News: Rotherham United stadium land deal moves forward

Rotherham Council is pressing ahead with a large-scale regeneration project that will enable Rotherham United to build a new community stadium on the edge of the town centre.

The council is confident that the project will have a big impact on the continued regeneration of the area and provide a boost to the town, the fans, residents and town centre businesses.


The proposals would not just create a community stadium but provide high-quality buildings, public spaces and the opportunity for further facilities to be provided within the site, an enhanced vibrancy to the town centre, opportunities for learning and local employment during the construction period, community-based sports-learning and improved pedestrian links.

In April, the council's Cabinet agreed with officers' recommendation that the council buy 10.85 acres at the Guest and Chrimes site from Evans of Leeds, which has cleared and prepared the site for development.

The club themselves has secured 4.5 acres of adjacent land where the former Gloystarne distribution warehouse is situated.

Proposals have now been approved by Cllr Gerald Smith, the council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Transportation to reallocate funding in order to cover a £500,000 funding gap created by the coalition Government's cuts in public spending.

The acquisition was to be funded by the Local Authority Reward Grant. Due to its achievement of a number of stretch targets under the 2006-09 Local Area Agreement (LAA), Rotherham was expecting to receive around £6m.

Proposals were put forward in a paper by Simeon Leach, economic strategy manager at Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO) that indicate that £2m of funding will be used to ensure that the land can be acquired.

The paper also states that the council will purchase the land, but it is the responsibility of the football club to secure the finance for the construction of the stadium.

Rotherham United has submitted its formal outline planning application for the new 12,000 all-seater stadium and it is hoped that the planning application will be determined in the Autumn so that the next stages of the process, which will include the detailed proposals for the design of the stadium, can take place.

This will allow the new stadium to be built for the start of the 2012/13 season.

The stadium will stand next to the council's own new civic offices, now under construction at Guest and Chrimes, on Main Street.

Rotherham United website

Images: Rotherham United / Signet Planning

Read more...

News: Oak Holdings financial results

Oak Holdings, the operator of Rother Valley Country Park and promoter and developer of the £350m YES! Project in Rotherham, has announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 April 2010.

In line with expectations, the company posted a loss on ordinary activities before taxation of £131,140, largely due to the quieter winter trading period and the extreme weather conditions affecting Rother Valley Country Park.

Following a successful fundraising in March 2010, Oak implemented its strategy to reposition the group as a leisure business operator and is focused on generating increasing revenues and income generation from its core leisure business operations.

Regarding the YES! Project, planning permission has been approved by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and is awaiting ratification by the Local Government Office which is expected shortly.

The YES! Project will comprise 1.2million sq ft covered, fully integrated, mixed-use, leisure and entertainment based resort, activity and conference destination.

The updated plans will enable a phased construction approach with the first phase of the development set to include a purpose built arena for the Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team together with a conference hotel.

The results state that encouraging discussions are ongoing with a number of anchor tenants, in the hotel, retail and entertainment sectors.

Michael Woodcock, the new chairman at Oak Holdings said: "Economic trading conditions remain extremely challenging and a great deal of work still lies ahead.

"In July 2010, the Board was strengthened significantly to facilitate greater returns from the Group's existing operating activities, as well as those being planned, and to release the inherent value of the YES! Project.

"The approval of planning for the YES! Project provides a key foundation for the future and allows the Company to move forward with cautious optimism.

"The new Board will be examining all the opportunities available to the Group over the next few months and I look forward to reporting the outcome of those strategic discussions in due course."

Oak Holdings website

Read more...

News: MTL's move to Rotherham is a big deal

The relocation of contract manufacturing specialist MTL Group from its current Sheffield base to a new 300,000 square feet advanced manufacturing facility in Rotherham is the biggest deal of its kind in South Yorkshire this year.

Announced last month, MTL has taken a 15 year lease at J34, the former Excel Logistics site in Brinsworth.

The purpose-built industrial unit comprises three large bays originally developed in 1970 and a fourth bay added in 1990. The facility was previously operated for supermarket giant, J Sainsbury.

MTL Group, which laser cuts, bends, machines and fabricates steel to customers' requirements in the defence, construction, rail and renewable energy sectors, has a global blue-chip customer base including BAE, Caterpillar, Babcock and Renault Truck Defence.

The company is to invest more than £5m in the J34 infrastructure to create a high-efficiency, low-energy facility. This follows MTL Group's £6m investment in the latest manufacturing technology including a 640-tonne robot press, the biggest of its kind in the world.

Over 250 jobs will be relocated in Rotherham and Yorkshire Forward is supporting the capital expansion with regional grant funding to support another 50 new jobs which will be created as a result of the move.

Dr Henry Shirman, managing director at MTL Group said: "Our business has faced many challenges in recent years - even more so in the recession but we have demonstrated that opportunities still exist for high-quality, focused manufacturing businesses to thrive.

"This relocation shows that we are continuing to move ahead with confidence. It will allow us to house our latest manufacturing technology and create 50 new skilled jobs while providing capacity for continuing expansion as the economic recovery gathers pace."

King Sturge's Leeds-based Industrial Team acting for the owner, fund manager Threadneedle Property Investments, London, which acts for Zurich Assurance.

Richard Harris at King Sturge said: "This letting, the biggest of its kind in South Yorkshire this year, demonstrates that there is still occupier demand for the right product, at the right price and in the right location.

"There is still a lot of property of this kind on the market and this deal shows that where landlords are prepared to be flexible, there are still good-quality, long-term deals to be made."

The Leeds office of property agents GVA Grimley acted alongside King Sturge in the deal and the Sheffield office of property consultants, Knight Frank, acted for MTL.

MTL Group website

Images: mtlgrp.com

Read more...

News: Acknowledgment of Rotherham’s flood-risk progress

Thanks to the removal of a historic bridge over the River Don, the risk of flooding in Rotherham town centre has been significantly reduced.

Now the original foundation stone from the Old Grafton (Don) Bridge abutment of 1876 has been reused as the plinth for a new history plaque, unveiled today for the Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Environment Cllr Gerald Smith and Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee chairman Arthur Barker.

Cllr Gerald Smith said: "Of course, this historic plaque has a great deal of significance in terms of our recent history, more specifically, the floods which devastated the town centre and surrounding areas just a few years ago.

"The work that has taken place here will be incredibly important if flooding ever strikes again and we thank the RFDC for their support for the bridge removal. However, I'm certain that we all have our fingers crossed that it won't."

The Grade II listed structure over the Don, dating back to 1876 and closed to vehicles in 1998 due to corrosion, was craned out of the water on October 1 2009.

Its removal will reduce the high water levels by 45-67cm (18-26 inches) over the stretch between the old bridge and upstream to Tesco weir and beyond.

The decision to remove the bridge came as part of the Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme, formed after the town was hit by heavy floods in 2000.

The bridge is gone, but around 80 per cent of its materials, including stone and cast-iron panels, have been re-used as riverbank steps and boundary fencing along the embankment in the reinstatement work completed in May 2010.

That is also part of the £14m first phase of the Flood Alleviation Scheme, aimed at reducing flood risk over a 3.5km (two-mile) stretch of the Don upstream of the bridge, opening up land for development.

The project is being carried out by a partnership of Rotherham Borough Council, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Forward along with contractors Ringways.

With the Regional Flood Defence Committee's support, the council is also working on flood-risk defence plans around the Chantry Bridge area near the bus station.

Rotherham Renaissance website

Images: RMBC

Read more...

News: MBO at Rotherham's Livefoods Direct

Livefoods Direct Limited, the UK's leading breeder of mealworms for the wild bird market, has been bought by its management team in a Management Buy-out (MBO).

The Rotherham based company supplies its products to pet food shops and garden centres across the whole of the UK and into mainland Europe. It has a turnover of £3 million and employs 40 people.

Based on the North Anston Trading Estate near Dinnington, Livefoods Direct breeds a minimum of 9 million mealworms, 2.5 million crickets, 110,000 locusts and a broad range of other species each week.

The management team consists of Dean Jackson who has become Managing Director and Steven Evans who has become Operations Director. Dean has worked in the business since 1996 and the MBO sees him realise a long-standing ambition to acquire the business. The vendor Barry Hammond founded the business in 1981 and he will continue with the company as a consultant.

John Longstaff of BHP Ingram Forrest advised Mr Hammond on the sale as well as conducting the fund raising exercise required to finance the transaction. The deal was funded by mortgage and senior debt facilities provided by Yorkshire Bank South Yorkshire Financial Solutions Centre alongside a vendor loan provided by Mr Hammond.

Nick Goulding of hlw commercial lawyers provided legal advice to Mr Hammond on the sale. The MBO team was advised by Patrick Abel of PKF and Alex Ross of Bell & Buxton.

Following the transaction Barry Hammond said: "Having developed the business over the past 30 years I am delighted to have sold it to the management team ensuring a fantastic future for the customers, suppliers and staff of Livefoods Direct Limited."

Dean Jackson added: "We are a close knit company with a committed workforce. I am sure we have their support and backing to continue the success of previous years. A big thank you to all concerned, a special thanks to our advisor Patrick Abel of PKF and solicitor Alex Ross of Bell & Buxton for all their efforts. Steve and I would also like to take the opportunity to wish Barry and Jayne a long and happy retirement."

John Longstaff of BHP Ingram Forrest said: "It was a pleasure to see this transaction through to a successful completion. Livefoods is an excellent business and I am confident it will continue to go from strength to strength."

Russell Fitzpatrick and Steve Tweedle led the transaction on behalf of the bank advised by Steve Bell of Hart Shaw and Paul Trudgill of Keeble Hawson. Russell said: "Livefoods Direct is a well managed long-standing business and we are pleased to have supported the management team in acquiring the business. Yorkshire Bank is very much open for business and keen to support successful local enterprises with the right proposition."

Livefoods Direct website

Images: bhpingramforrest.co.uk

Read more...

News: Rotherham industrial units sold

J Pullan & Sons Limited has acquired Units 1-4 Kea Park, Hellaby Industrial Estate, Rotherham for £2.26m.

Global real estate adviser DTZ acted for Pullan's who acquired the property from The Duchy of Lancaster.

The property, totalling approximately 63,000 sq ft, comprises four modern and well specified industrial units and is located at junction 1 of the M18.

Constructed in 1998/9, the property is let to three tenants including Greenberg Glass and Glazing Ltd and Cryostar UK. The purchase price of £2.26m represents a net initial yield of 11.52%.

James Lawlor, Investment Senior Surveyor at DTZ said: "We are delighted to have advised Pulllan's on this acquisition. Whilst the market remains challenging, this recent deal demonstrates the opportunities available for investors where vendors have priced stock appropriately."

Drivers Jonas Deloitte advised The Duchy of Lancaster.

J Pullan & Sons Limited website
DTZ website

Images: Drivers Jonas Deloitte

Read more...

News: Dearne fire station sets on fire several times a day

The recently opened £5.5m Dearne community fire station sets on fire several times a day.

National architectural practice Bond Bryan describes the fire training facility on the site as the most technologically advanced in the UK.

It has been specially designed to be set on fire several times a day and create realistic conditions likely to be encountered in many types of real fire situations.

Stephen Mitchell, associate director at Bond Bryan admits the building was an unusual brief: "Designing a building which has to be frequently, and safely, set on fire demands an alternative design approach from our standard practice of ensuring buildings don't catch fire.

"For the training building we had to provide a range of realistic scenarios that fire-fighters may experience in real emergencies, such as live carbonaceous burns, working at height and flash-over training. Sophisticated specialist computer controlled equipment ensures scenarios can be created and accurately reproduced on demand."

Constructed by North Midland Building Ltd, the facility is built of reinforced concrete, robust engineering bricks and dense block work and is designed to last much longer.

It is also designed to be environmentally sustainable and incorporates the use of 100m deep ground source heat pumps linked to the underfloor heating, rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic panels.

Additionally, a wild flower meadow has been planted to increase biodiversity and provide habitats for new species of insects and wildlife. Bond Bryan worked with project managers Turner & Townsend on the building.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue website
Bond Bryan website

Images: South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

Read more...

News: Council housing construction starts in Rotherham

Construction has begun on the first new council housing in Rotherham for 30 years on a site at Wood Street, Thrybergh, where 36 houses and apartments owned by Rotherham Borough Council are to be built by George Hurst and Sons Ltd.

The £2.3 million scheme will comprise 28 two, three and four-bedroom houses as well as eight two-bedroom apartments.

They will be the first of a total of 127 units to be developed for the authority on six sites across the Borough after the Council was successful in £8.5 million bids for grant funding specifically for building new council homes from the previous Government's Homes and Communities Agency.

The next site to see work begin will be at Rother View Road at Canklow at the end of July when 29 houses will be built by the Wates Group. Other sites to see new-build council properties will be at Albert Road, West Melton, where 29 houses, apartments and bungalows are to be built by Wildgoose Construction, which is also building 21 houses at Albany Road, Kilnhurst.

Two sites are to be developed in Maltby. Eight houses and bungalows are to be built at Newland Avenue, Maltby, by Bramalls, while four apartments are to be built at Stone Park Close by TH Michaels.

As part of the YORbuild framework - under which the contractors have been appointed - two apprentices and three placements from Thrybergh Comprehensive School will be working on Wood Street site.

Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhoods for the Council, said he was delighted to see work starting on the first site.

He added: "We have wanted to build council houses for many years in Rotherham and thanks to a great deal of hard work and determination the Council was very successful in its bids.

"This now means that by August 2011, we can offer 127 families and individuals excellent brand-new council-owned properties. In addition we are also supporting local labour and equipping people with skills by ensuring apprentices student placements will be working on the sites."

Rotherham Council website

Images: RMBC

Read more...

News: Cautious optimism for Rotherham economy

Recently released figures on Rotherham's economy are prompting cautious optimism.

Figures released earlier this month by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward and UKTI show that Rotherham has helped to attract a record 147 overseas investors to the region in the last 12 months, the highest ever.

South Yorkshire has proved the most popular location for investment, attracting 43% of the total business investments. North Yorkshire 9%, West Yorkshire 33% with the Humber attracting 23%.

Investments in Rotherham include Swedish-owned Sandvik Medical, spending £7.5m on developing the Sandvik European Centre of Excellence and Dutch-owned Pegler selecting Manvers in Rotherham for a £7m warehouse development.

Foreign investment also came in the form of acquisitions such as Elite Tooling being acquired by Tivoly, the largest manufacturer of cutting tools in France and the third largest cutting tool manufacturer in Europe.

"Amid the tough times as the country comes out of recession – and we as a council are not immune – there are some grounds for optimism," said the Metropolitan Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Transportation, Cllr Gerald Smith.

July saw steelmaker, Corus announce another recruitment phase to support steel manufacturing and steel rolling operations in Rotherham and the resumption of apprentice and graduate recruitment.

In the commercial property market, the biggest deal of its kind in South Yorkshire this year was announced last month when contract manufacturing specialist MTL Group announced it was relocating from its current Sheffield base to a new 300,000 square feet advanced manufacturing facility in Rotherham.

The latest figures from the council's regeneration arm, Rotherham Investment & Development Office, show an increase in business inquiries and demand for space. June's inquiries rose to 53, 16 more than in May, 19 more than the same month in recession-hit 2009 and even seven up on 2008.

To the inward investment results can be added existing Rotherham companies' successes in winning business worldwide. Together, these may help account for fewer people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance in the borough.

June saw a drop of 538 from May, to 7,498, or 4.8 per cent. That is the lowest since January 2009 and the fifth fall in the first six months of the year. Rotherham's rate is above the regional 4.4 and national 3.8, but the rate of decline is sharper than both.

RiDO's business development manager, Tim O'Connell, said: "We're seeing progress and investment everywhere from business parks to town centre, where retailers are seeing the opportunities. We're also helping people set up their own companies, including in our purpose-built business centres."

Rotherham Investment and Development Office

Images: corusconstruction.com

Read more...

News: QuroTech taps into touch screen phenomenon

An enterprising Rotherham couple have grown their business with help from the Rotherham Enterprise project into one of very few northern companies to be developing cutting edge web, mobile and multi-touch solutions through the use of the latest technologies.

With first class degrees in software engineering but no business experience in the commercial sector, Michelle Bluck and her partner Mark started up QuroTech at RiDO's Fusion @ Magna business centre to work on innovative mobile, web and multi-touch applications.

Michelle said: "I've always loved the challenge of developing something new through software development. With the popularity of touch sensitive technology such as the iPhone, the use of touch screens has rocketed and we were eager to set up the business but needed a place to start up.

"Working from home was not ideal so we contacted the Rotherham Enterprise Project who got the ball rolling and provided us with free office space, giving us a professional environment and allowing us to spend on other important things we needed to get established - at a time when we weren't entirely sure if it would work out."

The company's first major showcase was at the Rotherham Show where their products were used to interactively demonstrate new and completed redevelopments around Rotherham.

Customers were also offered vouchers through an easy and interactive multi-touch navigation system, enabling them to print them off there and then.

QuroTech are now in talks with shopping centres to provide them with touch screens which will allow shoppers to access maps and vouchers. They are also in discussions with a local care home to develop software so that patients can use technology from the comfort of their own bed.

Michelle added: "We wouldn't have got as far as we have without help from the project, which also signposted us to the different courses available in Rotherham which we went on - including ones on marketing your own business and finances.

"It's been a huge learning curve and we've been lucky enough to do what we're passionate about and develop exciting new software when a lot of northern companies stick to old style development. But our interactive experience has proved impressive to clients who want something responsive with that little bit extra."

With funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Rotherham Enterprise project provides free self-employment support for local people. The project is being delivered by four partner organisations, one of them, Rotherham Youth Enterprise project (RYE), offers help for younger adults in the area, this is where Michelle and Mark found their advice.

Jackie Frost, of Rotherham Youth Enterprise said: "Mark and Michelle are proof that hard work and dedication can really pay off and we are thrilled that we could offer them support which has helped them on their journey to success.

"Their developments in the software world are great for the region, both in terms of encouraging local businesses to consider the technology options available on their doorstep and for putting the borough on the map at the forefront such innovative creativity."

QuroTech website
Rotherham Enterprise website

Images: QuroTech

Read more...

News: Bramall commended at National Apprenticeship Awards

Rotherham firm Bramall Construction has gained national recognition for its apprenticeship scheme.


The Manvers firm where highly commended as one of the top three companies in the "Large Employer of the Year" category at the National Apprenticeship Awards.

The results, announced in London earlier this month, placed Bramall alongside influential and national companies such as Rolls Royce and savings and investment giant Skandia.

The eight winning and 16 highly commended apprentices and employers were recognised for their huge achievements and commitment to Apprenticeships over the past twelve months.

Bramall were the only construction company in the country to make it to the finals out of 1300 companies which submitted entries.

In May, the company scooped the Large Employer of the Year award at the regional finals of the Apprenticeship Awards.

Bramall was commended by judges for making Apprenticeships the lifeblood of its business and for offering opportunities - particularly to less advantaged groups - allowing them to really turn their lives around. The panel also recognised the encouragement Bramall has given to apprentices to enter SkillBuild competitions and highlighted the company as an excellent role model.

58 apprentices are employed nationwide in areas such as carpentry, joinery and bricklaying.

Bramall website

Images: bramall.com

Read more...

News: AMRC developing a new approach to magnesium moulding

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, based at the AMP in Rotherham, is helping Cambridgeshire-based precision manufacturing company, Shearline, develop a new approach to magnesium moulding.

The project aims to evaluate a new magnesium injection moulding process called Thixomoulding, particularly with regard to new alloys for the aerospace, automotive and defence sectors. An example of the type of ultra lightweight, very strong, complex moulded components were showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow last week.

Charles Maltby, Technical & Commercial Director of Shearline, said: "Thixomoulding is a relatively new process which enables the precise moulding of magnesium alloy components with thin walls and complex shapes within a single process.

"Magnesium alloys are already widely used for low cost, high volume components for computers and mobile phones and also in high performance cars where strength and lightness is required.

"We see an opportunity to provide similar magnesium components for low volume, high value manufacture particularly for prototypes and first production cycles.

"Metal injection moulding via Thixomoulding and new additive layer methods for producing tooling can reduce the overall cost of tooling and construction.

"Components that may previously have required several manufacturing processes, or to have been constructed in parts and then assembled, can now be integrated within a single mould."

Shearline will be the first commercial facility in the UK to offer design for manufacture knowledge in magnesium Thixomoulding. There are currently only a few sites capable of providing this service in Europe and they are almost all in research labs.

Shearline has been working closely with the University of Sheffield and the AMRC and has secured a Knowledge Transfer Programme from the university to work on the new activity.

KTP Associate Rachel Peachey said: "I am really looking forward to working at Shearline and with University of Sheffield support and knowledge this will be an excellent opportunity to bring advanced manufacturing methods to the UK."

Iain Todd, Reader in Metallurgy and Director of Materials, University of Sheffield AMRC with Boeing added: "Shearline is a progressive company and this project provides a great example of the way universities can work with world-class organisations to bridge the gap between emerging research and industrial application.

"We see tremendous potential for this process with some compelling applications."

Shearline website
AMRC website

Images: brchamber.co.uk

Read more...

News: Documetric begins trading as Parseq

Rotherham business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, Documetric has begun trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under the new name of Parseq plc.

The move is part of a successful reverse takeover by Rami Cassis and Documetric who earlier this month secured a controlling interest in Intelligent Environments Group plc (IE), a provider of online software products for the finance sector.

Parseq plc is a new group that focus on technology-led outsourcing, combining IE's market-leading digital banking system, NetFinance and its mobile banking platform, IE Mobile, with the payment BPO, information management, contact centre support and hosting services of Documetric's Hellaby facility.

Combined client base includes Orange, Vodafone, British Energy, Deutsche Bank, RBS, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, Halifax, Shell, Thomas Cook, Argos, Homebase, Sainsbury's, John Lewis, BHS and the Hilton Group.

Rami Cassis, Parseq's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We can now provide our clients with a complete mobile and online banking solution which is supported by a comprehensive Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service across multiple channels.

"This integrated approach should deliver improved service levels and greater efficiencies across our entire client base which will drive Parseq's growth.

"Recent mobile contract wins with First Data, Generali and LaSer in addition to new BPO wins with RBS illustrate the demand for our solutions and, now that they are combined, provide clients with an end-to-end turnkey solution. We are very now well positioned to capitalise on the significant growth forecasted within our core markets."

On admission to the stock exchange, the company has 437,307,377 ordinary shares in issue and a market capitalization of approximately £30.6 million based on the placing price of 7 pence per share.

Documetric website

Images: documetric.com

Read more...

News: Assured signs outdoor leisure contract

Rotherham's Assured Fire and Security has been awarded major new contracts with one of Britain's leading independent camping and outdoor retailers.

The Dinnington-based fire and security specialist will be providing fire alarms, extinguishers and intruder alarm systems for Yeomans Outdoor Leisure new stores.

Established in Chesterfield in 1904, Yeomans Outdoor Leisure has over 100 years experience in the camping equipment market, with one of the largest selection and stocks of tents available in the UK today.

Yeomans Project Manager Roy Woodfield said: "Assured have provided an excellent service for several new contracts we have awarded them.

"We need a company who can provide national cover and they are different to other national providers because of their transparency and hands on approach right through the organisation which is unique with larger companies."

Assured Operations Director Matthew Spivey added: "We are delighted to be working with Yeomans Outdoor Leisure as they continue their programme of expansion.

"We already have a heavy concentration of national fire and security contracts so it is a great pleasure for us to be able to add a locally-based company to our portfolio.

"This demonstrates again our increasing ability to work about both a regional and national level with equal success."

Assured website

Images: yeomansoutdoors.co.uk

Read more...

News: Sizer success at Great Yorkshire Show

Rotherham pelleting company Sizer has been making good use of some of the 25 tonnes of manure produced every year at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, England's largest agricultural show.

Sizer Ltd, has demonstrated to some of the thousands of guests how their pelleting solutions can turn waste materials, such as manure, into a renewable energy source for businesses.

And as official sponsors of the show's "mucking out" points in the equestrian and livestock areas, Sizer had plenty of waste to work with.

Sizer engineers could be found in the "renewable energy area" of the show demonstrating how the Sizer S pelleting machine works, offering special discounts plus tips and advice for existing pelleting machine owners.

Roger Pearson, Managing Director of Sizer Ltd, said: "Our live pelleting demonstrations of turning dried horse manure into pellets went really well and attracted quite a crowd.

"Many businesses generate waste in a variety of forms and getting rid of it usually involved a cost to the environment. We want to encourage people to take a closer look at the benefits of pelleting.

"We hope that our presence at the Great Yorkshire Show inspired more businesses to get involved in pelleting and it was the perfect opportunity for people to consider what they can do with their waste materials. We have had a great deal of interest, particularly from farmers and equestrian centre owners."

Sizer website

Images: Sizer

Read more...

News: Rotherham United submit stadium plans

Rotherham United has submitted its formal outline planning application for its new 12,000 all-seater stadium on the former Guest & Chrimes site on the edge of Rotherham town centre.

The application includes an Environmental Impact Assessment which looks at all the technical issues surrounding the construction of the stadium and car parking as well as giving some initial indications as to how the new stadium will look.

Project managers, Gleeds, planning consultants, Signet planning and architects, The Miller Partnership have been preparing the application for five months during which there have been detailed discussions with officers of Rothehram Council, as well as an extensive public consultation exercise that included the exhibition of the plans in Rotherham Library.

Tony Stewart, Rotherham United chairman told the club's offical site: "This week has been another big step forward as we look to move back into Rotherham within the next two years.

"We are convinced that the site at the old Guest and Chrimes foundry is the perfect location for our new stadium. The site ticks all the relevant boxes and I am very excited to put forward the plans that have taken months of hard work and effort to put together.

"We still have work to do but we are moving closer and closer to having something very special that not only can the whole town be proud of, it will also benefit the wider community too."

Council officers are currently going through all the detailed technical information and a full-scale public consultation exercise on the application will commence shortly when people will be given another opportunity to comment on the proposals.

It is hoped that the planning application will be determined in the Autumn so that the next stages of the process, which will include the detailed proposals for the design of the stadium, can take place.

This will allow the new stadium to be built for the start of the 2012/13 season.

Rotherham United website

Images: Signet Planning

Read more...

News: Rotherham named most enterprising place in Yorkshire

Rotherham has won the regional heats of the prestigious Enterprising Britain awards.

Enterprising school children and young entrepreneurs from the town wowed a panel of tough, private sector judges last week to help secure Rotherham's crown as "The Most Enterprising Place in Yorkshire."

Primary and secondary school pupils told the panel how enterprise education was making a difference to their aspirations, and then Young Entrepreneur Luci Bennett described how she successfully developed her own fashion label, Roc and Doll.

Their stories showed how Rotherham has the complete package for developing enterprise - with Rotherham Ready inspiring children about business as soon as they start school, and Rotherham Youth Enterprise providing all the support young people need to make their business dreams a reality.

Rotherham is home to some of the most deprived communities in the region, but has been undergoing a profound shift in culture, due to almost 54,000 enterprise interventions in schools between Rotherham Ready and Rotherham Youth Enterprise in the last five years.

Rotherham Ready, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has trained hundreds of teachers to develop enterprise in schools and colleges, and harnessed the passion of the business community to promote enterprise and entrepreneurship in education.

An astounding 103 schools and colleges in Rotherham have also achieved the Warwick Award for Excellence in Enterprise Education - the quality mark for enterprise learning.

Rotherham Youth Enterprise provides start up support, business coaching and incubation workspace for young entrepreneurs - enabling 232 youngsters to start businesses in the last five years.

The group were up against tough competition in the final from enterprise projects from Leeds, Airedale and Cottingley. But the panel of seven judges unanimously agreed that Rotherham was the winner.

They said they were 'blown away' by the presentation about enterprise in schools and, which was 'professional' and 'inspirational.'

Jackie Frost, Rotherham Ready Manager and Enterprise Projects Manager for the Council said: "Winning this award is well deserved recognition for the effort and passion of everyone involved in developing enterprise in Rotherham.

"Young people in Rotherham need to be enterprising - more so now than ever - and people from education and business involved with Rotherham Ready and Rotherham Youth Enterprise have been working to make sure that young people leave school, college or university ready for the challenges and opportunities of life, and ready to help shape the economy of Rotherham.

"Developing a culture of enterprise is only possible when people from across the local authority and the borough work together to make a difference. This award has been achieved because of that spirit of team work and passion. We give our warmest thanks and sincerest congratulations to everyone involved."

John Vincent - Yorkshire Forward Board Member and chair of the Regional Judging Panel said: "The success of Rotherham Ready demonstrates what can be achieved if people work together to improve the social and economic prospects of their community.

During August the Rotherham team will go up against the other eleven regional finalists from around the UK for the Enterprising Britain 2010 national title. The overall winner will then go on to represent the UK at the European Enterprise Awards next year.

Rotherham Ready website

Images: rotherhamready.org.uk

Read more...

News: Corus invests in Speciality Steels and creates jobs in Rotherham

Steelmaker, Corus has announced plans to recruit 154 new workers for its South Yorkshire manufacturing operations and the resumption of apprentice and graduate recruitment.



Corus Speciality Steels is looking for 14 apprentices and seven graduates – the first time the business has recruited trainees since the downturn.

43 new workers are needed to support steel manufacturing and steel rolling operations in Rotherham.

Peter Hogg, Speciality Steels General Manager, said the recruitment of apprentices and graduates was a sign the business was committed to the future.

"Just over a year ago, I was explaining to people why the business was having to undergo a painful restructuring which led to the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. At the lowest point, our orders had shrunk to about a quarter of where they were.

"Since then we have been refocusing the business on supplying specialist steel products to the world's most demanding markets, like aerospace and energy exploration and generation. Now we are in a position where we are recovering so we can strengthen the business.

"Many of our products have extremely high technical and chemical specifications, and we need to train new people now to ensure we don’t have a skills shortage in the future. The recruitment of apprentices and graduates is an investment in the future of the business."

In April, Corus began recruiting 50 new workers on an agency basis to support its manufacturing operation in Rotherham.

Peter added: "We are hoping for similar levels of interest to the recruitment earlier this year when we received about 10 applications for every vacant position.

The 133 new workers who will support our operations will be recruited on an agency basis initially, but will be trained progressively into skilled steelworkers. If business conditions continue to improve I hope we'll be able to employ them directly at some point in the future."

When the latest recruitment drive has been completed, Corus will be employing almost 2,000 people at our Rotherham and Stocksbridge manufacturing plants, in addition to about 250 employees at our technology centre in Rotherham.

Corus website

Images: corusgroup.com

Read more...

News: Rotherham continues as a leading location for foreign investment

Figures released by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward show that Rotherham has helped to attract a record number of overseas investors to the region in the last 12 months.

The global economic downturn has failed to dampen Yorkshire and Humber's position as a leading location for foreign investment, with the latest figures showing the region attracted a record 147 overseas investors in the last 12 months, the highest ever.

Yorkshire Forward and local authority partners were directly involved in 60% of the investments, some of the largest the region has seen in recent years, creating or safeguarding over 3,000 jobs and attracting over £165m of private-sector investment.

The United States was the region's top investor for the second year, followed closely by Japan and Germany. And despite challenging trading conditions, the Advanced Engineering, food and drink and environmental technologies sectors remained the top sectors for investment in the region.

According to the 2009/10 figures, South Yorkshire has proved the most popular location for investment, attracting 43% of the total business investments. North Yorkshire 9%, West Yorkshire 33% with the Humber attracting 23%.

Investments in Rotherham include Swedish-owned Sandvik Medical, spending £7.5m on developing the Sandvik European Centre of Excellence and Dutch-owned Pegler selecting Manvers in Rotherham for a £7m warehouse development.

Foreign investment also came in the form of acquisitions such as Elite Tooling being acquired by Tivoly, the largest manufacturer of cutting tools in France and the third largest cutting tool manufacturer in Europe.

Recently announced investments in Rotherham include Boccard UK, a French company involved in the nuclear energy and construction industries selecting Rotherham as a base for its Northern division and TEKS, a hi-tech French company locating its UK base on the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

In December, the US-based National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) awarded the borough "Soft Landing Zone" status, recognising RiDO's four managed business centres as well as their knowledge and expertise to deliver a comprehensive package of support that will maximise the chances of a foreign inward investor succesfully entering a new market.

Theresa Lindsay, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward said: "Despite the global downturn, it is clear that the Yorkshire and Humber offer has continued to attract national and international major investments from world-class industry names, with the highest rates of investment into the region in the last decade.

"These investments have created and safeguarded thousands of high value jobs, particularly in advanced technology, which puts the region at the forefront of development in key growth sectors."

"In a climate where businesses, now more than ever, are balancing the need for capital investment against the uncertainties of the global economy, the results endorse the strength of our region as the place to do business."

"Every £1 spent on overseas activity is delivering well over £11 of basic tax revenue to the Government, and this figure increases significantly if you take into consideration the revenue from additional spending into the economy that is created from new jobs."

Yorkshire Forward website
Rotherham Investment & Development Office

Images: corusconstruction.com

Read more...

News: Rotherham's advanced manufacturing expertise on show at Farnborough International Airshow

The capabilities of South Yorkshire's advanced manufacturing industry are to be highlighted to a global audience at the forthcoming Farnborough International Airshow.

The biennial event brings together the world's leading aerospace companies and suppliers. In 2008 it attracted over 130,000 trade visitors with exhibiting companies announcing record-breaking orders worth over US $88bn.

Members of the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials (AMM) project team will be attending the air show as part of their activities to attract some of the leading names from major manufacturing industries to South Yorkshire.

A key element of the event will be a briefing by team members during the UK Trade & Industry's (UKTI) programme of seminars that highlight the best of the UK's industrial and technical abilities.

The presentation to an invited international audience, will show the world-class manufacturing and research capabilities in the region and the potential opportunities for aerospace companies from the UK's planned new civil nuclear build programme.

Joe Anwyl, Head of Business Development for the AMM project, said: "The Farnborough Airshow is "the" aerospace event to attend this year, and an ideal opportunity to show the world the industry-leading companies and research organisations that we have in the South Yorkshire area, and the benefits to companies of locating their advanced manufacturing facilities here.

"It is a privilege to be invited by the UKTI to present as part of their seminar programme, and we're working closely with the UKTI and other international partners to spread the message that South Yorkshire is one of the world's top locations for aerospace businesses to be based."

Farnborough will also see the international debut of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft's landing gear was developed for Messier-Dowty by engineers at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing on the AMP in Rotherham.

Fellow Advanced Manufacturing Park resident, Dormer Tools will also be exhibiting at the prestigious show which takes place on July 19 - 23.

Advanced Manufacturing Park website

Images: Boeing

Read more...

News: Korean order for Martek

Rotherham-based Martek Marine has announced another international order for their MariNOx product.

The Manvers company is the world leader in safety and environmental monitoring equipment for commercial ships.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd (DSME) in Korea has selected the MariNOx engine emissions monitoring system for four new vessels being built for Italian shipowner, Ignazio Messina.

The roll-on roll-off carriers will be unique in that they will be the largest of this type of vessel ever built, and they will be the first of their type to be built to RINA Green Plus environmental notation.

Green Plus notation is granted to new vessels which make a significant investment in design solutions, onboard equipment and operational procedures which contribute to an improvement in environmental performance beyond the minimum levels required by international regulations on environmental protection. It allows owners to select different types of equipment that will be of environmental benefit to the vessel.

DSME were awarded the $300m contract in December 2009 and Messina had included in their specification the requirement for emissions monitoring for NOx, SOx and CO2 from the main engine, generators and boiler.

The 240 metre-long vessel will have a capacity of 350 tonnes and will be able to carry 1,500 vehicles inside the ship's body and 3,000 6 metre containers on the ship's upper deck.

Having worked with Martek on a number of other projects requiring continuous emissions monitoring systems in the past, DSME again turned to Martek to assist them with this groundbreaking project.

Last year, MariNOx was selected for two new 147,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built in the massive DSME shipyard.

MariNOx was the world's first Type Approved on-board NOx, SOx and CO2 emissions monitoring system and Martek will work with RINA, the international certification society, to pioneer the first Type Approval of monitoring equipment to meet Green Plus notation standards.

Martek website

Images: dsme.co.kr

Read more...

News: NAMTEC contract for Wharncliffe

Barnsley-based IT specialists Wharncliffe Business Systems has won a contract to work with the country's National Metals Technology Centre in Rotherham to upgrade their IT system.

The National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC) realised they needed to upgrade their IT systems and contacted three separate companies.

Mike Strobin, Chief Financial Officer at NAMTEC said: "Wharncliffe were chosen as our preferred supplier because of their geographical location and also because they supplied realistic pricing in their proposal.

"The other suppliers submitted tenders at full price and only wanted to negotiate downwards in the event of a tied tender - Wharncliffe seemed the more ethical provider."

Wharncliffe are providing NAMTEC with Sage 200, an IT package incorporating Financials and CRM (Client Relationship Management) that will enable the NAMTEC team to deliver better reporting analysis and improve their internal processes.

As part of their sales and implementation process Wharncliffe met with the Namtec team to learn more about the business, their IT requirements and suitability for the system.

Alan Exley, Director at Wharncliffe added: "Clients tell us they appreciate our honest and transparent approach to pricing. It's great to be working with NAMTEC. South Yorkshire is steeped in metallurgical history and if our technology and the technical expertise of our staff can help NAMTEC to continue its work in supporting organisations on a national basis then I am very pleased."

Namtec website
Wharncliffe website

Read more...

News: Rotherham's LSM Give & Gain

Employees from London & Scandinavian Metallurgical Co. Limited (LSM) in Rotherham ditched their day jobs last week to help children at Canklow Woods Primary School install pond plants and create a walkway to the school's newly created pond.

They took part in Give & Gain Day, the UK's largest and only day of action for employee volunteers, organised by Business in the Community. Employees from LSM will join over 6,000 others from 212 companies who are volunteering their time to help communities across the UK, injecting £1 million man-hours into community projects.

Sponsored by Eversheds LLP, Give & Gain Day 2010 is dedicated to getting thousands of employees out of the office, store or factory to volunteer their time in their local community.

David Beare, LSM Group Aluminium Business Director said: "It is really motivating to get out of the office and be involved in a project that will have such a lasting impact in the local community. Not only have we made a difference, but we have had great fun."

Founded in 1938, London & Scandinavian Metallurgical Co. Limited (LSM) is a highly successful manufacturer of high specification metals and alloys and an acknowledged global leader in the metals industry.

Their Canklow plant together with its sister company, LSM Brasil SA, based in Sao Joao del Rei, produces a range of specialised products for the aluminium industry, the steel industry, superalloys, hard facing, welding and the glass industry.

Last year, the firm donated much-needed cash to Canklow Woods Primary School to pay for enough interactive white boards for every class.

LSM website

Read more...

News: Namtec event demonstrates nuclear opportunities for the future

Over 90 delegates attended the "Building a Nuclear Future" event, which was organised by NAMTEC (the National Metals Technology Centre) based in Rotherham, in association with the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) and held at the Oulton Hall Hotel and Golf Resort, near Leeds, recently.

The Nuclear: Metals and Manufacturing Conference featured 22 presentations over two days, which included some of the major specialist manufacturers of plant, equipment and components for this sector.

The conference outlined how the UK has committed to an extensive new nuclear build programme and there is a huge opportunity for companies in the materials, manufacturing and construction sector to become suppliers into this lucrative market.

Dr Alan Partridge from NAMTEC, said: "We have had a great response to the Nuclear: Metals and Manufacturing Conference. It provided a great opportunity for potential suppliers into this sector to make contacts with companies that are already involved with the nuclear build programme. It also gave delegates an in-depth insight into the global nuclear build schedule, including the technical research and the opportunities that lie ahead.

"The feedback has been very positive from delegates, many of whom have identified opportunities for their own businesses and now have a much better understanding of how they may be able to get involved in supplying into the nuclear new build programme."

Keynote presentations were from EDF Energy, the National Nuclear Laboratory, AREVA, the University of Manchester, the University of Oxford and the University of Bristol, as well as Corus, Westinghouse, Sheffield Forgemasters, Fusion Energy and the Nuclear AMRC.

Namtec website

Read more...

News: Solaglas Windowcare wins health and safety award

Rotherham-based window repair and replacement expert Solaglas Windowcare has recently been presented with a prestigious award for a health and safety initiative by parent company Saint-Gobain at their annual Diamond Awards.

The Health and Safety Diamonds were established by Saint-Gobain to reward those demonstrating excellent health and safety performance.

The award was presented to Kevin Thornhill (Maintenance Services Manger), Jon Cornforth (EHS Manager) and their Working and Heights project team. The team came up with a simple, yet highly effective way to completely mitigate the risk of their engineers falling from height from vehicles.

Previously, ladders were secured on top of the Solaglas Windowcare vehicles and engineers had to climb a ladder at the back of the vehicle to then pull the ladders down.

Following an extensive review and successful pilot, the team are now rolling out a completely new layout, meaning that ladders will be safely stored within the vehicle. Not only does this completely cut out the risk of falling, but it also means the ladders are stored securely.

Managing Director, Ian Davy, said: "As a business we have worked hard over recent years to develop a strong health and safety culture. Jon has driven this culture change by encouraging employees across the business to become involved and engaged with health and safety.

"The transformation has been remarkable and health and safety is now a mindset rather than an aside. Although the development is incredibly pleasing, we are aware that health and safety will always require investment and that we are only at the beginning of our journey."

Based at Hellaby, Solaglas Windowcare is the UK leader in the repair and replacement of windows and doors on behalf of major organisations including those from the insurance, commercial and public sectors. Currently, the business has 325 employees and last year reported turnover of over £23.5m. Parent company Saint-Gobain collectively employs 16,500 people in the UK and Ireland.

Solaglas Windowcare website

Images: solaglaswindowcare.co.uk

Read more...

News: Hydra Mining Tools in International Track 100

Rotherham engineering firm, Hydra Mining Tools International, has been named as one of Britain's top private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

In its inaugural year, The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 100 annual league table ranks firms on their compound annual growth rate in international sales over the latest two years.

Hydra Mining is ranked 44th in the UK and 2nd in Yorkshire with international sales increasing by 75% a year from 2007 to £7.3m in 2009.

Hydra Mining Tools and its predecessor, Hall & Pickles Tool Company, have been associated with mining activities since the earliest days of mechanisation. Following the collapse of the British coal industry, the company has refocused on supplying its specialist cutting tools to China.

Coal miners in China use Hydra Mining Tools International's cutting head to extract coal, without excessive dust and danger of explosion.

Chief executive Gordon McShannon and management bought the firm from receivership in 2000 and expanded internationally, opening Chinese and American subsidiaries and selling to Australia and mainland Europe, supplying customers such as mining giant BHP Billiton.

The company employs 128 people with the headquarters at Kimberworth, Rotherham, where carbide, mineral cutting tools, toolholders, cutting chains, conveyor rollers and related components are produced.

The Doncaster factory specialises in fabrication work, producing shearer drums, cutting heads and discs, jibs for cutting chains, and conveyor structure. In addition a wide range of general machining activities, plate rolling, profile cutting and press work facilities are contained within this site.

Hydra Mining Tools International website

Images: hydramining.com

Read more...

News: Powerstar wins Metropolitan Police contract

EMS (UK) Ltd, the Rotherham-based energy consultancy, has secured a contract from the Metropolitan Police to install 20 Powerstar voltage optimisation systems in a further 13 police stations.

12 Powerstar systems are already in use at ten Metropolitan Police stations achieving an average saving of 10% in electricity costs across the stations.

Following the signing of this contract EMS (UK) Ltd will be installing Powerstar systems at the additional 13 police stations commencing in August.

As a publicly funded organisation the Metropolitan Police is under extra pressure in the current economic climate to operate as efficiently as possible. The Powerstar system is the only voltage optimisation system wholly designed and manufactured in the UK and works by reducing the the voltage supplied by the National Grid.

Since the beginning of July, organisations such as the University of Bristol have chosen Powerstar for 22 systems, and the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills in London has selected Powerstar to meet their voltage optimisation needs with seven systems.

Powerstar website

Images: powerstar.co.uk

Read more...

News: 600 sign up to Rotherham Shop Local

In the week of the launch, 600 shoppers have signed up to the innovative scheme to boost Rotherham town centre's economy.

The Rotherham Shop Local loyalty card entitles shoppers to offers and discounts at over 60 businesses in the town centre.

The council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Transportation, Cllr Gerald Smith, said: "It's great to see the scheme working so well. The response from the public in its first three days of running has encouraged yet more town centre businesses to sign up to take part and offer their discounts.

"I encourage every business to take part in this and every shopper to register for their card as this is a win win situation for the town centre and its shoppers."

The council's Business & Retail Investment Team will once again stand on the Street Market with their Shop Local stall on Tuesday July 13 to give those who missed out last time a second chance to register for their card and collect their goodie bag.

Since the launch over 200 people in just two days have signed up on line by visiting http://www.rotherhamtowncentre.co.uk/ to receive their Shop Local loyalty card and figures show it has now reached to on average 20 people signing up every hour.

Rotherham town centre website

Images: rotherhamtowncentre.co.uk

Read more...

News: Bromley looking to next season

It may be the height of summer but Rotherham's Bromley Technologies are already looking forward to the next winter sports season.

Set up by brothers Kristan and Richard Bromley and run with chief operating officer Mike Maddock, Bromley Technologies is based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

The company specialises in athlete-focused engineering technology, with its state-of-the-art test facility that helps finesse sporting talent. The company are now taking orders for the 2010 – 2011 Skeleton, Luge and Bobsleigh Season.

The 2009 - 2010 season was yet another successful season for the company with nearly a third of all World Cup Skeleton and Olympic medals won using Bromley equipment. Bromley Technologies Ltd now supply over 20 nations worldwide with race and training equipment.

The company has three world, European and Olympic winners as its public faces - Kristan Bromley, the skeleton's first ever World and European champion, 2006 Olympic silver medallist, Shelley Rudman, and Nicola Minichiello, part of the first British women's pair to win the World championship in 2009.

All three represented Great Britain at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

To boost their capabilities, Bromley has recently launched their new performance engineering design consultancy, Performance Engineered Solutions (PES). In securing an exclusive deal with a leading Formula One team, they can offer aerodynamic packages to Skeleton, Luge and Bobsleigh athletes and teams undertaken in one of the UK's leading wind tunnel facilities.

They are also unveiling a world class environmental test facility which is close to completetion and will enable full structural, vibration and ice friction testing capabilities within extreme environments approaching -60 degrees C.

Dan Fleetcroft, design director at Bromley PES has a background in Formula One, working with McLaren, Arrows and Ferrari. He said: "When it comes to engineering design, performance is a primary differentiator in today's competitive marketplace.

"Whether its enhanced strength to weight ratio or improved functionality of a reengineered part, our aim is to deliver performance focused engineering solutions that surpass our client's needs and expectations, and bring real tangible value
to the business' bottom line.

"We have over 15 years experience in performance engineering industries, designing and developing high performance components, products and solutions in Olympic, aerospace, automotive, medical and Formula One motorsport environments. We can deliver for clients on everything from discrete projects to full product development programmes; from concept design through to market readiness strategies."

Bromley Technologies website

Images: bromley-pes.com

Read more...

News: Macalloy presented with Queens Award For Enterprise 2010

Rotherham construction experts, Macalloy, has been presented with the Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2010 for international trade.


The Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, David Moody, presented Macalloy with the award document at a ceremony attended over a 100 people including directors, agents, sales and production staff.

Based in Dinnington, Macalloy are world leaders in design, manufacture and supply of threaded bar and cable systems to engineering and construction projects across the globe.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious Awards for business success and Macalloy are one of 95 companies to win the award for international trade this year.

Over six years the company's export earnings have increased by 124% from its markets in 58 countries worldwide. In 2008, its top 5 markets were in UAE, Qatar, Spain, India and Germany. New markets included the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 2009, the company's largest projects included the Dubai Metro and Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport - both awarded as a result of its other successes in the Middle East.

Macalloy systems support impressive projects including the Viaduc du Millau in Southern France, the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai and close to home, Clifton Park in Rotherham.

They have also been used in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium, the centrepiece to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the venue for the final on July 11.

Macalloy website

Images: Macalloy

Read more...

News: Twins elevated into management at Rotherham recruitment firm

Elevation Recruitment, based in Rotherham, has appointed identical twins Rachael and Fran Lee to management positions at the growing company.

Rachael is business manager recruiting for jobs in the sales and financial services sectors and Fran is business manager recruiting for jobs in the accountancy and finance sectors.

Rachael, who worked alongside Fran in their previous roles at an international recruitment firm, said: "I've worked with my sister previously and am happy to be doing it again. We work well together – maybe it's that twin thing everyone talks about!"

Rachael, added: "We are both looking forward to getting started at Elevation. We feel we've joined a company that is on the up."

The appointments reflect the growth Elevation, the tenth subsidiary of The Horbury Group, is currently experiencing. The company is one of the good news stories of the recession – successfully establishing an agency to target specific sectors and geographical areas at a time when the economy was unstable.

Greg Parkinson, director at Elevation Recruitment said: "It's great that the business is expanding in this difficult time. With cuts being made it is inevitable people with specialised skill bases will find themselves out of work – it is our job to help these people get back to work as soon as possible."

Elevation Recruitment help businesses find and recruit key staff at all levels, offer skills testing for all sector disciplines and provide career coaching. The company has six individual areas of specialism; accountancy and finance, practice, executives, secretarial, sales and construction.

Elevation Recruitment website

Images: Elevation Recruitment

Read more...

News: MGB Plastics delivers on largest wheeled bin contract in the UK

The UK's leading manufacturer of wheeled bins, MGB Plastics in Rotherham, has begun delivery on the largest wheeled bin contract in the UK in 2010.

The new bins were showcased recently on the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge for the launch of a new recycling scheme.

MGB will supply 84,000 wheeled bins direct to homes in Gateshead over a six month period.

The contract is part of a collective wheeled bin tender the company won last year to supply Gateshead Council, South Tyneside Council, and Sunderland City Council. This deal will see MGB Plastics deliver over 250,000 240L wheeled bins direct to households across the North East.

Conor Sugrue, general manager at MGB Plastics, said: "We are delighted to start the delivery of wheeled bins to Gateshead and what better way to begin this contract than to showcase them to the local public on an iconic heritage like Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

"It is a unique contract to be involved with in a number of ways. Not only is this the biggest contract of wheeled bins in the UK in 2010 but also because we are supplying straight to households.

"Our delivery service will see us take these wheeled bins direct to the household from our factory in Rotherham so there is no requirement to store at any of the three council depots which takes a lot of hassle away from the local authorities.

"We believe that this contract win further enhances MGB's position as the leading manufacturer of wheeled bins in the UK and is testament to our unique distribution service and our UK manufacturing capabilities."

MGB has recently increased the manufacturing capacity at their modern facility on Barbot Hall Industrial Estate to 1.5 million wheeled bins per annum.

MGB Plastics website

Images: MGB Plastics

Read more...

News: Changes at Oak Holdings

Oak Holdings, the operator of Rother Valley Country Park and promoter and developer of the £350m YES! Project in Rotherham, has made changes to their board as they move to become an asset-based leisure business operator.

Malcolm Savage, Chairman of Oak for 10 years, has resigned from the board and retired but will continue to advise the company on a consultancy basis.

Following a successful fundraising in March 2010, Oak implemented its strategy to reposition the group as a leisure business operator and developer of the YES! Project. As part of this strategy, Oak has made new appointments to the board.

Mike Woodcock will become the new executive chairman, Simon Hamilton-Holbrook will become the commercial director and Mark Bullock will be a non-executive director.

Steve Lewis, chief executive of Oak said: "I am very pleased to announce these important appointments to the Board.

"The new directors have weighty and broad experience in the leisure and property development sectors, all achieving notable successes. I believe that their combined skills position Oak ideally to pursue, with confidence, its strategy to develop profitable leisure operations, whilst realising the significant value of its property portfolio."

Oak Holdings website

Read more...

News: TEKS targets manufacturing effectiveness

TEKS, the hi-tech French company with its UK base in Rotherham, has announced a range of solutions to help manufacturers improve the efficiency of their machining activities.

TEKS is a privately owned French SME actively involved in process design and optimisation, project management, training and technology exploitation. The company was established to respond to a need identified in the aerospace supply chain to introduce greater levels of process optimisation formally seen in the automotive sector.

As part of their consultancy services TEKS offer two software solutions for manufacturers. CUTPRO and SHOP-PRO allow production engineers to analyse and optimise machining operations throughout the entire machining process, so improving efficiency and reducing production errors and scrap rates.

Roland Krain, research and development manager at TEKS said: "Our involvement with organisations, from large multinationals to SME's have helped us on many projects to deliver best practice solution for our clients, ranging from production cell layouts and 6- Sigma process improvement projects to specifying dedicated software solutions for manufacturing companies."

TEKS are working with a number of European partners in the automotive and aerospace sector, including Avio, Daimler AG, DIAD Group and CRF(Centro Ricerche Fiat).

They continue to work with fellow residents on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC) on EU project such as COMETA, which is developing the application of composites in fast machines tools, and COPERNICO, using virtual simulation to improve factory layouts.

TEKS website

Read more...

News: New appointment at Eadon Consulting

Rotherham engineering design consultancy, Eadon Consulting, has announced the appointment of Ian Hylands as the company's new senior engineer.

Ian joins Eadon from Atkins, where he was an engineering consultant within its nuclear group, following three years at MG Bennett Associates.

Ian studied engineering at Cambridge University, and has extensive experience in horizontal directional drilling and structural steelwork design. Throughout his career he has also worked on a wide range of mechanical engineering projects, including work in the fields of movable structures, pressure piping design and finite element analysis.

Major projects that Ian has worked on include the design of several horizontal directional drills for gas and oil pipeline installations at the Isle of Grain, and piping analysis and design work for Sellafield nuclear plant.

Eadon's company director Michael Thorogood said: "The Eadon team are very pleased that Ian is joining us. His arrival brings additional capabilities which complement our existing skills. Ian's technical knowledge and leadership experience will assist Eadon in its aims for company growth and development."

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, Eadon Consulting is an engineering design consultancy working across a number of sectors, with expertise in mechanical, control, hydraulic and structural design.

Eadon Consulting website

Read more...

News: Martek to launch Renewables Network

Rotherham company, Martek Marine, is working on a new project that will provide a range of support and consultancy services to offshore wind farm developers and their supply chain.


The "Renewables Network" is due to be launched later this summer and will host a number of events and offer training opportunities to firms operating in the offshore wind industry. In addition, it will also provide support for firms trying to find private equity funding.

Initially the network will be focussed on the Humber region before expanding to support the wider offshore wind industry.

Paul Luen, CEO at Martek Marine said: "I think for any sector, the availability of valuable finance is always going to be a challenge.

"The situation for offshore wind is slightly different because it could be argued that it's underpinned by government renewable energy targets. That's not to say that funding isn't a challenge, but part of the challenge is to create a competitive supply chain to drive down costs."

Martek is investing a five figure sum in the new network, and is already working with a number of major developers including Eon, Siemens, Centrica and Dong Energy. In addition they are also going to be working with Scandinavian developers to gain valuable insight into how to build up the industry.

The Manvers company is the world leader in safety and environmental monitoring equipment for commercial ships.

Martek Marine website

Images: martek-marine.com

Read more...

News: Rotherham BSF projects stopped

Plans for significant new construction projects at eight Rotherham schools have been affected by the Government's overhaul of capital investment in England's schools.

£98m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects at Abbey SEN, Aston, Hilltop SEN, Milton, Oakwood, St Pius and Swinton have been stopped and the proposals for Maltby Academy are for discussion.

The initial stage of the BSF project in Rotherham was given the green light by the previous government in 2009 and would have seen new school buildings created for five secondary schools including Aston, Maltby, Oakwood, Swinton and St Pius.

Construction was due to start in 2011, with an anticipated completion date in 2013.

It was expected that Rotherham would receive around £170m from the government for learning projects at 24 secondary, primary and special schools.

The Government is launching a comprehensive review of all capital investment in schools, early years, colleges and sixth forms that will guide future spending decisions.

Rotherham BSF website

Read more...

News: Documetric in reverse takeover

Rotherham business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, Documetric, is set for a reverse takeover of Intelligent Environments Group plc (IE), an AIM-listed provider of online software products for the finance sector.


The deal is subject to shareholder approval and would mean that Documetric secures a controlling interest in IE and a presence on the stock market. Consideration for the acquisition is to be satisfied entirely by the issue of shares to the shareholders of Documetric.

At the same time, £4.5m was raised as part of the deal through an issue of shares. The new group, renamed Parseq, is set to join the AIM later this month with a market capitalisation of £30.6m.

The move is set to create a strong new business with significant scale and capability providing a complete end-to-end service in the growing BPO market.

It would combine IE's expertise in online and mobile banking markets with Documetric's middle and back office expertise to help them enter new markets and key geographies which may not have been possible alone.

At their Hellaby facility, Documetric processes up to 30,000 envelopes every day and utilising a range of cheque processing and scanning machines to process the payments, they process 47 million transactions a year.

It is one of the ten largest BACS Bureaux in the UK, with around a six per cent share of UK wage and salary BACS payments. For the year ended 31 December 2009, Documetric reported revenues of £10.2 million and profits before tax of £1.8 million.

Chief executive, Rami Cassis founded Documetric in 2007 through a management buy-out of the data services division of Atos Origin, a leading European IT outsourcer.

The firm's revenues have increased from £2m to £11m since it was established, and last year they secured a £2m investment from the Capital for Enterprise (CfE) fund to enable further growth.

Documetric's existing management team will remain with the enlarged group and Rami Cassis is the proposed CEO with the responsibility of overseeing the strategic direction. He will focus on driving organic growth through synergies and delivering complementary acquisitions.

Rami Cassis said: "I am delighted to make this announcement which will create a financially strong new business under the Parseq name.

"We will now have the capability to provide comprehensive technology led outsourcing solutions, which in turn will drive both our scale and our market share and drive growth in both established and new markets.

"I look forward to announcing further updates in due course."

Clive Richards, the proposed deputy non-executive Chairman of the enlarged group added: "I am delighted to announce this acquisition, subject to, inter alia, Shareholder approval, which will dramatically transform our business and create a financially strong new entity with comprehensive outsourcing solutions, scale and market presence.

"With our new, combined offering, I believe there exists a real opportunity for the Enlarged Group to drive growth within both established and new markets and to better capture the opportunities inherent in the online and mobile banking market where IE currently has a competitive technology advantage."

Documetric website
IE website

Images: documetric.com

Read more...