News: Yorkshire Crisps seal Far East deal

Rotherham-made Yorkshire Crisps are to be exported for sale in Hong Kong, China and Macau after the Wales Bar company signed an exclusive deal with distribution agent, European Gourmet Ltd.

The two companies have been working closely together following their introduction at the International Food and Drink Event (IFE) in March. Great effort was taken to ensure the Yorkshire Crisp products were carefully selected, bespoke ingredients labels produced and all documentation was in place ready for the first shipping container of crisps, which will arrive in Hong Kong in July.

Tim Wheatley, sales director at The Yorkshire Crisp Company, said: "I feel very optimistic about the success we potentially have with European Gourmet Ltd. China is very much an emerging market, the potential is huge and I'm sure they are the right partners to take this forward for us."

European Gourmet Ltd is one of the most prominent food and beverage distribution companies in Hong Kong and China. Its portfolio contains almost 50 carefully selected brands with over 400 premium products from mainly Europe and other parts of the world. Its distribution network in China covers chain stores, coffee shops and department stores as well as a major hotels, clubs and bars, including The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Terence Yan, of European Gourmet Ltd said: "We believe that quality is a key factor for successful food products and we love the fact that Yorkshire Crisps are made from locally grown potatoes, hand-fried in pure sunflower oil and flavoured with completely natural flavourings.

"The crisps are made to order which, along with the unique drums and a long shelf life of seven months, is a major benefit for overseas importers like us in Asia."

Closer to home, the company has secured a new listing at all the Yorkshire branches of Waitrose.

Flavours of the crisps including Lightly Sea Salted, Henderson's Yorkshire Sauce and Nowt On are already being sold in regional supermarkets and John Lewis Food Halls, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

Yorkshire Crisps website

Images: yorkshire-crisps.co.uk

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News: More businesses back Dearne Valley eco-vision

More businesses have pledged their support for the Dearne Valley eco-vision following a recent breakfast workshop at Manvers Boat Club.

The event was a chance for businesses to have their say on creating a low carbon future for the area, and find out how they could benefit.

John Healey, local MP for the Dearne Valley, gave the opening address and said: "Huge changes have taken place in the Dearne Valley since the closure of the pits but we need to change further for the future, and forge a new sense of identity.

"The Dearne Valley has the potential to play a significant role in the economy of the region and grow as the green heart of South Yorkshire.

"We want businesses to let us know how they can play a bigger role in these improvements, and influence and challenge the development and delivery of the eco-vision.

"I know time and resources are tight but it is a great opportunity to become more innovative – whether through developing new services or products or saving money through improving energy and resource efficiency."

The Dearne Valley eco-vision project aims to transform the former coal mining area into an exemplar of best practice in low carbon living and green technologies. The eco-vision offers great potential for businesses in helping them to "green" their business operations, find solutions to the problems of climate change and develop leading environmental technologies.

Joanne Wehrle, Dearne Valley eco-vision project manager, said: "We received a lot of positive feedback from the event and a number of organisations expressed interest in getting more involved with the eco-vision.

"Businesses also appreciated the opportunity to receive an update on the progress of the eco-vision and hear about our plans for the future."

Dearne Valley eco-vision website

Images: John Healey

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News: Rotherham students given an insight into the gaming industry

Students at a Rotherham secondary school have been given a first hand insight into the UK's videogames and interactive entertainment industry, one of the biggest in the world.

Games Britannia, a videogame festival project currently taking place at Brinsworth Comprehensive School in Rotherham, has also won the "Best use of ICT to support learning by a Secondary School" Award at the Education and Technology Conference 2011.

Games Britannia is the first week-long festival of its kind in secondary schools, bringing a fantastic collaboration of British videogame talent into the classroom and giving Rotherham students a unique insight into the skills, techniques and qualifications required for a successful career in the gaming industry.

The prize, presented by Professor Sugata Mitra of Newcastle University, is sponsored by Webanywhere Ltd and recognises an outstanding use of technology in the classroom to engage learners.

Speakers at the event include Steve Lycett of Sumo Digital, an independent game development studio based in Sheffield, who has worked on games for SEGA including big name franchises such as OutRun, Virtua Tennis and Sonic and Sega's All-Star Racing.

Also taking part in the festival is a former student of Brinsworth Comprehensive School, Ritchie Moore. He is currently teaching games development at Sheffield College having previously worked as an artist in the games industry during which time he worked on prestigeous titles such as John Daley's Prostroke Golf and DJ Hero 2.

Mark Hardisty, co-ordinator of the event said: "I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of Brinsworth Comprehensive School and the Games Britannia team who have worked very hard to design and deliver this unique event.

"This recognition is very flattering and demonstrates the value of videogames in providing an innovative and inspiring learning experience for students. I hope we can provide an even bigger and better event in 2012."

Games Britannia website

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News: Are You Ready to be like Rotherham

A national enterprise education programme based on the ground-breaking work taking place in Rotherham was launched at Magna this week.

Are You Ready? aims to prepare young people for the challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st Century by inspiring teachers to integrate enterprise skills and culture into the life and curriculum of schools and colleges.

Successful businessman and Secret Millionaire, Carl Hopkins, was at the launch to give his backing to the pioneering programme and become a founding patron.

The social entrepreneur met the Are You Ready? team during Enterprising Britain competition, which he judged.

Showcasing their original project - internationally acclaimed enterprise education programme Rotherham Ready - the team demonstrated how enterprise had transformed teaching and learning and raised aspirations.

Rotherham Ready was launched in 2005 and was such a success that Hull Ready, Calderdale Ready, Scarborough Ready and North Lincolnshire Ready have followed. Through these projects more than 1,000 teachers have been trained to develop enterprise through the curriculum and bring learning and teaching to life for pupils.

Carl was "blown away" by the comprehensive strategy the team had developed to transform school culture and put enterprise at the heart of teaching and learning.

Rotherham won the competition and was named the most enterprising place in Britain.

Carl said, "I'm really proud to be associated with this new phase of enterprise in education which the Are You Ready? team are creating. They're not just thinking about one-off opportunities for schools to work with businesses but they have a passion to change the way schools operate - creating an enterprising culture from the inside."

Jackie Frost, project manager at Are You Ready? added: "This is a really exciting time for us and for schools and colleges everywhere. Being enterprising is critical in every sphere of life, as well as profession.

"Whether young people want to work in the private, public or voluntary sector, they will need an entrepreneurial mindset and transferable skills. We want to transform the hearts and minds of teachers and learners with an enterprising message that will help prepare young people for their future."

Rotherham Ready website
Are You Ready? website

Images: areyouready.org.uk

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News: Square Daisy set to grow

Three former colleagues from a Rotherham based company have joined forces to launch the new production house and creative agency, Square Daisy.

Jovan Marić, Amadeus Mozart and David Woodhead - who all previously worked for educational media company U-Explore - have set up Square Daisy to provide businesses with a wide variety of creative services including video production, graphic design, music production and new media applications.

The talented trio are joined by other experienced creatives and bring together a wealth of experience in traditional and new media. Their aim is to help all types of organisations improve and boost their business through the use of media and technology.

Jovan Marić, commercial director at Square Daisy, said: "We're all incredibly excited about Square Daisy and it's fantastic to now have it up and running, doing what we are all so passionate about.

"We love working with media and technology because we genuinely believe that it can give businesses such reach and edge over their competition. Everything we do at Square Daisy is about giving businesses and organisations a personality because it's this personality that will bring brand loyalty from customers and enable them to grow and flourish."

Creative Director Amadeus Mozart added: "It's great to be now up and running and I can't wait to get stuck into our future projects at Square Daisy. As a creative director, variety is what I thrive on, it is the spice of life after all! As a company we look forward to working with businesses and injecting a little of our spice into them, helping them to define their personality and making them more successful."

Members of the Square Daisy team have previously worked with a wide selection of clients including the BBC, NHS, super-club "Slinky", Tidy Trax record label, Additive Interactive and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Square Daisy website

Images: Square Daisy

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News: Accountancy scholarship for Rotherham student

Luke Richardson, a student at Thomas Rotherham College (TRC) in Rotherham, has been announced as the successful winner of the Kaplan scholarship for 2011.

Every year Kaplan Financial, the UK's leading provider of accountancy and financial training, selects 16 students for a £15,000 scholarship. This would pay for accountancy training once they start employment and is a major incentive for employers in these hard economic times.

Luke had applied to the University of Durham to study accounting, but having won this award has decided to follow this route into his accountancy career. He has also been offered a trainee accountant position with PKF Accountants, one of the top ten accounting firms in the UK and.

Luke follows in the footsteps of former TRC student, Alex Abel, who won the scholarship in 2010. Alex is also now working for PKF Accountants in Sheffield.

A spokesperson from Kaplan said: "It's quite an accolade for TRC to have winning students in two consecutive years."

Kaplan also offers apprenticeships with some of the top ten accounting firms and TRC student, Jordan Bentley, has secured a position with Grant Thornton Accountancy Firm.

TRC website

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News: University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Institute

The University of Sheffield has announced the creation of an Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI), in response to the continued success around the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC) in Rotherham.

Embracing the AMRC, Nuclear AMRC, Composite Centre and Knowledge Transfer Centres, all based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the AMI is a self standing centre for research, knowledge exchange and location for teaching and learning within the academic structure of the University.

The AMRC is a £100m partnership that has successfully bridged the gap between academia, industry and government.

With more than 40 partner organisations, comprising world leaders in the aerospace supply chain, key government offices and international academic institutions, The AMRC identifies, researches and solves advanced manufacturing problems. It already employs around 160 researchers, engineers and support staff.

The centre continues to develop and has secured significant investment. Building work has begun on a Knowledge Transfer Centre (KTC) and construction of the new Composite Centre, an extension to the existing Factory of the Future building, will begin soon. The £25m Nuclear AMRC on the site is also nearing completion.

The AMRC and the Nuclear AMRC are part of the consortium running The High Value Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) which will help to equip UK industry with the ability to capitalise on the future global market opportunities by drawing on leading edge research.

The AMI will be structured, uniquely for the University, around a Board, comprising senior internal officers of the University and some external appointees, who will be able to support the internal AMI team.

Professor Keith Ridgway OBE is named as Executive Dean and Director of the AMI. Professor Ridgway joined the University of Sheffield as a lecturer in 1988 and became Professor of Design and Manufacture in 1997. In 2001, working with local businessman Adrian Allen, he launched the AMRC. The AMRC has continued to go from strength to strength since its creation and in 2005 Professor Ridgway was awarded the OBE. In 2006 he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

A small number of additional senior appointments to the AMI will be made in the coming months, in order to further support and strengthen the strategic decision-making and operational platform of the AMI.

AMRC website

Images: amrc.co.uk

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News: Elevation Recruitment see growing workforces

Local businesses in the accountancy and finance sector are looking to expand their workforces as a freeze on recruitment begins to thaw, according to Elevation Recruitment.


The Rotherham recruitment specialist reports a 50 per cent increase in companies hiring temporary staff compared to the same time last year.

The boost is supported by The Recruitment and Employment Confederation outlook for June, which reports that confidence among employers has grown with a long-term view to create temporary staff into a permanent workforce over the next 12 months.

Greg Parkinson, managing director at Elevation Recruitment, said: "Through our clients it is clear to see a return to a more optimistic outlook over the next year, which is reflected by a lift in recruitment freezes as companies re-staff to cope with extra workloads.

"Despite an increase in confidence, it is not as stable as it was pre-recession, so we have seen the temporary jobs market booming, with employers looking to expand their recruitment initially through temporary contracts, with a view to establishing a more permanent workforce over the next year.

"The boost to temporary contracts isn't confined to a particular size of business, with increased demand across the board for both SMEs and PLCs in the Sheffield, Doncaster and Worksop areas."

Part of the Horbury Group, Elevation Recruitment operates in six specialist sectors; Accountancy, Senior Finance Professional Practice, Financial Services, Sales and HR, covering South Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regions.

Elevation Recruitment website

Images: elevationrecruitment.com

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News: NAMTEC supply chain events

The National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC) in Rotherham are hosting a number of events next month to help manufacturing and engineering companies find out about supplying the oil & gas sector and the rail industry.

Ambitions for Future Growth in the Rail Industry will inform delegates how to access business opportunities within the growing rail market both here in the UK and overseas.

It will appeal to organisations with a current presence in rail and to those considering entering this market. Amongst the speakers will be; The Railway Industry Association, Eversholt Rail Group, Network Rail, On Track, Mechan, Freightliner and the Railway Safety & Standards Board (RSSB).

Predictions are that over the next 30 years passenger demand for rail will more than double and freight demand increase by 140%. The total projected cost with the development of high-speed rail networks in the UK is an estimated £30bn and presents significant opportunities for UK manufacturing.

The event takes place on July 5 at The Stables, High Melton, Doncaster.

NAMTEC is also hosting a meet the buyer event to give businesses the opportunity to meet with buyers from leading oil & gas organisations and understand their future procurement requirements.

Graeme Urquhart, Supply Chain Manager from Wood Group will discuss their requirements and Craig Thompson from FPAL will discuss how they build and support buyer-supplier communities in the oil and gas industry, creating an effective Supply Chain network.

The event takes place on July 13 at Mid Yorkshire Golf Club, Darrington, West Yorks.

NAMTEC website

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News: The Source Skills Academy opens in Rotherham town centre

The Source Skills Academy Rotherham opens this week, a new initiative designed to support local businesses and help expand Rotherham town centre.

Based at Meadowhall, The Source Skills Academy is a flagship centre providing state of the art training and development facilities with a focus on the retail and service sector.

The new venture on Rotherham's High Street, is designed to offer advice, guidance and training services to Rotherham businesses to increase skills levels and to support trade in the town centre, attracting new investment.

Local businesses can access a range of opportunities, from Apprenticeships, supporting staff in the workplace with flexible learning, to various training courses including Mary Portas Masterclasses and customer service courses. The service also links with other Rotherham-based support networks and advisors to offer a wealth of guidance for all aspects of their business.

Council Leader Roger Stone will unveil the new Source Skills Academy Hub on Friday as part of the town's regeneration strategy. The project is part-funded by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, the Skills Funding Agency and The Source Skills Academy.

Councillor Roger Stone said: "This new Hub is an exciting development for Rotherham. Not only will businesses be able to access free support and guidance, but the new site is based right in the heart of Rotherham.

"The Source will co-ordinate the new site, with experienced professionals on hand to aid the development of local businesses. I'm sure people will be pleased with what The Source Skills Academy Rotherham has to offer."

Ann Cadman, managing director at The Source Skills Academy, added: "The Source was established in 2003 to support businesses across South Yorkshire with training and recruitment guidance and we have come a long way since our initial launch. We are now opening a brand new site on the High Street that will offer dedicated support to Rotherham businesses.

"This is a very exciting development for The Source Skills Academy and we are keen to work in partnership with Rotherham organisations with the goal of improving business performance and maximising opportunities in this very difficult climate."

The Source website

Images: The Source

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News: Six businesses to enter the den

Six Rotherham businesses will be looking to impress a panel of local Dragons next month in a bid to secure a prize of £1,500.

Rotherham Enterprise Board and UK Steel Enterprise are hosting the Dragons' Den-type event, inspired by the BBC show of the same name, offering local businesses a unique chance to further develop their already established business.

The event is aimed at businesses based in Rotherham that have been trading for three years or less and have the potential to grow.

The businesses have now been chosen to enter the den on July 7 at the Park Inn Rotherham where they will pitch their expansion dreams to a panel of successful Rotherham-based entrepreneurs.

The best pitch on the night will receive a prize of £1,500 to support their business'
growth potential, as well as possible capital investment opportunities.

Pizza chef, Danny West will pitch his unique business, Pizzatainment, that teaches children about the value of nutrition by showing them how to make stone-baked Italian pizzas.

Media production company, Renton Productions, will showcase their work on music videos, training videos, educational films and live events.

Sports Media Advertising will describe how they support local clubs and businesses by using advertising space in sports clubs.

Kara Chapman will outline plans for her Whistle Stop Sweet Shop operating in the renovated Imperial Buildings, that has a huge range of quality traditional, retro and modern sweets.

Jamie and Sharon Clarke will pitch their expansion plans following the launch of City Deal of the Day, a niche online marketing tool which brings slashed price deals from local businesses via email and online.

The team behind Enviro Thaw will highlight the potential of an environmentally friendly and non-toxic product used in China as an alternative to rock salt.

Last year's winner Fiona Morgan, owner of Very Delicious Ltd, will be passing on her own valuable knowledge and experience of the event to the prospective entrepreneurs by taking on the role of a dragon.

The Rotherham Enterprise Board is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is led by successful business men and women from a wide range of different backgrounds and business sectors. They are using their experience to change the way business support is provided and make it more helpful to Rotherham entrepreneurs.

Rotherham Enterprise Board website

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News: Andrew moulds a bright future in engineering

A 17-year-old who dropped out of college has landed a job and a promising future thanks to a pioneering training programme.

A two-week Prince's Trust "Get Into Engineering" course at Brinsworth Training, South Yorkshire's leading engineering and manufacturing training provider, convinced Andrew Pearson, of East Dene, Rotherham, that engineering was the career he wanted to follow.

After completing the Prince's Trust scheme, Andrew landed a place on a 14-week course specially designed by Brinsworth Training in Templeborough to give young people without qualifications an opportunity to build up their engineering foundation skills.

And now he has been offered an apprenticeship at Active Moulds Ltd., of Dinnington, Rotherham.

Andrew said: "I realise how fortunate I am to be in full-time employment because of the course, particularly at a time when there aren't many jobs around. And I'm absolutely determined to make the best of the opportunity.

"I love the job and realised as soon as I went on the Prince's Trust taster course that engineering was the way forward for me. It was a lucky break for me. When I decided to leave college because I felt I wasn't getting anywhere, I didn't really know what the future held."

Craig Trembath, workshop manager, at Active Moulds, who make moulds for the blockpaving industry, said: "Andrew is doing very well and giving us 100 per cent and more. He is keen to learn, asking lots of relevant questions and showing a lot of promise. It's obvious that the course at Brinsworth Training has given him a good, sound foundation in engineering basics."

The Prince's Trust will be running, with Brinsworth Training, another "Get Into Engineering" course for unemployed young people in Rotherham from July 11-22.

Active Moulds website
Brinsworth Training website

Images: Brinsworth Training

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News: Bramall Construction celebrates 80th anniversary

Rotherham social housing specialist, Bramall Construction Ltd, is set to mark a significant milestone this month as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.

Bramall Construction was launched as a general contractor in 1931 by George Bramall and Dick Ogden and has since grown to employ over 950 people across England and Wales.

The Manvers construction firm has a turnover of £225m and forms part of the successful Keepmoat Group of companies. It specialises in refurbishment, new build, Extra Care, specialist housing and bringing schools up to 21st Century standards.

Bramall is a market leader when it comes to refurbishment and has improved in excess of 90,000 homes through the Government's Decent Homes programme and other regeneration projects.

They are also leaders in sustainability in construction, being the first social housing contractor to be assessed under the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes were two of the homes on the scheme were the first in the country to reach Code Four. Bramall are also amongst the first contractors in the UK to build homes to Code Six and worked on one of the UK's largest zero carbon developments.

Close to home, Bramall successfully retrofited six Rotherham Council-owned homes, bringing them up to excellent energy efficiency standards with funding from the Technology Strategy Board.

Neil Baxter, managing director of Bramall Construction in Yorkshire, Humberside and the East Midlands, said: "We are extremely proud to be celebrating 80 years in business.

"We have seen many changes in the construction sector over the last 80 years but our ethos and values have stayed the same: We are a forward thinking, caring and innovative business. Our strong history and dedication to delivering sustainable regeneration solutions will help us to thrive and grow for many more years to come."

Bramall Construction website

Images: Bramall Construction

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News: Bramall's 80 years in Rotherham

Bramall Construction was launched as a general contractor in 1931 by George Bramall and Dick Ogden as General Building Contractors and were based at Gore Hill in Wath upon Dearne, Rotherham.

The company's first job was to replace privy middons with mains drainage for toilets out in the back yards of terraced houses for Wath Urban District Council.

During the war the company worked on repairing the damage caused by bombs in York and Southampton and began to work with the public sector to build new council houses in the post-war construction boom.

Terry Bramall joined the business in 1968 and the Bramall family bought Dick Ogden's share of the company from his widow, Nancy, making Bramall and Ogden a limited company.

In the early 1970s it produced a conservatory for Kew Gardens which was built in South Yorkshire and transported to London and made the pews for the church at Windsor Castle.

The company bought premises on Station Road, Mexborough and moved the head office in 1973. The site at Gore Hill was kept as a joiner's shop - it took in raw timber and made everything for new houses including kitchens, windows, door frames, skirting and roof trusses.

In 1980 Bramall and Ogden became Bramall Construction Ltd and the management teams from Bramall and Doncaster company Frank Halsim Milan formed the parent company - Keepmoat in 1983.

As part of the Keepmoat Group, Bramall expanded and opened offices throughout the UK and moved into new headquarters on the Callflex Business Park, Manvers.

For 2009/2010 the company enjoyed a turnover of £570m and managed an impressive 43,500 refurbished and new homes for social rent - one home every three minutes.

Bramall website

Images: Bramall

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News: Barrett Steel invests in Rotherham plant

Barrett Steel has increased capacity and reduced lead times at the company's C. Roberts facility in Rotherham by investing in a £500k upgrade to cutting operations.

The installation of a Ficep Tipo A31 automatic CNC drilling and thermal cutting line for steel plate is also anticipated to offer further job opportunities at the Eastwood plant.

Barrett Steel is the UK's largest independent steel stockholder with extensive processing facilities and distribution fleet. The Bradford firm enjoyed a turnover of £197m for the year ending September 2010.

The new plasma drill processor is designed for wide plates up to 200mm thick, making it suitable for the manufacture of bridges and viaducts, agricultural and earth moving machinery, mining equipment and other heavy structural steel operations.

Tom Barrett, branch manager at C. Roberts, said: "C. Roberts is already a well established general steel stockholder that has recently invested in steel plate stocks and machinery.

"The addition of the new Ficep, which makes cutting intricate shapes out of plate, tapping holes, marking, pointing, milling and hard stamping sheet quicker and easier, is an excellent bolt-on to our current stockholding and cutting facilities.

"As well as cutting lead times the line should be more efficient, saving our customers both time and money."

In September, Barrett Nickel Alloys opened a new processing and distribution facility in Templebrough, Rotherham.

Barrett Steel website

Images: barrettsteel.com

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News: Middlesbrough Advanced Manufacturing Park

The Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham is set to be copied in the North East after Middlesbrough Council formally approved the creation of a similar park on the site of the former South West Ironmasters Works.

The AMP in Rotherham is the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park and enjoys a global reputation for providing world-class manufacturing technology solutions for industry. It is home to the University of Sheffield, Boeing, Rolls Royce and Dormer Tools.

Now, people who worked on aspects of the AMP are working with Middlesbrough Council on a 32 acre site which could become a major location for manufacturing companies with a strong emphasis on research and development. The Middlesbrough Advanced Manufacturing Park will focus on the energy sector and its supply chain, and in particular the stimulation of activities in the emerging renewable energy sector.

Wynyard Park Ltd is the developer behind the new park and they have recently appointed Paul Barber as managing director. Paul is currently managing director of Strategic Sites, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wynyard Park, who are working in a joint venture with UK Coal to develop commercial property on the AMP in Rotherham.

AED, a company specialising in devising new economic initiatives, is also working on the plans. With offices in Rotherham, AED is headed by Joe Anwyl, who worked for Creative Sheffield on assisting inward investors and business development at the AMP. Other contacts at AED include Gene DePrez and Andy Curtis, also formerly of Creative Sheffield.

Paul Barber, managing director of Wynyard Park Ltd, said: "We will combine all the experience we have gathered at the Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Park and our track record here at Wynyard Park to help bring many new, highly-skilled jobs to Middlesbrough."

Joe Anwyl, director at AED International added: "We are presented with the unparalleled opportunity to develop an energy-focused manufacturing and R&D park in Middlesbrough. The site will develop new technologies and manufacturing techniques for the UK's renewable energy and oil and gas sectors.

"This development could not only create jobs and attract inward investment but could be an enabler of wider economic development by affirming Middlesbrough's position as one of the UK's leading locations for manufacturing excellence in the offshore sector."

AMP website

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News: Performance Engineered Solutions take space at the AMP Technology Centre

A new breed of engineering design company, Performance Engineered Solutions (PES) Ltd, has taken space at the AMP Technology Centre on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.

PES Ltd was established based on the F1 concept of driving innovation in multiple sectors. It specialises in enhancing the performance of components, products and systems by delivering integrated engineering thinking alongside innovative design, materials, manufacturing and testing technologies.

They are currently working on a number of projects including; aerospace components, the aerodynamic and composite design for a new Moto2 racing bike, composite parts for a super lightweight, high performance road car, R&D projects in the automotive tyre sector, and the management of a major international engineering project.

Mike Maddock, managing director at PES said: "The last 12 months have seen significant developments within all aspects of the business, and in order to take full advantage of the opportunities that are arising we have decided to separate the key business areas.

"We believe that there is significant potential within industry for the kind of integrated engineering design services that PES provides. The interest is such that we are already looking to expand the team and recruit additional high calibre design engineers."

The company is also sponsoring British racing driver Paul Rees, who is driving the MTech Ferrari 458 Italia in the international FIA GT3 sports car championship.

Dan Fleetcroft, design director at PES said: "Motorsport is one of the most technically advanced industry sectors in the world, where the goal is to provide high performance solutions to challenging technical issues, often in very tight timescales. It is therefore the ideal environment to promote PES as we use the same technologies and principles as motorsport to deliver performance focused engineering solutions for our clients."

Motorsport is something Dan knows intimately about having been trained and mentored as a design engineer in Formula One for 15 years by John Barnard, one of F1's all-time engineering greats. He has worked with numerous racing teams, including Ferrari, Arrows, Prost GP, Kenny Roberts Moto GP team and B3 Technologies Ltd design & engineering consultancy. Throughout this time he has also completed projects in multiple engineering environments outside of F1 including aerospace, automotive, medical technology, elite sport, renewable energy and product design.

Performance Engineered Solutions website

Images: Performance Engineered Solutions

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News: Ofcom agree with Digital Region in BT dispute

Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has agreed with the companies behind the Digital Region in South Yorkshire that BT are charging too much for the use of their existing lines.

Ofcom has published a draft determination to resolve a dispute between Digital Region Ltd and project partner, Thales with BT over the cost of "sub loop unbundling" products. These allow Digital Region to install equipment at a location close to BT's street cabinets and physically take over or share the copper access network connection.

This is a key part of the network, which is only available across South Yorkshire, that will help to provide guaranteed download speeds of 25Mb and above.

BT charges fees of between £106.62 and £127.61 and annual rent of £93.96 for the connection. Digital Region Ltd and Thales told Ofcom that it estimated the real price of the connection fee should be about £50, and that the annual rent should be about £82.35.

Ofcom is proposing that BT is required to adjust the charges so as to "only reflect costs that are reasonably derived from costs of provision" and that "BT makes a payment to DRL/Thales to reflect any overpayments where BT's charges included costs that are not costs of provision."

Digital Region is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of South Yorkshire. Together they attracted European, regional, local and private investment of over £90m, including £30m from the European Regional Development Fund. Thales UK is responsible for building, managing and developing the network.

By the end of May a total of 476km of new fibre-optic cable had been installed, which equates to 69% of the total duct of the network. 30 exchanges have been completed so far with 1,010 cabinets installed. When the network rollout is complete, more than 1,500 street cabinets will be in place across South Yorkshire, serving a population of over 1.3 million citizens, 546,000 homes and 40,000 businesses.

Digital Region website

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News: Crawshaw take on staff to tackle tough market conditions

Crawshaw's, the Rotherham-based meat focussed retailer, is hoping to take the opportunity to broaden the product offer in order to increase sales to existing loyal customers in response to falling sales.


In a recent trading update, The Bradmarsh Business Park company reported that sales at their 20 stores in recent weeks have been below expectations. Like for like sales for the year to date are now 2% below last year and rising meat prices have put pressure on their margins.

The board expect trading conditions to remain challenging for the foreseeable future but enjoy extremely high levels of satisfaction with quality, service and value for money and robust footfall. The board believe the decline in sales is being driven by customers trading down and making purchases last longer.

In light of this and recent customer research, management is looking to broaden the product offer in order to increase sales to existing loyal customers, and to make the retail space work harder. Side dishes, desserts, sauces and more take-out options are all being considered.

The company is in the process of recruiting a category / marketing manager, a hot food development manager, and a category buyer.

As a result of current trading results and additional recruitment costs, the company now expects profits for the current financial year to be lower than previously anticipated.

The balance sheet, however, is strong and this month we have repaid all our bank borrowings, with the exception of a property backed mortgage to the value of £840,000.

Crawshaw's website

Images: Crawshaw's

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News: Smart move for Solaglas

Solaglas has appointed The Smart Agency to provide PR and marketing services as they look to rebrand following the move to a new HQ in Rotherham.

The Saint-Gobain-owned company recently brought together three separate operating divisions to form Solaglas Installation, specialising in the installation and maintenance of all glass products and emergency glazing for the construction, property maintenance and insurance markets.

The new company will provide an end-to-end service for individual projects and major contracts ranging from £50 to £10m. The new centre at Manvers represents a major investment as the company targets growth and expansion over the coming years.

The Smart Agency will implement a six-month campaign to include media relations and marketing, focussed initially on the insurance industry. The agency will also explore further opportunities including sponsorship.

Nigel Charlesworth, director at The Smart Agency said: "We are very pleased to be working with Solaglas Windowcare. They are a leader in their field and well-known across a series of sector categories and this brief will hopefully result in them receiving the kind of recognition and awareness they deserve."

Solaglas website

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News: Yorkshireman’s Deli opens in Rotherham town centre

The Yorkshireman's Deli has opened in Rotherham town centre following help and support from the Rotherham Enterprise Project.

Based in the Imperial Buildings, the deli offers a range of homemade produce including cheeses, chutneys, pork pies, sausage rolls, and a selection of sandwiches.

The owners, Lee and Frances Taylor from Greasbrough, are expecting Mayor Shaun Wright and his consort to sample some of their delicacies at the official opening on June 23.

The idea for the new venture came about after Lee was made redundant from a sales position, and decided to take his hobby of growing vegetables and rearing poultry to the next level after spotting a gap in the market for a top quality Deli in the town.

Lee said: "Becoming a business owner in the current economic climate was a daunting step but one we needed to take due to my unfortunate redundancy.

"Frances and I have always enjoyed growing our own fruit and vegetables and tending to our chickens and it seemed to be the perfect solution to take our experience into business.

The Taylors had help and support from The Rotherham Enterprise Project, which is part financed by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), from day one and right through to opening the premises to the public.

Frances said: "We approached the organisation after hearing they helped start-up businesses like ours flourish in the first few months of trading by offering advice and financial support.

"We spoke to Julia Millea, a business coach from the project, who helped us with our business plan, sourcing a food hygiene course for me to take and securing us a £500 grant which was put towards a food chiller we needed to store ingredients. I would like to thank Julia and her team for their valuable support. We couldn't have done it without them."

Julia, from Rotherham Enterprise added: "Lee and Frances make a great team and I'm sure will go on to provide Rotherham with some of the best delights around. It's great to see them turning a dismal situation into a positive one and a huge success."

Clothing store Caprice will also be officially opened by the mayor. Their latest shop, located on High Street, is set to continue their 30-year tradition of high-quality, well priced fashionable clothing for all ages.

Councillor Gerald Smith, Cabinet Member for Town Centres, Economic Growth and Prosperity, said: "It's with open arms that we welcome these two new businesses to our Town Centre family and we wish them the absolute best of luck with their new ventures.

"Thanks to shops like these Rotherham is building a reputation for quality independent retailers and we're standing out because of it."

Rotherham town centre website

Images: RiDO / Big Box Photography

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News: Collaboration is key to success for aerospace company

Dormer Tools in Rotherham has worked as part of successful collaboration to support a UK aerospace business in reducing its machine run time on a project by half.

The expertise of Dormer Tools, Heller Machine Tools and Open Mind has benefited Midland Aerospace in turning a 40-hour run time for a component to less than 20 hours.

Midland Aerospace was working on a high-end structural component for a leading aerospace organisation, but needed to make the project more efficient.

Eamon Lyons, managing director of Midland Aerospace, said: "The run time we previously had in creating the component was not acceptable and we needed to massively reduce it.

"After speaking with Heller Machine Tools at the Farnborough Air Show we quickly looked at how their new FT4000 5-axis machine could do the job for us.

"Together with the cuttings tools from Dormer and Open Mind's software, we were able to reduce the run time significantly. All three were true to their word and delivered on what they said could be achieved.

"By having the right machine, using the appropriate cutting tools and software to reduce the run time on this component has enabled us to win additional business to work on more projects. We look forward to working with them again in the future."

The component for Midland Aerospace was engineered at Dormer's productivity centre, within the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. The facility is fast becoming a unique workshop with the capacity to meet a variety of machining needs.

Matt Johnson, applications engineer at Dormer Tools, added: "We have been very pleased to help Midland Aerospace reduce their run time on the component quite significantly. This is an example of how the collaboration of expertise we have developed in the productivity centre at Dormer can create a cost-effective return for businesses."

Dormer Tools and Sandvik Coromant are staging open days on July 5 and 6, where businesses from around the country can visit their fully serviced productivity centre at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

All of Dormer's partners will be in attendance at the open days including Heller Machine Tools, Kelch, Open Mind, Delcam, System3R, and Hexagon Metrology.

Dormer Tools website

Images: Dormer Tools

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News: Production improves at Maltby Colliery

New working practices at Maltby Colliery have resulted in an improved production consistency at Rotherham's last remaining colliery.

In a trading update, operators Hargreaves Services announced that results are expected to be in line with management expectations and the board remain confident about the prospects for the group.

The new working practices at Maltby, announced in February, were successfully introduced in April and although only recently implemented, production consistency has improved. The company acknowledged the efforts made by staff and management to facilitate the changes.

Last year, Hargreaves completed the change to a new face at Maltby but the performance had been a disappointment despite the investment. In December the group stated that underground production had improved following the slow start to the year.

In February, Hargreaves stated that the major equipment issues were resolved and a fifth shift was introduced employing 70 extra miners. This increased cutting time by 30% from 108 to 141 hours.

Net debt at the end of May was £66m, slightly lower than management expectations.

Working capital levels at the end of May were well below management expectations in volume terms, having benefited from close management in both the UK and Europe.

Although stocks were below management expectations in volume terms, the company benefited from commodity prices remaining strong and almost 30% higher in May 2011 compared to twelve months earlier.

Although the profit and loss account tax charge for the year is expected to be in line with management expectations, the group benefited from a one off reduction in cash tax payments of £7m in the second half. An additional smaller cash benefit is expected in the six months ending 30 November 2011.

Hargreaves Services website

Images: hargreavesservices.co.uk

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News: Work begins on Rotherham United stadium

A groundbreaking ceremony has taken place to mark the start of work on Rotherham United's community stadium close to the town centre.

Representatives from the football club, main contractor GMI Construction and project manager Gleeds gathered at the site of the former Guest & Chrimes foundry where preparation work to raise the ground level by two metres has begun.

The new £17.3m 12,000 seater stadium has been designed as part of a masterplan for the area which will encompass other features such as conference and banqueting facilities. With a strong focus on the community benefits, the stadium development brings longer term sustainability into the Rotherham area as further future investments are encouraged.

Tony Stewart, chairman of Rotherham United said: "Supporters driving into Rotherham along Centenary Way will be able to see real progress on the site, and I think that is really exciting."

"GMI have worked very quickly and already they have made a huge difference to the site. I am told that within six weeks the ground will have been raised by two metres, and I am confident that we will meet that deadline. They are working on the new council building and that project is progressing well and I know the council are very impressed by them, so I am confident that they, along with Gleeds, will be able to deliver the new stadium on time."

Paul Whitaker of project managers, Gleeds said: "We are delighted to kick off the construction work for what will become a renowned stadium in the region for years to come. This type of project epitomises the community spirit of a town like Rotherham and allows a wide range of stakeholders to get involved throughout the development process."

Simon Morris, associate director and project manager for Gleeds also commented: "It has been a long journey for the Millers and the next stage in the club's return to the town began this week. Now that work has started, people will see a lot of rapid activity on the site.

"The first task was to clear the site of vegetation, and within weeks materials will be brought in to begin work on the building. By the autumn, we expect to see steelwork being erected on site, which is when the stadium will really begin to take shape."

"The club have high expectations for this stadium and I am looking forward to the challenge of meeting them. We are still very much on course to have the stadium completed in time for the 2012/2013 season and I am excited to sit in the crowd and watch that match."

Rotherham United website
GMI Construction website
Gleeds website

Images: Rotherham United / GMI Construction

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News: Connexion2 supply Leodis Care

A team of phlebotomists have been equipped with the award winning Identicom lone worker protection device from Connexion2 in Rotherham.

Leodis Care, an NHS Limited company that provides medical services that are more accessible to patients, has set up a new service from its Head Office in Leeds whereby a team of phlebotomists visit housebound patients in their own homes to take blood samples.

Although the service is very popular with patients, it was recognised by Health & Safety professionals that the phlebotomists, as lone workers, could be at risk visiting patients' homes.

Through the Dinnington company's SoloProtect brand, the lone workers have been provided with Identicom, a discreet alarms disguised as identity card holders, plus SIM Card and inclusive network usage, face-to-face user training and 24 hour manned monitoring.

Sue Jones, clinical services co-ordinator at Leodis Care, said: "We chose Connexion2 because it is an NHS chosen provider. Identicom was demonstrated to us and we were really impressed with it.

"Feedback from the team has been excellent. They have found it easy to use and they like the fact that it provides them with extra security."

Connexion2 website

Images: Connexion2

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News: Rotherham land targets revised

A framework for attracting jobs, investment and growth for the future of Rotherham will be unveiled to the public next month.

Members of Rotherham Borough Council's Cabinet have given the green light to the next phase of widespread public consultation on the Local Development Framework - the authority's overall vision for the future development of the Borough for the next 15 years.

During July, August and September, the public are to be asked their views on the details of the proposals at numerous drop-in sessions, workshops, seminars and via the website.

The employment land target has been reduced by 30 per cent and it has been considered appropriate to provide for around 230 hectares of employment land for new economic development with up to an additional five hectares of land to accommodate new office floorspace.

As part of the employment land review published last year, existing employment sites were surveyed as well as possible new sites. The outcome was that existing employment sites could provide about 163 hectares of land while a further 69 hectares were identified as potential new sites.

The current shortfall of around 60 hectares will be addressed by the further review of preferred development sites taking into account the consultation response.

Policies will maintain a "brownfield first" approach and phase release of Green Belt land towards the end of plan period.

Cllr. Roger Stone, the Leader of Rotherham Borough Council, said: "Having a framework is a statutory requirement and if we do not develop our own local plan all decisions could be taken away from us by central Government.

"We now have our local targets rather than regional ones to provide land for much-needed new homes and sustainable communities as well as the needs of the modern economy."

RMBC website

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News: Debt Managers Ltd and RiDO in the pink

Debt Managers Ltd in Rotherham has put its best foot forward to help raise money for a cancer care charity.

Staff at the Templeborough contact and collections centre, along with colleagues in their Edinburgh headquarters collected money to support Sarah Wilkinson.

Sarah is a HR Business Consultant with Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO), the regeneration arm of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Sarah took part in the 10 mile Pink Ribbonwalk which was held recently at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire in support of the Breast Cancer Care charity.

Rob Walker, Client Services & Development Director with Debt Managers Ltd said: "When we heard about Sarah's efforts we were keen to give our support as a number of our agents have experienced someone within their circle of family or friends that have been affected by cancer.

"Money was raised to support the cause by staff making a contribution and wearing something pink. The addition of two pink panthers and a selection of pink liquorice allsorts was not anticipated, not to mention some of the male contingent finding their female side, but it all added to the fun."

Debt Managers Ltd was founded in 1976, building its business to become one of the country's most respected independent collection agencies. The company delivers a comprehensive and high-performing collections and recovery service for clients across the UK, including major financial and banking institutions, retail organisations, utilities, telecoms providers and public sector organisations.

Staff contribution raised £150 towards the cause which was matched by Debt Managers adding a further £300.00 to Sarah's fund.

Debt Managers Ltd website
Rotherham Investment and Development Office

Images: RiDO

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News: Ecodeco awarded South Yorkshire waste facility contract

3SE, a consortium set up by the British companies Shanks Waste Management and Scottish and Southern Energy, has chosen Ecodeco technology to build the waste treatment plant that is expected to be located in Manvers, Rotherham.

3SE was named as the preferred bidder by The BDR Partnership in April.

Adjacent to the NEXT warehouse at Brookfield's Park in Manvers, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) technology is to be used to process black or grey bin waste from Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. This will produce a solid recovered fuel.

There will also be an anaerobic digestion plant producing sustainable energy and a bio-compost. The solid fuel recovered will then be transported to a proposed multi-fuel plant next to the existing coal-fired power station at Ferrybridge, where it will be used to generate electricity.

The supply value of the contract with Ecodeco (part of the A2A Group) exceeds 26 million euros and the Italian company will also receive royalties for the next 25 years on every ton of waste treated.

The facility, which is yet to secure planning permission, will have the capacity to deal with at least 250,000 tonnes per annum and will serve about 350,000 families. It is anticipated that over 40 jobs will be generated.

The companies foresee that the work to build the plant will start in spring 2013 and the first waste will be treated in 2015.

BDR Partnership website

Images: BDR Waste Partnership

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News: Rotherham United assures fans over stadium funding

Rotherham United has assured supporters that funding is in place for their new £17.3m community stadium.

A club statement said: "Taking into account the grant funding that has been applied for, the £5m loan from the council completes the funding requirements for the new stadium.

"It is regrettable that the Rotherham Advertiser decided to publish the front page headline story suggesting that a £2.3m shortfall still existed without obtaining full clarification from the Club. We hope that it has not caused too much unnecessary anxiety amongst supporters.

"We are delighted to announce that, as everyone can see, work began on site this week and we are currently looking to have a webcam to be installed to allow supporters to monitor the new stadium's progress."

The report to the council's cabinet when the loan was given approval stated that: "To date, including the proposed £5m Council loan, the Club have identified funding of £15m, leaving a potential financing shortfall of £2.3m.

"The other identified funding is made up of £3.3m ERDF grant and £6.7m private investment. The Club have been asked to provide evidence to confirm that these funding sources are in place and secure."

Councillor Roger Stone, Leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, said in his blog: "I'm delighted to say that Rotherham Borough Council has helped to slot in the latest piece in the jigsaw by formally agreeing a loan to fill a gap in the multi-million pound finances already raised by the private sector.

"Of course, there will be those who say this is not the council's job, but I firmly believe that this IS our job. It is right and proper that as a council we should use the powers available to us to raise money to help projects and initiatives than can bring about significant generation in our town.

"There will be no additional cost to Rotherham's council taxpayers, but our residents will reap the benefits for years to come - football fans, of course, but also the schools and community groups who will use the stadium's facilities; the businesses who will benefit on match day and beyond, and lovers of sport in general who will be proud to see such a prestigious development in their town.

"I say critics should watch this space - they will eat their words at the end of the day."

Full plans have been submitted and work to prepare the site has begun. Work on the stadium itself is due to start soon and the stadium is due to open at the start of the 2012/13 season.

Rotherham United website

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News: Export support strengthened with new partnership

South Yorkshire International Trade Centre (SYITC) has teamed up with the South Yorkshire International Trade Forum (SYITF) to promote and increase international trade in the Sheffield City Region.

The partnership will see them align their services to promote the benefits of international trade and provide information and services to companies to help them achieve success overseas.

SYITF, an organisation of companies that aims to share experiences, knowledge and best practice in international trade, will act as the voice of businesses engaged in international trade in the city region

SYITC, a partnership of Barnsley and Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield Chambers of Commerce, will continue to work directly with all companies in the region supporting their everyday trade activity with documentation, translations etc.

Michelle Daniel, international trade team leader at SYITC, said: "SYITC and SYITF have shared objectives to work with businesses to ensure they are well equipped and informed about the overseas trade opportunities available to them.

"We already work closely with United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) in identifying international opportunities so we now have a single joined up offer to the business community. We also run joint networking activities where each of us concentrates on our particular strengths to ensure businesses get a one-stop, simple support offer.

"In order to develop the economy, it is important that international trade continues to grow. By working together, SYITC, SYITF and UKTI can help further promote the benefits of expanding into the international market as a real way of giving their business, and the UK economy, a sustainable future."

SYITC website
SYITF website

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News: RiDO launch Soft Landing Zone incubator project

The Rotherham area will soon have a higher profile on the international stage, thanks to a new project that aims to both support foreign businesses locating into the region, and also help existing local businesses to take their first steps to develop business opportunities overseas.

Building on two decades of successful delivery of incubation programmes and inward investment, Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO), the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council will manage the "Soft Landings Zone" (SLZ) project that aims to embed additional international business into the area, and help existing businesses to grow in global markets.

The SLZ project will help overseas companies looking to establish operations in the UK, explore the UK market or to use the UK as a base for further European activities. Potential investor companies from overseas will be offered a comprehensive array of services, including; fully equipped modern office facilities, available on flexible easy in/easy out terms, and with full reception & admin support. Assistance will be provided to access relevant specialist help and advice, linking to appropriate support organisations and trade bodies.

RiDO will also work with home grown companies through accelerated support programmes to develop ideas that have true potential to create export focused businesses, and help local higher education establishments to encourage spinout companies.

Tim O'Connell, business development manager at RiDO said: "This project is an exciting opportunity, not only for overseas companies to use the Rotherham area as their home when they consider the UK as a location for their business, but also through links with UKTI and other international trade organisations to help local companies exploit potential export opportunities.

"Rotherham is the ideal place for this project as the RiDO Business Centres are the only business centres in England that have the National Business Incubation Association's (NBIA) Soft Landings International Incubators Designation."

The SLZ project is supported financially by the European Union. The project has attracted investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project will run for three years and a number of activities are already in planning to undertake the SLZ project with companies both locally and from abroad.

Rotherham Investment and Development Office

Images: RiDO

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News: Maplin launch iPhone App

A new iPhone shopping App from Rotherham-based consumer electronic retailer Maplin, went straight into Apple's Top 10 lifestyle downloads shortly after its launch.

The App, produced by Barnsley digital agency Deviate, reached number two in the lifestyle category within days of release and went straight into the Apple Store's overall UK Top 40 of popular downloads for all App types as well as gaining a feature slot in Apple's "New & Noteworthy" spotlight.

The Maplin App enables users to view over 15,000 products – 5,000 more than in the average Maplin store. Deviate have incorporated geolocation technology to allow users to identify their nearest store and a secure ordering system allowing purchase direct from customers' mobiles.

David O'Reilly, marketing director at Maplin, said: "This iPhone App further strengthens our multi-channel capabilities and complements our existing mobile website, making it even more convenient for our customers to shop with us."

Apple Store customer feedback on the App has been overwhelmingly positive with iPhone users praising ease of navigation and use.

Adie Flute, MD at Deviate, added: "Usability and design which is totally faithful to the brand have been a hallmark of Deviate's digital work over many years.

"We didn't want to overload the App with gimmicks but ensure it was well executed, simple to use and completely fit for purpose – judging by its popularity, we got the balance spot on."

Maplin moved to a 220,000 sq ft state of the art distribution centre and head office at Manvers in 2008.

Maplin website
Deviate website

Images: maplin.co.uk

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News: Enter the Dragon's Den in Rotherham

Rotherham businesses are being given another fantastic opportunity to prove their worth to a panel of Dragons.

Rotherham Enterprise Board and UK Steel Enterprise are hosting a Dragons' Den-type event, inspired by the BBC show of the same name, that will offer local businesses a unique chance to further develop their already established business.

The event is aimed at businesses based in Rotherham that have been trading for three years or less and have the potential to grow.

A select number of businesses will be chosen to enter the den on July 7 at the Park Inn Rotherham where they will pitch their expansion dreams to a panel of successful Rotherham-based entrepreneurs.

The best pitch on the night will receive a prize of £1500 to support their business'
growth potential, as well as possible capital investment opportunities.

The event will also see last year's winner Fiona Morgan owner of Alexandra's Café, Parkgate, Rotherham passing on her own knowledge to perspective entrepreneurs by taking on the role of a dragon.

Fiona was crowned the winner of the first Dragons Den inspired event last year and received the £1,500 cash prize along with plenty of press coverage. The panel felt Fiona's passion and energy for her catering business shone through and were impressed that she had reinvested her profits not only in the development of her business but also in the local community.

Fiona said: "After the outcome of last years Dragon's Den event I've been amazed by the support both from the Rotherham Enterprise Board but also local people who had read about it.

"I was keen to be able to help other local businesses benefit in the same way I have and I'm really looking forward to being able to pass on my expertise to others so they get the recognition they deserve. I'm also very pleased not to be pitching again as being a Dragon surely has to be less nerve-wracking."

The deadline for entries is June 17 and anyone who is interested in entering the den should contact Helen Allison, Enterprise Events Co-ordinator, email helen.allison@rotherham.gov.uk

Rotherham Enterprise Board website

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News: Detailed plans submitted for Rotherham United's new stadium

A detailed planning application has been submitted for Rotherham United's new 12,000 seater community stadium, to be constructed close to the town centre.

The reserved matters application from Signet Planning on behalf of RU Estates Ltd, covers layout, appearance and landscaping and if approved, it will give full planning permission for the £17.3m development on the site of the former Guest & Chrimes foundry.

Outline plans that covered location, design and access plus environmental assessments looking at the impacts on flooding, noise, transport, ecology and listed buildings were approved in November.

The scale, location and general layout is the same as the outline plans but the main difference is that the 21 metre high, two-tier main stand has been swapped from the River Don side of the stadium, to the side near to the railway line, as indicated in the design images revealed in February.

Designed by S&P Architects, the development will include all the features of a modern stadium from changing rooms, boot rooms and press rooms to refreshment stands, spectator amenities and the club shop. It will also include hospitality areas over two floors including facilities for match-day banqueting, non-match hospitality, conferencing, training and education areas and commercial spaces.

The design also allows for future expansion of the stadium and the addition of a further 3,844 seats.

The roof design is the stadium's iconic feature. The roof sections will be made of solid, highly transparent plastic sheets of polycarbonate in a stepped formation going up to the main stand. These will ensure that the atmosphere from the fans is kept within the stadium and reverberated back onto the pitch, whilst also letting sunlight onto the grass.

The plans also include an unusual feature in modern British stadia - a terrace. Linked to the hospitality suites, terracing will stand above all other stands, "providing the impact and drama from the external plaza spaces."

Simon Chadwick, managing director at Signet Planning said: "The design of the stadium is seeking to provide a facility that is tailor made to Rotherham United and therefore the town as a whole.

"It is intended to establish a sense of civic pride as well as a modern purpose built football stadium that has the appropriate backup facilities and a high quality of accommodation."

The plans state that the club wishes to incorporate additional floorspace above the 4,500 sq m already approved by the planners. A separate application would be required for the desired 3,000 sq m of additional space for "commercial" uses.

The application has been given a provisional date for approval as September but as the club wishes to begin construction in the summer, and hope to be in the stadium for the 2012/2013 season, the agents have requested an early meeting of the council's planning board in order to determine the application as quickly as possible.

Rotherham United website

Images: S&P Architects / Rotherham United

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News: Best Buy opens in Rotherham

Best Buy opened the doors to its long-awaited, new 45,000 sq ft store in Rotherham last week.

General Manager Steve Cooke was joined by Richard Finney, secretary of local charity R Children's Trust for the ribbon cutting before the queue of excited shoppers made its way into the store at 9am.

First in line at Parkgate Shopping was Dan Bushell from Clifton, who started queuing before 2am on Friday morning to be the first in the store. Leading from the front, Dan picked up a bargain flat screen TV, laptop and iPod dock, all special deals in the three day Grand Opening weekend at the store. Meanwhile lucky Rina Morris picked up a spot £500 Best Buy voucher for her early morning queue efforts.

Best Buy's £3,000 charity donation was accepted by Richard for the newly established R Children's Trust. The local charity is dedicated to providing support for young people in the borough of Rotherham who are either currently looked after or in the process of leaving the care system. The charity ensures looked after children are able to develop skills, capacities and capabilities that enable them to fully participate in society and enjoy independence by providing tangible support and purposeful activities.

Steve Cooke, General Manager at Best Buy Rotherham, said: "Just before we cut the ribbon the whole team gathered outside the store to countdown to 9am, and the crowd were really getting involved! It was great to see so many people come out early in the morning to support the new store."

As part of the grand opening, American singer, Alexis Jordan (pictured) entertained the crowds with 2010 X Factor finalist Paige Richardson on Saturday.

Best Buy joined with Carphone Warehouse in 2008 to create Best Buy Europe, and to launch the Best Buy brand in the UK. The Rotherham store is the first in Yorkshire and Best Buy will operate 11 stores by the end of the year.

In a trading update today Best Buy UK announced EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) losses of £62m, up from £21m in 2010, reflecting significant investment in developing the brand following launch and the opening of new stores.

Roger Taylor, CEO of Carphone Warehouse Group plc, said: "The execution of these openings has been impressive, and we are delighted with the customer feedback. Following this launch period, we are in the process of evaluating the next steps in our multi-format/multi-channel consumer electronics strategy."

Best Buy website

Images: Best Buy

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News: Elevation Recruitment records regional accountancy growth

Elevation Recruitment in Rotherham has seen significant growth in opportunities across the accountancy and finance sectors and is responding to this market demand by adding to its 13-strong team with new recruit, Andy Bath.

The Moorgate company has seen a 65 per cent increase from last year in vacancies for part qualified and qualified accountants across Doncaster and the surrounding areas.

Andy brings a wealth of experience to join as a senior consultant to support business manager, Sam Foster, in placing temporary and permanent accountancy roles across Doncaster, North Lincolnshire and North Nottinghamshire regions.

Greg Parkinson, managing director of Elevation, said: "The accountancy sector has remained a particularly strong area for recruitment growth as we are coming out of the recession.

"Since the beginning of the year we have witnessed a high demand for applicants with many firms hiring part qualified and newly qualified candidates, to re-staff their workforce and deal with the increase in business, which has led to significant growth in our vacancies compared to 2010.

"Our clients in the accountancy sector are reporting to us that they are optimistic and continuously on the lookout for talented staff from junior to senior management positions."

Part of The Horbury Group, Elevation Recruitment operates in six specialist sectors; Accountancy, Senior Finance Professional Practice, Financial Services, Sales and HR, covering South Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regions.

Elevation Recruitment website

Images: elevationrecruitment.com

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News: Parseq launch Rotherham data centre

Parseq, which specialises in mobile and online banking software and technology-led outsourcing services, is launching a new hosting and managed services proposition to commercialise its data centre facility.

As well as migrating its existing clients to the facility, Parseq has signed a partnership agreement with a data centre specialist in order to drive new customer sales and we are delighted to announce that we have already secured our first new clients.

The state-of-the-art, Tier 3 data centre, which currently comprises over 10,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 320 racks, is located at Hellaby, Rotherham.

The commercialisation of the data centre creates a new revenue stream for Parseq and further strengthens its recurring revenues. It expects to see the benefits from the launch in the third quarter of this year.

Parseq, is a leading provider of outsourcing solutions and mobile and online banking software. From the Hellaby facility, the company provides a wide range of value-add services, from payments and applications processing, through inbound and outbound voice services, to business intelligence and data analytics. It services a blue chip client base which includes Barclays, British Gas, British Energy and BP.

The new hosting proposition reinforces Parseq's market position as a provider of secure, PCI compliant solutions within a managed services environment and in particular helps to further differentiate our mobile banking offering.

Rami Cassis, CEO of Parseq, said: "Our state-of-the-art data centre represents a valuable asset for the Group following the completion of the upgrade programme and partnership agreement. This is an important milestone which will provide significant further revenue and EBIT growth."

Parseq website

Images: parseq.com

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News: Rotherham's new Mayor visits the AMP

Rotherham's new Mayor, Councillor Shaun Wright and Mayoress Lisa Wright have visited the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

It was one of the Cllr Wright's first official visits since he was installed as Mayor in May. As part of the visit the Mayor toured the facilities at Castings Technology International (Cti) and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing.

The Mayor was able to see firsthand examples of the technology and expertise on the Park which helps secure the AMP's position as the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park, providing world-class manufacturing technology solutions for industry.

Highlights included seeing Cti's unique titanium melting capacity, the virtual reality suite at the AMRC, and the innovative MANTRA customised trailer which tours events and schools across the country, giving aspiring young engineers hands-on experience with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies.

Councillor Wright believes economic regeneration and education are the keys to prosperity in any area and is determined to promote both during his term of office. He plans to undertake a number of visits to Rotherham based businesses during his term of office.

Advanced Manufacturing Park website

Images: AMP

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