Ambition Issue 11 (Jul/Aug 2015)

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Leading the way through innovation and export ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • lookers chief andy bruce at the wheel

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CONTENTS

JULY/AUGUST 2015 | ISSUE ELEVEN

90 08

84 50

66 NEWS

Columnists

ENGINEERING INNOVATION

LIFESTYLE

08 Grand plans for new hotel 10 Acquistion adds up 12 Investment takes off at plastics firm 13 Putting food in the frame

50 The cream of Ulster business 56 Plastic is fantastic 58 Rolling ahead with innovation

14 Siobhan Lavery 80 Maureen O’Reilly 84 Sinead Dillon 96 Jim Fitzpatrick

86 Scandinavian style and safety 92 A taxing time for air travel 93 Culinary delights

FEATURES

20 BA’s summer sunshine schedule takes off 32 NI Chamber President Spotlight on Economy 39 In pole position for business 66 BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp

Cover story - Page 16 Bank of Ireland UK achieving sustainable business growth through innovation

Editor: Adrienne McGill Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Manager: Catherine Patton Editorial Assistant: Ashleigh Addis Email addresses: adrienne.mcgill@northernirelandchamber.com c.patton@ambitionni.co.uk Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com, www.ulstertatler.com Addresses: Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 4-5 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT15JA Tel: 028 9024 4113 Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim Front cover image: Khara Pringle Photographic.

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[editorial]

driving ambition It’s all new

N

ewness abounds at NI Chamber.

We have a new President, Stephen McCully, a new Vice President Nick Coburn, new Board and Council members, a new travel columnist Mukesh Sharma and, of course, we have a range of new events on the way over the coming months.

We also have a new series starting in this issue where we interview a number of foreign Ambassadors to the UK whose countries are strengthening their economic relationship with Northern Ireland.

Commencing the series, we talk to the Polish Ambassador Witold Sobków who gives an overview on how Northern Ireland companies can capitalise on opportunities to engage in business in his country and the potential for Poland to grow its trading relationship with us.

Then, connected to NI Chamber’s

Growing Something Brilliant conference, we talk to Andy Bruce, the Chief Executive of Lookers, who was guest speaker at the event. He reveals plans to move the company, which is the UK’s fourth biggest car dealership group, up a gear and to make buying a car as simple as making a purchase on Amazon.

Turning to our special section, we look at how Northern Ireland companies are innovating and creating new products, production methods, processes and systems across engineering in its many forms ranging from equipment used in liqueur production to bus manufacture.

Innovation drives research and development, which in turns leads to economic growth. Companies who are innovative are more productive, growing sales and employment twice as fast as their non-innovating competitors. The more innovation we have in Northern

Ireland – and we have a rich history of it – the more successful and export focused local companies will be.

And showing the wealth of talent that lies in the next generation of young people, in our Bright Young Business Brains pages, we highlight a range of business boffins of the future whose early successes are an indication of what lies in store.

As always in our Lifestyle pages, we have motoring, fashion, travel and cuisine to whet your appetite with a particularly enticing choice of Summer salads from David Scott, Head Chef in Hadskis.

So, enjoy the pages of Ambition and we look forward to continuing to feature the successes of our members as they grow their businesses through innovation and creativity.

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[editorial]

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Ambition and Deed

T

his is my first piece for Ambition since I was elected President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the start of June.

I would like to thank NI Chamber’s immediate past President Kevin Kingston for

his excellent year in office during 2014/15, and note that I look forward to working with our new Vice-President Nick Coburn, and the rest of the Board over the next 12 months on many existing and new initiatives.

It is a great honour and privilege to hold

the position and I look forward to the year in office with great enthusiasm and anticipation.

It never ceases to amaze me through engagement with NI Chamber members how many fantastic businesses there are throughout Northern Ireland, and it is a great source of pride and inspiration to hear of their success stories.

My priority this year will be to follow through on NI Chamber’s Growing Something Brilliant Action Plan, published just a few weeks ago. It is extremely heartening to hear the very positive feedback being given by economic commentators and politicians about the quality of the strategy contained within the action plan document.

As a strategy it was designed to be both practical and aspirational. It reflects very valuable input from our members and advisory council.

It appeals for political stability – for example, delivering on the Stormont House Agreement, and makes recommendations on infrastructure, skills, finance, export, and competitiveness.

We also take the opportunity to commend to Government how we can collectively create the conditions to foster economic growth and allow businesses to get on with what they know best: •to invest and take informed risks to establish enterprises, •to create flourishing businesses that put jobs, pride and dignity into communities, and •to deliver increased prosperity for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Our Action Plan is intentionally an optimistic and ambitious pitch. Whilst a supportive and committed political underpinning is an essential and urgent first step, we firmly believe that the principle of ambition is the conviction that leads to real and sustainable achievement.

Nothing can be done without hope, ambition and deed. * See Page 27 Stephen McCully President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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MANAGING TALENT Louise Turley collecting the Highly Commended Managing Talent Award on behalf of NI Chamber with sponsor Minster Stephen Farry of DEL and Patrick Kielty.

NI Chamber has been recognised at a prestigious event after collecting the Highly Commended Managing Talent Award in the small business category at the Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards.

The glittering event was held in Titanic Belfast and was attended by more than 400 guests.

The awards recognise the top-performing companies and organisations across every sector of the field of employment in Northern Ireland.

The event was compered by BBC broadcaster Karen Patterson and comedian and television personality Paddy Kielty.

HASTINGS HOTELS UNVEILS GRAND PLANS FOR NEW HOTEL One of Northern Ireland’s leading hotel chains, Hastings Hotels has unveiled its plans for the latest addition to its portfolio which will see a £30 million investment and the creation of over 150 new jobs.

Hastings Hotels, which currently has 6 hotels in its portfolio, has purchased Windsor House in Belfast and plans to transform it into a 4 star 200 bedroom hotel, 18 serviced apartments and a range of office accommodation. The new hotel will be called the Grand Central and is due to open in 2018.

Sir William Hastings, Chairman of Hastings Hotels said: “This project is a huge undertaking for Hastings Hotels and it has only been made possible by the strength of our existing hotels portfolio and the quality of Sir William Hastings, our staff and Chairman of Hastings management.”

Hotels, reveals plans “The original for the new Belfast Grand Central Hotel.

Grand Central, which also boasted 200 bedrooms, was built in 1893 and was the thriving hub of Victorian Belfast as well as the finest hotel in Ireland. Winston Churchill, the King of Belgium, Al Jolson, Mario Lanza and the Beatles were all guests who enjoyed its luxurious hospitality. I am extremely proud to be able to pay tribute to this much loved property of the past by naming Belfast’s newest hotel after it.”

08 NI Chamber

Richard Pym, Chairman of AIB Group, Aisling Press, Regional Manager of First Trust Bank, Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Guy Spence and Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank.

First Trust Bank celebrates branch make-over First Trust Bank has reopened its flagship Donegall Square North branch in Belfast, following a £750,000 refurbishment which signals the start of a significant branch and online channel investment programme. The branch was formally reopened at a VIP reception by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Guy Spence and Richard Pym, Chairman, AIB Group.

The Donegall Square North branch represents the new face of branch banking for First Trust Bank, offering a range of new technologies and customer service options as well as extended opening hours on Thursday evening and Saturday morning.

Speaking about the investment, Des Moore, Head of First Trust Bank said: “At its core, this branch investment programme and our investment in other

channels, is about offering our customers choice – and that means always being able to find a friendly face in a branch or a voice on the phone, as well as being able to access our online and mobile services at the time of their choosing.”

Richard Pym, Chairman of AIB Group added: “First Trust Bank can trace its history back to Belfast Savings Bank back in 1816 and in all that time it has played an important part in supporting the local economy and serving local communities across the province. This branch represents the start of a significant investment in our branch network and other channels across Northern Ireland and we are confident that these investments will ensure we remain relevant and accessible to our customers for many years to come.”

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[news]

Acquisition BUSINESS WITH HONOURS adds up FOR SELECTIVE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT Davy Private Clients UK, the Northern Ireland-based wealth management and financial planning division of the Davy Group, has acquired Graham Corry Cheevers, a leading financial advisory and investment firm based in Belfast.

Established in 1995, Graham Corry Cheevers provides investment management, stockbroking and financial advisory services in Northern Ireland advising private, corporate, trust and pension clients.

The firm is headed up by its three founding partners Brian Corry, Gavin Graham and Nigel Cheevers and has approximately 2,500 clients with £230 million (€315 million) assets under management. The firm’s partners and experienced team have relocated to Davy’s fast-growing private client business located in Donegall Square, Belfast.

Davy opened its Northern Ireland office in 2007, its London office in 2011, and last year it announced the acquisition of Belfast-based Square Seven Financial Planning. In the last number of years staff numbers in Belfast have grown from six to over 30 and assets under management from £120 million to more than £640 million (€875 million).

Brian McKiernan, Chief Executive of Davy Group, said: “Davy is very pleased to acquire a complementary business that is focused on providing high quality investment and financial advice to its clients.”

Commenting, founding partners Brian Corry, Gavin Graham and Nigel Cheevers, said: “Having conducted a thorough review of our current business and the best long term interest of our clients, we felt it was time to join a firm that has the requisite financial and infrastructural resources to meet our clients’ evolving needs in the years ahead.”

Pictured with Stephen Felle (far right), Chief Executive of Davy Private Clients UK, is Gavin Graham, Brian Corry and Nigel Cheevers.

10 NI Chamber

Northern Ireland’s largest independent travel company, Selective Travel Management, has won a major share of a £100 million, three-year contract to service the travel requirements of more than 400 GB Universities and Higher Educational organisations.

Selective Travel Management is the only Northern Irish based company to feature amongst the six specialist organisations which were successful in tendering to provide travel services for members of the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) which is a membership-based buying organisation for universities and further education colleges.

This will be the second time that Selective Travel has held the contract and Managing Director Mukesh Sharma estimates that this latest award will bring up to £20 million of additional turnover to the Belfast-based business, creating more than fifteen new jobs at a range of levels and paving the way for additional growth within the next three years.

He said: “Our new contract for SUPC will see us provide and manage travel and accommodation arrangements right around

the globe. The work will be as demanding as it is varied, but our team here in Belfast is perfectly positioned to handle the challenge, delivering 24/7 support to customers who may be anywhere in the world. In the past two years we have doubled our staffing levels: now we are delighted to be a position increase that sustainable job total still further.”

Keith Graham, Management Operations Director and Mukesh Sharma, Managing Director Selective Travel Management celebrate their latest business win.

Birthday honour for NI Chamber past President Mark Nodder, a past President of NI Chamber, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Mr Nodder, who is Chairman and CEO of Wrights Group, the Ballymena-based bus builders, was recognised for his service to the economy in Northern Ireland.

Mr Nodder joined Wrights Group in 1998 to develop export sales and aftersales, before heading up its UK sales & marketing activities. In December 2006 he took up the position of Group Managing Director for all of the company’s business units and became Chairman and CEO of Wrights Group in 2014.

Commenting on his honour he said: “I am naturally delighted and honoured to be receiving an OBE – an award that is a reflection of the contribution that Wrights Group now makes to the UK economy both in domestic and export markets.”

Dr William Wright CBE, the founder of Wrights Group added his congratulations.

He said: “It is fantastic to see that our current Chairman and CEO Mark Nodder is to be honoured with an OBE – Mark’s commitment to Wrights Group is second to

none and he is an excellent ambassador not only for us, but Northern Ireland business as a whole.”

NI Chamber Chief Executive, Ann McGregor said: “Mark is a champion of business here and this honour is thoroughly well deserved.”

Another leading industry figure Roy Adair, Chief Executive of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, was also honoured with a CBE for services to the UK ports industry.

Mark Nodder.

Pictured: (L-R) Murty O Donoghue, Managing Director at Elite Home Products Ltd and Brian Steele, Managing Director of Capitol Essentials.

Newtownards firm awards exclusive distribution contract Capitol Essentials has awarded Elite Home Products Ltd an exclusive six-figure contract to distribute its range of nonfood impulse products in the Republic of Ireland.

The deal will see Shannon-based Elite Home Products Ltd manage and grow an established nationwide customer base and seek to increase sales of the distinctive green and red packaged products in more than 4,000 retail outlets. The news follows a strong a period of growth for Capitol Essentials which recently bolstered its team with four senior hires in Northern Ireland.

Established in 1989, the company specialises in a range of convenience and emergency items including adhesives, baby care, pet care, hair care, household and stationery products. The move gives it access to a comprehensive sales and merchandising service and a strong wholesale distributor network that can supply the 220-plus product range immediately and guarantees order fulfilment within 24-hours across the country.

Brian Steele, managing director of Capitol Essentials, said the company’s partnership approach, customer focus and ability to deliver superior service standards were driving factors in awarding the contract to Elite Home Products: “It is pleasing to be building a strategic partnership with a family-owned firm that shares our values and customer focus.

This deal is good news for our clients who need every inch of shelf space to work harder for them. When we introduced a similar approach in Great Britain, most retailers benefited from a marked increase in sales – up to 40% in some cases. Elite Home Products has proven that it has the expertise and capability to can help us replicate that success in Ireland.

For retailers this deal means our product range will be better optimised to their needs and more rapidly replenished or adapted to consumer demands. As always, they will only ever carry the stock required and, with our sale or return policy, if a product is not selling we will remove it and replace with a more suitable line. As part of the tie-up we’ll also be reviewing

many of our price points to ensure they deliver greater sales potential.”

Murty O Donoghue, Managing Director at Elite Home Products Ltd, said: “This is the start of an exciting partnership between two fast-growing indigenous businesses. It will create further jobs in our core workforce and open new opportunities for both companies to grow in a competitive sector.

“Our flexible and responsive approach has helped us build strong relationships with many of the best performing groups and independent shops across Ireland.

We know that customers are more discerning in how they make purchase decisions and expect to see greater value in every product range. Our partnership with Capitol Essentials is a great step forward for us and for retailers who have the chance to secure stronger returns and capitalise on the booming demand for non-food impulse products. “ To find out more about the range of Capitol Essentials products visit www.capitolessentials.com

HOUSEHOLD • PARTY • COOKWARE • PET • SEWING • ADHESIVES • HAIR CARE PERSONAL CARE • BABY CARE • HARDWARE • STATIONERY • ELECTRICAL

ROI: 061 360 383 NI: 02890 448 737 E: info@capitolessentials.com www.capitolessentials.com

[news]

Investment Search begins for takes off at plastics Northern Ireland’s top business achievers firm Dawn Cann of Avondale Foods, winner of the all-island Food & Drink award last year, Andy Mills Regional Director of business banking, Ulster Bank, and Richard Donnan, Ulster Bank.

Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell with the Chairman of the Denroy Group, John Rainey.

Denroy Plastics is to create 32 jobs as part of a £3 million investment at its plant in Bangor.

The company, which operates across a number of sectors including aerospace, medical and defence, intends to expand its aerospace production capacity.

Denroy Plastics is part of the Denroy Group which includes the Denman International haircare range. It employs 119 people.

As part of the investment project, which is backed by Invest NI with a financial support package worth £400,000, Denroy plan to purchase new equipment.

The company has developed products that reduce weight and help streamline the manufacturing process for aircraft by converting metal components and assemblies to plastics.

It is currently one of the UK’s leading providers of precision plastic injection mouldings.

During a visit to Denroy’s headquarters in Bangor, Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell said the decision to expand its aerospace production facility represented a “step change” for the company, which hopes to grow sales in the international aerospace market.

SMEs are being encouraged to enter a leading awards scheme that could land them unrivalled publicity, including a £35,000 publishing bursary.

Ulster Bank has officially launched its prestigious Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, which include awards for Ulster companies, followed by an all-island final.

Run in association with Invest NI and IntertradeIreland, the awards seek to celebrate the achievements of local companies across a wide range of sectors.

Entries will be welcomed for this year’s awards from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all sectors and must be received by Friday 25 September. Companies can enter in any two of the following categories: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Business Start Up Award Small Business Award Established SME Award International Business Award Woman Led Business Award Food & Drink Award Social Enterprise Award Agri-Business Award

Judges in the two-tiered competition will recognise successes in the Ulster provincial stage before inviting these winners to compete at an all-island awards ceremony. Taking place in December, this event will crown all-island category winners as the overall Ulster Bank Business Achiever for 2015.

This year’s overall winner will walk away with a comprehensive prize package including a £35,000 publishing bursary with the Belfast Telegraph, business mentoring, and a full-service communications workshop, plus media exposure.

Richard Donnan of Ulster Bank said: “The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the many accomplishments of our local SMEs and we are delighted to do so.” * Companies can submit their entries via BusinessAchieversAward.com and are permitted to enter up to two of the eight categories.

A progressive move Progressive Building Society has opened a new branch in Cornmarket in Belfast City centre.

The new branch, which is one of 12 that Progressive has in cities and towns across Northern Ireland, is part of a £2million investment strategy in developing and enhancing its branch network through refurbishments and new branch openings since June 2014.

The building society which held its 100th AGM this year recently announced that its new mortgage lending had increased 30 per cent to £153 million and post-tax profits for 2014 of £9.85 million reflecting the growing

12 NI Chamber

confidence in the Northern Ireland housing market.

Commenting on the opening Darina Armstrong, Chief Executive said: “The investment in our branch network strengthens our position as one of Northern Ireland’s leading providers of mortgages and savings.

As consumer confidence returns it’s our view that the local housing market will see sustainable growth throughout the remainder of 2015 and beyond and our key focus will be on continuing to provide security for our members and building on our financial strength.”

Darina Armstrong, Progressive Building Society Chief Executive and Kevin Flannery, Customer Services Manager.

[news]

Posthumous Special Innovation Award Lord Ballyedmond OBE, founder of the globally successful Norbrook Laboratories, was posthumously awarded a Special Innovation Founder award at a ceremony in the Northern Ireland Science Park.

Richard Milliken, Chairman of NI Science Park and Finance Minister Arlene Foster presented Lady Mary Ballyedmond with the specially commissioned sculptural award created by local artist Heather Wilson in recognition of her husband’s outstanding contribution to the economy of Northern Ireland. Previous Innovation Founders include the late Professor John Anderson, co-founder of Intelesens and HeartSine Technologies and Dr Peter Fitzgerald CBE, founder of Randox.

Richard Milliken said the untimely death last year of Lord Ballyedmond had deprived Northern Ireland of a great business entrepreneur and innovator.

He added: “We hope this special award will continue to keep his name alive as an inspiring role model for future generations of entrepreneurs and innovators”.

Dr Peter Fitzgerald delivered a citation to an audience of business leaders and peers of Lord Ballyedmond.

He said: “It is fitting that we recognise Lord Ballyedmond as one of our inspirational Innovation Founders.”

Dr Peter Fitzgerald CBE, Chief Executive Randox Laboratories with Lady Mary Ballyedmond, Arlene Foster, Minister for Finance and Richard Milliken, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Science Park.

Putting Food in the Frame Moya Neeson, Company Director of Morrow Communications, one of Ireland’s leading integrated communications specialists, pictured at a recent shoot.

An appetite for video as a digital marketing tool has fuelled a surge in business for Holywood-based Morrow Communications, and it is the local food industry which is driving the growth.

Over the past three months alone, Morrow’s production team has created video content for over 30 local food companies – large and small – and with 2016 being designated Year of Food, the trend looks set to continue.

For close to thirty years, constant innovation and creativity has kept the leading marketing consultancy at the forefront of the video production industry and Company Director Moya Neeson believes there has never been a more exciting time for video.

“Video has always been a very important marketing tool, but its reach has increased hugely in recent years because of social media,” she said.

“We have found that many of our local food companies, already leading the way in export growth for Northern Ireland, are also at the forefront when it comes to embracing video content.”

Moya believes the secret to successful on-line video content, lies in the quality of the production.

“Capturing the essence of fresh food and drink products demands high quality, high definition images. The appeal is totally visual so the creative approach and filming techniques must do the product justice and allow you to practically ’taste’ the product. Some of our clients are now using video to bring their products right into people’s kitchens with ‘How to’ style recipe videos.”

Morrows recently produced a showreel to highlight the strength of the sector at the prestigious 2015 NI Food & Drink Awards. NIFDA director Michael Bell believes the new combination of digital and video could offer many more companies a useful marketing tool both - home and abroad.

“We are a small region and the need to export is critical to our survival and growth. NIFDA has identified the potential for the food and drink industry to deliver 15,000 new jobs and grow export sales to over £5 billion by 2020.

“Our international image and reputation are critical to this and the combination of video and digital could offer more companies a cost effective marketing tool to reach out to a global audience.”

Kids ‘Go Berserk’ for coding workshops at libraries Leading Japanese ICT provider Fujitsu joined forces with Libraries NI to deliver a series of coding workshops in selected libraries for school children across Northern Ireland.

The ‘Go Berserk’ coding workshops follows the launch of Stranmillis University College lecturer Ian Simons’ second ‘Go Berserk’ coding book - a user friendly, pupil and teacher resource to encourage local school children to learn software coding skills at an early age.

Greg McDaid, Managing Director, Fujitsu, said: “Partnering with our customer Libraries NI, we were able to support more schools across Northern Ireland to deliver the ‘Go Berserk’ programme by offering venues equipped with the necessary ICT technology and a team of Fujitsu ICT experts to get young people engaged in all things digital.”

Irene Knox, Chief Executive, Libraries NI said: “We were thrilled to host a number of schools in libraries across Northern Ireland for the ‘Go Berserk’ workshops which not only benefitted the children and teachers taking part, but helped our library staff understand more about coding.”

Libraries NI Chief Executive, Irene Knox and Greg McDaid, Managing Director, Fujitsu with Caoimhe Smith (11) and Coran Harper (11) from St. Kieran’s Primary School, Poleglass.

NI Chamber 13

[columnist] SIOBHAN LAVERY, DIRECTOR (NI) OF INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY, ICAN

In top position SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is one of the most important ways for a website to become “discoverable” as Siobhan Lavery explains.

A

business without a website raises eyebrows at the best of times and a business that is not seen or cannot be found online turns customers away at the worst of times. At ICAN, we are a firm believer in the power of online search for businesses of all sizes. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the name given to activity that increases the number of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in results on Google and other search engines. This means your customers can find you and you know where you stand against your competitors.

Research has shown that less than 1 in 5 people go past the first page of Google’s search results. Are you among the top positions when you search for your product type or service? If not, then you need SEO services. When it comes to building a website – it should be built for the user and not for Google and should be populated with rich and relevant content. In the long term, you will be rewarded for an honest approach to SEO and your web presence in general.

Don’t buy links or try any tactics in order to ‘cheat Google’ – it just won’t work.

Think about your products themselves, but also the solutions that your products offer to potential customer problems. This influences the ‘search funnel’. For example, a potential travel insurance customer may type multiple phrases into the Google search bar. They might first search for something like “I lost my luggage”, and then search “does travel insurance cover lost luggage?”, followed by “best travel insurance northern Ireland”. It is recommended to have content on your website for all of the above if you do sell travel insurance, otherwise you won’t feature fully in the “search funnel”.

14 NI Chamber

“When someone searches for a product or service that you offer, you want to be on the first page of Google’s search results.

Otherwise, your website will get minimal traffic from people searching online.”

SEO is about putting yourself in the mind of your potential customers and what they might search for.

But what does “ranking on Google” actually mean?

When someone searches for a product or service that you offer, you want to be on the first page of Google’s search results. Otherwise, your website will get minimal traffic from people searching online. You will, of course, rank for your own brand name when someone searches for it – but that’s not what SEO is, it’s the other keywords that you want to rank highly for.

There are many agencies who offer SEO services and will report just on rankings, but that’s not the full picture. If you are not getting regular reports that talk about your website’s overall performance, as well as how many users are actually converting for you via search, then there’s something missing. It’s important to regularly monitor who is linking to your website and if they are spammy websites. No matter what you sell or offer online, you can actually make SEO accountable by tracking exactly what your investment is doing for you. Otherwise, it’s a blind investment.

However, there are some common pitfalls with SEO that a small business may run into.

You may encounter SEO agencies who will promise you the number one position on Google. This is simply not possible, because Google change their algorithm so often, but that’s not to say that it can’t eventually happen. If anyone ever promises that you will be top of Google’s search results, then either shut the door or hang up the phone. The reason for this is that you are probably being sold short-term wins that Google will eventually penalise you for – and that’s definitely not something any business wants. In fact, it can kill an online-only business.

Content will remain an important factor – it is vital to keep your website regularly updated, fresh and relevant. Furthermore, mobile is now becoming increasingly important and your rankings on Google will eventually suffer more if your website is not mobile-friendly.

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achieving sustainable business growth through innovation G avin Kennedy, Director of Business Banking for Bank of Ireland UK in Northern Ireland, is determined and focused to drive the Bank’s business banking ambition for growth.

“With experienced business advisers in all our branches and commercial centres, who have in depth knowledge of our customer’s requirements, we can ensure we provide speedy decision making and the right support when it matters.”

Rich Sauces based in Newtownards are a Bank of Ireland UK customer and the world’s only large scale producers of uncooked sauces. Their products are both expensive to produce and by their nature have a relatively short shelf life, however, the unique flavour and award winning quality of the final product, more than makes up for these logistical short comings. With customers focused largely on price, growing the business was always going to be a challenge.

They had to innovate to survive.

Fast forward nearly thirty years and the business continues to invest heavily in research, development and innovation to fuel their growth and expand their export opportunities. Founder, Trevor Kells, has teamed up with Dr. Liam Ryan and together they’re steering the business into exciting areas that will set new industry standards worldwide through their willingness to do things differently.

They’re already working in conjunction with the University of Ulster and have significantly reduced the levels of campylobacter in chicken, a global problem currently, and have filed patents that will have far reaching implications for the safe production of poultry at a time when there is pressure to produce ever greater volumes for the word’s growing population.

The business is also looking at producing Algal Oil for a local source of high quality, nutritionally superior oil

16 NI Chamber

Trevor Kells, Founder, Rich Sauces and Gavin Kennedy, Director, Bank of Ireland UK in NI.

which would reduce the requirement to import oil and make the whole industry more sustainable and environmentally friendly, two key driving forces in this innovative business.

Trevor says: “Northern Ireland has far more ability than we ever give ourselves credit for. Our long term ambition is to see Newtownards become the Silicon Valley of Food Research and we’re

willing to invest heavily to achieve that.

“Innovation alone won’t fuel growth, businesses need to passionately sell their ideas and products beyond the limitations of this local market if they’re to succeed.

“The importance of exports can’t be overstated. If we supplied Northern Ireland alone we’d only need to operate

a single production line once a week. Instead we operate seven production lines and are able to export to markets across Europe, the Middle East and now the US.” RiverRidge Recycling is another innovative Bank of Ireland UK customer who recognises the importance of looking out to global markets as a means of succeeding. Brett Ross, Managing Director, says: “To a large extent our success has been in taking a fresh look at standard business practices within the waste and energy sector and developing innovative treatment techniques which have allowed us to generate recycled products for export.

“Companies such as Bombardier and WrightBus are fine examples of what can be achieved when a company looks beyond perceived boundaries. We pride ourselves on continuing to push those boundaries.

“We invest heavily in technology to give us a competitive advantage. We’re generating power from waste on site and we recently installed technology to recycle leachate from landfill cells to generate clean water. Our future plans include investment in new drying plant technology. In keeping with our clear development strategy that reaches forward a number of years, all of this enables us to continue to grow and to deliver for both our customers and shareholders.”

Julie Ann O’Hare, Head of Strategy & Sectors NI, for Bank of Ireland UK: “There are growth opportunities evident across all sectors but we have long recognised that it is those businesses investing in innovation and technology and focused on developing their exports who will provide the greatest opportunities for sustainable growth in our economy.

“Collaborating with business and industry partners, bringing the right people together and sharing new ideas and best practices that for me is what creates the environment conducive to driving

innovation and growth. We have made it our business to develop partnerships with industry bodies such as the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the CBI, NIFDA, Invest NI, to ensure we can support businesses whose ambitions have a global reach.

“Bank of Ireland UK are the main partner in Northern Ireland Science Park’s two major programmes – INVENT and the Knowledge Economy Index - and we’re at the forefront in supporting business ideas that can be traded in external markets. What is important for us as a business is that we are continuously challenging ourselves to be innovative, through delivering new products and new and improved processes and technologies to support our customers in new ways. It’s all about creating added value products and services that will command a premium that then fuels future growth.”

Elaine Smyth, Head of Programmes at NISP Connect, has enjoyed a career among some of Northern Ireland’s most innovative and cutting edge businesses and witnessed firsthand the phenomenal success that can be achieved by local companies willing to innovate and compete in the global market.

Elaine is passionate about the potential she sees in Northern Ireland. She says: “Whether companies are SMEs or large corporates, we see time and again those that innovate do enjoy more success and at NISP, our goal is to see more indigenous companies thrive in a global setting.

“Our networks at NISP are global and it is one of the key areas where we can add real value and benefit those businesses with a scalable idea and the ambition to reach markets across the world.”

Barry Reynold’s is founder of Reynold’s Sports and a finalist in the Bank of Ireland UK sponsored NISP INVENT 2015 programme.

By his own admission, he can’t recall a time he hasn’t been

NI Chamber 17

involved in the search for a successful composite Hurling stick. His father made the first ever synthetic hurling stick in 1976 and went on to invent a myriad of things – but a successful composite stick has eluded the hurling world, and Barry ….until now.

He says: “Ash is very strong, very pliable and very hard to emulate.

The rapid spread of Ash Die Back disease has created a huge shortage of supplies and, with natural sources badly depleted and commercial timber growers risk averse, the hurling world needs an alternative.”

Barry’s been at the forefront in developing a synthetic product that can emulate ash and is in the final stages of development which will see his innovation on the market by November.

The potential is huge.

By the GAA’s own figures, there are 750,000 ash hurling sticks sold annually. An estimated 450,000 children play hurling each year and that figure is growing at a rate of 25% per annum – in Ireland alone. Now, with Sky Television showing Hurling games, the sport is seen as an export opportunity.

Barry has always had a global market in his sights and readily admits that 90% of what he produces will be sold in Ireland and is already exploring markets in GB and the US. He is also looking beyond Hurling and wants to see the technology applied to other sports equipment kit such as hockey and cricket.

It’s been a long road getting to this stage, but Barry would encourage others to innovate and do the same.

He says: “Be positive, be open, be prepared and reach out – there are plenty of people out there to help if you have an idea.”

Gavin Kennedy concludes: “Bank of Ireland UK is passionate about helping businesses to realise their potential.

We’re committed to being Northern Ireland’s ‘Enterprise Bank’ and to providing innovative and competitive solutions for our customers as they work to succeed in a global market.

For me it’s about our people working hard to understand our customers, their business needs and become a valued partner.” www.bankofireland.co.uk 18 NI Chamber

Eamon Doherty, Financial Director, RiverRidge Recycling with Gavin Kennedy, Director, Bank of Ireland UK.

Barry Reynolds, Founder, Reynold’s Sports, Julie Ann O’Hare, Head of Strategy & Sectors NI for Bank of Ireland UK and Elaine Smyth, Head of Programmes at NISP Connect.

[Face to Face with....] Stephanie Mulholland, Associate Director at Brightwater Recruitment

Culture club Fitting into the culture of an organisation is of paramount importance – if you don’t, then the job IS not for you as Stephanie Mulholland tells Adrienne McGill.

W

e spend a third of our lives at work, and in our fast-paced world, people are moving around from job to job more frequently, seeking a company that allows them to maximise their potential, earn more money, or achieve a better work-life balance. For some, all of these factors will be equally important, while others will prioritise them differently.

Whatever our priorities, work feeds into many different aspects of our lives – it influences our self-identity, self-esteem, and opportunities for personal growth.

This is where cultural fit comes into play.

The candidate whose values, beliefs, outlook and behaviour is in keeping with those existing within an organisation is likely to be a good cultural fit for the organisation.

Employees who fail to fit within the environment generally leave to find a work environment or culture which is more in line with their own values and beliefs.

Stephanie Mulholland, recently appointed as Associate Director with Brightwater Recruitment in Belfast says fitting in with the culture of an organisation is very much up to the individual.

“An employer can look at a candidate’s application form and see that he/she has ticked all the boxes and on paper looks perfect – but the thing that will get that person over the line is the culture fit and whether they are going to transition into the business, into the hierarchy that’s there, and into the reporting structures.

“Some people work better in a flat structure and for them to move into an organisation with many tiers and with dual reporting lines and lots of stakeholders to please, is going to be like chalk and cheese.

“Some people are ready for it and some people like a challenge – and on the odd occasion you can transition but on the whole clients will want someone who will hit the ground running.”

Employees are not the only ones who benefit from good cultural fit. Organisations get a happier, more productive person who is more likely to stay with the company for longer and work hard to help achieve its goals. They also potentially save a huge amount of money – hiring new employees to replace those who leave in despair as a result of poor fit is an expensive business.

Stephanie says it’s important for job candidates to perfect their interview skills so they can give their interviewer the impression they’ll fit in nicely and walk

away with a job offer. However, it’s equally important for them to assess whether the culture of the company they are interested in is one they think they’ll thrive in.

“Of course there are employers who set the bar too high – and they want everything on their wish list,” says Stephanie.

“The ideal candidate can be hard to find – so it is a case of the recruitment consultant drilling down and finding out whether the employer, who is using a recruitment company to find the right person for the job, is willing to be flexible and also finding

“Of course there are employers who set the bar too high – and they want everything on their wish list.”

out where the position is going to go in the future. You need to get a sense of the weighting that is placed on the various criteria.

“Clients want to go to a provider, like ourselves, and be comfortable that they are working in the background and will only present the best candidates to them.

“The overriding thing in applying for a job is – you have to be able to do it?”

Brightwater has seen significant growth in its business over the past year due to increasing recruitment by indigenous companies but also a number of inward investment projects which the recruitment specialist has managed exclusively. This in turn has led to new opportunities for professional recruiters to join Brightwater’s Belfast team.

“We are currently hiring ambitious recruiters who want to progress their career within a professional, polished and supportive environment,” says Stephanie.

“Our culture is very collaborative, high energy, professional, fun and ambitious. We like to work hard and celebrate our successes as a team. For us, it’s all about growth in 2015 and beyond so finding talent to join us in this growth is a key priority for me.”

NI Chamber 19

[Feature]

BA’s Summer Sunshine schedule takes off British Airways’ network reaches new heights for Northern Ireland customers says Keith Chuter, British Airways Sales Manager for Ireland, UK Regions and Tourist Boards.

A

t British Airways we have invested £5 billion in new and upgraded aircraft as well as innovative technologies to ensure that our customers continue to enjoy a top class and unparalleled travelling experience across the world.

As a leading global airline with over 90 years’ expertise in catering for customers, British Airways understands the extensive needs of our passengers. We constantly strive to ensure that we continue to provide a hassle free, efficient and enjoyable travelling experience both in the air as well as on the ground to a wide variety of domestic, European and international destinations.

With the summer season now upon us, British Airways is expanding its offering of new routes from London, designed to appeal to both business and leisure customers. The airline recently announced that from May 2015, British Airways passengers can avail of six new short-haul and one new longhaul route from London. This includes the much anticipated daily service from London Heathrow into Kuala Lumpar, which recently departed for the first time on 27th May this year.

We are excited to put Kuala Lumpar, one of Asia’s most dynamic cities, firmly on the British Airways route map. As a key Asian economic power-house, with a strong 20 NI Chamber

focus on tourism and international trade, British Airways is delighted to be able to offer customers these daily flights, operated by our Boeing 777 aircraft. It is a route that we are already seeing a strong demand for from both business and leisure customers.

Business customers can benefit from the huge commercial opportunities in Malaysia.

With its thriving economy and strong connections to the UK, the new route opens up numerous connecting routes from Kuala Lumpar throughout Malaysia and further afield. It is also an exciting destination for leisure customers who have the opportunity to explore the stunning sights that Malaysia has to offer.

The additional six sunshine destinations, recently launched include Krakow in Poland and Corfu in Greece as well as Split in Croatia, Kos in Greece and Olbia in Sardinia all conveniently departing from London Heathrow. Funchal in Madeira is also now flying from London Gatwick. These routes bring the total number of new short-haul destinations launched this year to thirteen and with eighteen new routes scheduled for 2015, it makes the most number of new routes in a twelve month period from British Airways, in over a decade.

Each of these recent route announcements highlight the importance that British Airways’

“We are excited to put Kuala Lumpar, one of Asia’s most dynamic cities, firmly on the British Airways route map.” places on continuing to ensure that we provide customers with a premium travelling experience and a top class offering. With up to six flights a day from Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow, we provide customers with excellent connectivity to our extensive global network of over 130 destinations from London Heathrow.

Northern Ireland passengers can now connect to important European and long-haul destinations on arrival at London Heathrow without having to transfer between terminals.

British Airways flights from Belfast City Airport have now moved to the airline’s flagship Heathrow home, Terminal 5. As a result, local customers are provided with a seamless and smoother traveling experience, which is likely to cut minimum connection times for local customers travelling to onward British Airways flights from Terminal 5 by 30 minutes, to just one hour – significantly reducing journey times.

We look forward to welcoming customers flying from Belfast into our flagship Heathrow home at Terminal 5 and onto our wide variety of connecting routes in the near future.

Chamber chief’s

From networking events to meetings with government ministers and in-camera dinners with leaders in business, the hectic round of activity spearheaded by NI Chamber for the benefit of members never stops. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor gives a taste of what’s taken place recently with a picture gallery over the following pages.

It’s a time of new change at NI Chamber with our new President Stephen McCully taking up the chain of office. We are delighted to welcome him to the position in what will, as ever, be a busy year ahead as we pack in a host of events and initiatives.

As Managing Director of Power NI, Stephen has his finger on the pulse of the Northern Ireland economy and is well placed to represent our members.

Our new Vice President Nick Coburn, Managing Director of Ulster Carpets also takes up his role and we are delighted to welcome him.

recommendations across five priority areas to achieve growth and prosperity.

Of particular relevance is the fact that political stability and the Northern Ireland Executive pulling together on the economy are seen as vital for business growth.

With this to the fore, NI Chamber is looking forward to meeting our MP’s and Stormont Ministers over the Summer to progress the action plan. I travelled across Northern Ireland and had the pleasure of meeting many members to discuss the action plan. I’d like to express my thanks to all our members who made their views known.

Onto our events – and over the last few months we have had a spectacular round.

NI Chamber in partnership with Bank of Ireland UK held the first Meet The Buyer event of the Connecting for Growth 2015 programme at Armagh City Hotel.

Delegates were addressed by Bank of Ireland’s Sean Sheehan.

leading companies such as Moy Park, Irwin’s Bakery and Bombardier. NI Chamber’s Growing Something Brilliant conference in May at Titanic Belfast, supported by SSE Airtricity and First Trust Bank focused on unleashing business growth. Delegates heard from a panel of successful exporters who shared their stories of making the leap from local to international markets and a number of business experts from China, Poland, Slovakia and India gave advice on trading with their respective countries.

Keynote speaker Andy Bruce, Chief Executive of Lookers car dealership network, which owns Charles Hurst in Northern Ireland gave an insight into his competitive business.

Andy Bruce.

Ann McGregor, Stephen McCully and Nick Coburn.

A special mention must also go to NI Chamber’s immediate past President Kevin Kingston, Danske Bank Deputy Chief Executive who has done a sterling job over the past year in representing the organisation at a time when delicate negotiations over the devolution of Corporation Tax have dominated the headlines.

Staying with all things new – and NI Chamber recently launched its Growing Something Brilliant action plan following consultation with our membership of 1,200 companies. It sets out almost 40

22 NI Chamber

Sean Sheehan.

The cross-border trade initiative is designed to facilitate increased business between companies from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There was a huge turnout with companies pitching for business with some of Northern Ireland’s

Meanwhile, Larry Murrin, Chief Executive of Dawn Farm Foods addressed over 100 members of the Northern Ireland business community at an event hosted by NI Chamber and SSE Airtricity at the Grand Opera House.

Chamber chief’s update Larry Murrin.

At the invitation of Richard Donnan, Ulster Bank Managing Director, Retail Banking and Corporate and SME NI, I had the opportunity to meet the executive team at RBS for a discussion on Northern Ireland’s economic and political landscape.

The team included RBS Chief Executive Ross McEwan and Ulster Bank’s Chief Executive Jim Brown. It was an invigorating meeting and helped reinforce the message that since devolution Northern Ireland’s economy has developed many strengths.

NEW MEMBERS Business Services Cannon Hygiene Cyphra DB Mc Larnon Fire Protection Agency MPA Recruitment Office Depot Ltd The Postalgroup Construction Parr Group PRO Stainless Designs Ltd. Exporting of Animal Feed W&R Barnett Ltd (BHH) Gym/Fitness Club Pure Gym

Dawn Farm Foods is one of Ireland’s largest and most successful agri-food businesses, supplying an impressive portfolio of global quick service restaurants and major food manufacturers. The company employs over 800 people across its three production plants in Ireland and the UK. Staying with agri-food and Banbridgebased Fane Valley hosted a visit from the Minister for Regional Development, Danny Kennedy at an event held by NI Chamber as part of ‘Minister on the Move’ – a business led initiative in partnership with British Airways and American Airlines.

Fane Valley Chief Executive Trevor Lockhart provided an overview of the growth journey of the farmer owned co-op,

Hospitality and Tourism Bailies Coffee Company Ltd Todds Leap Jim Brown, Richard Donnan, Ann McGregor and Ross McEwan.

Finally, NI Chamber’s annual lunch was a feast for anyone who loves horse racing – and even those that don’t.

All time champion jockey A P McCoy enthralled guests at the packed event at Belfast City Hall with his tales of wins, injuries, training, diet…and his mother. It was a truly inspirational insight into the grueling regime he has kept during his long domination of the National Hunt sphere.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness praised his bravery and skill

ICT MXA Digital Rainbow Communications Import and distribution Lissan Coal Company Legal Arnall Golden Gregory LLP Manufacturing Enva Northern Ireland Kane Engineering KME Steelworks Ltd Seating Matters The Old Bushmills Distillery Co Ltd Wilson Resources Limited Professional Services Ampion Testing Limited Evolve Procurement Ltd. O’Connor Kennedy Turtle Property franchise BeckettHanlon Worldwide Property Franchise Training Elite Training & Consultancy Services Ltd.

A P McCoy and Martin McGuinness.

Minister Danny Kennedy and Trevor Lockhart.

from its establishment in 1903 to being Northern Ireland largest agricultural cooperative.

in the saddle and the event ended with a standing ovation for the recently retired Moneyglass man. The odds may be against surpassing this event next year but rest assured NI Chamber is already racing ahead with plans.

Utilities Electric Ireland Gibson Plus Ltd *To become a member of NI Chamber join online at www. northernirelandchamber.com or phone the membership team on 02890 244113

NI Chamber 23

Growing Something Brilliant Conference

Chris Plant (British Chamber of Commerce, Slovak Republic).

Industry experts Owen Brennan (Devenish Nutrition), Elaine Patterson (Ulster Carpets), Ashley Piggott (AJ Power), Patrick Joy (Suretank Group) with compere for the event Naomi McMullan (The Profit Margin).

Marian Troy and Vicky Boden (SSE Airtricity).

Aisling Press (First Trust) with guest speaker Andy Bruce (Lookers) and Kevin Kingston (NI Chamber).

Trevor Gilliland (Outsource Solutions NI) and Jonny Madill (A&L Goodbody).

Ciaran Timony (Wellington International).

Minister on the Move

Minister Danny Kennedy.

Brenda Morgan (British Airways); Minister Danny Kennedy; Trevor Lockhart (Fane Valley); Stephen McCully (NI Chamber) and Caitriona Toner (American Airlines).

Caitriona Toner (American Airlines) and Michael McKeown (Crash Services).

Over 80 delegates attended the event.

Trevor Lockhart (Fane Valley).

Tour of Fane Valley facilities.

NI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL LUNCH

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, A P McCoy, Ann McGregor and Stephen McCully (NI Chamber).

Liza Hammond and Beatrice Cosgrove (Etihad Airways).

Kevin Kingston (Danske Bank), A P McCoy and Mark Nodder (Wrights Group).

Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, Minister Jonathan Bell, Lady Bloomfield and Chris Sherry.

Briege Bradley (Ulster Bank), A P McCoy and Ellvena Graham (NI Chamber Board).

Peter Russell (BT), PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton and Patrick Brown (Tughans).

Taking Action N I Chamber recently launched a dynamic and far reaching action plan for growing the Northern Ireland economy.

The document has been launched by us following consultation with our membership of 1,200 companies from across Northern Ireland and includes almost 40 recommendations across five priority areas in order to achieve growth and prosperity across the region.

Above all, political stability and a Northern Ireland Executive pulling together on the economy is seen as vital for business growth in Northern Ireland. We are already lagging behind the other UK regions in terms of a recovery. In NI Chamber’s ‘Growing Something Brilliant: An Action Plan to Grow the Northern Ireland Economy’ document, a number of proposals are set out which are seen as the key principles for driving the growth of the economy under the headings of skills, infrastructure, supporting investment, cutting costs for business and growing exports.

Our plan makes a number of recommendations to help overcome barriers to business growth. These are practical, pragmatic and achievable and the goals are shared by companies in every county of Northern Ireland. We call on the Northern Ireland Executive and local authorities, regardless of location or political colour, to work together – and with us – to make it a reality.

The five key areas that must be addressed by the Northern Ireland Executive are: •Growing Northern Ireland’s global trade potential – Building international networks, investing in our export skills base and removing barriers to trade will support Northern Ireland businesses to compete on a global stage.

Our recommendations include: • Provide an easy to navigate and highly visible continuum of support for the business start, growth and export life cycle, particularly for potential/new exporters to include export finance.

• Increase SME participation in procurement, making it easier for consortia to compete for large public sector contracts by removing the substantial hurdles small businesses face when coming together to compete with larger providers.

• Ensure that the Export Strategy/ Action Plan currently being developed for Northern Ireland puts business (not support organisations) at the centre of actions agreed and results in a streamlined, visible and effective service.

Stephen McCully (NI Chamber), Ann McGregor (NI Chamber), John Haran (HMC Global) and Kevin Kingston (NI Chamber) launch ‘Growing Something Brilliant: An Action Plan to Grow the Northern Ireland Economy’.

•Supporting long-term business investment – Encouraging and supporting investment in dynamic businesses, including access to finance, is critical in driving the rebalancing of the Northern Ireland economy that is so badly needed to improve productivity and encourage competitiveness.

Our recommendations include: • Create the right financial environment to ensure ease of access to the most appropriate loan and equity products to help businesses expand and grow by encouraging the development of a stronger local banking voice.

NI Chamber 27

• Improve awareness of, and access to, alternative sources of finance other than debt finance e.g. private equity market as well as sources including crowdfunding and peer to peer lending etc.

• Create the right planning environment to facilitate business development and growth efficiently and effectively by setting a 10 week decision making process for business applications.

• Implement the Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Strategy designed to remove barriers to businesses particularly SMEs taking on apprentices and ensure seamless progress for apprentices.

• Promote enterprise modules for all higher and further education students so that they have the opportunity to build up their knowledge of business, better preparing them for work or to set up their own firms.

as recommended by the DETI Review of Red Tape, to continue to highlight the challenges faced by business.

•Developing the talents and ambitions of our citizens – Preparing young people for the world of work, investing in the skills of those already at work, and ensuring that we have the skills required to grow the economy, are essential to Northern Ireland’s competitiveness.

•Driving down business costs and taxes – Costs and taxes are a major challenge to all businesses, in particular manufacturers. Reducing costs and the amount of tax that firms pay will boost businesses competitiveness, investment and jobs.

Our recommendations include: • Address the current demand for Grade A office and industrial space which is likely to intensify as a result of the devolution of corporation tax powers.

• Invest in public transport services to enhance connectivity and mobility.

• Ensure that key infrastructure projects of significant economic benefit are identified and fast tracked for early completion.

A Northern Ireland built for growth is a Northern Ireland where business policies are fit for the long term; local business communities are empowered; the machinery of national and local Government works with and for business.

Our recommendations include: • Ensure that the investment in skills is prioritised and that there is sufficient budget allocated to support the development of STEM programmes, international business expertise and the expansion of the Assured Skills programme.

WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY:

Our recommendations include: • Set a date and a rate for the reduction of corporation tax.

• Explore actions which reduce electricity prices for large users and to target alignment with the EU average.

• Identify a high level, Northern Ireland based better regulation business champion,

•Rebuilding Northern Ireland’s business infrastructure – A world-class economy needs world-class infrastructure to support economic growth, and businesses need certainty that crucial improvements will be delivered.

Karen Yates, Owner of Zing- Digital|Design|Display: “There is a great opportunity for the Northern Ireland Executive, and for public bodies who provide tenders, to look at how innovation can be highlighted in the procurement process. Currently, the rules are restrictive which means that if a company has an innovative service or product, no allowance is made within the tender to describe it or elaborate on it. There are opportunities here not only for small businesses to compete, but also for government and larger businesses to save money and run more efficiently.”

Alan Lowry, Managing Director of Environmental Street Furniture (ESF):

Patrick Leggett, Director at Xperience Group:

“Whilst ESF is a small company we are very much outward focused and we feel that support for global trade would help us and similar businesses to world-wide success. As a company we struggle for support for export ventures and even though we have currently a very strong overseas supply chain, further investment locally could really assist in this matter.”

“There is a definite shortage of people with strong software development and Microsoft skills. From an SME perspective, FDI can increase competition for skills, so we need access to, and support to, develop more local talent to ensure that we are not exposed and able to continue to expand.”

John Haran, Director of HMC Global:

Ian Henry, Director at Henry Brothers:

“Graduates often lack practical work experience, soft skills and an awareness of business development and its importance. Our growth is dependent on the availability and development of these skills and anything which can be done to assist us develop our people is paramount.”

“A stable political environment is crucial for local businesses as our government needs to start working together to get confidence back into Northern Ireland.

Government needs to issue a planned pipeline of infrastructure projects that it intends to release over the next three years so everyone is aware of its commitment to funding within Northern Ireland. In turn, this will help provide the confidence we need.”

28 NI Chamber

NI Chamber takes action plan on the road to members

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and David McCartney, Sales Director (Bullivant Taranto in Tandragee).

Michael McKeown, Managing Director (Crash Services in Newry) with Chris Morrow (NI Chamber).

Heather Farley (NI Chamber Council), Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and Alan Lowry, Managing Director (Environmental Street Furniture in Newtownabbey).

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) with Ian Henry, Director (Henry Brothers in Magherafelt).

Chris Morrow and Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) with Karen Yates, Owner (ZingDigital|Design|Display based in Coleraine).

Patrick Leggett, Director and Iain O’Kane, Managing Director (Xperience Group in Lisburn) with Ann McGregor (NI Chamber).

NI Chamber 29

Business Brilliance shines at GSB conference NI Chamber’s latest GSB conference had an international flavour this year writes Adrienne McGill.

Industry experts Owen Brennan (Devenish Nutrition), Elaine Patterson (Ulster Carpets), Ashley Piggott (AJ Power), Patrick Joy (Suretank Group) with Naomi McMullan (The Profit Margin).

30 NI Chamber

A

host of leading industry leaders, a panel of business experts and a group of experienced overseas business advisers – just some of the ingredients which provided an inspiring mix for NI Chamber’s latest Growing Something Brilliant (GSB) conference.

Hosted by NI Chamber, SSE Airtricity and First Trust Bank, the conference which took place at Titanic Belfast on 19 May centred on the theme ‘Unleashing business growth’ and focused on current or potential exporters.

Around 300 guests heard keynote speaker Andy Bruce, Group Chief Executive of Lookers, talk about the success of the company which has an annual turnover of

over £3 billion. Lookers operates a national solutions for the intensive livestock sector; inspiration and learn from each other. We network of car dealerships including Charles Patrick Joy, Director, Suretank Group, a had many volunteers – more developed Hurst in Northern Ireland and features a world-leading manufacturer of CCUs (Cargo businesses who provided excellent case wide range of car makes such as volume Carrying Units) for the Offshore Oil and Gas studies which focused on how they Industry; Elaine Patterson, Sales Director, brands Vauxhall and Renault, amongst succeeded in various ways including through others. Other brands in the company’s Ulster Carpets, which has long held a innovation, leadership and export. stable include high-end names Ferrari, Aston reputation for the manufacture of the highest “In the past 18 months, under the Martin, and Maserati.

Growing Something Brilliant The conference, which was banner NI Chamber has held compered by The Profit Margin’s 3 major conferences and 5 Naomi McMullan, also featured inspirational leadership events; “As we emerged from a panel of industry experts 54 sector experts have shared recession, GSB was designed comprising Owen Brennan, their experience and expertise Chairman and Chief Executive, and 1,200 businesses and 1,600 to increase business Devenish Nutrition which individuals have been supported. confidence and inspire provides leading edge nutritional “We also sought to influence more businesses to grow – policy makers in order to encourage them to support proto move Northern Ireland business, pro-enterprise policies. in a new direction.”

“I am delighted to report that progress has been made regarding the Department for quality and most luxurious carpets in the Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) market place and Ashley Piggott, Managing export action plan and also that Invest Director, AJ Power which specialises in the NI has announced a new process for volume manufacture and design of diesel supporting exporters. generating sets. They revealed how their “NI Chamber also recently participated companies have achieved unrivalled success in the Enterprise, Trade and Investment in export markets.

Committee’s inquiry which considers Also for the first time since the initial the potential for economic growth and Growing Something Brilliant conference in job creation following the reduction in 2013, there was an international flavour to Corporation Tax in Northern Ireland. events with overseas regional experts from “We provided evidence to the China, Slovakia, Poland and India providing Committee in a number of key areas and information and advice on the opportunities made a number of recommendations available in their respective countries. around skills, finance, the cost of doing Christopher Plant, Chief Executive, British business, infrastructure and exports.

Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak “The Northern Ireland Executive does Republic gave an overview of business recognise the scale of the export challenge opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe we face through DETI’s work on an export (CEE) with specific reference to Slovakia and action plan. NI Chamber is currently Poland; Vince Cunningham, China Business consulting with the department on this.

Advisor, China-Britain Business Council who “We will be liaising with the DETI Minister has helped many UK organisations – of all to ensure that more resources are directed business disciplines, sizes and types – to towards support that assists businesses understand, enter and develop the Chinese throughout the entire export lifecycle.” market offered advice on the subject and Steve Toogood, Director, UK India Business British Council shared his expertise on doing business in India.

The conference is part of NI Chamber’s overarching GSB campaign, which has a number of objectives – to increase business confidence; to inspire more businesses to set up and grow through innovation, leadership and export and to help as many smaller companies as practical move successfully and profitably into export markets.

Speaking at the event, Kevin Kingston, NI Chamber President who held the position until last month, said the GSB campaign was continuing to champion business.

“As we emerged from recession, GSB was designed to increase business confidence and inspire more businesses to grow – to move Northern Ireland in a new direction.

“The focus of the campaign was to take

NI Chamber 31

Stephen McCully 32 NI Chamber

Spotlight on the economy As Stephen McCully takes up the mantle as President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he tells Adrienne McGill about his priorities for the year ahead and why the prospect of reducing the level of Corporation Tax must not slip away.

F

or Stephen McCully, as a young boy growing up on his family’s farm outside Moneymore in Co. Derry, every day was like an episode of All Creatures Great and Small.

His father was a veterinary surgeon and operated his practice, where a number of newly qualified vets were also employed.

Stephen would often sit in on discussions his father was having with the vets as they had a cup of tea around the kitchen table and listen intently as they talked about their experiences, a difficult operation or procedure, or dealing with a condition they hadn’t seen before.

He would also frequently accompany his father while he was doing his rounds on farms in the locality and often would help while animals were being treated.

“The life of a rural vet is tough – it is very much a vocation.

“Vets are fantastic – animal welfare is a huge priority. The experiences I had watching my father work shaped my life,” says Stephen.

Looking back, the recently appointed new President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry says his father, who is now aged 91, instilled in him an appreciation of the importance of working hard and being constantly mindful of the interests and opinions of others.

It is this principle and the importance of a clear strategy, he says which will underpin his year ahead as NI Chamber President.

Stephen, who is the current Managing Director of Power NI, says he is keen to move ahead with the organisation’s recently published Growing Something Brilliant action plan which aims to help grow the local economy.

“It is very heartening to hear the praise given to the document by economists and politicians.

“The five areas on which we have made recommendations are clearly very important – not only to me but to the wider stakeholders in NI Chamber.

“Growing Northern Ireland’s global trade potential is vital – we have an abundance of very successful SMEs in Northern Ireland that are probably ready to broaden their horizons.

“With regard to investments – money is starting to flow and there are more diverse sources of financing emerging.

“We need to focus on the talents of the next generation – we have wonderfully talented people in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, many leave to work elsewhere and too many historically have been attracted by careers in the public sector. We would like talent

to remain in Northern Ireland in order to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit required to build bigger and better businesses.

“Building better competiveness is key for Northern Ireland and a lot rests with devolving Corporation Tax powers to the region but getting the rate set and the date agreed is crucial.

“There are important areas we need to focus on around infrastructure. We rely heavily on transport to import and export goods but we need to improve road infrastructure and our airports are seeking better connectivity into important markets.

Our telecoms infrastructure has improved tremendously over the years but there are still improvements to be made. Businesses in rural areas and many NI Chamber members are saying they are still struggling to get access to high speed broadband. We acknowledge that investment is being made in infrastructure but we should be continuing to invest to develop a world class infrastructure that will provide a great foundation for future growth.”

Stephen stresses the importance of not letting the prospect of reducing the level of Corporation Tax slip away – but the current political stalemate is a cause for concern.

“A reduction in the rate of Corporation Tax is of course bound up in the Stormont House Agreement – we have clearly reached a sticking point with that, but we must remain positive.

“A lower Corporation Tax rate is key for our future economy as it unlocks so much more potential for inward investment. We know that there are potential inward investors seriously looking at Northern Ireland and are attracted by the geographical advantages and the talent that we have in the Province.

“But the fact is we will all lose out if we don’t take the important steps.”

“NI Chamber’s role is to ensure that the facts are fully understood by the key stakeholders. Encouraging and nudging stakeholders into a direction of constructive consensus is an important role for NI Chamber to adopt. It is good that we have direct engagement on this matter – we have strong connections with government and other stakeholders and we plan to use that in a productive way.

“Everyone needs to be very clear – we are on the brink of a fantastic opportunity in Northern Ireland. The Stormont House Agreement contains the Corporation Tax devolution promise and we cannot lose that

opportunity. It is a once in a generation opportunity. I would like to think all negotiating parties have a position they would settle on that would allow constructive progress to be made – it is a case of getting consensus as soon as possible.

“There are other crucial moves being made to improve competiveness in Northern Ireland – the rationalisation of government departments, the consolidation of local councils – all that will help make a more efficient economy. As we improve the efficiency of government and build the capacity for a stronger business sector – that will be good for the long term health of Northern Ireland.

“We all need to have ambition in the objectives that we set – the Chamber’s Action Plan is ambitious. It is good to be ambitious – it gives us something to strive for.

“But we all need to stand side by side – businesses, government, politicians, and be a collective force – we all need to be on the same agenda.

“We may not get too far on our aspirational journey over the next 12 months but if we get some way down the path and make meaningful progress – that will be good for Northern Ireland.”

The Growing Something Brilliant Action Plan, he says, is clear and practical but above all it is ambitious both for the short and long term.

Career Stephen McCully has worked in the electricity industry in Northern Ireland for almost 30 years and is a Chartered Engineer.

His first job was with Murland and Partners, Consulting Engineers in Belfast.

In 1986 he joined Northern Ireland Electricity, initially as an engineer and then transitioned into a business planning role during the privatisation process in 1993.

Since then Stephen has held a variety of senior management roles within NIE and Viridian. He has been Managing Director of Power NI since 2002.

He holds an engineering degree from Newcastle upon Tyne, a masters in corporate leadership from Napier University in Edinburgh and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Boston.

NI Chamber 33

New names on NI Chamber’s Board and Council NI Chamber’s recent annual General Meeting (AGM) not only saw the election of Stephen McCully, Managing Director of Power NI, as the President of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) but also the election of Nick Coburn, Managing Director of Ulster Carpets, as Vice President.

The following have joined the NI Chamber Board and Council:

John Healy, Director/Head of Citi Service Centre, Citi Belfast John Healy is a Director at Citi and the Head of Citi’s Service Centre in Belfast.

The service centre in Belfast has 1750 staff working across Technology, Operations and Legal, Compliance and Human Resources.

John joined Citi in July 2007. John started his career with JP Morgan Chase, latterly at their near shore technology centre in Glasgow, as well as a project manager for Liberty IT, the Belfast based near shore technology group for the American insurer Liberty Mutual. Prior to joining Citi John was the CIO of a local SME.

Peter Russell, NI Business General Manager, BT Peter worked in the Northern Bank for 17 years graduating with a first class honours degree in Business Studies during this period. Peter then joined Bull Information Systems / Steria in 2000 as a Project Manager, and held various management positions in the company, before being appointed Country Manager in 2004. In 2006, he was appointed Regional Manager for Microsoft with overall responsibility for Microsoft’s Public Sector business in Northern Ireland, being subsequently promoted in 2008 to Public Sector Director for Ireland.

Peter joined BT Ireland as Head of Public Sector in NI in September 2009, taking over BT’s Major Private Sector accounts from April 2012, and was then promoted to NI Business General Manager in March 2014.

Nick Coburn, Managing Director, Ulster Carpets Nick Coburn has been employed in family owned company of Ulster Carpets, Portadown since 1977. In 2004 Nick was appointed Managing Director, of The Ulster Carpet Group which has a turnover of £60million and operates in key worldwide markets.

Nick joined the company in 1977 and undertook various roles in the organisation which include setting up the Quality Lab, automation of the Dyehouse, and Manager of Warehouse and Finishing. In 1991 Nick moved into Sales working in both the residential and contract markets.

In 1993 he was appointed Deputy MD & International Sales Director and was responsible for the development and growth of international and contract sales, setting up the U.S. company in 1994 which is now the largest market for the company.

The following have joined the NI Chamber Council: Donal Durkan, Executive Director, Strategy, Invest NI Having graduated from Ulster University, Jordanstown Donal worked in the private sector for a number of years before taking up a career in economic development in 1989. Since then Donal has gained considerable industrial expertise and experience while working with a wide range of companies and sectoral bodies in engineering, software, electronics, food, life sciences and creative industries. As Executive Director, Strategy, Donal is currently leading on the development of Invest NI’s Corporate Plan (2016-2021). As well as being a member of Invest NI’s Senior Management Team Donal is an Independent Board Member to Colleges Northern Ireland and represents Invest NI on the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre Advisory Board.

34 NI Chamber

The following have joined the NI Chamber Council:

Aisling Press, Regional Manager, First Trust Bank Aisling was appointed Regional Manager, First Trust Bank with responsibility for Greater Belfast & Down in August 2013, following 18 months as Head of Retail Banking Operations.

Prior to that Aisling held a number of positions in the Bank’s branch network in both Retail and Business Banking, including Area Manager, South, for 4 years from 2008 -2012. Aisling is a member of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland and holds a wide range of Financial Services qualifications, including Cemap, Certificate in Investment Planning, Business Banking Accreditation, Diploma in Financial Services and an Msc in Executive Leadership (2009).

Patrick McAliskey, Chief Executive, Novosco Patrick is an experienced CEO who founded the company and has been leading Novosco for over 20 years delivering significant organic growth throughout time. He plays an active part in the commercial, leadershipa, PR and talent management areas of the business in the UK and Ireland. Outside of work Patrick is an avid marathon runner, involved in developing under age teams in swimming, Gaelic football and rugby as well as escaping to a newly acquired polytunnel.

John McGuckian, Partner, Tughans A Partner in the Corporate Department of Tughans, one of the largest commercial law firms in Northern Ireland, John has extensive experience in the corporate legal sector, particularly in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments and the full spectrum of company and shareholder matters.

He acts for a number of the top 100 companies in Northern Ireland, as well as foreign companies investing here. John completed a secondment with Invest NI and currently sits on the organising committee of Quarterly Networking in Northern Ireland (QUINI), which seeks to bring together business leaders, funders and professional service providers to encourage interaction and business development.

Andrea Hunter, Business Development Manager, Aer Lingus Andrea Hunter holds the commercial role of Business Development Manager for Aer Lingus. She is responsible for promoting the brand and services across both corporate and leisure travel and works closely with SMEs and government accounts.

Andrea also works alongside local tourism agencies promoting the Aer Lingus brand throughout Europe and endorsing Northern Ireland as a destination for travellers.

Graham Thompson, General Manager, Agnew Corporate Graham Thompson joined the Agnew Group in 2004 and since then has held a variety of roles mainly within finance and Insurance but now has responsibility for Agnew Corporate in the capacity of General Manager. Agnew Corporate offer contract hire and fleet management services to the SME marketplace with an emphasis on software solutions and ultimately driving fleet costs down for their valued customer base.

NI Chamber 35

Delivering the Growth Potential in the Agri Food Sector

By William Thompson, Agri Manager NI, Bank of Ireland UK

A

s part of Bank of Ireland UK’s recent 11th Enterprise Week with the theme of connecting for growth, the Bank took the opportunity to gather together some key leaders from across the Northern Ireland’s Agri Food sector.

The sector accounts for a quarter of manufacturing sales, employment and manufacturing exports from Northern Ireland and is currently valued at £4.5 billion to the local economy. The Agri Food Strategy Board’s “Going for Growth Strategy” has a growth target to rise to over £7.5 billion by 2020 – so it’s very important particularly with its potential to be the leading sector in Northern Ireland.

With this in mind, we invited several business and industry leaders including Michael Bell (NIFDA), Mike Mullan (Moy Park), Howard Hastings (Hastings Hotels), Tracy Hamilton (Mash Direct), Ian Marshall (UFU), John Hood (Invest NI) and Michael

Murphy (Irwins Bakery) to share their insights, experiences and engage in an open conversation.

Both the challenges and opportunities facing the sector were central to the discussion. Everyone acknowledged that the long term prospects for the sector are positive and the focus needs to be on driving the opportunity including promotion of our quality local produce during ‘2016 Northern Ireland Year of Food’.

The key points revolved around: Partnership Now with a roadmap – the sector has to continue to deliver with all partners and everyone in the supply chain interacting and working together.

Marketing For many Northern Agri Food businesses, their success beyond the domestic market is crucial to being creative and innovative in their messaging

and their approach.

Exporting It was acknowledged that both government and banks have a critical role to play in providing both financial support and identifying new export markets through trade missions across the globe.

Skills All agreed there was an opportunity to be innovative in skills development through investing in predicting longer-term trends.

Leadership If Northern Ireland wants to be a worldclass food producer then there is a need for world-class leadership development.

The resounding voice from those around the table was one of a passionate belief that there is a fantastic future in agri-food here, undoubtedly there is opportunity, but there is still plenty to do to realise the potential and growth ambition in the sector.

Prince’s Trust is NI Chamber’s chosen charity NI Chamber has nominated the Prince’s Trust (NI) as its charity of the year. The Prince’s Trust helps over 5,000 disadvantaged young people aged 13-30 to realise their potential and transform their lives every year in Northern Ireland.

Last year, 78 per cent of the young people on programmes achieved a positive outcome – progressing into employment, training or education.

Ian Jeffers, Director of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland said: “We are delighted that the NI Chamber has chosen to support The Prince’s Trust. Their support, funding and access to their valuable network of members will help disadvantaged young people turn their lives around in communities across Northern Ireland.”

The Trust works with young people who experience multiple barriers to moving into education, training or

36 NI Chamber

employment, including young people who are unemployed, in or leaving care, underachieving in school, and offenders and ex-of fenders.

The Trust delivers a range of personal development programmes to support disadvantaged young people who require different types of support according to their own personal needs. For example, the Explore Enterprise programme helps young people to start their own business while the Team programme, which is a 12 week personal development programme helps a young person get their life on track.

For young people who are work ready but need experience and qualifications, the charity runs a range of Get Into programmes in association with employers and in sectors where there is a greater likelihood of participants securing a job.

Programmes include

Stephen McCully (NI Chamber) with Kayla Savage (Young Ambassador Prince’s Trust) and Ian Jeffers (Prince’s Trust).

Get into Retail with Marks & Spencer, Lidl Northern Ireland & TK Maxx, Get into Mechanics and Get Into Security.

NI Chamber President Stephen McCully said: “Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry is delighted to nominate The Prince’s Trust as our charity of the year. With around one in five young people

in Northern Ireland not in work, education or training, NI Chamber supports the Prince’s Trust’s belief thaevery young person should be able to fulfil their potential.

NI Chamber, and our members, look forward to supporting thePrince’s Trust over the next twelve months.”

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[Columnist] Trevor Annon, chairman of the mount charles group

Meat’s place on the menu The growing consumption of meat comes at a cost says Trevor Annon.

O

ne of the inevitable signs of summer optimism is the sight and smell of the outdoor barbecue.

Meat, in all its forms, has become an integral part of the diet of billions of people across the planet.

However, as the world’s population continues to move towards an everincreasing level of meat consumption, the consequences for humankind become even more debatable.

The reality is that the traditional Sunday roast has a huge and hidden cost.

Along with the fast food combinations of the hamburger and all the other meat products that we take for granted, it now comes labelled with an environmental deficit.

The statistical reality is that our love affair with meat is adding to what many scientists believe to be a looming health catastrophe of truly global proportions.

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation pulls no punches in its analysis of the current situation surrounding meat production.

Its most conservative estimate is that 14.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are directly attributable to animal flatulence, with the humble cow’s digestive system one of the main contributory causes.

To help put that figure in perspective the facts are that animal generated greenhouse gases contribute more in terms of negative emissions than the combined impact of all the world’s transportation systems.

To put the figures in a more simplified format, it has been estimated that taking the relatively simple step of cutting out meat for one day a week is equivalent, in positive climate change terms, of taking one average family car off the road for an entire month.

It is not just the environmental climate however that would benefit from the implementation of such basic changes in our dietary habits.

Figures compiled by the UN show that in 2014 meat production globally rose by more than 309 million tons.

As more and more emerging economies aspire to the image portrayed of all things Western in the context of culinary choice, the demand for new meat products in countries such as China continues to spiral upwards at an unprecedented rate.

Over the past two centuries the production of meat has seen a staggering 25 fold increase.

The relentless demand for all types of meat products has taken a huge toll on the

38 NI Chamber

environment, one that up to now society appears to have been prepared to pay.

The tragic paradox is that the appetite for meat has also led directly to the increase in world hunger levels.

Over 40 per cent of all the wheat, rye, oats and corn produced every year now go directly to the feeding of cattle. When 250 million tons of soya beans and other oil-based seeds are factored into the equation there can be only one loser.

The implication is that there is now a contest for nutrients between cattle and millions of starving people, and the politics of economic power will inevitably take precedence.

Our love affair with meat is such that currently more than 70 per cent of the planet’s agricultural land is now given over to pasture use.

Another ten per cent of the world’s arable land is allocated on an annual basis to the production of the vital grains and seeds required to sustain those insatiable livestock feed demands.

Nearly a quarter of all the global freshwater resources are used to help produce animal feedstuffs.

The only statistic that can be guaranteed against such a worldwide demand for livestock products is that those figures will continue to rise in line with the commands of culinary choice.

The consequences of our relationship with meat have to be confronted sooner rather than later.

In addition to being the main element in the production of methane gas, there are at least another 100 more pollutant gases delivered into the atmosphere directly as a result of livestock production techniques.

At least two thirds of the entire world emission of ammonia, the single most deadly corrosive component of so-called acid rain, is another unwanted but inevitable by-product of our passion for all things meat related.

But most worrying of all, is the antibiotic use in animals that are destined for consumption by the public.

Livestock represents a huge production investment. Protection of that investment is predicated on the use of antibiotics on a scale that would have been unimaginable even a decade ago.

In the United States, the largest consumer of meat products in the world, the use of antibiotics in animals is more than four times than that prescribed for humans.

That stark imbalance is regarded by medical scientists as being unsustainable.

Drugs capable of acting as protection against a multitude of human infections are being continually diluted as a result of the antibiotic overload in livestock.

Cheap and easily accessible meat on demand has become a staple part of our daily diet.

The long-term costs to human health, however, are issues that we will be unable to carry indefinitely.

[Feature]

In pole position for business Northern Ireland and Poland have developed close economic links over the last 10 years.

In the first in a series of interviews with foreign Ambassadors to the UK, Adrienne McGill talks to the Polish Ambassador Witold Sobków during his recent visit to Northern Ireland.

T

he Polish Ambassador to the UK has revealed plans to further strengthen the economic relationship between Northern Ireland and Poland.

Witold Sobków, who has held the position since 2012, detailed the plans during a two day visit to Northern Ireland last month when he met business and political representatives and senior members of the PSNI at a series of meetings in Belfast. He also delivered a lecture at Queen’s University on ‘Poland and its Eastern neighbours: Foreign Policy, the EU and Nato’.

With more than 25,000 Poles now living and working in Northern Ireland, the relationship between the two regions has grown substantially.

Northern Ireland exports to Poland for the financial year 2014/15 were £44.2 million of which machinery and transport equipment totalled £21.1 million.

Imports from Poland to Northern Ireland for the same period were £63.8 million.

A recent investment by Belfast firm Delta Print and Packaging, as part of its growth strategy, has involved the construction of a 100,000 sq ft production plant in Gliwice in the Katowice Special Enterprise Zone in the South of Poland.

The investment, which will lead to the creation of 100 jobs, will seal the company’s credentials as a leading European packaging supply partner and enable it to extend its services in Europe. The plant is due to begin production in September.

“We are working to have more and more contacts between Poland and Northern Ireland. Even if the relationship we have is very good, I can see a lot of further opportunities,” said Mr Sobków.

“I visited Northern Ireland two years ago and I talked to different organisations which deal with trade and investment and a range of opportunities emerged for both Northern Ireland and Polish companies.

“I plan to send to Northern Ireland the head of the Trade and Investment Promotion section at the Polish Embassy in London in order to prepare a conference focusing on the opportunities for Northern Irish investors in Poland and Polish investors in Northern Ireland. We did this last year in Scotland and we would like to replicate it in Northern Ireland because we can see a lot of scope for improvement.”

Foreign investors see Poland as an attractive investment destination because of

The Polish Ambassador to the UK Witold Sobków with the Honorary Consul for Poland in Northern Ireland Jerome Mullen in Belfast City Hall.

its continuing economic development and the availability of European funds and other investment incentives such as the availability of enterprise zones. Government policy also plays a significant role by promoting foreign investors as important partners in the process of modernising and rationalising different sectors, in particular: manufacturing (including high-tech), transport, IT, road infrastructure, banking and environmental protection industries.

Many major companies have a presence in Poland and some of the big names include Glax SmithKline, Shell Overseas Holdings, HSBC and Unilever.

The benefits for Northern Ireland businesses of exporting to Poland include the fact that there is a huge domestic market with over 38 million consumers. Furthermore, Poland, which is located in the heart of Europe, is not only an important market in its own right, but it is also a springboard for Northern Ireland companies planning to expand to other Central and Eastern European countries and offers great export opportunities across a wide spectrum of goods and services.

“We have a huge presence of foreign companies and more and more firms are interested in investing in Poland as we are also a kind of hub to the East,” said Mr Sobków.

“Poland is a safe and stable base for their activities. We are also near to eastern European countries – we know the languages and we know the culture so we can offer assistance to companies.

“Poland is a country which is flexible and efficient and the labour force is well educated,

hard-working and cheaper than in the west of Europe.”

The Polish economy has grown rapidly over the past two decades at more than four per cent per year which is the fastest speed in Europe. It has also garnered massive investment in its companies and infrastructure.

Poland’s is now the sixth-largest economy in the EU. “Poland’s uninterrupted economic growth is due to a combination of factors – wise policies of different Polish governments, our membership of the EU which has given us, among other things, access to structural and cohesion funds to build roads, airports and bridges and the entrepreneurial spirit of our people,” said Mr Sobków.

The Ambassador also revealed there are plans to open a Polish Consulate Agency in Northern Ireland which could process passport and visa applications. Currently Polish nationals have to travel to Edinburgh to do this.

He also paid tribute to the work of the Honorary Consul for Poland in Northern Ireland, Jerome Mullen, who represents the interests of the Polish community here. The Ambassador said Mr Mullen was an immensely valuable contact for the Polish community. He also said Poland was grateful to the British and Irish governments for opening their labour markets to the people of his country. *In the next issue of Ambition – interview with the Chilean Ambassador to the UK, Rolando Drago.

NI Chamber 39

[Feature]

In the driving seat Andy Bruce is steering car retail giant Lookers towards further success. Adrienne McGill catches up with him and hears how ABOUT HIS PLANS for THE company to move up a gear.

A

ndy Bruce has no hesitation in admitting that he failed his driving test four times – twice for exceeding the speed limit.

But he got it on the fifth go and hasn’t looked back since…(and that’s not a reference to his driving).

The Scottish-born 50-year-old Chief Executive of Lookers has been in the driving seat of the UK’s fourth biggest car dealership group, which owns Charles Hurst in Northern Ireland.

Charles Hurst, is Northern Ireland’s largest motor retailer best known for its car village site on Belfast’s Boucher Road - the largest of its type in Europe - where 16 dealerships are represented and where it sells the kind of car everyone dreams of owning. In addition to classic marques like Bentley, Jaguar and

40 NI Chamber

Lexus, the company has franchises for luxury brands such as Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin. The Group also has franchise agreements with some of the most popular volume marques including Vauxhall, Citroen, Peugeot, Toyota, Renault, Kia and Nissan.

“We are really delighted at how Charles Hurst is performing,” says Mr Bruce.

“The management is doing an outstanding job. Charles Hurst had a record year last year despite the market being off its peak and it’s ahead again this year.

“The fact is that the Northern Ireland car market is slightly more volatile than the GB market. The Northern Ireland car market at its peak before the financial crash had sales of 68,000 new cars a year. This year it is going to be around 53,000 new cars.

“Just under 2.5 million cars were registered

in the UK last year and I would expect that figure to go up to around 2.6 million.

“More than ever before, new cars are more affordable to buy thanks to deals such as PCP (Personal Contract Purchase), the lease hire agreements where customers pay a small deposit and a monthly payment for the car for two to three years at which point they can return the vehicle, upgrade to another model or pay the final balance and keep it.

“Four out of five people who buy a new car take out a finance agreement. Hardly anyone pays with cash anymore. It is an incredibly attractive option.”

Manchester-based Lookers has adopted a strategy of expansion through acquisition.

In 2010, it expanded Charles Hurst into the Republic of Ireland with its strategic acquisition of the Audi Centre in Ballsbridge,

Dublin, and, in April this year, the group also extended its secondhand sales division and brand, Usedirect, to Dublin.

Another acquisition in 2012 saw Lookers buy Northern Ireland contract hire and fleet management company Fleet Financial which manages more than 3,000 vehicles for the likes of Sky, Axa Insurance, Dale Farm and SHS Group.

“We’re always on the lookout for acquisition opportunities in both our motor division and our parts distribution business. It’s important that they’re the right fit strategically and financially so we are very selective about what we progress with. But it’s a case of one step at a time,” says Mr Bruce.

“Most of our acquisition plans are in the UK. There is a lot we can buy close to home without having to expose ourselves to some of the complications of dealing with a different currency and different legislation. But if we were going to expand outside of the UK it is likely that we would do this in the Republic of Ireland.

“We are not looking at any further acquisitions in Northern Ireland.”

Organic growth and acquisitions have seen Lookers, which was founded in 1908, grow from selling bicycles at the start of the 20th century to become to one of the most successful plcs and largest dealer groups in the UK employing about 5,500 staff across 30 manufacturer franchises at more than 120 sites, as well as a leasing and parts wholesaling and distribution businesses.

Its most recent set of results for the year ended 31 December 2014 showed record sales of more than £3 billion.

Profits roared from £43.9 million in 2013 to £59.2 million in 2014, the firm’s sixth consecutive year of growth. Turnover went up 23 per cent to £3.04 billion.

Under Mr Bruce’s leadership the business has most recently focused its efforts on developing its culture, with programmes aimed at enhancing the experience of staff in the knowledge that this will have a positive impact on the customer experience. Mr Bruce is determined to break the perception of the car industry as being old fashioned.

“I think it has a bit of an image problem.

People still see it as entering the lion’s den when they walk into a car showroom.

“What we don’t want is a trilby-hatted, sheep skin-coated salesman telling you what you want to buy. What you want is a helpful, knowledgeable, polite person that you trust who will help you choose between the two or three cars that you have narrowed your choice down to.

“What we are doing now is trying to provide as much information as we can to customers on the web. Most people want to do as much research as they can before they engage with ours sales people. The more information we can give them the better.

“Our staff engagement scheme which was launched last year is aimed at maximising customer loyalty and satisfaction across our network of dealerships.

“Four out of five people who buy a new car take out a finance agreement.

Hardly anyone pays with cash anymore.

It is an incredibly attractive option.”

‘”We recognise that a motivated and satisfied workforce lies at the heart of our success and that it complements and enhances our ‘Customers for Life’ company strapline and ethos.

“Our scheme revolves around Lookers values and goals, which is called a ‘NICER’ way of working - it’s about our staff being Nice, Informative, Caring, Enthusiastic and Responsive.”

The evolution of the internet is having a huge impact on Lookers. The group unveiled a new website last November to give customers ‘a showroom experience online.’

“We are trying to make buying a car like the sort of retail experience people get shopping on Amazon. You choose something, they have your details, you pay for it, you click and that’s it.

NI Chamber 41

[columnist] Kevin Gallagher, Solicitor, Millar McCall Wylie

An important step SHARED PARENTAL LEAVE – A STEP FOR EQUALITY OR MORE ‘RED TAPE’ FOR EMPLOYERS? Kevin Gallagher examines the issue.

F

ollowing implementation of the Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015, parents expecting or adopting a child on or after 5th April 2015 may be entitled to Shared Parental Leave and/or Shared Parental Pay. Shared Parental Leave gives families greater choice over how they arrange childcare in their child’s first year by allowing mothers the option to end their period of maternity leave and pay early and to share untaken leave and pay with their partner.

Adopting parents will similarly be able to bring their adoption leave and pay to an early end to avail of Shared Parental Pay and Leave.

Whilst this is excellent news for employees and prospective parents, the new rules have been criticised due to their complexity at a time when government has pledged to reduce ‘red tape’ facing employers.

In order to qualify for Shared Parental Leave an employee must satisfy the following conditions: Continuity of Employment Test •Have at least 26 weeks continuous employment with their employer by the end of the 15th week prior to the expectant week of childbirth (the Qualifying Week) and still be employed in the week before the leave is to be taken.

Employment and Earnings Test •The other parent must have worked (in an employed or self-employed capacity) in at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the expectant week of childbirth and have had average weekly earnings of at least £30 during 13 of those weeks.

Both parents must also ensure that they give the necessary statutory notices and declarations, including notice to end any maternity leave, statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance periods.

Employees who are eligible for maternity leave are still able to take 52 weeks of maternity leave, as that system remains in place. However, Shared Parental Leave allows them to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between the baby’s birth and its first birthday. The mother must take the first 2 weeks of leave post childbirth, but after that parents and their employers can decide how to share leave and pay. Leave must be taken in complete weeks but it can be taken either over a continuous period, which an employer cannot refuse, or in separate blocks provided their employer consents to their request to

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do so.

Statutory Shared Parental Pay is paid at the same rate as statutory maternity pay (currently £139.58 a week or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower). If the mother or adopter decides to curtail their entitlement to maternity/ adoption pay or maternity allowance before

earnings test as detailed above.

One of the key considerations for employers preparing for Shared Parental Leave and Pay is the issue as to whether to offer enhanced shared parental pay.

Many employers currently offer enhanced maternity leave over and above the statutory entitlement, and do not do so in relation to paternity leave.

To date this has not amounted “One of the key considerations to unlawful for employers preparing for discrimination as Shared Parental Leave and maternity leave is attached to Pay is the issue as to whether the biological to offer enhanced shared condition of parental pay.” pregnancy and childbirth.

However, as they have used their full entitlement, then men can now take shared parental leave Statutory Shared Parental Pay can be claimed from the birth of their baby, the position for any remaining weeks. To qualify for of men on shared parental leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay, a parent must women on maternity leave is much more have sufficient continuity of employment as comparable. set out above and have earned an average With this in mind, it is important that salary of the lower earnings limit of £111 for employers review existing maternity and the 8 weeks’ prior to the 15th week before paternity policies and implement a Shared the expected due date or matching date in Parental Leave policy to deal with these cases of adopting parents. The other parent changes and to ensure a consistent approach in the family must meet the employment and is taken in relation to all employees.

Feeding the Food and Drink sector

By Richard Donnan, Managing Director, Ulster Bank, Retail Banking and NI SME & CIB.

R

ecently, at the Balmoral Show, I had the opportunity to talk with people from across the agri-food sector who are right at the forefront of export and international expansion.

As the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment have announced that 2016 will be Northern Ireland’s ‘Year of Food’, I was delighted to see the many innovative producers, both large and small, who are putting Northern Ireland on the map for great quality produce.

Food and drink is a sector that Ulster Bank sees as particularly important, and we believe it will be able to benefit from the

dedicated £1.5bn we have available to lend to businesses in 2015.

Of course, in order to get that support to these great companies, we’ve had to make sure that we have the right tools in place. That’s why earlier this year we introduced a dedicated proposition for Food and Drink businesses. This proposition includes options like flexible loan repayments, which could be suitable for the seasonality of certain businesses and the impact that can have on cash flow – allowing businesses to better align revenue streams with repayment schedules. We also offer a consumer insights loan, which is available to help meet changing consumer needs for example the cost of branding or the development of new products.

Helping this sector thrive is an important part of rebalancing and growing the local

economy. Food, beverages and tobacco made up £1.7bn worth of exports from NI in 2013-14. Given that Northern Ireland manufacturers exported around £6bn of goods, this means that it is one of the largest components of our export performance.

We’re already making progress in developed markets – Northern Ireland’s companies exported almost £400m worth of food, drink and tobacco goods to Europe, excluding the Republic of Ireland, in 2013-14 – but emerging markets, with new tastes and a growing middle class, present new opportunities as well.

As a bank we understand that there is always the potential for challenging times ahead, but we remain on hand to support ambition, creativity and talent across the board.

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[Feature]

My Ambition is to…

Sam McElroy, E-Business Team Leader, Autoline Insurance Group.

2

015 marks Autoline Insurance Group’s 40th year in business. To celebrate the milestone we are carrying out a yearlong series of fundraising initiatives aimed at raising £40,000 for 40 Northern Irelandbased charities. There’s no doubt that playing my part in helping to ensure the company meets the ambitious target of raising £40,000 is a major ambition of mine – and indeed all of my colleagues – for the rest of this year.

Looking back on the last 40 years, it’s clear that Autoline’s innovation and flexibility have been vital factors in the company’s success during a period in which the process of buying insurance has changed dramatically.

Leading independent brokers like ourselves must be constantly looking ahead to ensure we remain in front of the increasing number of competitors entering the market. With the majority of these new competitors being online insurance companies, my role is vital to the future success of the firm.

I assumed the position as E-Business Team Leader in August 2014 when Autoline,

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which is headquartered in Newry where I am based, launched its online sales division, and I am thoroughly enjoying the role. The creation of an online insurance offering was a hugely significant step for the company and I have fully embraced the responsibilities which come with managing the online sales team and devising our online sales strategy. Being there from the outset and being able to start growing the department from a blank canvas has been a major advantage, allowing me to think creatively and establish a firm structure.

I first joined Autoline in November 2011 and worked for three years as part of the Customer Services Team, which gave me a great grounding in the company and helped me develop a deep knowledge of the insurance industry. Before that, I attended Southern Regional College where I completed a Diploma in Photography, a subject which I still have a real passion for.

I take every opportunity I can to capture shots of countryside landscapes and recently have been the official photographer at a

few weddings and other family events. I always have my camera at hand in work and, especially with a lot of internal charity events currently taking place for our £40K Challenge, there are plenty of opportunities to get good shots.

Ensuring that customers have a positive online experience is vital to Autoline’s ongoing success and the potential within the department is vast. We need to think about what the consumption patterns of today’s 14-year-olds are likely to be in three or four years’ time and it’s my ambition to make sure Autoline is a ‘go-to’ broker for those shopping for insurance online. Our performance to date has been very positive – online sales have increased by almost 200 per cent on last year and have made a significant contribution to the overall growth of the company.

I’m determined to ensure that the steep upwards trajectory which online sales have enjoyed continues – and am keen to explore all possible avenues in order to fulfil my own management potential. I regularly attend digital conferences throughout the UK and Ireland and have taken part in best practice-sharing sessions with a number of the UK’s leading insurance brands. I’m also currently undertaking an Advanced Diploma in Management Practices through the University of Ulster, thanks to funding from Autoline, and I aim to progress to the BSc programme next year. Just at the end of last month I enjoyed a five-day trip to Boston College in the US as part of the course, where I attended lectures and seminars from renowned speakers as well as experiencing site visits to leading Boston businesses.

The company’s investment in my training has helped me hit the ground running with what is my first managerial role. The size of the challenge facing me when I was appointed was matched only by my excitement about the opportunities it presented me with. My team have exacting targets to meet and I am still learning new elements of the job on a weekly basis, but I’ve received a lot of support from the company directors and the marketing team, with whom I work very closely.

The one-to-one guidance which the Autoline team offers to personal, business and finance customers can never be under-estimated and has helped make the company’s first 40 years so successful. Going forward, however, online sales are going to assume increasing importance and it’s my responsibility to ensure that our online function fulfils its huge potential. That is my overarching ambition and one which I’m firmly committed to realising.

ENGINES OF INDUSTRY INNOVATE AND CREATE Industry in Northern Ireland is powering ahead with innovation at its core as new production processes and equipment across all forms of engineering continues to transform businesses.

In this section we look at a range of companies from heavy engineering to liqueur production and from bus manufacture to tyre pressure systems whose creativity in the development of new technologies is helping them extend their reach in global markets.

engines of industry innovate and create

STREETS AHEAD The new level of bus manufacture being driven by Wrights GROUP is just the ticket as Adrienne McGill hears from Wrights Group CEO Mark Nodder.

W

rights Group is a world class example of a company that has combined masterful engineering with ground breaking innovation.

The Ballymena based bus manufacturer is the largest independent bus builder in the UK and a pioneer in its field – it was the first to design low-floor buses for the UK market.

In recent years, the company has focused increasingly on overseas markets like Hong Kong, Singapore and India, establishing itself as a leading global player.

The family owned firm has become famed for its ‘Bus for London’ – a cleaner and more efficient 21st century version of the Routemaster – London’s iconic red double-decker bus. More than 800 new Routemasters will enter passenger service by 2016. The bus uses the latest green dieselelectric hybrid technology and is the best performing bus of its kind in the world.

The Routemaster is just one example of

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Wrightbus’ continued investment in new product development, cutting edge design and best practice in manufacturing and business processes that has seen it meet the challenges of global product development.

“The new Routemaster bus in London is a good example of a very innovative approach to what some people would perceive as a very traditional product,” says Mark Nodder, Wrights Group Chairman and CEO. “In London there are many thousands of buses – most of them for many years have been conventional red buses – the old Routemasters were a very iconic sight.

“When we were given the challenge of designing something that was different and fitting for the present era – we took a very innovative approach. The new vehicle has a very welcoming and retro style and feel, and yet it has very lightweight engineering in terms of the body structure, a very advanced drive line, a lot of electric components and very low

emissions – so it is not what was expected.

“We were part of a field of initially twelve competitors for that project most of whom were big international conglomerates in the commercial vehicles business and the field narrowed down from twelve to three and eventually to one. We were about the smallest competitor in the field.

‘We did not win the contract on price – we won it on value and we did not win it by doing the same as everyone else. We won it by the virtue of our innovation. That is how we have grown the business in the last 10-15 years.”

Wrights Group has been at the centre of innovation for more than 40 years spearheaded by its founder Dr William Wright, who was named 2014 Innovation Founder by the Northern Ireland Science Park. The award celebrates the achievement of Northern Ireland’s most successful innovators.

William Wright recognised that buses needed to be both passenger friendly and capable of serving all the community, from young parents with children and buggies to the elderly and handicapped and so set about designing and developing a fully accessible low floor, easily accessible, public bus. The company was also the first in the UK to engineer and build an articulated city bus.

The company’s manufacturing facilities in Ballymena and Antrim, where 2,000 people are employed, are equipped with state of the art technology, operated by highly trained and extremely experienced technicians.

Every vehicle is designed and constructed with performance and quality at the very heart of the process. The in-house design team use cutting edge 3D computer technology in all product development,

Mark Nodder with Secretary of State Theresa Villiers on board a ‘Bus for London’.

for the growing market in the country.

The new plant has a capacity to produce 1,500 vehicles per annum for the Indian market and currently employs 140 local workers, a number that is set to increase rapidly as bus production begins in Chennai.

Looking ahead, the company is also engaged in partnerships with universities to help ensure engineering graduates have the skills needed to work on public transport requirements for the future.

“In designing and producing a vehicle you draw on engineering skills from all competencies – electrical, electronic, software, mechanical and materials. Some of that we cultivate ourselves, some of that we recruit for and some we grow in partnerships with such bodies as the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre, Queen’s University and Ulster University,” says Mr Nodder.

“This ensures there is a pipeline of young people who want go into engineering and have a career in Wrights.”

He maintains that buses are exciting vehicles and should not be viewed as dreary, run of the mill modes of transport given the dynamic technology and design which is now an integral part of their manufacture.

“A bus is seen as a very conventional hum drum product but actually it’s not. The buses that we are building are using the same cutting edge automotive technologies that F1 cars use in terms of storing energy that would other wise have been wasted and releasing it back into the engine almost as a free energy boost.

Buses are every bit as exciting as F1 cars.”

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engines of industry innovate and create

“Innovation is at the centre of everything we do.

In our industry and in manufacturing in particular, unless you are innovative you won’t survive.’’

ensuring ultimate quality and high performance.

Last May, the firm said it was creating a further 130 jobs in a £14 million investment at its Antrim factory that manufactures chassis.

Over £10 million of that investment will be for five research and development projects.

“Innovation is at the centre of everything we do. In our industry and in manufacturing in particular, unless you are innovative you won’t survive,’’ says Mr Nodder.

“In the Western world with all the costs that we naturally incur, we are not able to compete with competitors in the emerging economies like China and India on an hourby-hour basis.

“You have to be able to compete in global markets with products that are offering better value and that means an innovative approach to everything that we do – from concept, design, development, manufacturing processes, right down to the aftersales service. Everything has to add value and it has to be perceived by the customer as different to what the competition is offering and that forces you to be innovative throughout the entire business process.”

Wrights Group manufactures buses for many niche market segments including midi, middleweight, full size city bus, school bus, double deck, and Bus Rapid Transit vehicles using both diesel and hybrid electric drivelines.

The company launched the world’s first hybrid-electric double deck at London’s City Hall in 2006 and also developed the ground breaking StreetCar RTV, a unique combination of both Bus Rapid Transit and hybrid electric technologies; fifty of these vehicles are now in operation in Las Vegas.

Today, every fourth bus sold in the UK on a PSV chassis is made in Ballymena.

“It sounds like a cliché especially in our industry but we follow a road map to chart the way forward. The strategy is a 5-7 year forward look at where we hope our business will be. What underpins that is a technology road map which shows over the next 10 years how we will transform the product that we have today to where it needs to be in 10 years time and ensure it is relevant, exciting, attractive and globally competitive,” says Mr Nodder.

“That makes us look at drive line technologies – we have moved from diesel engines to hybrid electric to fully electric to hydrogen fuel cells – we look at the evolving technology which reduces emissions and then we look at materials. We are using light weight materials as well as more and more composites and structural composites instead of aluminium. Then we look at how do we improve our processes and be more internationally competitive in terms of manufacturing. Nothing stands still and all of these things are interwoven along the same road map.”

In June Wrights Group opened a new international assembly plant in India to provide a range of buses in partnership with Daimler

engines of industry innovate and create

Powering ahead Powerscreen has been a world leader in the manufacture of heavy engineering machinery for almost 50 years. Adrienne McGill talks to Colin Clements, the company’s Global Product Line Director, about how it has stayed at the top of the industry.

I

n the materials handling industry worldwide – the name of Powerscreen reigns supreme.

Headquartered in Dungannon, the company is an expert in the design and manufacture of mobile crushing and screening equipment used in the construction, quarrying and mining industries across the globe.

Powerscreen, which celebrates 50 years in business next year, is owned by giant US corporation Terex as is Terex Finlay in Omagh. Powerscreen is the largest part of the Materials Processing division of Terex which has five product segments.

There is also Terex Finlay, Terex Washing Systems, Terex Minerals Processing Systems, and Terex Environmental Equipment.

Terex, which acquired Powerscreen in 1999, has 3 main production facilities in Northern Ireland – Dungannon, Omagh and recently in Ballymoney following the acquisition of fabrication firm JMF which has been renamed Terex Ballymoney.

There is also a financial shared service centre in Coalisland which deals with many of Terex Corporation’s facilities in the UK and Europe.

“Innovation is very important to us,” says Colin Clements, Powerscreen’s Global Product Line Director.

“We have 8-10 product development programmes in flight at any one time involving crushers or screeners. We have had to bring in lower emission engines to comply with EU legislation over the last 4-5 years and also developments that are related to new market segments or geographies we are trying to get into. The specification of the machines needs to be different to access some of these markets.

“We are continually taking a core machine and evolving it. There is a mixture of innovation with evolution.”

With names like the Jaw crusher, Cone crusher and Impact crusher across a range of the equipment – there’s no doubting the power of the crushers and screeners which are manufactured in a variety of sizes weighing from 12 tons to 100 tons. They cost from £60,000 to £750,000.

“Crushers have bigger engines than screeners because they have to create physical force to break rock while a screener operates like a giant sieve that sorts the rock into different sizes of material – so they are generally smaller machines,” explains Colin.

“With our machines, simply put, big rock comes in at one end and smaller rocks come out the other end. They turn a low value product into a high value product for a

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customer to sell.

“We are bringing that technology into our “These machines work side by side in many equipment this month. cases – once the rocks have been broken, the Powerscreen’s global network of over 110 crusher feeds the material into the screener. dealers sell in-excess of 50 product models But they can work independently. across the world. The company’s dealers “We have sites where there may be provide continuing customer support for 10 machines working in combination with both parts and service to ensure optimum each other to produce the mixture and the performance from any Powerscreen machine. quantity of product that they need to process The firm exports more than 90 per cent – we have other sites where there is just one of its equipment abroad to approximately 75 machine working. countries across the globe.

“In Southern With the downturn in Africa, for “We have example, the 8-10 product screening machines may be development used to sift sand programmes that has washed in flight at down towards the beach that may any one time have diamond involving residue in it – so it crushers or is screened to find industrial diamond screeners.” particles which are used for drilling.”

In 2013 Terex announced plans to invest £21.7 million in its Northern Ireland operations, creating around 260 skilled jobs in Co. Tyrone. The investment, backed by Invest NI to the tune of £2.6 million, also covers the construction of new factory space and next month Powerscreen’s new parts and distribution centre will open at Dungannon business park.

Two new production bays are also being built at its main site on the Coalisland Road.

In addition to the 1,600 full time workers at Terex operations in Dungannon, Omagh and Ballymoney, the business directly supports several hundred additional manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland through its extensive local supply chain.

“The majority of our machines are driven by diesel engines which power the hydraulics,” says Colin.

“They also have sophisticated electrics because of the control systems on them – operator safety is paramount. But we are now evolving into technology which involves telemetry so that the machine has the ability to communicate through a satellite connection. It means that an owner or dealer or manufacturer can monitor a machine remotely. For instance, it allows the owner of a quarry to sit at home and monitor what is happening with his equipment and if there is a problem – our technical support team can access the machine remotely and help the service engineer through fault finding.

the ground are ultimately turned into a product which is then sellable. A stone is not a stone – the shape, size, cleanliness and the strength will determine whether it is used in concrete, or as road base or pink pebbles for a drive way.

“There are big varieties in required specifications – the challenge for us is producing a product range which can cater for a high variety of customer applications in a global marketplace.”

Around 25-30 machines a week are produced at the Dungannon factory and roll through the gates on articulated lorries bound for export markets.

“Markets are challenging but some are stronger than others. Australia had managed to avoid the main financial crisis in 2008 because it was still strong in iron ore and coal production but it has slowed down,” says Colin.

“South Africa has had a mining dispute.

There are various factors having an impact such as currency – the pound is very strong which is a challenge in Europe and other parts of the world.

“These, however, are short term issues and Powerscreen is very well positioned globally to ensure we maximize opportunities in growth markets and we project a strong performance through the balance of 2015 and into future years.

“For Terex, Northern Ireland will remain as the hub for materials processing. We are continuing to expand our product line to ensure that we remain as the number one manufacturer of mobile crushing and screening equipment.

“We are confident that we have excellent products, excellent distribution and excellent people here and we intend to continue to grow.”

Colin Clements.

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engines of industry innovate and create

the construction industry, Terex Materials Processing has been increasingly turning to the manufacture of machinery for the wood, biomass and recycling industries within its environmental equipment business.

‘Wood processing is a major growth area. The material i.e. wood goes through a grinding process rather than crushing. It has allowed us to diversify and position us better to be less dependent on construction,” says Colin.

“There is still a very small proportion of materials globally that are processed by mobile equipment – a lot of it is done by static installation. There is a huge opportunity for our type of equipment and our innovation is going to be in the types of materials that we process and also in the size of machines that are used. We are looking at smaller machines for urban type applications.

“The materials which are extracted from

engines of industry innovate and create

The cream of Ulster business Baileys Irish Cream flows through its global supply plant in Mallusk in mind-boggling volumes as Adrienne McGill hears from Plant Manager Manus Rogan.

50 NI Chamber

engines of industry innovate and create

The production line is the fastest liqueur filling line in the world running at 400 bottles per minute.

B

aileys Irish Cream is one of the most popular drinks in the world with people across the globe downing 2,300 glasses of it every minute of every day.

Almost all the liqueur which is enjoyed by so many is produced at Baileys Global Supply plant in Mallusk on the outskirts of Belfast.

The site produces 500,000 bottles of Baileys Irish Cream liqueur every day which equates to 50 million bottles a year.

Two thirds of the global production of the liqueur is produced at Mallusk, with the remainder produced in Dublin, where Baileys has another site which also manufactures a number of other Diageo products.

The plant, in which drinks giant Diageo invested £40 million, has been in operation since 2003 when it opened with great fanfare boasting high tech equipment.

The production line is run at a fixed speed and is the fastest liqueur filling line in the world running at 400 bottles per minute.

“From day one, the site was designed with future proofing in mind,” says Manus Rogan, Plant Manager.

“When it was built, we looked at every

possible technical innovation there was at the time. A lot of the equipment that we have is still cutting edge for our industry.

“We haven’t changed that much over the years but we have invested £1.5 million in an advanced labelling machine – we have gone through 3 redesigns of the bottle since the plant was opened. The current label now is very high profile to make it stand out.

“The technology platform that we have has been stable for us and in our industry no one has anything better.

“From a processing perspective, we are always looking at new technology. We have a central technical department who attend all the trade fares looking at new innovations.”

Manus says one area of innovation and technology that has made big strides is in a camera recognition system which is used for improving quality.

“We have installed a CAP camera – it takes a photograph of every single bottle on the production line and checks for the profile of the tread formation so it checks if there is the correct penetration during our capping process to avoid defects.

“Also every market that we send to has a specific label – some markets have generic labels – other such as Spain and Italy have their own label so every label has an SIC code of 8-10 digits. The camera photographs every single bottle and checks that is the correct code with the right label and the right bottle.

“Overall, not a lot has changed over the past 13 years because very sophisticated systems were put in place from the start but certainly the CAP camera has been a major breakthrough.”

More than 50 people are directly employed at the Mallusk facility which was named Diageo Global Plant of the Year in 2010.

Production is at its busiest around September and October when hundreds of thousands of bottles will be boxed for export to overseas markets.

So is the recipe for Baileys a closely guarded secret? Not at all says Manus who is more than delighted to explain what’s involved.

“There are several ingredients – the key

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engines of industry innovate and create

ones being Irish whiskey, sugar and cream.

“It’s quite simple – it’s like making a cake.

You have a number of ingredients and you measure them and mix them in the right quantities and temperatures.

“We have fresh cream which comes from 1,400 farms across the island of Ireland – 250,000 cows supply the milk to make the cream and we have full traceability. We have a very close partnership with Glanbia who provide the cream – that is the heart and soul of making a very good and stable product.

“Around 25-30 tons of cream arrives at the plant in road tankers and during our peak production time we will take in 6-7 of those per day which equates to 180-200 tons of fresh cream. The whiskey comes in 27 ton road tankers.

“On site there are 6 vessels each holding 150,000 litres of Baileys at any one time.

“We work very closely with a number of global agri food companies to develop the flavours. When Baileys was developed more than 40 years ago we knew we wanted chocolate and vanilla flavours. We found trying to mix and blend those was quite difficult – we designed the recipe but asked others to manufacture the flavours for us.

We have very tight controls over the recipe.

“In Baileys Original there are base flavours – chocolate and vanilla which are suspended in alcohol and come to the plant in large road tankers and stored on sight. We then blend that with the cream and then we blend it with

“Around 25-30 tons of cream arrives in road tankers and during our peak production time we will take in 6-7 of those per day which equates to 180200 tons of fresh cream.” whiskey and a number of other stabilising ingredients including dissolved sugar.

“All those are mixed and blended in our processing plant in a continuous flow – the key for us is that we have to be highly accurate regarding the amounts, the temperature is critical and the flow rate is very important.

“What is very important on this site is that we have an excellent technical function.

Everything is analysed before it is mixed and during the processing, samples are taken and finished product samples are taken to ensure they are meeting the exacting standards of our recipes.”

Different flavours of Baileys Irish Cream

A total of 50 million bottles of Baileys are produced every year at the Mallusk plant.

52NI Chamber

are made at the Baileys site in Dublin where experts work with markets around the world to pinpoint which like certain blends.

“We launched the flavours in 2007 with mint and caramel,” explains Manus.

“We are finding now that each market in the world has different profiles. For example our Orange truffle flavour is very popular in Europe, Vanilla cinnamon is favoured in the US. A massive 80 per cent of all Baileys sold is original – it’s by far the most popular and our biggest market is the US.” Baileys Irish Cream was created by Gilbeys of Ireland, a division of International Distillers & Vintners, as it searched for something to introduce to the international market. The process of finding a product began in 1971 and it was introduced in 1974 as the first Irish cream on the market mainly aimed at ladies.

Since then, it has become one of Diageo’s key brands globally and is exported to180 countries.

Manus is a true ambassador for the brand.

“Baileys is a truly fantastic product – it has it all – the taste sensation, the feel, the denseness, the viscosity in the cream. The fact that we are using a lot of the ingredients from Ireland sends a powerful message. The taste of Baileys is second to none.”

So the big question is – Baileys….with or without ice?

“The perfect serve is over ice,” says Manus authoritatively.

And no one would dare argue with him.

Co Tyrone company SpecDrum Engineering’s dedication to customers has been material to its success as Adrienne McGill hears from the firm’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Andrew Gillen.

T

ucked away on a leafy country side road about 3 miles outside Dungannon is an engineering business which is making it very big in export markets. SpecDrum Engineering, which was established 30 years ago by brothers Martin and Dermot McCabe, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of conveyor pulleys producing in excess of 50,000 pulleys annually at its plant.

Conveyor systems are fitted with conveyor pulleys (also referred to as conveyor drums), which allow for the quick and efficient transportation of a wide variety of materials, thus making the pulleys an essential component part in the materials processing, recycling, washing, biomass, packaging and even aviation industries. Many kinds of conveying systems are available, and are used according to the various needs of different industries and end user.

The family run business supplies its conveyor pulleys to global leaders in the crushing, screening, recycling and general materials handling industries in some of the world’s harshest conditions. SpecDrum Engineering produce a large and comprehensive range of drive, tail and wing pulleys all to high specifications, as requested by customers and within tolerance.

SpecDrum’s modern operating facility, where 90 people are employed, has been purpose built, incorporating modern methods of manufacturing. The company has recently been accredited with the recognisable Investors In People award at an event hosted

by Department of Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry at Belfast Castle. In addition to this the company has undergone

its independent audit for ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management), ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Health and Safety Management) and has been recommended for the awarding of this by the end of July 2015.

SpecDrum Engineering has a competitive advantage over its competitors in the global market by hot vulcanizing the rubber lagging onto all of the drive pulleys produced at its Dungannon facility. This process has been perfected by SpecDrum and is a skilled process performed only by highly trained workers in a control environment.

“There are essentially three types of pulley but there are hundreds of variants of each type,” says SpecDrum’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Andrew Gillen.

“They have to be able to work in different applications and different environments, from the dusty humid Sahara to the Arctic Circle.

There are environmental differences which can affect the performance of the pulley, e.g. extreme heat, or extreme cold. Therefore, depending on what the customer’s requirements are, we will react to those and meet their specifications.”

Materials processing – which covers the sectors of crushing, screening, recycling and others, is the largest industry in which the company operates. Its customers in Northern Ireland include Terex, Powerscreen, McCloskey International, Sandvik and many others within the aggregate processing and washing sectors. SpecDrum also exports to Great Britain, Scandinavia, the Benelux region, Slovakia, Slovenia, North America and

India with a particular focus on developing partnerships in the German and Austrian markets.

“We are proud to support the large local international companies based in the greater Dungannon area, such as Terex, Powerscreen, McCloskey International etc.

However, we are also exporting weekly all over the world and adding to our impressive customer base, “ says Andrew.

“We have an aggressive Sales and Marketing strategy and we are exploring and researching other markets to understand where we can expand our customer portfolio. Customers want the best quality product at a competitive rate, on time delivery and a top class after service. On average we are distributing 1,000 pulleys a week but are aiming to increase this.”

All aspects of the pulley manufacturing process are carried out at SpecDrum Engineering’s facility which ensures the company has full control on quality, programme of works and scheduling.

The global recycling sector has grown rapidly in recent years and in turn the company has recognised this sector as an avenue towards expanding and developing new business. The company manufactures pulleys which have been designed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and any specification can be achieved.

“A lot of OEMs are designing large material recycling facilities holding many different conveyors, shredders, trommels, screens etc. In any given system there can be up to 20 different conveyors involving at least 40 pulleys,” says Andrew.

“As the preferred supplier of conveyor pulleys to the local OEMs within the broad materials processing industry, and coupled with our growing international customer base, indirectly you will find our conveyor pulleys operating successfully in every country in the world.”

“Customers want the best quality product at a competitive rate with reliable and consistent service.”

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ENGINES OF INDUSTRY INNOVATE AND CREATE

Rolling out across the world

ENGINES OF INDUSTRY INNOVATE AND CREATE

Whale’s pumps are exported across the world.

A whale of a company Innovation is at the bedrock of water pump manufacturer Whale as Adrienne McGill hears from its Marketing Director Claire McCrea.

W

hale is riding on the crest of a wave as demand for its water and waste pumps continues worldwide.

The Bangor-based company, which was formerly known as Munster Simms Engineering, specialises in the design and manufacture of heating systems and water and waste pumps. It is a global market leader in the leisure marine, recreational vehicle (RV), shower drainage and industrial markets.

The company, which employs 190 people, has grown significantly in the past 5 years to become a world leader in key global markets but has remained true to its local roots by retaining all aspects of the business in its Bangor site including research, design, manufacturing, marketing, testing, and software development.

Whale exports to 52 countries with the 54 NI Chamber

majority of the export market being in the leisure marine sector.

The business is completely export orientated with almost 100 per cent of all products manufactured in Bangor being sold in the UK, Europe, US and beyond.

Turnover has doubled from £9.8 million in 2009 to £18.9 million in 2014.

The company places a high priority on innovation, which is evident in the number of new products developed in recent years and its holding of 24 patents worldwide. Its R&D projects represent a step change in heating and water systems for the markets it sells into and have allowed Whale to become a supplier of choice for global manufacturers in these core sectors. Around 10 per cent of the firm’s revenue is reinvested in R&D. The company makes 790 individual products and produces 30,000 per week.

Claire McCrea.

Last year Whale announced an investment of £3 million in its R&D department, almost £1 million of which came from Invest NI. “Innovation is part of Whale’s culture,” says the company’s Marketing Director, Claire McCrea.

“No one ever sits back and says ‘that is the best pump we have ever produced.’

Everyone is always looking for the next thing and what customers will want next.

“We are always working on a product plan which is 5 years ahead.

The products undergo rigorous testing.

expand its export business.

The sophisticated new testing laboratory includes a full scale cold test chamber, thermal imaging technology, upgraded wind testing chamber, software development and polymer analysis facilities.

“We have simulations of boat and caravan layouts in the lab,” explains Claire.

“The people working in the centre can get live information from a batch of products which are being tested. Our polymer moulding facility has 12 injection moulding machines which produce the components for all of our products.

“For us that is a core competency – it means in terms of quality we have complete control.

“Also we have introduced innovative 3D printing machines. Our multi-material 3D printed prototypes and 3D printed mould tools have been revolutionary for the business. We have shortened our R&D process by up to 25 per cent with 3D printing.”

Whale is certainly set for further growth following its acquisition by an American corporation in a multi-million pound deal last June.

The takeover by the massive Brunswick Corporation, an Illinois firm that is a major name in the marine industry, has seen Whale become integrated into the parts and accessories side of the US business.

At the time Brunswick Corporation said the acquisition would allow them to “more fully compete” on pump and water systems, while Whale’s caravan parts division would give them access to the RV market in America and overseas.

They also said the Bangor firm would be able to benefit from Brunswick’s marine parts and accessories presence in North America to build market share.

Brunswick noted it was keen to see Whale expand further into Europe and capitalise on its technologies and its 3D printing and injection moulding capabilities.

“The takeover opens up huge opportunities for us in terms of increased growth,” says Claire.

“Brunswick Corporation includes the largest boat building group in the world.

There are great opportunities in terms of economies of scale and being able to source as part of a much larger operation. There are many benefits in terms of the financials, the global influence and Brunswick’s great presence in America.

“From Brunswick’s perspective they saw a lot of synergy with Whale, in terms of producing the best product, the attention to quality, treating staff well and treating customers well. Also having an engineering base in Europe was very important to them as was our focus on innovation.”

With product innovation, new owners and a further growth in sales, it seems Whale will continue to make a splash in overseas markets.

NI Chamber 55

ENGINES OF INDUSTRY INNOVATE AND CREATE

“In terms of innovation, we have made Claire says the pumping principle is quite huge inroads on the electronics side of simple but reliability is crucial as people may pumps and software development with a be on a boat in the middle of an ocean or far lot of automatically controlled products. We off-road in a motor home or caravan. have a range called Whale IC (Intelligent “The product needs to work – because it Control) which has a circuit board inside the is in a mobile environment, it is seeing a lot pump to enable it to of stresses. There can be automated so the be sunlight, corrosive user does not have materials, bilge water “In terms of to do anything – the which is full of chemicals system controls itself. and salt water. All innovation, we The pump knows of those elements have made huge when to turn on and make it an extremely inroads on the off because sensors harsh environment are advising it all the for the pumps – so a electronics time. In addition, lot of R&D goes into side of pumps, we have developed choosing the right heating systems a touch screen material and ensuring control panel which robustness. All of our and software is fitted in caravans products are tested development and motor homes right through the design with a lot of and allows the user phase and production to control their process and checks automatically water heating, space are done on every controlled heating and pump component that we products.” control all from one mould. place. “ We have three “There has also pillars which are been a lot of advancements in the type Quality, Service and Innovation – all three are of plastics we are using – we do our own equally important. Each of those alone does injection moulding in-house and the beauty of not work but they do if you take the three of that is we are using high-end polymers which them together.” are more resistant to high temperatures In 2012 the company opened a new £2 and high pressure – these are the types of million Technology and Polymer centre environments are products are exposed to. beside the company’s existing facility in It therefore gives them greater longevity.”

Enterprise Road to allow it to substantially

engines of industry innovate and create

Plastic IS FANTASTIC Boomer Industries is in ‘trim’ shape as Adrienne McGill hears from directors Andrew Robinson, Andrew Wallace and Thomas Faughey.

F

rom fridges to freezers, buildings to buses, doors to windows…. the PVC and plastic products manufactured by Boomer Industries are used across a vast variety of sectors.

The Lisburn-based company, established in 1970, has grown to become one of the most

Andrew Wallace, Andrew Robinson and Thomas Faughey.

56 NI Chamber

respected names in the PVC and specialist plastics extrusion industry. The firm supplies customers throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East and North America with plastic extrusions including trims, angles, skirting boards, channels, window liners, pre-hung door sets, as well as a huge variety

of trade and bespoke designed extrusions developed specifically for individual customers.

Boomer Industries was established in 1970

by Robert Boomer whose sons James and Kenneth went on to grow the company. It is one of the oldest PVC manufacturers in the UK and has been supplying products and

It supplies to companies such as Spacemaker in the UAE, Al Masood Bergum in Abu Dhabi, Gulf Contracting in Qatar and Nesma in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Robinson, who travels frequently to the Middle East, says: “There are huge opportunities in the Middle East. Increasing competition has made export markets more difficult but we are holding our own. We continue to take steps to deliver a cost effective and quality product to our clients.”

In Northern Ireland, the company is also a key supplier of PVC trims to Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrights Group, finishing trims to modular buildings firm McAvoy, and profiles to Kingspan.

“We see growth taking place in the bus and coach industry and also in the construction industry on the modular buildings side so this is where we are focusing our attention and expertise,” says Mr Robinson.

“Wrights Group has recently opened a facility in Chennai in India in partnership with Daimler to build buses. We plan to establish a facility with an Indian company there to help us service Wrights Group and the Asian market.

“With regard to the construction industry, modular building is growing and our products are particularly suited to that sector.”

While the company is enjoying a current boom, the recession took its toll on the business particularly during 2008 and it was necessary for the firm to undergo a considerable amount of restructuring in order to right size the business to suit market conditions.

“We got through those times with a lot of pain but we managed to retain the key staff within the business. Since the start of 2013 we have seen a steady recovery.

“We have tighter management processes, process improvement, careful cash management and upskilling of staff. We have come through the other side of the recession – our numbers are increasing and we are starting to reinvest in the business again,” says Mr Robinson.

“Invest NI have been very helpful to us. We have had support across a number of areas including process improvement, marketing, key worker support and training.

“The outlook would appear to be much more positive for the business.”

Boomer Industries’ plans to establish a facility in India are an indication of how secure the company is about its future.

“Our subsidiary in Chennai will be sited beside Wrights Group’s facility which we can supply to directly,” explains Finance Director Andrew Wallace.

“We have selected a partner in India who will manufacture products to our specification.

“Boomer are supplying the machinery and ancillary equipment to the company who are manufacturing on our behalf. Boomer will provide the design and technical expertise to support the operation.

“The overall aim is to give us a lower cost option to service the Middle East market and to open up other sales into Asia and North Africa.

“This is a very exciting development for us.”

Central to the company’s success in export markets has been its focus on research and development and devising solutions to meet customer demand.

Leading this task is Research and

“We see growth taking place in the bus and coach industry and also in the modular construction industry. This is where we plan to focus our expertise.”

Development Director Thomas Faughey.

“People come to us with problems and they say ‘can you help us?’ We then engineer solutions through PVC,” he says.

“It is a type of plastic predominantly used in the construction industry but in recent years it has been adopted by bus and coach companies because it is lighter than aluminium and is more versatile. We can process PVC in whatever colour is required – our colour book holds 2,000 colours. We can process PVC in whatever grade, colour, or whatever reinforcement is required.”

Plastic products all start as raw material called resin. In plastic extrusion, resin beads are melted down, filtered for uniform consistency, pushed through a die cut for the final product shape, and then cooled. It’s a complicated process that takes many forms.

“The big change has been in creating more complex designs and shapes – they have to look right and have to function properly particularly in terms of withstanding stress,” says Mr Faughey.

“With the increasing drive to reduce weight and costs in products, we have had to change our design and processing techniques to accommodate that. That has involved a fair amount of innovation by us – a lot of our efforts go towards producing prototypes before the product is finished. There can be 3 or 4 different prototypes that we submit to the customer for approval and for tests – and we gradually narrow it down. There is a continuous improvement process going on.

“I am always thinking about how our materials and products can substitute something that is already in use and what advantages we can bring to a customer.”

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engines of industry innovate and create

services to the construction, modular building and white goods industries for 45 years.

Andrew Robinson joined the company as General Manager in 1999 and led a Management Buy Out (MBO) which was completed in May 2001. Between 2013 and 2014 the business was restructured at senior level, with the top management team now comprising Managing Director Mr Robinson, Finance Director Andrew Wallace and Research and Development Director Thomas Faughey.

The company, which employs 65 people at its 54,000 sq ft manufacturing plant in Lisburn, has seen sales to the Middle East including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan again starting to increase in recent years.

John Milsted.

engines of industry innovate and create

engines of industry innovate and create

Rolling ahead with innovation For Michelin, the road of tomorrow is being created today with the development of ever more sophisticated vehicle tyres. Adrienne McGill hears how its Ballymena operation is driving ahead from plant Manager John Milsted.

M

ichelin never “tyres” of success in Northern Ireland. The French tyre making giant’s operation in Ballymena, which is the only new bus and truck tyre manufacturer in the UK, produces more than a million truck tyres per year.

The vast majority of these are earmarked for export markets – around 90 per cent of the tyres produced in Ballymena are exported, mostly to North America and Europe. About 10 per cent are supplied to truck manufacturers and the tyre replacement market in the UK. The drive for innovation and the search for new technologies to serve its customers has been at the centre of Michelin’s strategy and success. Its innovations strive to exceed customer expectations and transform markets to improve mobility for people and goods.

Michelin’s numerous inventions include the removable tyre, the pneurail (a tyre for trains made to run on rails) and the radial tyre.

The Ballymena factory, in which Michelin has invested around £45 million over the last 10 years, produced its first tyre on 3 December 1969. It currently employs around 900 people on a site that covers 123 acres.

The plant’s Manager John Milsted, who has 36 years’ experience of Michelin’s operations in Europe and North America, says the focus is on producing tyres for customers which make trucks and buses more fuel efficient and safer.

“In terms of product innovation, as a group, we spend more than £500 million a year on R&D and employ 6000 scientists in the design and development of tyres. That means the products we make in Ballymena are always evolving whether those are completely new tyres or improvements on existing ranges.

“New rubber compounds are being developed, tread patterns are being designed, or the internal structure of the tyre may be changed in some way. All of those go to improving the performance of the tyre and that involves things like durability, fuel efficiency, stopping distances, grip, noise and comfort.

“One of the big innovations at the moment is the development of intelligent truck tyres.

The tyres we produce now in Ballymena contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. These chips contain information about the tyre – where it was manufactured and its age but they are also capable of storing

and transmitting sophisticated data about tyre pressure history, mileage, and where each tyre has been positioned on a truck.

“All these factors are really important to fleet operators and Michelin technical support teams in terms of safety and fuel efficiency, and very soon our tyres will be able to tell

their own story.

“In the area of operational innovation, over the last couple of years we have had a big push in Ballymena to make the factory more ergonomic – if we make people’s day-to-day physical tasks easier, you improve their working day and increase efficiency as

NI Chamber 59

engines of industry innovate and create

well. That could be anything from how machines are positioned to fitting flooring that makes it easier to push trollies. We operate 24/7 and have introduced flexible working arrangements which means we can react quickly to demand. Ballymena is the most flexible new truck tyre factory in the Michelin world.

“Energy saving is another area where we are being innovative. Output has increased over the last 10 years and we have invested in machinery to make sure we are as energy efficient as possible. We are also constantly reviewing the manufacturing process to make sure we minimise energy wastage, and of course there are the wind turbines that were installed in 2013 and which provide about 10 per cent of the electricity we need.

“Now we are looking at the possibility of introducing a combined heat and power plant to the Ballymena factory which will harness waste heat and recycle that into electricity and also steam which will be

“In terms of product innovation, as a group, we spend more than £500 million a year on R&D and employ 6000 scientists in the design and development of tyres.” used to vulcanise the tyres.”

The rubber used in the production of truck tyres comes from South America or Indonesia and is mixed with synthetic rubbers. Ballymena is Michelin’s only rubber compounding plant in the UK. There are two routes to market for the tyres – one is new tyres for truck manufacturers such as Volvo, while the other is a distribution network of dealers and specialist truck tyre dealers.

“We are very lucky to have a fantastic brand – the Michelin man is recognised all over the world and is associated in people’s minds with trust, reliability and quality,” says John.

“Since the 1890s Michelin has been obsessed with being the best and most innovative tyre manufacturer in the world.

The fact that our tyres last longer, save people money and help save lives says it all. We need all those characteristics to be at the top of our priorities. That is what makes Michelin tyres such a great product.”

60 NI Chamber

HISTORY Michelin was founded in 1888 by brothers André and Édouard Michelin. Their first successful product was a rubber brake pad, introduced in 1889, but the company made its name with the introduction of a detachable and easily repairable bicycle tyre in 1891 before introducing pneumatic tyres for cars in the mid-1890s. To show that demountable pneumatic tyres could be used successfully on motor vehicles, the Michelins equipped a car with such tyres held onto the rims by bolts and entered and drove it in the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux road race. Although they did not win the race, they created popular interest in pneumatic tyres. Their company became a major producer of tyres in Europe.

Michelin was looking for new markets as early as the beginning of the 20th century. The 1900 Guide mentions two agents in Belgium and Austria. Michelin then went on to create a network of commercial agencies in Italy (1901), Germany (1902), Switzerland (1902), Spain (1904), New York (1904) and England (1905). The first plant outside France was built in Turin, Italy in 1906, next to the Fiat factory. The visionary Michelin brothers then chose the United States for their second plant abroad, built in Milltown (New Jersey) in 1907.

Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in more than 170 countries, has 112,300 employees and operates 68 production plants in 17 different countries. The Group has a technology center in charge of research, development and process engineering, with operations in Europe, North America and Asia.

Michelin’s UK head office and commercial headquarters is in Stoke-on-Trent with tyre factories in Ballymena (bus and truck tyres) and Dundee (car tyres) as well as a truck tyre retreading factory in Stoke-on-Trent.

Michelin, whose company mascot is Bibendum, otherwise known as the Michelin Man, is renowned for its dedication to sustainably improving the mobility of goods and people by manufacturing and marketing tyres for every type of vehicle, including aircraft, cars, bicycles/motorcycles, earthmovers, farm equipment and trucks. It also offers electronic mobility support services on ViaMichelin.com and publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases.

Michelin’s Ballymena site with the Michelin Man on display.

Schrader Electronics continues to increase its production of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) annually as demand rises. Adrienne McGill talks to William O’Kane, who heads the company’s TPMS division in Northern Ireland.

S

chrader Electronics in Co. Antrim, which makes tyre pressure gauges for the car industry across the world, is a leader in its field.

The company, which employs more than 1000 people at its operations in Antrim and Carrickfergus, is a specialist in the manufacture of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), used by car manufacturers. These are electronic devices which reside inside the wheel and tyre assembly of a vehicle. They directly measure the tyre pressure inside the tyre and wirelessly transmit that information to the vehicle’s central control systems.

TPMS constantly monitor tyre pressures using tyre sensors in all four tyres and alert the driver with a visual and/or audible warning if there is any change in pressure or temperature.

Having TPMS fitted to a vehicle improves safety as the system checks tyre pressure every few seconds reducing the chance of a blow out or accident related to incorrect tyre pressures.

Maintaining the correct tyre pressure for a vehicle is an important factor in how much load its tyres can safely carry. The correct pressure will carry the weight without a problem. Too little tyre pressure will eventually cause catastrophic tyre failure.

TPMS can also save money as having the correct tyre pressure maximises tyre life and also helps improve fuel efficiency.

“The software in the control system of the car will recognise the transmission of a reduced tyre pressure and will alert the driver to an under inflation situation,” explains William O’Kane, who heads Schrader Electronics TPMS division in Northern Ireland.

“An increasing number of countries require tyre pressure monitoring under legislation – there are several benefits.

“Safety is of paramount importance – TPMS means you don’t have people driving around with under inflated tyres. They also contribute to a greener environment because under inflated tyres generally result in less fuel economy for your vehicle.”

An increasing number of countries are introducing legislation making it mandatory for new cars to have TMPS fitted by manufacturers.

To meet the increase in demand, last April Schrader Electronics announced an investment of more than £56 million to create 241 posts at its Carrickfergus and Antrim sites.

At the time the company said it expected to double turnover within three years after tyre pressure monitoring became mandatory in Europe.

And further growth is on the cards following the sale last year of the Schrader group of companies, of which Schrader Electronics is a division, by its private equity owners to American company Sensata Technologies in a $1 billion (£0.6 billion) deal.

“Legislation concerning TPMS was initially passed in North America so every new car sold in North America since 2008 must have a tyre pressure monitoring system fitted,” says William.

“Similar legislation has been passed in Europe and Korea. We are looking at 2016 for Russia and 2018 for China.

“In countries where the legislation doesn’t require it, TPMS is an optional feature you can have in your vehicle. Depending on the market, the option fit rate is only 5-10 per cent. Because it is an invisible system to consumers, they generally place more importance on something else in the car such as an entertainment system.”

William says the technology is constantly being further developed.

“The emphasis now is on smaller, faster and cheaper sensors. When we started producing in significant volumes in 2001, we produced 1 million units – this rose to 60 million last year. To be able to scale from 1million to 60 million units has seen the manufacturing technology evolve considerably in terms of much more automation, much more testing within our processes and much more focus on our lean projects to ensure we optimise our process flow and minimise waste.”

Nearly 300 million Schrader sensors have been produced at the company’s Antrim and Carrickfergus operations since 2001 when it set up in Northern Ireland.

“Our estimate is that by 2020 approximately 70-75 pert cent of all new cars manufactured will have a tyre pressure monitoring system,” says William.

“Our customers are in North America and include General Motors and Chrysler.

In Europe we have Mercedes and Renault and in Asia we have Subaru and Hyundai.

Basically we service all the global car makers.”

The company’s Carrickfergus facility, where 550 are employed, also has quality laboratories in addition to manufacturing operations. Meanwhile in Antrim, 900 are

William O’Kane

employed in manufacturing of which 230 are involved in R&D of next generation sensors.

“We are improving the mechanical and electronic characteristics of the device.

Electronically we are trying to provide an enhanced feature set relative to the previous generation of sensors. We are currently at our sixth generation sensor and our seventh is currently in development. Typically there is a 24 – 36 month cycle whereby we conduct the development and then start to roll out across our customer base,” says William.

“Most of our growth between 2006-2011 was related to the introduction of TPMS legislation and new vehicles being sold in the US. We have seen our volumes double every year for the last 12-15 years and that bodes well for the future.”

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ENGINES OF INDUSTRY INNOVATE AND CREATE

When pressure counts

[feature]

mums with power Shona Isbister is Communications Manager at Belfast tech firm, TotalMobile. She lives with her partner Ian and children Rory (4) and Isla (2).

How does having children impact on your personal and working life?

Having children has changed everything.

Their happiness is at the centre of everything I do now. My working life hasn’t changed in that I’m still in full-time employment, but as a family that’s only possible because my partner is a full-time parent.

My approach to work has been changed by the kids. I find being a mum empowering and many skills are definitely transferable to the workplace. You learn how to effectively manage your time, hone your negotiating skills, identify and deal with the root cause of issues, find creative solutions, learn to compromise, keep things simple, work in a team, stop taking yourself too seriously and find time to play – just to name a few!

Toddlers are the best teachers on earth.

Are working mums in greater need of state support than stay-at-home mums?

No. Parenting is not a gender issue – we are all equally capable of providing for and bringing up children. I do think there is an opportunity to support working parents more, but don’t believe it to be just the responsibility of the state. Initiatives like community childcare co-operatives, job-sharing, and flexible working hours all make a positive difference to supporting parents bring up their kids and stay in paid employment.

Describe your job?

As the Communications Manager at TotalMobile, my job is to manage the Technical Communications team. It produces user assistance and training to support the TotalMobile product, which provides innovative software solutions to revolutionise the way frontline healthcare staff work. I also lead the TotalMobile University (TMU) initiative, which is our training academy for staff, customers and partners and manage information security strategy and accreditations.

What is your favourite part of the day?

I like mornings. I get to have breakfast and cuddles with my kids, then quiet time with

62 NI Chamber

a coffee at my desk before I start work. I like to take a minute planning my work day before piling into emails. That way every day feels like a clean slate.

What do you do to ensure a work/life balance?

I make the most of the time I’ve got in my different roles. When I’m at home with the kids I make sure I spend time playing with them, doing fun stuff with them and taking them out. If I’m at work, I try hard to be as productive as possible and make sure the task at hand is the most effective use of my time. Planning and organisation is important.

So is having fun and being with people we love. Playing is more important than hoovering!

On the other side of the coin, things like paid parental leave (which offers 9 months of paid leave which parents may split between them as they choose) are a positive step. As a society I think it’s important to recognise that parenting is a valid, worthwhile, and full-time occupation. What other job has so much responsibility or such a direct impact on how things will work in the future? But that’s a cultural change, and not something state support can effect.

Do you think you will always remain in employment?

Yes. As well as finding it personally fulfilling I think I’m providing a good role model for my kids by working, in lots of different ways – work ethic, creativity, problem-solving, how to manage money. I’m very lucky to be able to do this as my partner is a full-time parent. Our situation works well for us and I am very proud of the role model my kids get in their dad.

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[columnist] Ruth Graham, Head of Trade Finance Sales, Danske Bank

International trade transactions MINIMISING TRade RISK is vital as Ruth Graham explains.

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orthern Ireland’s low export figures are often cited as an area of concern for the economy and we regularly hear our business leaders issue rallying cries to encourage local firms to sell more overseas.

While we are undoubtedly coming from a low base, Danske Bank is starting to see some improvement, with many small and medium sized companies joining the region’s best known large exporters and choosing to expand their horizons for the first time.

And as we continue to emerge from recession, a lot of companies who may have shelved overseas plans in the past are starting to look at export markets again.

Having secured new orders in new countries, many firms stumble when it comes to identifying the appropriate next steps. Agencies such as Invest NI and UKTI are great for market information, but for inexperienced exporters, detailed financial expertise and advice can be hard to come by.

Because of cutbacks made to workforces during the recession, many firms lack internal experience of exporting, so as they look to find their feet in new markets, it is no surprise that the actual process of constructing an export deal can appear daunting.

That is where Danske Bank’s trade finance team in Belfast comes in. Our overall goal is to help customers minimise trade risk. By that, I mean dealing with those issues any exporter faces, such as guaranteeing payment for goods or services, understanding different jurisdictions and knowledge of transport logistics.

Independent analysts at Prospera have ranked Danske Bank as number one in the Nordic region for trade finance and our local experts on the ground in Belfast have access to all the same systems and international resources.

Using this knowledge, we go in to a customer’s business, we listen to their plans and we make suggestions on the types of products that would be appropriate for that business and their export customers, at all stages providing guidance on the risks.

It is estimated that 80 per cent of all export trade from Ireland is currently handled on an open account or direct basis, with payment made by international money transfer. Of the remaining sales approximately 10 per cent use trade finance and another 10 per cent pay in advance of shipment.

Trade finance has been around for years but in the boom times people didn’t really

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want to hear about these traditional products.

However, over the past two or three years, it is clear that the attitude to risk has changed.

It is not uncommon for an exporter to demand payment up front when they first work with a customer. But as the size of orders increases over time that may not be practical. As more export businesses establish footholds in overseas markets, my team has seen a particular surge in interest in Letters of Credit arrangements, which is a secure method of guaranteeing payment from the importer.

These types of products are expected to grow in popularity the further afield Northern Ireland companies look for customers.

The economic situation in Europe – for so long our largest trade partner – means it is no longer the automatic target market for exporters and many companies are finding

new opportunities in Asia, Middle East and Africa.

And while it is hugely exciting to see businesses from Northern Ireland exporting to difficult markets such as Vietnam, Lebanon and Angola, often these are countries which credit insurers won’t fully cover, or which they’ll charge a lot to cover.

My team is working with businesses of all sizes, across a spectrum of industry, from agri-food to manufacturing, with firms who don’t normally bank with Danske also taking advantage of our expertise in this area.

Whatever happens in the world economy will have an impact on trade finance and as more and more companies gain the confidence to export further afield, we expect trade finance to play a crucial role in pushing our export figures up.

Lead the way in your career Through professional development at Belfast Met At Belfast Met we offer a suite of higher education and professional qualifications at various levels; from Introduction to Post-graduate Level in areas such as; Accounting, Business and Administration, Community Development, Human Resource Management, Leadership and Management, Marketing, Procurement and Professional Development.

We can support you, your employees and your business to perform effectively in today’s global business environment.

Benefits to Employers  Build professionalism and the expertise of employees  Increase motivation and job satisfaction  Create dynamic and high performance working environments Benefits to Employees

For further information on our range of Professional courses go to www.belfastmet.ac.uk.

Belfast Met can also work with you to deliver bespoke programmes to meet your training needs, contact Business Development on tel: 028 9026 5069.

 Improve your earning potential  Gain professional recognition  Develop professional skills to improve performance  Gain an industry recognised qualification

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[feature]

bright young business brains

Mari Cahalane, Head of BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, James Leckey from James Leckey Designs with students Mollie Smyth (Antrim Grammar, Co. Antrim), Conor Foster (Abbey CBS Grammar, Co. Down) and Megan Duffy (Oakgrove Integrated College, Co. Londonderry).

BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp makes its mark

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he first Northern Ireland BT Young Scientist business bootcamp in association with Queen’s University Belfast took a step forward recently.

A three-day mentoring and skills camp, the business bootcamp is designed to provide students with practical skills and knowledge to help them turn a project idea into a viable business opportunity.

Twenty-six students from across Northern Ireland were selected to participate in the business bootcamp, all of whom participated

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in the 2015 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in January. Over the three days the students were guided by BT Business mentors who offered them practical training in intensive commercialisation, marketing, team-building and how to prepare a business pitch.

Commenting on the launch of the first local BT Young Scientist business bootcamp, Peter Russell, General Manager of BT Business in Northern Ireland, said: “The BT Young Scientist business bootcamp has been

hugely successful in both Dublin and in Abu Dhabi and we are delighted to now bring it to Belfast for the first time. The programme is a crucial step forward in equipping our young entrepreneurial students with practical knowledge and skills to prepare them for the business world.

“As well as organising and sponsoring the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for the past 15 years, BT is also a major investor in Northern Ireland and a renowned global leader in innovation. So we understand first-hand the importance of developing and nurturing the talent and skills of young people as they are who will ultimately drive the growth of our local economy.”

James Leckey from James Leckey Design, was one of the inspirational speakers who addressed the students.

He said: “I am delighted to be involved in the first BT Young Scientist bootcamp in Belfast. It is a great initiative which highlights the importance of engaging young people in activity that will develop their creativity and potential. As a pioneer in research, design and development, I understand the benefit of this world renowned competition as it really does give students the unique platform to shine among their peers.”

Students taking part in the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp were tasked with developing an outline business idea for one of five projects. Each team worked with dedicated BT Business mentors who coached them on developing their business plans and presentation skills. The bootcamp culminated with the teams presenting their business plans to a judging panel comprised of academics and senior business professionals. * Now in its 52nd year the BT Young Scientist &Technology Exhibition is the longest running STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) event of its kind in the world. Preparations are currently underway for the 2016 exhibition which will take place from 6th – 9th January, 2016 at the RDS in Dublin. To enter, the individual or group must submit a one-page proposal outlining their project idea before the closing date of 29th September, 2015. Entries can be made in any one of four categories: technology, social and behavioural science, biological and ecological science or chemical, physical and mathematical science. Learn more about the event at www.btyoungscientist.com. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is supported by a number of partners in Northern Ireland including the Department of Education Northern Ireland and MATRIX.

Jack Robinson and Alisha McCabe from Enniskillen Integrated Primary School meet Dr Marty Jopson.

Record Breaking Science

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orthern Ireland’s largest science fair which took place at Ulster University, Jordanstown played host to the Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition, incorporating the regional Big Bang UK science and engineering fair.

Over 500 hundred competitors were among approximately 3000 people that attended the show, with over 150 projects competing to win 80 prizes including an opportunity to represent the region in a number of international science and engineering competitions in the USA and UK. Alongside the exhibition and competition, attendees were treated to a number of interactive science shows designed to bring science to life. This year saw the BBC One Show’s resident TV scientist, Dr Marty Jopson deliver his “Record Breaking Science” show where he delved into the science behind his recent TV world record successes and attempted another ‘unofficial’ world record using science as the basis.

The annual science showcase celebrates the achievements of young people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and centred on an exhibition of innovative and exciting science projects carried out by students from primary and secondary schools across the island of Ireland.

As usual the projects covered a wide range of subjects and real world challenges and this year they included: • Development of an Eczema sleep suit to aid Eczema sufferers • An investigation into the use of rainwater as a renewable energy source • Development of a farm safety app to promote safety on the farm • A cellular analysis on the effects of garlic extract on cancer cell growth • An investigation into how social media can affect mood and either make you happy or sad • Development of a self-build electric car • A mathematical analysis of winning number patterns in the National Lottery draws.

The annual event is organised by Sentinus, an educational charity working with over 60,000 young people a year in Northern Ireland to deliver fun and rewarding programmes that promote engagement in STEM subjects.

Speaking at the flagship event, Bill Connor, Chief Executive said: “STEM subjects have never been more important as we seek to develop a strong Knowledge Economy here in Northern Ireland. This event is a centre piece of our ongoing work to encourage more young people here to pursue these subjects, with

a view to developing the necessary skills to underpin for our future economic success.

As always we were very pleased with the both the quantity and quality of the work on show, much of which has been developed to address real world problems in conjunction with many of our private sector supporters.

The addition of the engaging science shows also captured the imagination of attendees ensuring everyone will have left better informed and more enthused about the importance of STEM.” On the day, exhibitions of project work from primary, post-primary and further and higher education students were displayed and judged by industry experts who volunteer their time as part of a commitment to progress the STEM agenda for Northern Ireland. As well as the exhibition of science projects, school children and members of the public attending the event had the opportunity to attend over 20 interactive workshops and exhibits hosted by local companies and popular shows such as, Scientific Sue’s Potions and Explosions and Neil Monteiro’s Science of Magic.

Employers, universities and industry bodies also attended to provide valuable advice about pursuing a career in the STEM sectors. * Further details about the event can be found at www.sentinus.co.uk

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[feature]

Ulster University Business School students Conor Maskey and Jade Knowles sample one of Cinnabon’s famous frosted cinnamon classic rolls along with Cinnabon Executive Assistant, Laura Lamb, from Georgia, USA during a visit to the Jordanstown campus.

US BAKERY GIANT and ulster University create a perfect mix

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lster University Business School’s BSc and MSc marketing students have been given privileged access to the marketing strategies and expertise of US bakery giant Cinnabon as part of a two-year academic-industry partnership.

Cinnabon, which had brand revenues exceeding $1b last year, is an exemplar for best practice in distribution through their franchising model and operates in 60 countries across the world. Kat Cole, Group President of Cinnabon parent company Focus Brands has worked alongside Ulster University Business School’s Marketing Professor Mark Durkin and Dr Lynsey Hollywood to produce a teaching case study for use on the School’s marketing

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programmes. The study has also just been published in Europe’s leading marketing textbook – ‘Foundations of Marketing’ by John Fahy and David Jobber.

Professor Durkin explained: “Cinnabon is a company of scale that enables students to better understand food markets and food marketing internationally. Ulster University Business School is renowned for its pioneering work in initiating academicindustry alliances and this partnership has not only brought practical learning benefits to our local students but has also enhanced the School’s reputation internationally through the publication of the case study. Students can learn much from Cinnabon’s marketing ethos, its entrepreneurial flair and its sense

of global ambition.”

Ms Cole, Focus Brands Group President said: “After 30 years of building one of the world’s most indulgent and decadent brands, it’s an honour to share our experiences with others. Building businesses through a multichannel marketing approach is clearly the most innovative way to reach the broadest variety of customers. Building brands in this effective way is the future of all consumer business expansion. Educating students across the EU on Cinnabon’s marketing fits with the global expansion of the brand, fits with our agenda to reinvest in communities, and allows us the opportunity to give back to communities that have given us so much.”

competition shows healthy results

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Belfast schoolgirl has won the top prize in the first health-focused Code for Better CoderDojo competition, organised by CoderDojo Belfast and Belfastbased tech company TotalMobile.

Fourteen year-old Neve O’Neill was awarded a tablet computer for her entry ‘Sweet Invaders’, a game she designed using GameMaker, where players must defend the earth from junk food as they learn about nutrition.

Judges of the competition, open to children under 16 who attend CoderDojo Belfast, a youth coding club founded and run

by Belfast Metropolitan College at its Titanic Quarter Campus, described her entry as “well written, factual and educational.”

CoderDojo is a worldwide movement which runs not-for-profit coding clubs to teach young people to learn how to write computer code, develop websites, apps, programmes, games and more.

Around 100 children meet during each session at CoderDojo Belfast on Saturdays to learn about coding and software development – skills considered vital to drive Northern Ireland’s economy in the future – from around 20 volunteer mentors from local IT companies including TotalMobile.

The end of year competition encouraged students to create a game, a mobile app or a website with a health theme.

Entries were judged on interactivity, commercial appeal, design, originality and theme.

Runners-up in the competition included Blake Hunter who designed a game where players must avoid taking too much sugar from the sugar monsters while Andrew Farquharson’s game is played by collecting fruit in a maze.

Olga Pollock, Human Resources Manager at TotalMobile, one of the judges of the awards, said: “As a company that provides innovative software solutions to revolutionise the way frontline healthcare staff work we are keen to support and encourage prospective developers and coders from as early an age as possible.

“We believe we need to nurture our local talent to ensure we have adequate skills to equip the Northern Ireland economy for the future when many more jobs will be created in software development.

“I was very impressed by the standard of entries and it is so encouraging to see the enthusiasm and creativity the young coders have used in creating health-related apps which can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Jonathan Heggarty, Head of School of Electronic and Computing Technologies at Belfast Met and CoderDojo Champion, said: “CoderDojo Belfast was founded by

Neve O’Neill (front) with Olga Pollock (left) of TotalMobile, along with second and third placed coders Blake Hunter (right) and Andrew Farquharson (back).

Belfast Metropolitan College in 2012 to make development and coding fun and a sociable and rewarding experience to encourage young people to pursue careers in IT. “The competition marks the end of a very successful year for CoderDojo where throughout the year we had around 200 kids aged between 6-16 attend and experience coding and IT and around 20 volunteers attend each session.

“It’s not only the sponsorship which assists CoderDojo but also the generous support from TotalMobile staff in providing their time to support and encourage the young coders of the future.” * For more information on attending CoderDojo Belfast, which will meet again for a new term in September, go to www.coderdojobelfast.com.

NI Chamber 69

[Columnist] Trevor Bingham, Business Development Manager at IT specialists FUEL

The need to be digital The digital world and need for connectivity show no signs of slowing down, forcing banks and financial institutions to take a more proactive approach to stay relevant and meet consumer demand. As the industry continues to shift more and more towards digital, Trevor Bingham looks at how banks may need to adapt and integrate new technologies to gain a competitive edge and cement customer loyalty.

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he great American historian Daniel J. Boorstin once said, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it’s the illusion of knowledge.”

Likhit Wagle, partner and global leader of IBM’s Global Business Services (one of the world’s largest banking facilities), suggests that until recently the banking industry has been in denial that digital is changing the face of banking. “Banking is becoming more about something you do and less about somewhere you go,” noted Wagle.

With banks already facing competition from the likes of high street giants and their financial divisions, traditional banks are feeling the pressure to become more digital in how they function and engage with customers.

As a result, banks are trying to make their services available to the many people in remote locations who may not have easy access to a local branch. Smartphones are the easiest way to reach the unbanked.

Personalisation is becoming a huge theme, highlighting the need for outreach and communication and smartphones can help with that.

In terms of mobile money, the focus is usually person to person transfers,

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users to open a bank account on their smartphone which can be funded through external transfers and/or direct deposits.

The main focus from these apps is on the front-end of banking – that is, the consumerfacing user experience. Within the mobile application, users have access to real-time updates and spending alerts, spending analysis across all their bank cards and credit cards. They’ll have the ability to send money to friends from the app via Facebook, email or their mobile number, and the ability to suspend and un-suspend their account directly from the app in the case of a lost or stolen card, among other things.

Overall, the idea here is that what many consumers today want from their banks are better ways to help them spend and manage their money. But what’s exciting about this new type of banking app, which will eventually be common place in the UK, is that they give users the ability to manage other bank accounts and card accounts within the same app. That way, the user is offered a more complete financial “Mobile technology will picture of their continue to be a key area of accounts. focus for the future, and banks As an example, must continue to integrate this Moven technology in a meaningful provides way in order to stay relevant.” customers with a plastic card as well as a international remittances and merchant ‘MasterCard PayPass’ sticker, which you payments, but now you can also go beyond can affix to the back of your phone for that and facilitate payments such as micro contactless payments at supported point-oflending. These solutions work on any sale terminals. However, it’s only a matter type of mobile device, which is crucial for of time before they’ll do away with the underdeveloped areas. need for any plastic sticker at all and have With banking resources readily available this functionality embedded in its software at your fingertip, customers today have a app. Plans are also being made for beefing lot of options. Customers demand that they up security features – for example, alerting be provided with a consistent, channelcustomers if fraudulent spending is suspected. optimised customer experience with Mobile banking apps aren’t new of course exceptional customer service and product but what’s different here is the ability to open portfolios. In fact, it’s believed that one in six a new bank account from within the app itself customers would change their banks if they and the ability to analyse spending behaviour didn’t provide them with a powerful mobile on the ‘go’. experience.

Well-integrated solutions can help Mobile technology will continue to be a minimise fraud through mobile capabilities, key area of focus for the future, and banks whether by pre-staging certain transactions, must continue to integrate this technology in sending alerts or generating multi-factor a meaningful way in order to stay relevant. authentication. Biometrics and wearable Companies like Moven in the US have devices will also play a key role in securing developed a mobile banking app that allows banking interactions in the future.

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10/09/2014 08:01

[feature]

what’s in it for me?

HOW NI CHAMBER HAS HELPED MY BUSINESS…WITH SUZANNE WOODSIDE, FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MADEBYMINT.

DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS MadebyMint is a multidisciplinary creative studio specialising in User Experience (UX), Strategy and Design. We’re a team of five designers and developers based in Ballynure, with a client base throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. Businesses come to us if they want to implement successful campaigns across print and digital platforms that promote a service, sell more products, raise their profile or improve the usability of their digital products. When we consult with a client we look at their requirement and their customers; from there we will create marketing solutions, which work across print and digital media. An overview of our current workflow includes UX strategy, software design, brochure design, advertising campaigns, branding, app design, web development and video production so it’s varied to say the least.

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT? I would say it’s the level of strategic work we do with clients. A sound strategy is hugely important, especially for companies emerging from a very difficult recession with renewed vigour, and often with a very different business model to the one they went in with. The clients we get the best results for are those who will engage with us to audit their current marketing,

72 NI Chamber

define their goals and develop a greater understanding of their various customer personas. With this groundwork done, we are in a prime position to create the most effective solutions to achieve the maximum commercial results. If we had only one word to describe ourselves we would say we are ‘designers’, but the reality is that today’s customers are bombarded with ‘stuff’, so organisations must do their homework before a pixel hits the screen in order to get the best return for their spend. MadebyMint is a commercially aware studio that uses strategy, design and technology to execute bespoke campaigns that resonate with our clients’ customers.

WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO OTHER CHAMBER MEMBERS TO HELP THEM GET THE MOST FROM THEIR MEMBERSHIP? It’s not enough just to show up at an event.

When we became members of NI Chamber we made it an integral part of our business.

In advance of an event, we make sure we know who is attending, who we want to speak to and that we are prepared if an introduction is made. Following up with the contacts you’ve made is crucial and I don’t mean just sending a LinkedIn request. We send a bespoke follow up to the people we’ve met which carries their brand and is relevant to them and their requirements. It’s also important to recognise that networking

is a two way street. We’ve made many introductions that have resulted in some great business for other people.

HOW HAS NI CHAMBER HELPED MADEBYMINT ACHIEVE ITS GOALS? The guys at NI Chamber have helped us focus in on short-term and long-term goals.

They also bring together a huge network of people from all industries in a structured and organised environment, which is ideal for those who maybe uneasy at putting themselves forward. Due to NI Chamber we are working with organisations who are otherwise very hard to get an introduction to. We’ve won significant business from being a member of NI Chamber and we’ve yet to utilise its full potential.

HAS BEING A MEMBER OF NI CHAMBER HELPED THE COMPANY GAIN BUSINESS OUTSIDE NORTHERN IRELAND? Extending our client base outside of Northern Ireland is a big focus for us in terms of our services and a tech product we are developing. NI Chamber’s network has enabled us to develop business in both the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, which we will develop further in the coming year, especially with the services we offer around User Experience. NI Chamber’s network is not restricted to Northern Ireland and we will be availing of this as we continue to look beyond these shores to grow our business.

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

Workplace Pensions and Automatic Enrolment Brian David Horner is an Independent Financial Adviser at M&D Financial Management Ltd. If you are like me and have been fortunate (not the correct word!) to have tackled ‘automatic enrolment’ for a large number of employers, then you should fully understand the many processes and procedures that must be in place for an employer to be compliant under the new rules.

If you have little or no idea of what I am talking about and are an employer, then keep reading – this is now law and you must comply with the new workplace pension rules or risk heavily penalties from the Pensions Regulator.

The Workplace Pension Reform was introduced by the Pensions Act 2008. Under the reform, employers are now obligated, amongst many other things, to establish and maintain a ‘qualifying’ workplace pension scheme for their staff, making regular contributions of at least a minimum percentage.

Payroll systems need to be configured, staff must be assessed, employee notices and correspondence must be issued within specified timescales – the rules are many and complex.

If you have yet to receive your ‘staging date’ from HMRC (your deadline for non-compliance ), you will receive this by the end of this summer. Action should be taken sooner rather than later.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR), the UK regulator of work-based pension schemes, has issued a detailed guide for employers in relation to automatic enrolment which is just shy of 600 A4 pages. This can be found at www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk.

Should you fail to meet all of your responsibilities and duties as an employer, penalties will follow.

From experience, most existing workplace pension schemes do not qualify for the purposes of automatic enrolment and therefore cannot be used. If your business has an existing pension scheme, you can check whether it is potentially qualifying by contacting your pension provider. A word of warning: some pension providers may offer the option of converting your existing scheme into a ‘qualifying’ workplace pension scheme. Unfortunately they will also typically charge you, as the employer, an annual fee of over £ 1,000 to administer the scheme. This is very expensive. Alternatively there are many ‘qualifying’ workplace pension packages on the market with varying levels of support, complexity and cost.

I cannot stress enough the benefit of receiving professional advice from a local Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) for all of the above. An IFA has the knowledge and experience to take most of the burden off your shoulders and, in my opinion, is in the best position to assist you with every step of pensions compliance.

An IFA can provide advice to you and your staff independently, answering all queries in relation to workplace pensions, which an accountant for example cannot. This is vital when implementing cost-saving strategies such as ‘Salary Exchange’, which again from experience can save a business on average 23% of the cost on a yearly basis.

M&D Financial Management Ltd (Specialist Independent Financial Advisers) Address: Greenwood House, 64 Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5NF Tel: 02890 380940 Email: belfast@manddfinancial.com

[Feature]

Propelling growth Reaching higher, thinking bigger. Ambition hears about the ambitious mind of a successful start-up through the experience of Paul Hamill, founder of InFlyte.

Paul Hamill of InFlyte with business partner Paul McConnon and Niall Casey of Invest NI.

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successful entrepreneur is made up of a mix of qualities – tenacity, determination, innovation and above all, ambition. For the past five years (since 2009), Invest Northern Ireland’s Propel programme has supported some of the most ambitious start-ups on their journey towards international success.

To date, Propel has helped 84 new companies access over £13 million of investment, creating more than 294 jobs.

Aimed at growing the most dynamic, high growth potential, export focused young businesses, Propel has helped sow the seeds of some of Northern Ireland’s greatest startup success stories.

One such story is that of Belfast businessman Paul Hamill. Winner of last year’s Propel Company of the Year Award, Paul set up his business InFlyte following 20 years of working in the music industry, perhaps best known for his time as Presenter of BBC Radio Ulster’s Across the Line programme.

Experience showed Paul Hamill the need

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for a solution through which record labels could get their music directly into the hands of key decision makers. Usually labels have to send CDs or emails to music tastemakers in the hope they will be heard, which is timeconsuming for both parties. By using InFlyte’s software, labels can send music digitally, straight to the phones of industry influencers, such as the likes of Annie Mac or Fatboy Slim.

When he was accepted onto Invest Northern Ireland’s Propel programme in 2013, Paul’s business idea was in the early stages. Within the past 18 months, Paul and his business partner Paul McConnon have smashed their initial targets, with InFlyte already servicing 350 independent record labels worldwide and employing teams in Belfast, London and Berlin.

“I knew the concept for InFlyte had the potential to really disrupt how music promotion operates so my ambition to see the idea through was always there,” explains Paul Hamill.

“Stepping into the business world for the first time however, meant I didn’t know

how to develop a business plan or present to investors. I quickly realised I was going to have to match my commitment to the business with a commitment to learning.

“Once I was accepted onto Propel, I was able to build the skills I needed to fine tune the business. Crucially, it opened my eyes to the true potential of InFlyte on a global scale.

The team there encouraged me to explore high growth market opportunities and create international connections.

“The result was very inspiring and gave us the kick start we needed to get InFlyte off the ground and on the right path.”

Along with a group of other Propel participants, Paul was part of a group who made a market visit to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the world’s leading start-up ecosystem for high-tech innovation and development, earlier this year. During the two week ‘Go Global: Access Silicon Valley’ mission, Paul worked with a designated mentor and was introduced to record labels, distribution partners, PR agencies and artist management companies.

He has since turned these connections into As well as financial support, networking within Propel helps entrepreneurs deal with meaningful business relationships, with InFlyte sessions and market visits, participants are the problems that keep start-ups awake at now looking after the company that promotes connected to experienced business mentors, night,” says Stephen. electronic music for Madonna and developing who provide one-on-one guidance and Harnessing and cultivating entrepreneurial a partnership with Washington DC based advice. One such mentor is highly regarded ambition can provoke an economic label Yoshitoshi, owned by Grammy-award business angel Stephen Houston. ripple effect at home and further afield. winning duo Deep Dish.

“Bill Gates opened one of his Ted Talks by Entrepreneurs like Paul Hamill are testament “The US market has been very receptive stating ‘everyone needs a coach – whether to that and the experienced leaders within to the InFlyte platform, so that initial visit to you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a Northern Ireland’s business community can the States was of huge value to us,” says Paul. gymnast or a bridge player.’ contribute to that ‘cycle of success’ by guiding “We learned the importance of those taking their first steps on the listening to early customer feedback start-up ladder. so we can continually refine and “Mentorship not only impacts improve the InFlyte product. the start-up, it has a wider “Once I was accepted onto We’re agile enough to be able important economic benefit Propel, I was able to build to implement new features and for Northern Ireland,” Stephen suggestions rapidly which helps continues. the skills I needed to fine win new business. That notion “Sharing knowledge and tune the business.” of being flexible and adaptable is encouraging talent ensures startsomething I believe goes hand in ups have the greatest opportunity hand with being successful as a for globally scalable success in a start-up.” career that’s fulfilling and rewarding and Having exhibited at digital music conference “Typically new entrepreneurs have no giving them a chance to live out their dreams EDMbiz in Las Vegas this June and with a practical commercial experience in their field, and be their own boss. significant international growth strategy being basing their organic company development “Like Bill Gates, I’m excited about the rolled out for the remainder of 2015, it is strictly on a trial and error basis. There’s opportunity to give all NI start-ups the clear that Paul’s vision for InFlyte will see it a good chance they have never started a support they want and deserve to fulfil their scale new heights in the years ahead. business before and going into a start-up, ambition.”

A total of 35 equally ambitious start-ups some entrepreneurs don’t know what to ask With a rich and diverse talent pool and are participating in the current 2014/15 or even how to ask for help. the right support available, it could be said Propel programme, representing areas “Finding out about the support available there has never been a better time to start a as diverse as animation to craft brewing, and benefits of mentorship too late can be a business in Northern Ireland. engineering software to the food and costly mistake!

Further information about Propel can be beverage sector.

“Working with a mentor such as those found at www.investni.com/propel

In profile: Emma Kieran, Search Consultant, 4c Executive Search What influenced you to pursue your chosen career?

Having previously worked as a recruitment consultant, I found that I had a passion for certain aspects of recruitment that were more commonly found in executive search. I have been lucky to be mentored by Gary Irvine, founder and managing director of 4c Executive Search and David Winterburn, senior search consultant – and I have found them both inspirational. They have really helped me to develop my passion for executive search and learn the ‘ins and outs’ of the industry in a short space of time.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I would consider myself to be a ‘people person’ and I love that my job at 4c gives me the opportunity to work with a huge variety of people from a vast array of industries and professions in Northern Ireland. At any one time I can be working on an assignment for a charity, alongside a role in large agri-food company and perhaps a manufacturing firm.

What has been the highlight of your career?

I don’t really have one defining career highlight per se because every day I get to reap the rewards of working in a job that I really love. The fact that I can contribute to the success of a business by helping my clients find the best person for a role in their company is hugely rewarding, and I also get a lot from

seeing a candidate that I have placed with my client settled and enjoying their new job.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Someone once said to me that you should always “ensure that you are doing something that you love and really want to do, even if it involves learning more skills and training to get to that point.” We spend so much of our lives working that I think it is essential that you are doing something that you truly enjoy.

What are your priorities for the year ahead?

I hope that in the year ahead what I do in my role as a search consultant makes a valuable contribution to 4c’s success and growth. My ultimate priority though will be to ensure that our clients and candidates are happy with the entire process that we deliver. We have retained a 100% success rate to date, which is unheard of in the executive search industry – the average is around 40% - so ensuring that this record remains intact is important.

NI Chamber 75

[NEWS]

One Phone says it all Northern Ireland businesses will never need to miss an important call again following the launch of BT One Phone, a new service that combines the functionality of both an office desk phone system and a mobile phone into a single handset.

Paul Convery, Head of BT Business celebrates the launch of BT One Phone technology with Mike Lockwood, from GLL.

BT One Phone offers businesses a single mobile phone device, to allow all of an individual’s numbers, whether landline or mobile to be linked to the one mobile phone – helping businesses to stay connected to their customers and employees even when they are out of the office and on the move.

Hosted in the Cloud, BT One Phone provides staff with the opportunity to work seamlessly from anywhere that there is internet access as well as 4G and Wi-Fi hotspots, allowing employees to work productively with the same tools that they have in the office, wherever they are.

Paul Convery, Head of BT Business, said: “The Northern Ireland workforce is becoming increasingly mobile and it is important that BT provides communications technology that is as flexible and mobile as our customers are.”

Mike Lockwood, from GLL, a charitable Social Enterprise that runs Belfast City Council’s leisure facilities has been trialling the BT One Phone product.

He said: “We have been delighted with the connectivity that the handset has provided for individuals going online, checking emails and receiving calls from clients and colleagues. The device has offered us time saving measures as well as peace of mind for our clients.”

Alex Crossan and Maureen Walkingshaw from BT receive the NI Responsible Company of the Year 2015 Award from Rose Kelly, Allstate NI along with Sinéad nic Oireachtaigh from BT and Kieran Harding, Business in the Community.

BT scoops prestigious award BT took the top title at Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards and was named NI Responsible Company of the Year.

Sponsored by Electric Ireland and in association with Ulster Business Magazine, the annual awards highlight the best examples of the positive impact of businesses to address social and environmental issues and/or transform their communities.

Kieran Harding, Managing Director,

76 NI Chamber

Business in the Community NI said: “The Responsible Business Awards give much needed visibility to organisations who are putting responsible behaviour at the heart of how they do business. All of the finalists are playing their part to tackle societal issues and become more sustainable by bringing to life the practical role that businesses can take to address some of our most pressing issues. We congratulate all our winners and those who were shortlisted for being

inspirational examples from whom others to learn.”

Environmentalist and writer, Jonathon Porritt addressed the audience with his take on how the actions we take now will impact the world that exists tomorrow. A new children’s creative writing project – Fighting Words Belfast – was also profiled at the event and the audience was inspired by the project’s patron in Northern Ireland – writer and author, Glenn Patterson.

[Columnist] Ian Rainey, Former International Banker

Warfare and welfare in America As violence continues to spill onto the streets of many cities in the US, Ian Rainey, who has just returned from Baltimore, examines the unrest.

I

n the past few years, pre-2015, violent crime in the US had fallen to its lowest levels since 1990. Some major cities such as Philadelphia are still experiencing record lows in violent crime. However, other large cities are showing the opposite. Murders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have surged 103 per cent in the past year while in Houston, Texas the increase has been some 59 per cent. In New York murders have risen by 20 per cent; in St. Louis shootings are up 39 per cent, robberies by 43 per cent and killings by 25 per cent. The sharp rise in crime comes against the backdrop of nationwide protests over a “What is striking about series of high Baltimore’s slums is profile incidents in which police that they are islands officers have of dystopia in a sea of killed unarmed carrying and middle class comfort.” black suspects. availability in Michael Brown America has been was shot dead in legitimised to an extent that I don’t think Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garnet was choked we’ve seen since The Wild West”. Against to death in Staten Island, New York and this, he believes that “the criminals are taking more recently Freddie Gray, who died in advantage of the situations in Ferguson and police custody in Baltimore. It was against this Baltimore and are feeling empowered while backdrop that I spent 10 very interesting days the police are suffering from what is being in the USA last month. called the “Ferguson Effect” – i.e. a reluctance Baltimore and Philadelphia are cities I by police officers to make arrests or confront know well having worked in the latter for criminals for fear of being prosecuted if they seven years in the late 70’s and early 80’s. make an error. Lieutenant Gene Ryan, the Baltimore was part of my territory when President of the Baltimore police union said working on the domestic side of Philadelphia recently that “police are more afraid of going National Bank and while the black suburbs to jail for doing their jobs properly than they were never part of my target market one are of getting shot on duty”. was always conscious of where not to go.

But people in the poorest parts of The most direct route from my office, in Baltimore have good cause to be upset. down town Philadelphia to my home in the In Sandtown – Winchester, the centre of suburbs would have been from 14th street the riots, less than half of adults have jobs through 69th street. But everything from the and the murder rate at 129 per 100,000 University of Pennsylvania on 36th street is worse than that of Honduras, the most to 69th street were “black suburbs” and as homicidal nation on Earth. What is striking such one exited the city at 30th street on about Baltimore’s slums is that they are to the Expressway (motorway) and joined islands of dystopia in a sea of middle class the suburbs beyond 69th street. Baltimore comfort. A few minutes’ drive from a worldwas no different and the “no go” areas were class university and posh waterfront oyster equally well defined. With 43 murders bars is a place where houses are practically in May alone Baltimore has witnessed its worthless and shopkeepers cower behind highest toll of murders in a month since bullet proof glass. Sandtown’s population 1972. New York has seen 95 gun murders is 97 per cent black but its troubles cannot this year a 43 per cent increase of last year. glibly be blamed on white oppression.

Of some 460 civilians killed in riots this year, Baltimore has a black Mayor and a black approximately 100 of them were unarmed.

States Attorney and a predominately nonThis has led to what has been defined as a white police force. The search for causes “media feeding frenzy” which has had two has thrown up some amazing figures. very different impacts. George Kelling of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan, an infamous Irish Manhattan institute recently stated that “gun

American Politician wrote a fascinating paper “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action” in 1965. In that study he pointed out that 25 per cent of black babies were born to unmarried mothers. By 2015 that proportion of black babies has almost tripled to 71 per cent in Baltimore. While slavery may originally have been given as the primary cause for the dissolution of the black family, something else in the 20th century must have accelerated it. Because the nationwide decline in marriage began at around the same time as President Lyndon Johnston’s Great Society many would claim that welfare is the culprit. Social conservatives complain that for many families, a welfare cheque has replaced the male breadwinner, making him superfluous. While there are those who would question Moynihan’s link between single parenting and social disorder, black Americans are still eight times more likely to be murdered than white and seven times more likely to commit murder. A study run

by Princeton and Columbia Universities which examines how children born to single mothers fare, has found that 30 per cent have had two or more father figures in their home by the age of five. Urban policy, all of a sudden, has become a theme across the entire Presidential election. While few have come up with earth shattering solutions there is a common recognition that it is certainly time to rethink a generation of misbegotten urban policy. And with the shooting of nine black people in Charleston, South Carolina President Obama has emphasised the need to reconsider that old chestnut of “guncontrol” – and not before its time.

NI Chamber 77

[appointments]

ASM Chartered Accountants have made a number of new appointments. Pictured being welcomed by Brian Clerkin, Managing Director of ASM Chartered Accountants (front, centre), Belfast (l-r) are Leanne Daly (Audit & Accounting, Magherafelt), Paul Curran (Internal Audit, Belfast), Stephen McDonnell, Manager (Internal Audit, Belfast), Christine Smyth (Tax Services, Belfast), Anthony McKibbin, Manager (Internal Audit, Belfast), and Stephen Burns, Senior Manager (Forensic Accounting, Belfast).

new appointments

Petrina McAuley has been appointed Events and Programmes Assistant at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Gabi Burnside has been appointed Events and Programmes Assistant at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Ruth McDonald has been appointed as Search Consultant at 4c Executive Search.

Adrian Doyle has been appointed Operations Director of the Odyssey Trust.

PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT. 32 years connecting talent and opportunity

Banking & Finance | Technology | Engineering | HR | Sales & Marketing www.graftonrecruitment.com ambition strip ad May 2015.indd 5

78 NI Chamber

20/04/2015 15:11:35

From the pitch to the boardroom leadership insights from rugby

By Pete Feldman, Director, Grafton Recruitment, Northern Ireland.

I

n 2015, Grafton Recruitment began a partnership with the Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) on a series of business leadership insights. The philosophy of IRUPA in terms of player welfare, leadership and performance, parallels well with what Grafton looks to bring to clients and candidates in terms of partnership, expertise and impact.

The first joint event with IRUPA took place in April in Dublin, around themes of leadership, mental toughness and overcoming adversity. The event speakers were two exemplary players from Leinster Rugby, Shane Jennings and Eoin Reddan.

They spoke about their own experiences of performance, setting an example and delivering success both as a team and on

Nigel Robbins has been appointed Commercial Director of the Odyssey Trust.

an individual level, and also key to this was how to handle adversity.

It was interesting to understand how from people like Joe Schmidt down and across the team, that it is not just about your job title, leadership is actually an intrinsic quality and it’s about taking personal responsibility for not only your behaviour, your actions and your reactions, but actually how you think and how you plan. Everyone in an organisation needs to understand their role and responsibilities and having a good culture built on strong foundations is essential to achieve this.

Very often, we could talk about the positive times when as a team we are winning, but the players spoke about mental resilience, that stamina, that

Ian Dyson has been appointed as Operations Manager of The Lava Group.

discipline to come back from times that are really challenging. For example, when you are not picked for the squad and you still have to pick yourself back up, move on quickly and face the next challenge that comes. There are real lessons there for us as leaders.

This event is the first of a number of joint events taking place between Grafton Recruitment and IRUPA throughout the year. These events provide the opportunity to share more insights from sport with clients. * If you are interested in attending the next event in Belfast in September please contact Pete Feldman, Director, Grafton Recruitment, Northern Ireland: pfeldman@graftonrecruitment.com.

SĂŠana Boyle has been appointed as an NPD technician at Willowbrook Foods.

Sophie Dorbie has been appointed as an NPD technician at Willowbrook Foods.

PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT. 32 years connecting talent and opportunity

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20/04/2015 15:11:35

NI Chamber 79

[Columnist] Maureen O’Reilly, NI Chamber Economist

Rates reform Business rates – is there a better way? Maureen O’Reilly examines the issue.

A

ctions speak louder than words’.

That is the expression John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), has used in reference to the recently announced review of business rates in England. Whilst welcoming the review, strongly lobbied for by the British Chamber, Longworth stressed that unless it delivers root and branch reform of business rates it will be regarded as a missed opportunity to transform a tax that in his words ‘hammers business before they make a single pound of profit’. This is important as many of the same arguments put forward by the British Chamber and others also apply to the current system of business rates in Northern Ireland.

Business rates are effectively a property tax paid by occupants of ‘non-domestic’ properties. Rateable properties include shops, factories and offices but exclude others such as agricultural buildings (and in Northern Ireland, charities). They are levied as a percentage of the estimated rental value of the property. The tax is largely a devolved matter (most recently in Wales) with different systems in place across the four regions of the UK. This 80 NI Chamber

includes different rate reliefs focusing on small business, retail, empty properties, rural areas, enterprise zones, industry and charities among others. Local authorities are responsible for collecting business rates and the monies raised are used to fund local and regional services.

The current business rates regime has been in place since 1990 although the fundamental system has changed little since Edwardian times. However, trends in the way property is used have changed significantly since then and this has led to calls by business bodies, large property users and others for the need to find a way to modernise the system to reflect this change.

The most frequently cited concern has centred on the growth of on-line retailing.

Some of the UK’s largest retailers have lobbied government that the current system of business rates gives an unfair advantage to on-line retailers. They make a strong argument that it is definitely not the case that the physical size of a business is directly linked to its prosperity.

So what is the English review setting out to achieve? The review will look at changes in how non-domestic property is

being used, what the UK can learn from other countries in terms of a locally based tax and how the system can better reflect changes in property values. It asks a wide range of questions including whether changing patterns in property usage are affecting some sectors more than others, should business rates be reformed to make them more closely reflective of wider and individual economic conditions and if the current system of business rates are affecting UK competitiveness.

The review also asks for evidence in favour of moving away from a propertybased tax system. While this suggests an openness to consider ‘radical’ change this is unlikely to be the case as the government has articulated an explicit preference for business rates to remain a tax based on property values. The reasons are four-fold.

Business rates are thought to be: 1) least harmful for economic growth because they are less distortionary than other taxes, 2) a relatively efficient tax to collect because of the visibility of the physical property upon which the tax is levied, 3) easier to link to and finance local authorities because they are based on property rather than, for

example, a tax linked to earnings or profits, to the survey are against a property based and 4) relatively stable and predictable business rate tax although one comment when compared with other taxes, meaning made is that the current system is the ‘least ratepayers have more certainty from year to worst option’. Just over 50 per cent believe year about their tax liability. that business rates should be based on the Where alternatives have been put forward ability to pay and 40 per cent on business they typically attempt to take account of size based on, for example, the number business circumstances particularly around of employees. Ideas put forward have the ability of the business to pay. Some included a tax based on some combination have suggested the need to combine some of property values and profits, on business element of property value with a measure performance only or some form of local of business size or performance reflected by employment, turnover “The current business or value added. Readyrates regime has been in made solutions that can work effectively across place since 1990 although different business sectors, the fundamental system however, are not easily has changed little since found.

NI Chamber has asked Edwardian times.” members about issues relating to business rates in its latest Quarterly Economic Survey Qtr2 2015. Members are sales tax levied at council level as a means to of the view that the business rates system raise funds for the area. in Northern Ireland is in need of reform Northern Ireland has full control of its to make it more reflective of economic business rates system. It retains all revenue conditions. This is entirely consistent raised from the tax but also bears the full with the context to the English review. risk for any changes it makes to the system.

However, members are perhaps less clear This means that it would be under the about what this would mean in practice. same pressure as the English system to Around 40 per cent of those responding make any changes ‘fiscally neutral’ in that

the amount raised would have to remain largely unchanged. The current amount raised through the business rating system in Northern Ireland is just over £530m (2011/12) or just under 4 per cent of Northern Ireland’s tax take (to put this in context corporation tax receipts amount to 4.6 per cent of NI’s tax take). That poses a significant challenge in attempting to be too radical about any changes to the way the current system is administered.

Despite the challenge, successive Finance Ministers, Arlene Foster and Simon Hamilton, have declared their intention to undertake a fundamental review of the system following the non-domestic Revaluation that took effect in April this year. This process began in June with a 4-day symposium of representative bodies, mostly business organisations, to help establish some guiding principles for the review. This has allowed the views of the business community to shape the terms of reference and inform a public consultation process, which is planned for the autumn.

This review will not only look at making the system better but it also examine any alternatives there are; not necessarily to replace the system, but to help spread the load move evenly and lesson the burden on existing ratepayers.

So is there a better way? You will have an opportunity to have your say.

a helping hand I am sure you will agree that nobody likes nasty surprises particularly if they involve fleet costs.

End of contract charges has the potential to be a contentious area if not well managed. At Agnew Corporate they find that they can avoid most of these problems by ensuring clear communication with their customers and the drivers throughout the agreement. For example every driver gets a handbook at the point of delivery detailing exactly what their responsibilities are during the contract.

Agnew Corporate also make clear what condition they expect the vehicle to be in when it is returned to them and that they follow the BVRLA guidelines. They also arrange to inspect each vehicle approximately six months before the end of the contract which gives the driver an opportunity to repair any major items of damage well before the vehicle comes back to them.

As the vehicles are returned directly to Agnew Corporate at the end of the agreement they can and do offer fairness with a common sense approach. This is something not always possible if you do not deal with a local leasing provider who directly funds your vehicle whereby no third party contract hire company or

broker is involved. Their clear objective is to continue to renew vehicles over many years giving a consistent approach to customers at all times.

For more information on how they can assist you please contact David McEwen on 02890386600.

NI Chamber 81

[news]

business bites from brussels IN THE LATEST BULLETIN FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, MEASURES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL HAVE REPERCUSSIONS FOR BUSINESSES, CONSUMERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN NORTHERN IRELAND. HERE WE DETAIL WHAT’S UNDER PROPOSAL IN BRUSSELS.

Growth-friendly tax systems in Europe

The European Commission recently held a debate within the College of Commissioners on measures to make corporation taxation fairer, more growth-friendly and transparent. The Commissioners agreed that a new EU approach to corporate taxation is needed to successfully address tax abuse, ensure sustainable revenues and foster a better business environment in the internal market.

The fight against tax evasion and avoidance is a top priority of the Commission, with a key objective to ensure that companies are taxed where their profits are generated and cannot avoid paying their fair share of tax through aggressive tax planning. An important first step was taken in March 2015 when the Commission presented a package of measures to boost tax transparency in the EU. This debate will feed into an Action Plan in June.

Focus of Draft EU budget 2016 The European Commission has proposed a 2016 EU budget of €143.5 billion to support the recovery of the European economy and help improve lives in Europe and beyond. The draft budget will now be sent to the European Parliament and EU Member States who will jointly decide on the final budget. The main features of the draft EU budget include: • Nearly half of it (€66.58 billion) used to stimulate growth, employment and competitiveness • Supporting the political priorities of the European Commission, for example the Energy Union and the Digital Single Market, via programmes like the Connecting Europe Facility (€1.67 billion in 2016) • €1.8 billion to Erasmus+, the European programme for education, training, youth and sport • Increasing competitiveness through research and innovation with programmes like Horizon 2020 (€10 billion in 2016, up 11.6 per cent from 2015) • €2 billion in commitments and €500 million in payments for the guarantee fund of the EFSI, to unlock €315 billion in investment for Europe • A total of €42.86 billion for farmers

Digital Single Better Regulation Market drive Agenda The European Commission recently adopted a comprehensive package of reforms – its Better Regulation Agenda – which will boost openness and transparency in the EU decision-making process, improve the quality of new laws through better impact assessments of draft legislation and amendments, and promote consistent reviews of existing EU laws so that EU policies achieve their objectives in the most effective and efficient way. The Better Regulation Package will be directly implemented by the Commission in its own preparation and evaluation of legislation and through cooperation with the European Parliament and Council. The Commission will now enter negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council over a new Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making. The Commission’s policy-making process will be open to further public scrutiny and input, with a web portal where initiatives can be tracked.

The European Commission has announced a set of initiatives for a Digital Single Market in Europe which it will bring forward by the end of next year.

They are organised in three broad areas: better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services (e-commerce, geo-blocking, copyright), creating the right conditions for digital networks and innovative services to flourish (telecoms rules, online platforms, cybersecurity) and maximising the growth potential of the digital economy (Big Data, cloud, interoperability, ICT skills).

A digital single market is estimated to be able to generate £306 billion (€415 billion)in additional growth and create hundreds of jobs. Removing barriers to e-commerce alone could save European consumers £8.63 billion (€11.7 billion).

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “The 16 steps of our Digital Single Market Strategy will help make the Single Market fit for a digital age.” A first set of legislative proposals is expected this autumn.

82 NI Chamber

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[Columnist] Sinead Dillon, Principal Consultant, Fujitsu

Digital Inside & Out The digital revolution is racing on as Sinead Dillon explains.

T

he importance of embracing digital to deliver fundamentally new approaches to business and service delivery is key to advancing in a digital world – yet digital can mean different things to different people, particularly in business.

A digital world is not just characterised by our use of online channels; a digital world touches almost every aspect of our lives, including how we interact with other humans, services, and even objects.

The pace of change in digital technology is faster than ever. From the advancement of smartphones to smart meters – technological innovation is making our lives progressively more digital, we can talk to our boilers as easily as we talk to each other.

The implications of what living in a digital world means is emphasised in a recent comprehensive UK wide research report carried out by Fujitsu, Digital Inside Out – the only UK wide study to examine digital from every angle. It shows that when a digital service is offered, over a fifth of us will always opt for a digital-first approach. A total of 84 per cent of respondents said they would always or sometimes use digital services when they are offered. These high figures reflect how people are driven by a desire to speed up (66%) and simplify (62%) everyday processes. The results show that the UK is increasingly a digitally confident nation and one that is seeking to move faster towards a digital future.

Business approaches to living in this digital world have matured, and we have seen how the value of businesses increases when they properly harness the power of digital.

There are various ways of harnessing digital for example, businesses can digitalise their existing services – as we have seen with the DVLA and HM Revenue and Customs.

Digital can transform customer experience – something that is particularly evident when it comes to online shopping or online banking – and digital can be used to reinvent whole business models based on people’s desire to interact digitally, as we’ve seen with the growth of taxi company Über and music streaming service, Spotify.

Sectors leading the charge and best at providing digital services to their customers are Retail and Financial Services. According to the Digital Inside Out Report online banking is the most used digital service (67%), with online shopping coming in a close second (66%). Whilst the report highlights much

84 NI Chamber

“In a world where customers are becoming more adept at interacting with new digital products and services, it is essential for businesses to embrace the digital world – and ideally from the inside out.” positivity, some sectors have a lot to do – not least in providing greater integration between different online/offline channels and between front office/back office processes – or what can be termed digital from the inside out.

Businesses that do not identify the opportunities a digital world presents risk falling behind, a point emphasised at a recent event, Digital Everything, held by the British Computer Society Belfast branch.

A clear message from the event was that it is virtually impossible to escape the digital revolution and that the companies who embrace it fully can find economic and competitive advantage. One of the most stark

pieces of evidence provided, highlighted that back in 2000, the average cost of business innovation was considered to be in the region of $5m and in 2011 that had fallen to just $5000 dollars. With the growth in digital since then, it is undoubtedly even less today.

Ulster University’s Professor Mark Durkin who spoke at the event also challenged the notion of ‘digital marketing’ and instead argued that we should see it as marketing, but in a digital age. He made the interesting point that too many businesses are focused on the ‘how’ of digital marketing and not enough about the ‘why’ and that the fundamental questions of marketing should still apply.

What the Digital Everything event and the Digital Inside Out report illustrate is that organisations and the professionals they employ here in Northern Ireland have the appetite to learn more about what it means to be digital, and how it impacts on both the social and economic wellbeing of our region.

Digital solutions can provide both improved customer service and full integration between the customer interface and back-office processes. In a world where customers are becoming more adept at interacting with new digital products and services, it is essential for businesses to embrace the digital world – and ideally from the inside out.

[LIFESTYLE] james stinson, business class motoring writer

Scandinavian style and safety Volvo’s new XC90 has been years in the making but the time’s been well spent, writes James Stinson.

I

t wouldn’t usually take 12 years for a car maker to launch a new version of its most successful model but Volvo’s new XC90 has certainly been worth the wait.

Having cost £7 billion to develop, this premium SUV is the first fruits of Volvo’s Chinese ownership and will be the launch pad for a host of new Volvo cars.

It features a new design look, new engines, ground breaking safety features, and a greater emphasis on high-end luxury.

Styling wise, Volvo is looking to play more heavily on the good name of Scandinavian design. That includes what Volvo calls its “new face”. This consists of a new grille badge, updating the traditional Volvo logo, as well as new T-shaped running lights, and sharper, more defined front-end styling.

That theme is repeated inside, with expensive-feeling brushed metal inserts, lots of leather and an attractive layout.

Compared to the last XC90, Volvo has decluttered the dashboard and removed most of the buttons. Instead, the entertainment and climate systems are controlled by a central touchscreen, flanked by two main air vents and some lovely chrome detailing.

You can pick from a range of new 4-cylidner diesel (225 bhp) and petrol (316bhp) motors, as well as a plug-in hybrid (400 bhp) but the diesel is the pick of the bunch, capable of delivering 48.7mpg and sub 150g/km CO2 emissions.

Four-wheel drive is standard but the XC90

is definitely set-up for comfy on road driving rather than tramping across muddy fields… though with lots of clever electronic trickery to hand, it could easily do so if needed.

It’s also quite a big car, a proper sevenseater. Even the third row of seats is reasonably generous for adults – although headroom will be tight for some and you’ll have to be fairly agile to climb up and past the second row.

Seats six and seven are the same size as those in row two and set slightly inwards for a better view forward. Theatre-style seating rising towards the back of the car helps too.

In seven-seat configuration, the Volvo offers a great mix of refinement and practicality, with 451 litres of boot space. Fold the third row down and this rises to 1,102 litres. Stow them all away, and there’s a quite cavernous 1,951 litres on offer. Plus, with a low loading lip and ‘hands-free’ powered tailgate as standard, it’ll be easy to pack away shopping.

What’s more, as you might expect from a Volvo, the XC90 features a comprehensive package of safety equipment, including two new features: run-off road protection, which holds passengers in place and absorbs energy if it detects that the car has come off the road in a crash; and auto brake at intersection,

which detects if the driver is turning across the path of an oncoming car, and sharply applies the brakes to help prevent a collision.

And in another step towards driverless cars, the XC90 will be able to follow the car in front in stop-start traffic automatically.

Volvo says that the new technologies will help it towards its goal that nobody will be killed or seriously injured in one of its new models by the year 2020.

More importantly the XC90 makes a sensible purchase in the here and now.

The entry-level D5 Momentum model (£45,750) is priced marginally above BMW’s four-cylinder X5 xDrive25d SE, but beats its performance, fuel economy and CO2 figures, while offering more equipment and seven seats as standard.

Porsche’s Cayenne isn’t as cheap to run, either, and costs a lot more to bring it up to the Volvo’s level of kit. The equivalent Range Rover Sport has more equipment, but it costs considerably more to buy and its third-row seats are an optional extra.

The XC90 is a study in patient and scrupulous development. Spacious, refined and relaxing to drive, it ticks every box and one more, being Swedish… it’s different from the norm.

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86 NI Chamber

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Refresh your business.

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13/05/2015 12:36

[LIFESTYLE] james stinson, business class motoring writer

Order books open for new Sharan

Volkswagen dealers are now taking orders for the new Sharan MPV, ahead of first deliveries in October.

The range has been refreshed and now features improved specification as well as a range of engines which all meet EU6 standards and are up to 15 per cent more efficient than those they replace.

The current model went on sale in November 2010, and was the first Sharan to benefit from an all-new EasyFold seating concept and side sliding doors. Both of these key user-friendly features are carried over to the new model, along with a host of other changes.

Inside, the new Sharan gets a boost in the form of new upholsteries, new steering wheels and the brand new second generation colour touchscreen MIB infotainment systems across the range of S, SE and SEL models. Also standard across the range are an Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Bluetooth phone connection and three-zone Climatronic air conditioning.

Prices start at £26,300 and rise to £36,280.

New 3 Series engines are worth shouting about The latest BMW 3 Series, the preferred car for millions of middle managers down through the ages, is getting a bit of a makeover, including front end styling tweaks, and a host of new engines, including a plug-in hybrid.

Most of the changes are beneath the bonnet, including a new three cylinder petrol engine (a 3 Series first), that BMW claims delivers four cylinder performance and refinement.

With the six-speed manual gearbox, the BMW 318i accelerates from 0-62mph in

just 8.9 seconds on the way to a top speed of 130mph while CO2 emissions stand at just 122 g/km, a 12 per cent improvement over the previous BMW 316i. Fuel consumption is equally impressive, with the Saloon returning up to 54.3mpg and the Touring 51.4mpg.

A new BMW 330e plug-in hybrid joins the range next year promising a 0-62mph time of just 6.3 secs and combined fuel consumption of 134.5 mpg and CO2 emissions of 49g/km.

Orders for all new 3 Series, except the hybrid, are being taken at BMW dealers now.

Skoda’s Superbly spacious estate The previous Skoda Superb was easily one of the best estates around and this new version is no different. Incredibly spacious, very refined and good value to boot, orders are being taken now for first deliveries in September.

Just like its hatchback sibling, the new Superb Estate will be available with seven engine options and the option of DSG automatic and 4x4 transmissions on some models. The engine range consists of four TSI petrol and three TDI diesel units with outputs ranging from 120PS for the 1.6 TDI to 280PS for the range-topping new 2.0 TSI engine.

The are five trim levels: S, SE, SE

Business, SE L Executive and Laurin & Klement, with each offering higher specification and equipment levels than comparable models in the current lineup. Despite this impressive increase in

specification across the board, Skoda has managed to make the new Superb even more affordable with the new 1.4 TSI S model available for £19,840 – just £25 more than the outgoing S model.

Renew your fleet.

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T: 028 9038 6600 agnewcorporate.com

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

enthusiastic about the environment Energy-saving pupils rewarded at third annual SSE Airtricity and Eco-Schools Global Wind Awards.

Over 60 Eco-Schools pupils got the chance to ditch their desks for a day to attend the event. The pupils watched and carried out a variety of presentations and exhibitions, before enjoying a guided tour of SSE Airtricity’s nearby Slieve Kirk Wind Park.

The awards were handed out by Minister for the Environment, Mark H Durkan, who spoke of the passion, pride and potential of the Eco-Schools pupils.

Josh Bradley, Communications Manager at SSE Airtricity, commented: “This year’s awards, as in the past two years, have been a great indication of just how enthusiastic and dedicated Northern Ireland’s Eco-Schools are when it comes to studying energy and the environment.”

The 2015 SSE Airtricity and Eco-Schools Global Wind Awards took place at the Everglades Hotel in Derry~Londonderry on Wednesday 3rd June. The awards ceremony, which was fittingly hosted by UTV weatherman Frank Mitchell, celebrated the environmental and energysaving achievements of Eco-Schools throughout Northern Ireland.

Eco-Schools Manager, Carmel Fyfe, said: “It’s wonderful to see the schools excelling in such a prestigious international programme, and we’re delighted to work with SSE Airtricity in rewarding their achievements through the Global Wind Awards.” www.sseairtricity.com

Smart Mapping –More to the Point Philip McLaughlin, Customer Success Manager, Esri Ireland.

Many organisations use tools to identify patterns in your customers or data.

Smart mapping provides insight into your business data beyond viewing points on a map.

Do you remember the first time you viewed where all your customers were located or which region provided you with most sales on a map? Seeing your data displayed on a map can provide a simple yet intelligent way to understand your business’ markets, customers and processes. The insights that points,

representing your clients or assets, visualised on a map can provide are great but do hundreds of points on a map alone make sense? Why not go step further and analyse and optimise those points in order to better interpret your data?

Esri Ireland works with hundreds of organisations to help their maps ‘make sense’ for their business. Using geography, location and place companies can best understand patterns and trends in their data; be that identifying where clusters of customers are, visualising sales per region, comparing data against demographic, lifestyle, and the commercial spending powers of communities. We call this “Smart Mapping”.

Simply put Smart Mapping analyses your data and automatically suggests the best way to represent it. From heat maps to hot spots, coloured regions to 3D representations: you won’t need to be an expert to unlock the secrets in your data!

So if your organisation wants to make more informed decisions around market planning, site analysis, marketing and risk management, think smart and move beyond simply points on map.

If you’d like to discover ways to use geography and Esri’s technology and expertise in your own organisation, why not say hello to the Northern Ireland team at mapsmakesense@esri-ireland.ie

[GUEST Columnist] Beth McMaw, NI Executive Recruiter and HR Consultant

Careering towards a career A central driving force is required to strengthen partnerships between education and business says Beth McMaw.

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orthern Ireland is renowned for its remarkable levels of education but how do we strengthen links between education and business?

In our globally competitive economic environment, and imminent reduced reliance on public sector jobs, there is a greater need for a talented, enterprising workforce, for constant innovation in product and service development, for a thriving culture of entrepreneurship, for dynamic leading‐edge scientific and technological development and for world‐class research that attracts investment.

Universities are an integral part of the skills and innovation supply chain to business, yet cuts are inevitable. This will impact on funding for courses and ultimately less courses being offered, so the question is which courses will disappear?

“Whilst there Education and business links start well is a level of before university; they connection should be encouraged post primary between schools at primary, secondary level, in their and vocational stages and employers, specific subjects of also. expertise? it is inconsistent Whilst there is a There are many in terms of level of connection positive connections between schools the geography between education and employers, it is and business: covered, the inconsistent in terms of • Learning and frequency and the geography covered, competencies seem the frequency and the the quality or to be incorporated quality or content of into the curriculum content of the the information that is • Approaches information shared. For example, and methods to large companies will that is shared.” help ensure children visit large well-known actually understand schools across the cities what they are doing such as Belfast and Derry-Londonderry, but and why they are doing it this information needs to be shared in all • DEL has a range of programmes and schools including rural areas. strategies Careers in education, health, emergency • Our Universities continue with their services, law and accountancy may still be academic research but they also work closely favourites and of course they offer fantastic with business on programmes like the MBA careers. However, careers departments in to ensure a stronger link to business and schools should also consider careers in areas entrepreneurship such as; IT, Manufacturing, HR, Finance, • Trade organisations offer their time to Construction, Engineering, Marketing provide seminars to schools and Sales. Perhaps post primary schools • Colleges such as SERC work with should invest in employing external Careers employers to develop relevant study Advisors who have come from industry, programmes. as opposed to adding the careers service However, more could be done across on to Teachers who trained to teach at the board to ensure children actually

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understand the vast array of jobs and how their particular subjects and areas of competence are connected. This in turn will help children focus and aspire rather than setting themselves unrealistic dreams and expectations.

Those responsible for creating and delivering the curriculum from base level up need to understand the skills and competencies required. The highest grades in academia and the lowest levels of communication and attitude don’t necessarily grant you the top job. A balance of these probably would!

Priority should be given to conducting a review of the careers services in the post primary sector, our secondary and grammar schools. The result of such a review would undoubtedly recommend a new “Career Programme”, a programme that begins with those offering the careers services, perhaps a new department within DE or DEL that employs a team of Careers Guidance Professionals who are in tune with the world of commerce and industry as well as the traditional career routes.

Overall, what appears to be missing is one driving machine to pull all these areas together. This would ensure consistency in communication and goals as well as enabling a programme where all educational institutions are included.

[SPONSORED FEATURE] Kieran Donohoe, Ronnie Hill, Mark Lyness and Tom Snodden.

Donald Eakin, Julie Leonard and Tommy Maguire.

Laura Jackson and Helen Brown.

asdon annual golf day Asdon Group recently hosted its Annual Golf Day at Dunmurry Golf Club. The event, which was attended by 56 of Asdon’s clients and suppliers, got off to a blustery start but the rain was mostly avoided which allowed everyone to enjoy a fantastic day followed by a meal and prizegiving in the clubhouse.

Winners on the day were: Mens 1st - Mark Wilson, Mens 2nd - James McKervill (after a 6 hole count back), Mens 3rd - Ciaran Maguire, Ladies 1st - Ruth Walker, Asdon Prize Godfrey Duncan, Gross - Tom Snodden, Closest to Pin - Tom Snodden and Longest Drive - Robert Brown.

www.asdongroup.com

Darwin Smith, Hugh McGoldrick, Joe Tunney and James McKervill.

Ken Hanna, Ryan McIlhatton, Andrew Agnew and Godfrey Duncan.

Ciaran Maguire, Steven Keown, Dean Beckett and Robert Brown.

Richard Palmer, Terry Fuller, Gary Gilpin and Brian Keenen.

Stephen Maxwell, Sammy Vage, David Longridge and John Houston.

[LIFESTYLE] Mukesh Sharma, Managing Director, Selective Travel Management

A taxing time for air travel Northern Ireland needs ‘double espresso’ to deal with the APD disadvantage says Mukesh Sharma.

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ourism and aviation have the same effect on the economy as a double espresso has on an individual who’s trying to shake off a sluggish start to the day.

The impact is usually quick, and the effects positive and uplifting.

The problem is that in Northern Ireland there’s a reluctance to sip the energising pickme-up for fear that the cost will be too great.

Better, the argument goes, that we trundle along achieving pleasing but, I would suggest, ultimately inadequate small-scale successes.

Our tourism figures are up but, welcome though that is, the actual spend is down.

Now, that disconnect tells us this: within an island-wide context, we are Ireland’s favourite day-tripper tourist destination.....

Inbound tourists into Dublin Airport take a day or two to visit our international iconic attractions before returning to the Republic of Ireland to spend the bulk of their time and money there, not here. Northern Ireland is currently failing to hold their attention, and their business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We need to either retain them here for longer or fly them directly into Northern Ireland!

So, how can we address this very real disparity and raise our aspirations?

Well, to begin with, we have to make Northern Ireland more attractive as a direct destination for visitors. In essence, that means the elimination of the very damaging Air Passenger Duty (APD) to compete on a level playing field with Dublin.

APD is €18 more per passenger in Northern Ireland: €72 more for a family of four or €144 return. This North/ South disparity which puts Northern Ireland at a significant disadvantage is evidently the key factor

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in explaining how Dublin Airport continues to grow its share of passengers and develop new international destinations. The aim is not to reduce the income into the Republic of Ireland but to grow new visitors to Northern Ireland through a combination of direct arrivals and longer stays.

Our Executive must know there would be a cost to the Block Grant if the region did away with APD. Ministers, possibly wary of those financial consequences, baulk at the idea without, I believe, realising or accepting the very appreciable benefits. As a result there is no strategy to address the difference, and only a desire to see APD dealt with at a UK national level.

The major airlines serving the market are clear and unified in their view. Northern Ireland has a huge amount to offer in tourism terms but, while the tax disparities exist, Dublin will inevitably continue to be the entry point of choice for international visitors entering the island. Only once a level playing field is created will Northern Ireland be positioned to command a more appropriate share and proportion of overall tourism activity into the island.

Encouragingly, there are signs that some of our Assembly politicians are getting the message.

Showing rare cross-community consensus, they came down hard on the Departments of Finance and Personnel and Enterprise, Trade and Investment for a report they commissioned on APD which, said one politician,

“has no aspiration, no ambition and is treading water...To me this report speaks of pessimism...it is the most disappointing report that I have read in a long time.”

For me, if the Republic of Ireland recognised the damage the passenger levy was doing to its vibrant tourism industry and jettisoned the tax, and Scotland is seeking to emulate Dublin, then why is Northern Ireland displaying such reluctance and hesitation?

“Northern Ireland has a huge amount to offer in tourism terms but, while the tax disparities exist, Dublin will inevitably continue to be the entry point of choice for international visitors entering the island.”

We need to be more than merely a daytrip destination from Dublin and, instead, rediscover the can-do attitude that was for so long a hallmark of the region, and one which I hold true to in my business, Selective Travel.

The second piece of the equation is the provision of a small fund to assist with new route development. Start-up marketing support is essential to help airlines secure a foothold in new markets.

To me, action on APD and an air route development fund must happen, and sooner rather than later. All that’s needed is a double espresso and a bit of courage to make it happen!

[LIFESTYLE] DAVID SCOTT, HEAD CHEF, HADSKIS

CULINARY DELIGHTS This is a great time of year to make light dishes as the main event or a simple accompaniment for fish or meat. Hadskis’ Head Chef David Scott has selected two of his favourite salads that have featured on the restaurant’s menu and which are bursting with the flavours of locally grown produce that is in abundance at this time of year.

Raisin & walnut coleslaw INGREDIENTS 1/2 white cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, grated 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 15g raisins 10g chopped walnuts 10g pumpkin seeds 1 lemon, juice only salt and pepper Start by picking off the outer layers of the cabbage and with a sharp knife finely slice half of it so that there are long thin strips of cabbage. At this stage I would wash the shredded cabbage under a running tap and, if you have a salad spinner, put it in and spin dry or

alternatively leave in a clean tea towel or kitchen roll to get the dampness off.

Top and tail two carrots, peel and then grate the remaining carrot using a cheese grater.

Mix the cabbage and the carrot together and season with salt and pepper. Then add in the mayonnaise and mustard and mix well before topping with the raisins.

Crush the walnuts lightly and add the pumpkin seeds whole. Any seeds will do, the nuts are added for an extra crunch, so sesame or poppy seeds are just as good.

Add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly and serve.

Iceberg, Young Buck and Pancetta salad INGREDIENTS Using one iceberg lettuce will make six portions of this salad 1 Iceberg lettuce 18 anchovy fillets in brine 6 slices of pancetta 150g Young Buck Cheese (this is a local County Down cheese which has been in production for six months and can be purchased in all good delicatessens) Dressing 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 150ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tblesp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp capers 1 pinch sugar 1 pinch salt Freshly ground black pepper To cook the pancetta, place it between two sheets of greaseproof paper and press down. Place in a preheated oven

at 170ºC and cook for 25 minutes until crispy. Turn the oven off and leave the door open and let the pancetta cool.

When removing the pancetta from the oven, it should stay stiff and straight.

Leave to the side until ready.

Cut the iceberg lettuce into six and holding each sixth wash under running water without letting it lose its shape.

Shake to dry and place on a drying cloth to drip dry as a wedge.

Once dry, place the iceberg on a plate and sprinkle with crumbled Young Buck blue cheese and place the anchovy on top.

To make the dressing add all the ingredients in a clean jar, seal the lid on top and shake vigorously, before drizzling on top of the lettuce and blue cheese and to finish add on your strips of pancetta before serving.

NI Chamber 93

[LIFESTYLE] Ashleigh Addis, Woman’s Editor, Ulster Tatler

a style haven Make life simple for yourself and visit The OUTLET, Banbridge for all the latest trends for him and her this season. Home to more than 50 of the world’s bestknown retail brands, it is a shopping and leisure destination like no other. This issue Ashleigh Addis looks at the latest trends for men and women this season.

For the ladies…pale pinks and whites will freshen up your wardrobe. Embrace your feminine side this summer!

For the men… accessories are key. Add the finishing touches to your outfit with a stylish watch and sophisticated cufflinks.

Silver Onyx cufflinks, RRP £36.99 OUTLET £19.99 (Chapelle Jewellery).

The Designer Studio

Men’s Accurist watch, RRP £60 OUTLET £24 (Chapelle Jewellery).

The Designer Studio

Men’s Citizen Eco-Drive Chrongraph watch, RRP £290 OUTLET £150 (Chapelle Jewellery).

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Blouse, RRP £150 OUTLET £99 (Jaeger).

Trousers, RRP £155 OUTLET £90 (L.K. Bennett).

Sandals, RRP £45 OUTLET £29.99 (Daniel Footwear).

Accessories from Claire’s.

Lace top, RRP £150 OUTLET £59 (Jaeger).

Sekonda watch, RRP £79.99 OUTLET £39.99 (Chapelle Jewellery).

Malatesse Jacket, RRP £199 OUTLET £89 (Jaeger).

Renae Peonie sandal, RRP £195 OUTLET £75 (L.K.Bennett).

All items available from The OUTLET, Banbridge

NI Chamber 95

[Columnist] jim fitzpatrick, INDEPENDENT BROADCASTER

sign off... Look out for the small and the swift You can be big in business by being small says Jim Fitzpatrick.

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t’s not the big eating the small any more.

It’s the fast eating the quick.

Just one of the many little business tips that tends to do the rounds on Twitter these days. But one of the more salient ones.

In Northern Ireland where 99 per cent of businesses would fall into the “small” category by international standards, that’s something worth pondering. In our increasingly fastchanging world, the future belongs to those companies who can adapt quickly to the shifting demands. Small firms should have a natural advantage.

I recently hosted an event in Tyrone where local legend Pat O’Neill, founder of the global engineering phenomenon Powerscreen, described how he strategically made his business smaller so that it could grow bigger.

He’d taken Powerscreen to a level of success where he felt it needed a new management structure. He appointed the new team and duly absented himself to give them the space to develop the business. But after a couple of years he grew unhappy with progress and decided he needed to take direct charge once again.

When he returned to his desk he set

“Big companies can have enormous economies of scale. But they can also lose their entrepreneurial culture.

In a world where agility rules, that’s a bighandicap.”

about dismantling the corporate structure he found. He broke the business up into several independent companies – each incentivised to grow their business and improve their processes. He reduced the core employee count from hundreds to just a handful.

The rest, as anyone who knows the diversity and strength of the Mid Ulster engineering sector will attest, is history.

Powerscreen grew and grew. It was smaller – by the measurement of company size we tend to favour here, which relates to employee numbers – but much bigger

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in terms of turnover and profit.

Big companies can have enormous economies of scale. But they can also lose their entrepreneurial culture. In a world where agility rules, that’s a big handicap.

Recently Apple – and they don’t come much bigger – was humbled by a single female artist when it announced its new streaming service with initial plans to pay artists and record labels nothing during a three-month free trial period for its billions of customers.

Taylor Swift announced that she wasn’t happy, removed her new album from the service and warned that she might never, ever, ever get back together with her

tech friends. Within 24 hours Apple had responded. It apologised and said, of course, it would pay artists for using their content.

Social media came alive with the new hashtag “applecrumble”. The initial plan had been a misjudged move by the supremely successful corporate behemoth. Apple had probably assumed that it had the clout to tell the artists what deal to accept. Taylor Swift decided otherwise. It was a humbling David and Goliath encounter.

But it showed that when a big company gets it wrong, it needs to move quickly to sort things out. At least Apple had the smarts to do that.

So, small can stand up to big. Agile beats brute power. Swift, Taylor or otherwise, is the new mantra for the successful business.

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Leading the way through innovation and export ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • lookers chief andy bruce at the wheel

• engineering companies innovate with the products they create

• jim fitzpatrick on looking out for the small and the swift