend issues be left until Monday morning?
On the face of it, the primary service offered by a logistics partner is the transport of goods from one place to another. However, not every logistics partner will offer the same services, or the same level of expertise. Food and drink exporters will need, for example, a partner that can transport chilled and/or frozen goods, while partners that operate on a small scale will not be the best option for exporters that require large-scale distribution. Keep in mind your particular needs and make sure your chosen partner can meet them.
Does your chosen partner offer the latest technology innovations, or are their operations slow and antiquated?
Technology plays a huge role in smooth and efficient delivery, and a partner with extensive technology at their fingertips can help you save both time and money. Warehouse automation will provide you with up-to-date reports at every stage in the process and allow you to track your shipments from warehouse to customer, while a webbased booking system will allow you to submit an order at any time, anytime, making the process much faster and smoother.
Your chosen partner will both store and transport your goods, so if you want them to arrive on time and in one piece it’s vital that you check their safety awareness and operations if you don’t want to put your products at risk. Ask to see their storage facilities and enquire about their packaging and shipping processes. Are staff properly trained? How are accidents managed and mitigated? What security systems do they have in place to protect goods at every stage of the journey?
Nottingham-based Retail Assist – which provides managed services and IT solutions for the likes of
Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Vue International –has been acquired by businessman Alan Watson, executive chairman and owner of independent technology service provider Barron McCann.
Established in 1977, Barron McCann provides IT installation and maintenance services, hardware procurement and other services within the retail, hospitality, leisure, and retail banking sectors.
It is headquartered in Derby with more than 300 staff, and serves leading brands throughout the UK and Europe, supporting more than 21,000 sites.
This acquisition is the next step in a successful and collaborative partnership between Retail Assist and Barron McCann, spanning more than 15 years.
A tech services provider with operations in the East Midlands and Hertfordshire has won a £150m contract to provide the MOD with 220,000 laptops and desktop computers.
The deal, to support defence staff working anywhere from Whitehall to the front line, will see Computacenter create additional jobs at its sites in Nottingham and Hatfield.
Computacenter is an independent technology and services provider which works with a number of big corporate and public sector organisations.
Under the four-year deal it has agreed to provide what the MOD calls a “high-quality, secure and sustainable service to defence personnel, enabling defence to more rapidly respond to changing needs and market conditions.”
‘Through our strategic partnership, we will deliver increased value and enhanced capabilities’
By bringing together their strengths and expertise, the two companies hope to become a powerhouse for technology, providing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of retail and hospitality, while providing a platform for successful expansion into new sectors.
Kevin Greathead, managing director of Retail Assist, said: “We are thrilled to join forces with Barron McCann and embark on this exciting new chapter.
“Through our strategic partnership, we will deliver increased value and enhanced capabilities for our customers. Our shared vision for growth and
customer-centric focus sets the stage for continued success."
Barron McCann managing director Scott Watson said: "We are excited for Retail Assist to join the Barron McCann family.
“We have spent the past 15 years collaborating on numerous projects and we have built a strong partnership through our shared commitment to providing the very best service to our customers. This acquisition formalises our
Nottingham-based information services business Experian is extending a partnership it runs with health and care organisations in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Together they have created a series of face-to-face and online workshops for employees on how to manage their finances in these continued challenging times.
Working specifically with Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System (ICS) – a partnership between the county’s NHS and care organisations to support health and wellbeing – five money clinics and a number of online webinars will take place over the next two months.
‘Insights, support and guidance on personal finances and credit scores’
The clinics are open to any of the 71,000 staff to attend and will provide insights, support and guidance on personal finances and credit scores.
Expert teams from Chamber member Experian and Citizens Advice Nottingham will be on hand to answer questions on topics including how to successfully build a credit score, applying for credit, budgeting, managing debt and claiming benefits.
Staff will also have the opportunity to arrange one-on-one sessions to talk about improving their financial health.
This Experian programme forms part of a broader support package offered to staff via The East Midlands Hub Winter Wellbeing Support.
A pilot programme with Nottingham University Hospitals took place last year with more than 250 NHS staff attending two money clinics and five credit workshops.
Steve Thomas, managing director, strategy & innovation, Experian UK&I, said: “Being able to provide face-to-face sessions, and webinars, to NHS and care workers, is part of Experian’s ongoing commitment to improving financial health in the UK. NHS and care workers provide us all with vital support, so it’s great to be able to help them in return.”
partnership, bringing award-winning managed services and leading ERP software solutions to our group's ever-growing service portfolio."
Alan Watson, chairman of Barron McCann, said: “This is the latest step in our group expansion strategy. Our combined offering will present a new value proposition to our existing customers while spearheading our expansion into new sectors.”
Loughborough University ViceChancellor Professor Nick Jennings (pictured) has been announced as the chair of the judges for a new multimillion pound government prize scheme.
The Manchester Prize, launched by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, aims to reward UK-led entrepreneurs and businesses which use artificial intelligence (AI) to make a positive impact on society.
AI is already starting to unlock enormous opportunities in tackling climate change, transforming healthcare and beyond, and this prize looks to spark more cuttingedge innovations in using safe AI for good, which will deliver real change for people across the country.
The prize, which will run for 10 years, will award £1m every year to innovators with the boldest and most cutting-edge ideas that use AI to benefit society in some way. In its first this year, it is seeking innovation that helps to overcome challenges in the fields of energy, environment and infrastructure.
Brett Green (pictured), is managing director of Weiss Technik UK, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. The business makes climatic test chambers and systems for environmental simulation, heating technology and clean rooms. Here he sets out his plans for the future.
As I approach my six-month mark as managing director at Weiss Technik UK, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the warm welcome and support I have received from the team.
It’s clear to me that our success over the last 25 years is testament to the dedication and hard work of every member of the Weiss Technik family. As Weiss Technik UK embarks upon its 25th year, my vision is to steer the company towards new heights of innovation and global prominence.
I aspire to lead our team in crafting cutting-edge solutions, expanding the range of markets we serve and fostering a culture of excellence. Together, we will embrace challenges as opportunities and chart a course that defines Weiss Technik as a trailblazer in environmental simulation technology, creating a legacy of innovation and customer satisfaction.
‘My vision is to steer the company towards new heights of innovation and global prominence’
Although we’ve been present in the UK market for many years now, 2024 marks 25 years since the incorporation of Weiss Technik UK Ltd. You’ll see this theme running through lots of what we do throughout the coming year, and it’s a real cause for celebration.
Many of our customers have been enjoying the benefits of Weiss Technik solutions during this time, and we’d love to hear from you, and for you to join our celebrations. I visited a customer only last week where we installed their first chambers in 1993, which are still managed each year by our skilled service team, and still providing
great capability. Our UK team is growing, and to support our further development we are relocating to new premises in Loughborough during this first quarter. Not far for the team to commute, we’re still on the Technology Centre campus, but in a larger and more prominent suite.
This gives us the scope to continue our growth, is a lovely working environment for our people, and a much-improved
customer experience too!
We’ll be hosting a number of open events as part of the 25 year celebrations and the inauguration of our new office.
The team is also looking forward to making new connections as we attend a number of shows throughout the year, including Charnwood Innovation, Productivity and Health Inequalities, Battery Cells and Systems Expo at Birmingham NEC, CTS24, Medtech and Battery Tech at Silverstone.
Product and solution developments continue at pace within the Weiss Technik group, and as the year unfolds, we’ll be sharing with you some of the new systems and the innovations that make us the world leader in Environmental Simulation.
Looking ahead, we will be sharing our plans, successes and new innovations that will shape the future of Weiss Technik UK.
We’ve got plenty laid out for 2024 already and we’re fully equipped to rise to an exciting year ahead. We will continue to push the boundaries of technology to deliver state-of-theart environmental test chamber solutions that meet and exceed the evolving needs of our clients.
Geraint Davies
Howes Percival has joined forces with Maier Blackburn, a law firm that specialises in intellectual property, media law, litigation and dispute resolution.
Maier Blackburn was founded in 2012 and has a particular focus on publishers, media and entertainment organisations, IP rights holders and individuals including authors, agents and performers. Ithas a reputation in the media and entertainment field and many years’ experience of acting for high-profile clients based in the UK, Europe and the US.
Partners Cathleen Blackburn and Steven Maier join Chamber member Howes Percival with immediate effect and will continue to operate from what is now the Oxford office of the merged firm.
Howes Percival chairman Geraint Davies, who is based in the firm’s Leicester office, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Maier Blackburn team to Howes Percival.
“Together they have carved out an incredible niche in the world of IP and media law and their knowledge and experience in their specialist areas is second to none.
“We were already well aware of their excellent reputation in the industry and as we’ve got to know each other better, it is clear that this is a great fit for both parties.
“By joining forces, we want to enable them to continue providing a world-class service to their clients, as well as expand the services they are able to offer.
“Oxford presents an exciting new opportunity for us. With offices in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridge we already have clients in the region and relevant experience, for example, working with scientific and academic clients.”
Nottingham-based law firm Browne Jacobson has joined forces with an industry charity to launch a pro bono strategy to increase its community impact.
The firm has signed up to LawWorks’ not-for-profit programme, which brokers free legal advice from member firms to small and medium-sized not-for-profit organisations that meet the right criteria on a range of issues. The move will help it identify where its expertise can best be deployed on a voluntary basis for worthy causes.
LawWorks, which is supported by the Law Society, is the biggest solicitors’ pro bono group in England and Wales, with a membership network of more than 150 law firms and in-house legal teams.
‘As a top 50 law firm, Browne Jacobson is full of incredibly talented people’
It heralds a new approach from Browne Jacobson to enhance its pro bono activities by ensuring they are targeted, measurable and align with its practice areas and core values – including being at the forefront of society’s biggest issues, and a commitment to inclusion and fairness.
The firm employs more than 1,000 people across seven offices spanning Nottingham, London, Dublin, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham and Exeter. It was ranked as one of the UK’s top five employers for social mobility in the 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index.
Managing partner Richard Medd said: “As a top 50 law firm, Browne Jacobson is full of incredibly talented people, which brings a unique opportunity – and also a responsibility – for us to make a positive impact on society.
“We have the power to use our skills and expertise to help those who need it most, and pro bono work is a fantastic way to do just that.
“It’s a way to bring many of our values and ambitions to life, and we encourage our colleagues to get involved and support our pro bono programme in any way they can.
“I’m thrilled that we have joined forces with LawWorks as part of our active commitment to pro bono work – a key strand of our community action plan – and together we can make a genuine difference in the lives of those who might not otherwise have access to legal services.
“I’m excited to see the real impact we can make in the communities we serve.”
The corporate and banking teams at law firm Shakespeare Martineau supported a record-breaking £4.6bn-worth of deals during 2023, across a range of sectors.
Experts in mergers and acquisitions, fast-growth businesses, funding and finance, Shakespeare Martineau’s national team of more than 80 lawyers enjoyed an increase in activity and value in 2023.
Sector highlights include energy, infrastructure and renewables, technology, med tech and healthcare.
In addition to larger deals, the firm’s corporate team is taking on significantly more complex deals, such as Helm Godfrey’s sale to Hurst Point Group in 2023, and the takeover of gold mining company Tulla Resources, which included a merger, demerger and fundraising of $75m.
The firm’s single largest deal came in at £1.2bn for an undisclosed fund manager.
Shakespeare Martineau, which is a Chamber member, has local offices in Leicester, Nottingham and Lincoln.
2023 was another strong year for our corporate team.
“Despite the challenging market conditions, and the fact that most transactions are taking longer to close, we managed to increase both the volume and value of matters we advised on in 2023 compared to 2022.
“I am very proud of this achievement given the UK M&A market actually experienced a material reduction in volume and value in 2023 and it is testament to the hard work of our national team and the investments we have made in it.
“2024 will be an interesting year but we remain optimistic, are still seeing a decent level of activity and new enquiries and have plans for further investments.”
Top 10 accountancy firm and Chamber member Azets has appointed Melanie Richards CBE (pictured) to chair its board.
She will work with group chief executive Chris Horne and the senior leadership team in delivering the firm’s next phase of growth.
Ms Richards has more than 40 years of corporate finance and capital markets experience including holding the post of deputy chair of KPMG.
She is a non-executive director of Morgan Stanley International and global dispute management consultancy HKA, and a member of the boards of the Royal National Theatre and Invictus Games Foundation.
She is also chair of gynaecological research charity The Eve Appeal and she sits on the UK Government Skills and Curriculum Unit leadership advisory board and is an advisory partner of Manchester Square Partners.
She was awarded a CBE in 2019 for her contribution to business and to the diversity and inclusion agenda and sits on the steering group of the FTSE Women Leaders Review.
ADerby accountancy practice has moved to a modern new HQ on one of the city’s business parks.
Maple Accountancy, which was based in a period building in Friar Gate, has bought a purpose-built, pavilion-style office in Wyvern Court on Wyvern Business Park.
Maple director Jennifer Priestly said: “We are really excited to make the move over to Wyvern Court. The modern office gives us the perfect opportunity to create a new, state of the art work environment.
‘The quality of workspace is becoming more important’
“The quality of workspace is becoming more and more important in this modern day and age, creating an environment that encourages people to work in the office is something that we are very keen on achieving at Maple Accountancy.”
William Speed, a surveyor at Chamber member Salloway Property Consultants, negotiated the sale to Maple on behalf of a private client, and said he was pleased with the result of his brief marketing campaign.
He said: “We are experiencing fewer freehold properties coming onto the market currently, so it isn't surprising to see that when an opportunity like this does present itself there are high levels of interest.
“It is particularly rewarding to close a deal with a well-known Derby professional firm which will now make this property their new headquarters.
“The new office building comprises some 4,300 sq ft over two floors and is extremely well located for accessing both the city centre and the principal road network meaning easy access to the rest of the UK.
“It will provide Maple with the perfect opportunity to create a contemporary fit-out which is sure to impress employees and clients alike.”
A leading professional property investor has bought four fully tenanted office blocks with £9.5m in debt funding from Cambridge & Counties Bank.
The deal was one of the bank’s biggest single loans in recent months and underscores an ongoing commitment to working with professional real estate investors.
The professional investor and developer has bought the freehold of each of the low-rise office buildings in Caldecotte Business Park, Milton Keynes, as part of a wider investment plan across the site.
The team was introduced to the Leicester-based business bank by
David Thomas at panel broker Seaford Finance and the transaction was turned around in just three weeks, including completion of legals and valuations.
The deal was supported by Lindsey Lock, a senior director at BNP Paribas, who acted as valuer, and Alison Kellett, partner at solicitors Kuits.
Cambridge & Counties Bank regional director Carl Ashley said: “At almost £10m in financing, our support for this experienced investor was the bank’s largest funding deal in 2023 and has paved the way, we believe, for a stronger 2024.”
Five new degree apprenticeships have been set up to educate the workforce of the future and boost healthcare and social work.
The apprenticeships will be delivered by the University of Derby after it was awarded more than £300,000 funding by the Office for Students following a competition to grow capacity for high quality degree apprenticeships within English higher education.
The funding will support the development of Level 6 degree apprenticeships at Derby in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, midwifery, social work, and youth work.
Dr Denise Baker, pro vice chancellor and dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, said: “Derby was an early innovator in health apprenticeships and we are delighted to be recognised as a hub of excellence in health and care delivery.
“We are committed to providing opportunities for people to progress and enjoy rewarding careers.”
“These programmes will meet the increasing demand for skilled professionals in vital sectors, equipping learners with the expertise and practical experience they need to excel in their careers.
“This expansion of our degree apprenticeship portfolio is essential to meet the requirements of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and needs of the health and social care sector.
“We pride ourselves as being an industry-engaged university, working collaboratively with organisations to produce a pipeline of talent of graduates who are equipped to deal with the challenges of the future.”
Some of the funding will support the university’s prosthetics and orthotics degree apprenticeship programme, which underscores the university’s commitment to specialised healthcare education.
Aformer pupil-turneddesigner has opened the new Post-16 extension at a Derbyshire school.
Jessica Moore, from Thinking Buildings Architects, also in Derbyshire, officially opened the new facility at the John Port Spencer Academy in Etwell.
Jess, who left John Port in 2012, has come full circle, having been actively involved in the delivery of the new building. She has personally overseen much of the process, from the initial design and planning stages, to construction information, and took part in regular site meetings.
After leaving the school, Jess undertook an apprenticeship and studied professional construction at Derby College before going on to The University of Derby to study architectural technology.
She said: “Delivering the Post 16 building at my former secondary school was a privilege and a key milestone in my professional career.
“The education and experience I received throughout my time at John Port was outstanding and I believe this laid the foundations to guide me into architecture.
“I have confidence that the new spaces we’ve created will provide an excellent starting block for all students to succeed and thrive in higher education.”
‘The new spaces we’ve created will provide an excellent starting block for all students’
Thinking Buildings director James Hutton said: “Jess has made an important contribution to the development of the new Post 16 building.
“The experience, although a little odd for her at the start being an ex-pupil, has been really important for her professional development and enabled her to cement her development in architecture.
“I think it is really important for students to have their horizons broadened, to see where careers
can lead you. Hopefully highlighting Jess’ achievements will show what is possible.”
Thinking Buildings, which was established in 2011, has been working with the John Port Spencer Academy and the Spencer Academy Trust since 2018.
From its offices in Derbyshire and Oxfordshire the team specialise in helping educational establishments extend, expand, and refurbish, delivering projects with an eye for sustainability.
Park Leicester education and outreach officer Josh Barker said: “Our work experience programmes run differently to many others that are available to students.
Year 10, 11 and 12 students living in Leicestershire can apply for a work experience placement featuring practical workshops run by staff from the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, Space Park Leicester and the National Space Centre. Students will learn about the latest developments around black holes and gravitational waves, discover giant planet auroras using data from the Cassini spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope and could even get to operate the University of Leicester’s solar telescope.
“Rather than following the traditional format of offering one-on-one job shadowing our programmes consist of a series of practical workshops and activities to give students a chance to explore the wide range of work done by the School of Physics and Astronomy.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for young people to take their first steps towards a career in the space industry with some of the UK’s leading experts in the field.”
For details visit the University of Leicester website.
The East Midlands commercial property market saw almost £1.2bn of investment last year, despite the national downturn, according to a new report.
Commercial property agency Innes England’s Market Insite 2024 report showed that investment in the region was down 12% on the previous year and 20% on the five-year average.
That was against a national backdrop of commercial property investment activity projected to total around £37 billion in 2023 – down 39% on the previous year.
The latest regional figures were revealed at four Innes England Market Insite events in the four cities where it has offices – Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham.
Director and head of investment Ben Robinson said: “The strong headwinds of high interest rates translating to high borrowing costs, inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty have caused many investors to slow down or pause decisions to buy and sell.
“As expected, the region was dominated by the industrial market, and although investment volumes were largely flat compared to last year, at £734m, the sector accounted for 62% of all activity.
“Surprisingly, industrial volumes now trail the five-year average by more than 20%, which is probably more indicative of a lack of stock than any cooling of investor appetite in this sector.
“Retail was the next most active sector, at 22% of market activity, with volumes increasing by 38% to £262m with office investments largely flat at £84m.”
Demolition work is getting underway to open up space for a new entrance to Leicester Station.
The £22m project will revitalise and restore the station building, improve facilities for passengers and create a more accessible and attractive gateway into the city.
Leicestershire contractors AR Demolition have been appointed to bring down 48 London Road which stands next to the railway station. The building incorporates a taxi office along with the former Parcel Yard pub and ex-British Transport Police offices.
‘The investment will see the iconic Leicester railway station restored’
It will open up space to movethe railway station’s main entrance 90 degrees into Station Street, which will link directly to the Granby Street super-crossing and through to the city centre.
It will also allow the original Station Street façade of the Grade II-listed station building to be revealed and restored to its Victorian glory. Rail services to and from Leicester will be unaffected by the demolition works
Will Rogers, managing director for Chamber member East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re excited to work alongside Leicester City Council and Network Rail to significantly improve the facilities for our customers.
“The investment will see the iconic Leicester railway station restored back to its Victorian glory.
“The development will transform Leicester railway station, as the gateway to the city, by encouraging integration with the surrounding community and offering an improved customer experience to all station visitors.”
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Leicester’s railway station is a landmark historic building but, as an important transport hub, it needs a radical overhaul to meet the needs of a modern city the size of Leicester.
“We have been working closely with our rail industry partners to develop and progress these ambitious plans which will see the station revamped and revitalised.
“It is a major and complex project that will make a huge difference to the city and it’s encouraging to see that work is now underway.
“The award of almost £18m of extra investment from the Government through the Levelling Up Fund is a tremendous
endorsement of the importance of this project.
“It will help transform the area into a vibrant gateway and make a vital contribution to Leicester’s future growth and prosperity.”
Under the plans, Station Street will be permanently closed to traffic and replaced with a new pedestrianised open space, with trees and landscaping.
The ticket hall itself will be reconfigured and opened up to provide more space for passengers. New skylights will be installed in place of the existing suspended ceiling to let more natural light into the hall.
Taxis will be relocated from inside the existing covered main entrance hall to a looped taxi rank area off Fox Street, close to the new entrance. This will free up space for a new indoor plaza for cafes, bars or shops.
Demolition work is expected to be completed this summer with construction work starting soon after.
Afirm that helps clients keep an eye on their water usage to cut down on waste and costs has moved to new premises.
H2OiQ Limited has moved into a modern business unit in the Parker Centre, off Mansfield Road, Derby. The letting was completed by Salloway Property Consultants, which has offices in Derby and Burton.
The property has refurbished hybrid office and workshop accommodation covering just over 4,000 sq ft.
H2OiQ is a water sustainability specialist which helps clients make their buildings more efficient and also supplies heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment.
The business –which takes in two brand names, H2OiQ and HVACiQ –has relocated from Worcestershire to its new home in order to help with its expansion plans as it sees increasing demand for its water and energy efficiency services.
‘It was also crucial to be located within the ‘centre of the universe’, Derby’
H2OiQ director Richard Butler said: “This is a wonderful property with plenty of office space, which was a huge factor for taking on this commercial building. It is absolutely ideal for us – it was also crucial to be located within the ‘centre of the universe’, Derby.”
Fellow director Adam Rice said: “Salloway acted professionally and were extremely helpful, reacting quickly and keeping us fully informed throughout the letting process.”
Hugo Beresford, associate director at Salloway, said: “I am delighted that I was able to secure a high-quality occupier for my client and at the same time line up the tenant with the space that they needed to enable their impressive
growth plans. H2OiQ Limited are an innovative and rapidly expanding business whose range of products and services are at the cutting edge of water and energy sustainability – they were a pleasure to deal with throughout the transaction process and I wish them the very best in their new premises.
“This letting is another demonstration of the sustained
demand witnessed for small business units locally, where rents remain robust and vacancy rates low despite the challenges of the current economic climate.
“Salloway remain busy and active across the commercial property sectors and would encourage any party seeking to acquire, let or sell their premises to get in touch, as we would of course be delighted to help.”
East Midlands Chamber sent motoring journalist Nick Jones and his photographer Steve Hopkins to Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham to find out what new models we can expect in 2024.
Both Steve and I have attended these bike show events many times, and each year we both marvel on how many new innovations and razzmatazz ensue, not to mention biking royalty and personalities just strolling around.
From electric test ride zones, adventure trials, Arenacross experiences and new models for the season, the annual event never fails to add excitement for all bikers. Here you can read about our highlights.
BMW have a few new models on show – four new off-roaders and two Motorrad bikes, headed-up by the M1000 XR, a lightweight unit that packs over 200 horsepower.
Ducati continue the theme with three bikes new for this year – a DesertX Rally, then a Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour and a Hypermotard mono 698 featuring a new engine producing 77.5 horsepower.
Honda have a new bike featuring an E-Clutch system for beginners plus the eagerly-awaited new CBR1000RR SP Fireblade with more power and a new swingarm. A new CB1000 Hornet was also on show.
Kawasaki has its new Hybrid bikes on show. The first one is the Ninja 7 and followed by the Z7 – both bikes offer between 650 and 700cc, but
rival others in terms of performance offering 1000cc or more.
KTM have a great looking newbie called the 990 Duke – a new naked street weapon.
Suzuki have three newcomers at the show, the crossover GSXS1000GX, a GSX-8R that offers full fairings for the first time, plus a new V-Strom 800RE which is an off-roader that offers on-road capability.
Leicestershire’s Triumph offer a few models for this year, a Thruxton final edition, a new
Tiger 900
GT version. Yamaha offer no less than six new models. There’s a new XSR900GP which caused quite a stir on their impressive stand. There are also two MT’s (a MT-09 and a MT-09SP) both with minimalistic bodywork, a new scooter which offers affordability for new riders called the RAYZR, plus two fresh TENERE 700’s – one an Extreme version the other the Explore version.
Despite being the son of an engineer, sadly I have never had ‘making things’ among my core skills. A well-functioning economy and society needs people who can and do make things and the East Midlands is particularly strong in this respect.
The Chamber’s analysis of official data shows that over 11% of employment in our region is in manufacturing, compared with less than 8% for Britain as a whole. With the Industrial Revolution and mass production, the making of things changed forever – and that revolution began here in the East Midlands.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Economic theory shows that what is made where is heavily influenced by Comparative Advantage. If Country A is more efficient at producing something (traditionally ‘guns’ in economics textbooks) than Country B, but that second country is more efficient at producing something else (traditionally ‘butter’) then there is economic gain to be made for both countries by Country A trading some of its guns for Country B’s butter, and vice versa.
This dynamic has been a dominant driver of economic activity for most of my life. But, as ever, nothing is constant in economics and business, and in the last 15 years or so, some of its core assumptions have begun to be questioned.
The unequal impact on wealth of the policies adopted after the world financial crisis has led to questions about the social cost of ever-increasing globalisation. Factory closures locally can provide a powerful political argument that the dynamic is not always a benign one. The economist’s argument that other industries will develop in time can seem too abstract and too slow.
Then came Covid. ‘Supply chains’ became part of the national debate as seemingly overnight, things that we took for granted became hard to find. In hindsight, it is a remarkable feature of market economies how quickly shortages were avoided. The awareness that there may be risks in being too reliant on things that are not ‘local’ has, however, lingered longer.
Then came the war in Ukraine. Along with the abhorrent human cost of that war, came unexpected and significant reductions in energy supplies. It became more costly to do pretty much everything, and shipping stuff around the world became more expensive too.
The reality of a war in Europe, together with heightening military tensions elsewhere, has also influenced the debate about where things are made. One hears more about near-shoring and friend-shoring these days than of the once remorseless drive for off-shoring.
And there is the ever-increasing threat posed by climate change. The sustainability of products and how they are transported is increasingly considered, and there are tentative signs that the consumption of disposable, short-life products is beginning to be questioned, too. These forces are playing out in political comment and business decision-making.
Which brings us back to East Midlands business.
Our local economy contains many examples of successful manufacturing businesses. How might this success be improved and sustained against the backdrop of increasing uncertainty?
This question drives the Manifesto the Chamber has put together to lobby politicians in the run-up to the UK General Election. I urge you to have a look when you get the chance.
The first theme is ‘Target skills reform for the
realities of today’s workforce’. Aligned to this is the role of education – and I declare an interest here as a former chair of a sixth form college and current governor of a university. For most of my working life there has been comment from business that young people are leaving education who are not ‘work-ready’. There has been a continual desire from education providers for help to define ways to improve that.
Whatever the detailed solutions to this, numerous studies show that effective education is the principal driver of productivity, and I am persuaded that ensuring that there is sustainable funding for suitable education is a must.
I had already drafted most of this article when I chaired a Chamber president’s round-table in Derby. Unbidden by me, the need to revise how we as a country deliver school education was the most talked about topic. How do we nurture the creativity and inquisitiveness required for the future of work in a digital world, rather than for the process-driven work of the past?
Another issue which can play a positive part is the drive to reduce carbon emissions. The East Midlands can and hopefully will play a meaningful role in this. The country’s prototype fusion energy plant will be built in Nottinghamshire –who knows whether nuclear fusion will eventually become economically viable? But the prize if ever it does is so huge that continuing to research it makes sense. And why not do that right here in the East Midlands?
Why not, also, build on other planned and announced developments in green technology to ensure there will be a world-class hub to research and manufacture climate-friendly technologies in the heart of our region?
Located alongside the East Midlands Airport and the Freeport, such a hub would provide a tangible beacon for the development of the East Midlands. It requires proper policy and strategic thought to make it happen; investment in infrastructure, in transport and – yes – in the education and skills needed. But it seems a good idea to me.
