BUSINESS NETWORX WWW.TEAMVALLEYPUBLICATIONS.CO.UK ISSUE #37 • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019
BORGWARNER WORK BEGINS ON STATEOF-THE-ART RESEARCH LAB
DIAMOND GROUP GROWTH PLANS TEAM VALLEY COMPANY LAUNCHES NEW FURNITURE DIVISION
tech guide:
SMART BIKE FEATURES AMAZON ALEXA
Employee motivation
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News
Regional mortgage firm creates new jobs with 2019 expansion First Mortgage NE is celebrating its most successful year to date and has doubled the size of its Gateshead headquarters creating local jobs. Since starting the North East franchise in 2013, business partners Philip McGuire and Ben Riley have opened four branches, created over 20 jobs in the North East and more than quadrupled turnover figures. The company has branches in Gateshead, Newcastle, Sunderland and Chester le Street, and recently launched four additional offices in Northumberland, Middlesbrough, Darlington and York. Philip said: “Almost six years ago, Ben and I were working from one office with a shared ambition of being the company of choice in the North East mortgage arena. “Now, we have a region-wide presence and the business has just had a record year completing over 2,000 mortgages in 2018. “We’ve grown a strong workforce of people too and will be adding to our branch teams into the New Year, starting with our Gateshead HQ. “As we move into 2019, new build is an area of the business we will expand as part of our strategic development plans. “This includes the first time buyer audience which made up over 50 percent of the UK market during the first half of 2018, so there is clear demand for our service which is completely fee-free to consumers.” In time for the New Year, the Gateshead branch and company’s headquarters has doubled in size as it has acquired the neighbouring unit on Kensington Terrace in Dunston, making way for four new recruits. Source: bdaily.co.uk
Employee Motivation To get the best from your employees you must be willing to invest in some effort into implementing motivational measures. A motivated workforce can bring: • • • • •
improved productivity higher staff retention levels lower levels of absenteeism better customer service a better reputation for the business
Common motivation mistakes • Thinking that money is the answer - research shows that salary or bonuses are not necessarily the biggest motivator. • Not backing up words with actions - it does not work if you don’t follow through up on promises made. • Creating competition between people or teams can have a negative effect of reducing workplace morale Some ideas for motivating • Provide a good induction to new staff so they feel supported.
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• Provide a buddy - if someone is new or is doing a new task, team them up with an experienced colleague. • Create a good impression by displaying the values and behaviours yourself that you expect others to adopt and adhere to. • Provide a clear sense of purpose if goals are vague or unachievable, it’s unlikely workers will be engaged to help achieve them. • Team-building - activities can range from time out of the office to focus on key activities or social occasions. • Training and development offering training and development opportunities is a great way of ensuring staff are engaged. • Incentives and rewards –making staff feel appreciated. If there is no budget for incentives and rewards, it is still important say thank you in non-financial ways e.g. verbally, an early finish, dress down days etc.
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Development
BorgWarner appoints Knight Frank to deliver £2m R&D facility and works start on site Left to right: David Sidlow, Borg Warner, Ian Tew, Knight Frank Newcastle and Martin Westgate from Robertson’s.
Electric vehicle innovator BorgWarner’s ambitious growth plans have taken a step forward as work begins on a new £2m state-of-the-art research and development lab in Gateshead. US giant BorgWarner, which makes components for electric vehicles, has appointed Knight Frank Newcastle to develop the facility on Team Valley which will safeguard 200 jobs. BorgWarner, which bought out Gateshead company Sevcon, moved into 55,000 sq ft of premises at the rear of Gateshead College’s Skills Academy for Construction in March 2017. Two existing properties are being remodelled to facilitate the company’s expansion. The laboratory, which will be used by highly-skilled engineers to develop clean technology prototypes for testing, is the second phase of the development. The first
phase - a two-storey office block on the same site on Princesway - is now complete.
local jobs, it’s even more of a pleasure to be steering it.”
Knight Frank’s building consultancy team, headed by partner Ian Tew, is project managing the development of the laboratory.
Robertson North East are the general contractors, Blake Hopkinson are the architects, Portland Engineers are taking care of the structural engineering and Wilson Grey are the mechanical and electrical engineers.
He said: “We have actually been working on this project for over a year as we were originally appointed by Sevcon prior to the company being taken over by Borg Warner, so it’s a relief to finally get on site and get started. “It’s a very exciting, futuristic development to be involved with and because the project is securing a significant amount of
It’s a very exciting, futuristic development to be involved with and because the project is securing a significant amount of local jobs, it’s even more of a pleasure to be steering it 10 | www.teamvalleypublications.co.uk
BorgWarner is benefiting from the global move to increase the use of electric cars, which has seen it grow headcount over the last three years and build up a £320m order book. David Sidlow, general manager at BorgWarner, said: “We are delighted to have Knight Frank onboard to project manage the next phase of our expansion. “The new premises will provide us with the facilities and space to achieve the next stage of our growth strategy. We are investing heavily in the new offices and testing facilities and hope to be up-andrunning by the Summer.”
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Te c h G u i d e
WORLD’S FIRST BIKE RANGE TO iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max bring the FEATURE ALEXA to iPhone best and AMAZON biggest displays HALFORDS have announced the launch of the innovative Cybic bike range, the world’s first connected smart bike with access to Amazon Alexa. Cyclists that know and love Alexa will now benefit from using Amazon’s cloudbased voice service for the first time ever in a brand-new bike. According to David Kumar, Principal Product Manager at Alexa Voice Services (AVS); “Adding Alexa functionality expands the notion of “Alexa On The Go”, where Alexa is available anywhere where the bike is. The combination of Alexa and Cybic enables riders to enjoy a great range of innovative, integrated bike features without their hands ever having to leave the safety of the handle bars”. Halfords is the exclusive UK and Ireland retailer of the range and it will be available in shops and online at Halfords.com from the summer 2019. Launching at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the range includes a hybrid, the Cybic Legend and an electric bike, the Cybic E-Legend. Using a control mounted to the handlebars, cyclists can access an easy-to-use menu which controls all the functions. Cyclists can ask the always-ready device many requests including for traffic updates, turn-by-turn directions, weather forecasts, as well as accessing functions such as sending messages, adding items to a shopping list and even ordering dinner with just their voice.
Product features and benefits also include: Access to cycling performance data including speed, time, distance covered and more GPS and mapping
Smart bike uses Alexa voice function to give directions, turn on lights, play music, tell speed and much more. Halfords will sell the bike (range) exclusively in UK and Ireland from the summer 2019. Personalised light settings – the bike includes built-in front, rear and handlebar lighting which can be set from the menu A security lock and an alarm which can be accessed via the bike’s app Theft tracking A HD music player Vodafone sim included (three years free 3G data) WiFi enabled Andy Whitehall, Halfords’ bike expert says: “We’ve seen innovations in alternative commuting go from strength to strength and after electric bikes we predict that
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the next big trend for commuters will be smart bikes. The Cybic contains all the features you love about Alexa, but now in a bike and we are delighted to be the first to offer this to UK customers when it launches in the summer 2019. “The technology will help cyclists with many things including getting traffic updates, getting turn-by-turn directions, personalised light settings, playing music and much more.” The Cybic bike range will be available in the UK at Halfords from the summer (2019) with final bike specifications to follow. For more information and to register please visit: www. halfords.com/connected-bikes
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Te c h n o l o g y
Industry Leading Fridge Plant Opens In Gateshead
Jobs created as Gateshead tech services company launches furniture division North East tech solutions provider Diamond Group is creating jobs after launching a new division.
A Gateshead Firm have just commissioned a state-of-the-art industry leading fridge processing plant which is set to open this month. The firm has invested over £21million within the region this year with this project having a total investment of more than £8million which will be operated from their 6 acre site in Felling, Gateshead. The plant which comprises of the latest technology will be the newest and most innovative of its kind in Europe- capable of processing over 600,000 of domestic, commercial and troublesome ammonia fridges. The facility is set to be opened by local MP, Ian Mearns with local students in attendance who have been given access to the plants development as a case study for their A Level Coursework. Ian Mearns said “It’s fantastic to see such significant innovation and investment take place here in Gateshead. I’m thrilled to be asked to open the site and look forward to watching the opportunities this will create for local people around the region.” Gap’s waste division collects over 100,000 fridges every year, which is expected to triple during the next 12 months, collecting bulk shipments from across the UK and transporting them back to the North East for processing. Peter Moody, Groups MD stated “It’s fantastic to watch such a project finally come to completion after all of the hard work that has gone into it. As a local & family run business, we are delighted to bring these projects to fruition. Alongside the positive environmental impact, the creation of new jobs in such uncertain times is also very rewarding. www,bdaily.co.uk
“It’s fantastic to see such significant innovation and investment take place here in Gateshead
MD John Burns (left) and head of furniture Terry Armstrong
T
he Gateshead-based company’s new arm will enable its customers to purchase office furniture alongside its existing IT support, telecoms and business systems services. To accommodate its growth plans, which are forecast to drive turnover up 20%, Diamond plans to take on four new staff in the coming months. Managing director John Burns said: “I am delighted and excited by this new opportunity.
“Diamond is going through a period of growth and having already brought onboard new staff in 2018, we are expecting up to four further additions this year.” The firm has appointed Terry Armstrong, previously a director at North East fit-out business Holsta Group, to lead its new division as head of furniture. Discussing the hire, John said: “It made sense for us as a business to develop our current furniture offering.
“It supports our existing ethos of helping our customers to transform, grow and prosper. We are providing yet another solution to their businesses’ needs from one trusted supplier.” Terry commented: “I have worked in partnership with Diamond for a number of years now, so while Holsta going into receivership was a difficult time, the opportunity that this presents is very exciting. “The furniture and seating are a very good fit for Diamond, slotting in neatly with all the products and services that the company already offers. I’m honoured to be a part of this new chapter.”
Sourced from www.bdaily.co.uk. Receive the Bdaily business news bulletin by registering at www.bdaily.co.uk/register
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Education
New apprenticeship launches to keep pace with changing face of a modern-day business A Newcastle charity has become one of the first in the North East to benefit from a new apprenticeship designed by business leaders to better meet the administration needs of a modern-day business.
Left to right: Olivia Pringle, NE Youth Ambassador and singer Channy and Gemma Lockyer Turnbull.
A
ccess Training has recruited Olivia Pringle, 20, for youth development charity, NE Youth, and Olivia is one of the first apprentices to undertake the new Business Administrator Apprenticeship Standard, at Level 3. The qualification has been improved in consultation with employers to ensure the skills covered are bang up-to-date and relevant for the workplace of today. The new apprenticeship gives trainees a broader range of expertise - including quality assurance and report writing which were not previously included. It also covers managing and implementing change and coaching and mentoring in much more detail than the previous apprenticeship. Managing Director at Access Training, Malcolm Armstrong, said: “A business today looks very different to one from ten years ago so it’s only right that the new
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apprenticeship standard was introduced and the feedback we’ve been getting from employers is incredibly positive.” Gateshead-based Access Training has also introduced a programme of offthe-job training sessions for apprentices to offer added-value to employers by complimenting and bolstering the oneto-one training that happens within the workplace. Head of Operations at NE Youth, Gemma Lockyer Turnbull, said: “We went to Access
A business today looks very different to one from ten years ago so it’s only right that the new apprenticeship standard was introduced
for help with recruiting an apprentice because we’ve worked with them before and their staff are really good and friendly. They found us a brilliant match in Olivia, really quickly. Within four weeks of us requesting an apprentice, we had Olivia in place. “Our admin requirements are very broad - from general office tasks, to invoicing, to reception duties, to communication, to report writing and the new apprenticeship standard is working very well for us - and for OIivia.” Olivia is currently working on a major project that will see NE Youth’s young ambassador, singer Channy, become the first-ever unsigned artist to play a concert at the Metro Radio Arena. Fiftypercent of the profits from the gig last December, will go to NE Youth to spend on providing practical support to youth clubs and services.
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