News: Government support for £20m Advanced Manufacturing Institute in Rotherham

A £20.5m training centre for advanced manufacturing is set to be built in Rotherham after the University of Sheffield was awarded £9.2m by the government.

The University of Sheffield created the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) earlier this year in response to the continued success around the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC) in Rotherham.

Based in a new 5,000 sq m building, to be situated close to the AMRC and the Nuclear AMRC on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the centre will provide training for companies along the supply chain in high-value manufacturing sectors.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has awarded £9.2m from the Regional Growth Fund to establish the centre with the remainder coming from participating companies and other funding streams.

Announcing successful bids to the Regional Growth Fund at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "I am delighted to be able to announce this boost to business, which will jump start growth and create jobs that last in the places that really need it.

"This targeted support for businesses across the country allows them to expand and create jobs."

The AMI Training Centre will provide training in the practical and academic skills that manufacturing companies need to compete globally, from apprenticeship through to Doctorate and MBA level.

It will focus on high-level apprentice training, concentrating on sectors such as aerospace, energy and Formula One.

Over 200 apprentices will enter the centre each year, where they will receive nine to 12 months of intensive skills training. The training schedule will be guided by the AMI's industrial partners and participating companies.

Sheffield Hallam University will deliver part-time BEng programmes, while the University of Sheffield will deliver part-time MSc, MBA, Executive MBA and EngD programmes.

Professor Keith Ridgway OBE, dean of manufacturing at the AMI, said: "We are delighted that the government is supporting us in this initiative. It will encourage more manufacturing companies to employ young people, with the confidence that they are receiving the world class skills training they need to compete in today's advanced manufacturing sectors."

Tony Pedder, pro chancellor and chair of the AMI, said: "This is great news for manufacturing, particularly in the local region. The University's AMI Training Centre will equip the next generation of manufacturers with world-class advanced manufacturing skills, something that will provide a real boost to growth."

Professor Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield, added: "It's wonderful that the University of Sheffield AMRC is able to drive forward regional economic growth through this initiative, by continuing to add to the city’s advanced manufacturing expertise.

"The AMI Training Centre will ensure that a wide range of young people can develop skills in advanced manufacturing from an apprenticeship level through to a Doctorate and MBA, providing them with a strong platform from which to launch their careers in the advanced manufacturing sector."

AMRC website

Images: amrc.co.uk

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News: AMRC in PMQs

The work of The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing in Rotherham was recognised by the Prime Minister in parliament last week.



It was part of a celebration of the centre's tenth anniversary with representatives taking the manufacturing message to Downing Street. It also included an Early Day Motion signed by the Business Select Committee, a Downing Street reception and seminar, plus a large Rolls-Royce Trent engine and the AMRC's manufacturing transporter (MANTRA) were on show at Westminster.

This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that the AMRC has been awarded funding from the government's Regional Growth Fund. More on this story to follow.

Paul Blomfield MP, who constituency includes Sheffield University, asked the Prime Minister about the the success of the AMRC during Prime Minister's Questions.

David Cameron responded: "I am pleased to note that the Deputy Prime Minister hosted Sheffield University at No. 10 Downing street to celebrate its success. I think we are seeing some positive signs of rebalancing in our economy."

Professor Keith Ridgway OBE, co-founder and research director of the AMRC, said: "We were delighted to have the opportunity to visit Westminster and showcase the high value manufacturing which is going on in Sheffield city region.

"We were grateful for the strong support of our industrial partners, local MPs and Sheffield and Rotherham councils who attended the seminar and made the event such a tremendous success."

Professor Keith Burnett, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, added: "We're very proud of how the University of Sheffield, through the AMRC, is contributing to the advanced manufacturing expertise in the Sheffield city region.

"Not only are we finding innovative ways to manufacture, we're also developing the skills of young people through our apprentice scheme. It was fantastic to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the AMRC by showcasing its fantastic work to key policy makers and I look forward to the next ten years."

The AMRC, based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, already enjoys a fantastic global reputation. It is a £100m collaboration among more than 40 partner organisations, comprising world leaders in the supply chain, key government offices and international academic institutions.

AMRC website

Images: amrc.co.uk / Cabinet Office

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News: Fripp Design on the Gadget Show

Experts from Fripp Design and Research, based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, have helped in an exciting product development challenge on Channel 5's Gadget Show.

Presenters Suzi Perry and Ortis Deley are tasked with designing their very own gadget bags.

As part of the project Fripp Design and Research used its concept and Computer Aided Design skills to develop a prototype of the complex and ambitious product that had to function and look the part for the show.

The team delivered and managed a collaborative project with several local partners to ensure the brief was reached within the extremely tight timescales.

The episode featuring Fripp Design airs on Channel 5 tonight at 8pm.

This is not the first high profile job for Fripp Design as they also helped to design the iconic Red Nose for this year's Comic Relief.

Fripp Design and Research is one of the UK's leading product design, research and business consultancies. They doubled the workforce and turnover in 2010 and also significantly increased its customer base, adding well-known names such as B&Q, Boots, Balfour Beatty, The Wellcome Trust and Sheffield University to its portfolio.

In addition to client work, Fripp Design are involved in a number of in house product developments ranging from DIY to healthcare.

Fripp Design website

Images: channel5.com

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News: Bramall wins sustainability award

Rotherham social housing contractor, Bramall Construction has won the Sustainability Award at this year's Celebrating Construction in South Yorkshire Awards.

Promoted by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the awards aim to celebrate high quality work by all parts of the region's construction industry supply chain including developers, designers, builders and end-users, both large and small.

The awards demonstrated what can be achieved through strong partnerships and a clear vision with categories chosen to reflect the sensitive and diverse issues in today’s construction industry.

Bramall Construction received the Sustainability Award in recognition of its work on a pilot "retrofit" project on six post-war terraced council properties in Rotherham.

Through £150,000 of funding Bramall secured from the Technology Strategy Board, it carried out energy efficiency makeovers on the properties.

It is predicted that the technology and building methods used will reduce CO2 emissions by 80% across the six properties, whilst at the same time helping tenants to reduce their fuel bills and improve their standard of living.

Neil Baxter, managing director of Bramall Construction, said: "Retrofitting these properties, using funding that we unlocked, is testament to our commitment to the environment and best practice in green construction."

At the same event, repairs and maintenance service provider, Morrison won the Collaborative Working Award for its support of employment opportunities within Rotherham, in partnership with Access All Areas and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC).

Pictured are Steve Batty, head of Renewable Technologies at Bramall Construction and Phil Wright, general manager at Soar Build.

Bramall Construction website

Images: Bramall Construction

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News: Greenwoods Menswear returning to Rotherham town centre

National retailer, Greenwoods Menswear, is returning to Rotherham town centre, taking over a unit in College Street.

The Bradford-based company operates over 80 stores nationwide and specialises in men's formalwear and smart casual clothing whilst also developing the 1860 Brand, a hire wear specialist of wedding, evening and Highland wear suits. The company is also primed to expand its niche brand "Mansize" which caters for the larger man, whilst still retaining high quality styling and fabrics.

Having previously had an outlet on the High Street, work is currently taking place to renovate the former Music Zone unit on College Street and Greenwoods are looking to be operational in time for Christmas. The council supported the move with a capital fit-out grant for the works.

Neil Roberts, chief operating officer at Greenwoods, said: "We are looking forward to coming back to Rotherham and opening our new store. We have a loyal following in the Rotherham area, and the town fits well with our customer profile.

"We're also seeing a trend for people returning to shopping locally, particularly as fuel costs rise and travel to out-of-town shopping centres become less attractive."

Greenwoods celebrated its 150th anniversary last year having opened its first shop in 1860 in Bradford selling hats to the wool barons of Yorkshire. The business expanded throughout the 1900's and war years, under the stewardship of members of the Greenwood family, and at its peak Greenwoods had 261 shops throughout the country.

The company was hit by the changes in people's shopping habits and recently, the economic downturn. In 2009, administrators sold the business to Harvest Fancy Hong Kong Ltd, a subsidiary of one of China's largest clothing retailers. Greenwoods new parent company, Pacific Trend Investment embarked on a significant financial support and investment programme and the brand continues to grow.

Greenwoods is the latest national retailer to open in Rotherham alongside new independent shops supported by the town's innovative grants scheme. Rotherham Council has recently released vacancy rates for town centre shops on the primary shopping streets which currently stands at 14.4% - down 3.4% on July 2009.

A recent national survey also found that footfall for Rotherham town centre in September 2011 rose by 32.3% compared to the same month last year.

Councillor Gerald Smith, cabinet member for Town Centres, Economic Growth and Prosperity, said: "These figures reflect the positive changes that have been made in the town centre to help traders fight back in these challenging economic circumstances.

"Rotherham has to offer something different to shoppers and an environment they find welcoming. To do that we have encouraged small business growth, found innovative ways to help local traders and invested in the infrastructure.

"The benefits of that are now being seen although, of course, there is still a way to go. With thousands of shoppers showing their commitment to Rotherham we are confident the town centre will continue to develop."

Greenwoods Menswear website
Rotherham town centre website

Images: greenwoodsonline.com

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News: Tata Steel aims high with aerospace investment in South Yorkshire

Tata Steel is set to begin trials on new equipment at their Stocksbridge steelworks as they look to produce more steel for the aerospace industry.

The Indian-owned steelmaker announced the £6.5m investment programme last year and has invested in two vacuum arc remelting furnaces and specialist testing equipment at Stocksbridge. A move that has safeguarded 2,000 jobs at Rotherham and Stocksbridge.

Engineers are currently carrying out the final installation work on the new equipment to enable trials to begin by the end of 2011. Both furnaces are expected to be in full production in early 2012.

Andrew Douglass, engineering director at Tata Steel's speciality business, said: "A team of specialist engineers from Tata Steel have worked incredibly hard on the challenging project to install this new equipment, which will help us to increase our production of highly technical and demanding products for the aerospace industry.

"We are now entering the testing phase of this major investment programme, and will begin trials later this year. This process will ensure the new equipment is capable of producing the technically-demanding and safety critical steels our aerospace customers require."

Vacuum arc remelting furnaces improve the chemical and mechanical properties of steel so it meets the exacting standards of the world's most demanding applications, such as energy exploration and generation, as well as aerospace.

The £6.5m investment in aerospace steel production will boost output of these steels by 30% and has led to the creation of eight new jobs.

The company has been a leading manufacturer of aerospace steels for more than 60 years and supplies special steels to aerospace component manufacturers around the world from the company's South Yorkshire sites at Rotherham and Stocksbridge.

Investment in 2005 saw the Rotherham site at Aldwarke become the focus for steel making, casting and rolling of specialist steels. The steel is manufactured at the Rotherham site before undergoing further refining at the Stocksbridge plant or the Thrybergh Bar Mill to improve the quality.

The business has shown the benefits of a new strategy that focuses on exceptional high-value products and sectors and the proportion of high-value sales in the Speciality Steels portfolio has risen from 50% to 90%

The steel, predominantly stainless and low alloy grades, is used in landing gear and aircraft engines including the landing gear of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which made its maiden commercial flight this week.

Just last week, Tata announced that a further £4.5m is being investing in their South Yorkshire speciality steel plants.

Mark Broxholme, managing director of Tata Steel's speciality business, said: "We have demonstrated our expertise in the delivery of this major aerospace project in Stocksbridge, and this has given the company the confidence to further invest in steelmaking in South Yorkshire with these latest projects to improve energy efficiency and reliability, reduce emissions and further boost production of our high-value products."

Tata Steel Europe website

Images: ana.co.jp / Messier-Bugatti-Dowty

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News: MGB Plastics secures further council contracts

Rotherham-based MGB Plastics, the UK's leading manufacturer of wheelie bins, has secured further contracts that will see 250,000 new wheelie bins delivered to homeowners in London, Wigan and Wiltshire in time for the busy Christmas period.

The news comes shortly after MGB won a major deal to supply hundreds of thousands of waste management products with Serco - one of the biggest operators of waste services in the country. It is currently supplying Serco with 100,000 bins which will be delivered to homes in Sandwell.

Conor Sugrue, general manager at MGB Plastics, said: "As a business, our aim is to work with local authorities and waste management companies across the UK to increase the recycling rates and we are really excited about the important role our products will play.

"These bins will play a crucial role in helping to increase the recycling rates in the area and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and safeguard the environment.

"We have started the delivery of these products and we aim to complete the roll-out over the new few weeks. All the bins we are supplying have been made at our factory in Rotherham and this contract further strengthens our standing as the leading manufacturer and distributor of wheelie bins in the UK."

The contract will see MGB Plastics manufacture and deliver around 120,000 new blue lidded 240L bins to Wiltshire Council alongside a roll-out of 70,000 240L green bins to Waltham Forest Council and 60,000 240L brown bins to Wigan Council.

In August MGB made a a six figure investment in new machinery that means that the manufacturing capacity of the 50,000 sq ft facility on Barbot Hall Industrial Estate is 1.5 million wheeled bins per annum.

Over the Summer, MGB supplied the Isle of Wight festival, the British Golf Open and Cheltenham Gold Cup with its bins being used by fans to keep the area clean and tidy.

MGB Plastics website

Images: mgbplastics.com

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News: R&D incentives for Rotherham businesses

Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO), the regeneration arm of the council, is hosting an employer event next month to help local businesses secure financial support for research and development.

The event at RiDO's Fusion @ Magna business centre in Templeborough on November 11 will focus on R&D Tax Credits and R&D Grants.

R&D Tax Credits offer relief in the form of tax credits for companies involved in research and development and are the biggest incentive provided by Government for investment in business R&D.

Firms can claim for past periods up to two years after the financial year end and the Chancellor increased this benefit for 2011 in the last budget and it will increase further in 2012.

R&D Grants give SMEs access to direct grant funding for projects from early stage feasibility studies to full development of pre production prototypes or production processes.

Run by the Technology Strategy Board, the scheme can provide £250,000 for a single project.

At the event, experts from Funding & Financials will explain the grant process in practical terms with top tips for success and Libcus Limited will demonstrate the possibilities for local businesses.

Places are free but limited to two employees per company, so it is advisable to book early. To book call Tracey on 01709 255 978 or email tracey.parker@rotherham.gov.uk

RIDO is a partner in the South Yorkshire Sector Growth Enhancement Programme that is part-financed by The European Regional Development Fund.

Rotherham Investment & Development Office

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News: Tata employees shortlisted for Young Manufacturer of the Year award

Two employees from Tata Steel's speciality steels business in Rotherham have been shortlisted for national awards.

Thomas Woods, an NDT technician, and Rush Garfitt, a technical metallurgy apprentice, have both been shortlisted for the Young Manufacturer of the Year award by trade magazine, The Manufacturer.

The Manufacturer of the Year awards are designed to recognise the world class levels of manufacturing excellence being achieved in Britain's finest factories. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 9.

Mick Hood, HR director for Tata Steel's speciality steels business, said: "These talented young employees are the future of our business and it is a testament to their hard work and diligence that they have been recognised for their work.

"These are national competitions, with entries from some of the best apprentices and young manufacturers in the country.

"It is already a terrific achievement to get as far as they have and we wish them the very best of luck with the rest of the competition."

Rush added: "Having completed my first year of college I decided I wanted to apply for a Technical apprenticeship with Tata Steel as it is a company with a good reputation worldwide.

"I really enjoy working here and the people I work with are really friendly and helpful.

"Being shortlisted for such a prestigious award came as a big surprise. It is a great achievement to get as far as I have but I am determined to keep working hard to get as far as I can in the competition."

Rush has also been shortlisted for the EEF First Year Apprentice of the Year award. He has made it to the top five in the Northern final, and will attend a presentation evening on November 15. The winner will then go on to compete in the national finals.

Following a large restructure which saw the loss of 1,000 local jobs in 2009, the steelmaker announced plans to recruit 154 new workers for its South Yorkshire manufacturing operations and the resumption of apprentice and graduate recruitment in July 2010. 21 new graduates and apprentices started work in South Yorkshire last month.

Tata Steel website

Images: Tata Steel

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News: Liquid operator sinks towards administration

Luminar Leisure, the operator of the Liquid & Envy nightclub in Rotherham town centre, is preparing to go into administration.

Luminar has a branded estate of over 70 nightclubs and bars and the largest square footage of nightclub capacity in the country. They posted a loss before tax for continuing operations before exceptional items for the year ended 26 February 2011 of £1.1m compared to a profit of £5.5m in 2010. Statutory loss from continuing operations after exceptional items was £184.6m.

They had been in discussion with its banks (Lloyds TSB, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland) on the restructuring of the group's debt arrangement.

They had been operating with a waiver of certain covenants in their three year banking facility but now the banks have informed Luminar that it will not grant an extension to the waiver. This has meant that the company is unable to meet certain of its repayment obligations and the directors have no option but to "take steps to place the company and certain of its subsidiaries into administration and to request the UKLA to suspend trading in Luminar's shares with immediate effect."

As well as negotiations with their banks, Luminar had also initiated a marketing process in respect of a potential sale of the group's underlying business and assets and had received indicative bids in response. Four properties were also sold in recent months which generated a net cash inflow of £3.7m.

The group's share price had sunk to below 1p following declining trade, largely as a result of the smoking ban, changes to licensing laws that boosted competition, and their target markets tightening their belts in the economic downturn.

Last month, the 22,000 sq ft, 2,000 capacity, Liquid & Envy nightclub in Rotherham town centre was put up for sale. The 1.965 acre site on Main Street also includes 150 car-park spaces and is being advertised as an investment and a development opportunity.

It is not yet clear how the operators' administration would affect the sale but it is believed that the venue will remain open and operate as a going concern.

Richard Taylor, general manager at Liquid in Rotherham, said: "We will be open for normal trade from tomorrow night and will be trading Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday as normal.

"Our company will deal with the problems it is having but from the club, we carry on as normal."

Luminar website

Images: liquidclubs.com

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News: Innovation: From Inception to Commercialisation

The University of Sheffield is hosting an event next month focusing on successful collaboration between research and industry.

Business and Innovation Network, Sheffield (BIN@Sheffield2011) will take place from the November 2 - 4 at the Showroom Workstation in Sheffield and will include a wide variety of activities including workshops, exhibitions, networking and dinners.

The first day has attracted an international line up of speakers to set the context by highlighting current political and funding priorities as well as the importance of universities engaging with industry to translate research into economic and wider social benefits.

Day two and three of the event are focused around moderated and themed workshops bringing together industry, academia and the public sector to share experiences around innovation, develop opportunities for collaboration within a diverse range of topics. For example day two includes a workshop on offshore wind power asking the fundamental questions of whether we can rely on offshore wind energy as well as an in depth exploration of how new materials, processes and technologies are changing the face of dentistry through cross disciplinary research and working.

Professor Richard Jones, pro-vice chancellor at the University of Sheffield, said: "We're delighted to be working in partnership with academia, industry and the public sector to organise the second "BIN@" event here in the UK.

"At the University of Sheffield we believe that it is not enough to do excellent research alone; that research needs to be driven by real societal needs and carried out in partnership with industry."

One of the best examples is The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. It is a £100m collaboration among more than 40 partner organisations, comprising world leaders in the aerospace supply chain, key government offices and international academic institutions.

BIN website

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News: AMRC in Parliament

Marking the tenth anniversary of The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, representatives have been at Downing Street making the case for high value manufacturing.

It ties into the launch of "Make it in Great Britain" a new government campaign aimed at transforming outdated opinions of UK manufacturing. The AMRC has already answered the call for UK manufacturing champions to show the best of British industry throughout 2012.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Despite popular belief, Britain still does make things and has outstanding manufacturing companies, large and small. Our world-beating companies have an excellent reputation for innovation.

"I want our young people and those who hold outdated views of British manufacturing to see that reality. That's why we're launching the Make it in Great Britain campaign.

"To help us do that I want our most passionate manufacturers, whether that's "captains of industry" or those just starting out in their careers, to be our industry champions. With their help, we can modernise people' views of manufacturing and dispel the myth that "we don't make anything in the UK anymore.""

The AMRC, based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, already enjoys a fantastic global reputation. It is a £100m collaboration among more than 40 partner organisations, comprising world leaders in the aerospace supply chain, key government offices and international academic institutions. It specialises in identifying, researching and solving advanced manufacturing problems with research carried out on new and exotic materials such as titanium, inconel and composites.

An early day motion was signed by the Business Select Committee to welcome the AMRC initiative to promote the development and expansion of high value manufacturing in the UK and to congratulate the centre on its tenth anniversary.

A Downing Street reception also took place with high profile representatives from AMRC partners such as Boeing and Rolls-Royce. Lectures on advanced manufacturing were given and a Rolls-Royce Trent engine and The AMRC's manufacturing transporter (MANTRA) were also at Parliament. The specially equipped 14 metre long lorry is usually used to give aspiring young engineers a hands on experience with real, leading-edge manufacturing technologies being developed at the AMRC.

Paul Blomfield MP, who constituency includes Sheffield University, said: "Sheffield University's initiative in establishing the AMRC has been a major contribution to the development of manufacturing and it's right to celebrate their work.

"Their work is the future of UK manufacturing and it should be at the centre of the UK's future economy. The events in Parliament showed off the AMRC to all of the key decision makers in the country. What an advertisement for Sheffield and South Yorkshire!"

AMRC website

Images: Paul Blomfield MP / Cabinet Office

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News: Maplin amongst UK's leading companies

Rotherham-based retailer, Maplin Electonics has again been named amongst Britain's leading mid-market private companies.


With sales of £209m, the Manvers company has made it onto the latest Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 at number 177, down from 147 last year.

Top Track 250 companies have sales ranging between £140m and £550m, representing the next tier down from the biggest private companies. The list also includes local firms, Firth Rixon (22), A4E (148) and Stonacre Motor Group (166).

Manvers-based Maplin sells a range of 15,000 products to tech-savvy hobbyists as well as general consumers.

The company's website attracts over 170,000 visitors every day and a network of over 170 retail outlets throughout the UK and Ireland. Maplin opened their first store in Rotherham last week with a 5,000 sq ft unit at Parkgate Shopping.

Annualised profits for 2010 were listed as £23.2m. They are backed by Montagu Private Equity, who led a reported £244m secondary buyout in 2004.

Launched by two technology enthusiasts in 1972 who were frustrated by the lack of good quality electronics components, Maplin Electronics became the experts' choice, with a reputation for the best product range and expertise.

The recent profits are a far cry from the early days in Essex when founders, Roger Allen and Doug Simmons, remained in their full-time jobs for two years, and the company didn't make a profit.

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

Maplin website

Images: maplin.co.uk

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News: Steelwork signifies stadium progress

Rotherham United's new community stadium is starting to take shape as contractors erect the steelwork on the site close to Rotherham town centre.

Main contractors GMI Construction has appointed Leeds-based Elland Steel Structures Ltd to supply around 1,000 tons of steel for the iconic £17.3m stadium and work is well underway on the new Main Stand.

The steel framework provides visible evidence of the progress on the site of the former Guest & Chrimes foundry with previous work being done to raise the level of the land by around two metres.

Tony Stewart, chairman of Rotherham United, was delighted with the progress. He said: "I think it's a big day for Rotherham. A lot of time and effort has been put into this, including three years of planning, and to see the first stage of structure today, it's brilliant.

"People will be proud, not only to see the progress for the football club, but for the regeneration of this part of Rotherham."

Andy Kemp, director at GMI Construction, added: "We are in the second week of erecting the steel and this will continue until January when the next phase will take over, but by the end of the year the stadium will be very much visible.

"All the sub-contractors are lined up and we are on programme. Next week a second team will come on the site and the south stand will start. Hopefully we'll be able to get the roof on in early January or February."

GMI Construction is hopeful that the stadium will be complete for the start of the 2012/2013 season and they released some new computer generated images showing how the completed stadium will look.

Tony Stewart added: "The planners are saying that July 11th is the date we will be ready to go in, and kick-off."

The Rotherham United new stadium team includes main contractor, GMI Construction; project manager Gleeds; planning consultants, Signet Planning and architects, S&P Architects.

Rotherham United website
GMI Construction website

Images: GMI Construction

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News: New stadium pictures released

As work progresses on the £17.3m development, the team working hard to get Rotherham United home have released new pictures of how the 12,000 seater stadium will look.

The steel frame of the new Main Stand is the first to be erected. The 21 metre high, two-tier stand is close to the railway line and will include most of 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 including facilities for match-day banqueting, non-match hospitality and conferencing. Corporate and exhibition spaces have been designed to give a total capacity of 600 over the two floors.

The North, East and West stands will accommodate the planned commercial and community space with 4,500 sq m of floorspace has already been approved in seven positions around the perimeter of the building. The club are looking to include a 3,000 sq m of additional space for "commercial" uses.

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.

Read more at: Steelwork signifies stadium progress

Rotherham United website
GMI Construction website

Images: GMI Construction

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News: Nuclear AMRC’s robot research

Research involving an innovative robotic machining cell at the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) in Rotherham has been presented at a high-profile engineering conference in Toulouse, France.


The robot cell has now been installed in the Nuclear AMRC's research factory on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, following initial trials at Nikon Metrology's workshop in Tamworth.

The project aims to develop a single automated system which can carry out a range of processes such as machining, welding, dressing and inspection over a large area to very high precisions.

At the SAE AeroTech Congress last week, Roger Holden of Nikon Metrology presented progress on the project jointly led by Dave Stoddart at the Nuclear AMRC.

The event attracts thousands of the world's top aerospace professionals in preparation for future challenges and opportunities. Although the Nuclear AMRC project is focused on nuclear manufacturing applications, robotic machining technology is also the subject of intense interest from the aerospace industry.

Roger Holden, managing director of Nikon Metrology, said: "We've proven that we can tackle different metals with the robot, including stainless steel.

"The project is focused on the very large scale manufacturing that you're looking for in nuclear, but at a reasonable cost, without turning the whole building into a huge gantry access system. We've proven what we initially set out to prove, though there is still much more research and development to do."

Dave Stoddart, robotics project manager at the Nuclear AMRC, added: "Traditionally, the manufacture of very large components involves very large machines, and you spend a huge amount of time moving the components between various machines and processes.

"The principle behind robot machining is simple – it's a lot more efficient, cost-effective and safe to bring the machines and processes to the component."

"This adds a huge amount of flexibility to the manufacturing processes, while dramatically reducing the capital expenditure associated with traditional milling machines."

The robot cell provided by Nikon Metrology is based around a hexapod robot from Fanuc Robotics which can carry a variety of tool heads. The robot's position is tracked by an indoor GPS system. In trials, accuracies of 0.2mm have been achieved.

Nuclear AMRC website
Nikon Metrology website

Images: namrc.co.uk

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News: Crawshaw's appoint new director

Crawshaw's, the Rotherham-based meat focussed retailer, has appointed Mark Naughton-Rumbo as non-executive director.

A qualified chartered accountant, Mark has held a number of key financial and commercial directorships in public and private SME companies in the retail sector.

He was CEO of tea specialists Whittard between October 2004 and February 2006, financial and commercial director of value fashion brand, Select between May 2007 and January 2008 and is currently CEO (Business & Strategy) of A|Wear Limited, an Irish womenswear brand.

The Craswhaw board stated that he has achievements in strategic development and implementation, experience of managing businesses in extremely challenging economic circumstances, delivering business turnaround and profitable growth.

As a result of tough market conditions that had affected sales and profit margins, the Bradmarsh Business Park company announced in June that they would look to broaden the product offer in order to increase sales to existing loyal customers, and to make the retail space work harder.

Richard Rose, chairman of Crawshaw, said: "I am delighted that Mark has agreed to join our Board as he will make a significant contribution given his extensive retail experience."

Crawshaw website

Images: crawshawgroupplc.co.uk

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News: Morrison secures award for support of employment opportunities in Rotherham

Repairs and maintenance service provider, Morrison, has won the Chartered Institute of Building award for Collaborative Working at the Celebrating Construction in South Yorkshire Awards (CCISY).

Promoted by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the awards aim to celebrate high quality work by all parts of the region's construction industry supply chain including developers, designers, builders and end-users, both large and small.

Morrison won the award for its support of employment opportunities within Rotherham, in partnership with Access All Areas and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC).

Working with Access all Areas and a number of other local organisations including AdPro/Project 400, RotherFed, Full Circle Learning and Wolseley, Morrison provides work experience and employment opportunities to people who may be disadvantaged due to age, unemployment or disability; giving them opportunity and hope about future employment prospects.

Over the past ten months, Morrison together with its partners has undertaken a wide range of initiatives including apprenticeships, second chance apprenticeships, employment matters programmes for individuals Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETS), school work experience placements and DIY taster classes for tenants. These initiatives have helped over 49 people and the resulting benefits amongst participants have included an increase in confidence and self-esteem, a changed attitude to work and the take up of further training or employment.

Andy Wilson, account director at Morrison Rotherham, said: "This award is fantastic recognition of the work we have been doing in the local community during our first ten months in Rotherham.

"However, we have not done this alone and none of these programmes would have been as successful without the strong relationships that have been nurtured and developed with our partner organisations. We will now continue to develop these initiatives to ensure even more Rotherham residents benefit from these opportunities in the year ahead."

The Sustainability Award at the event was won by Rotherham-based Bramall Construction.

Morrison website

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News: Parseq accept Cassis bid

Parseq, which specialises in mobile and online banking software and technology-led outsourcing services, is to accept a bid for the company led by their CEO, Rami Cassis.

The MBO comes a year after a successful reverse takeover by Rami Cassis and Rotherham-based BPO provider, Documetric.

After an initial bid of 7.5p per share was turned down, the Parseq board reached an agreement on the terms of a improved cash offer of 9p per share. The offer is conditional on Cassis increasing his shareholding from 35.53% to over 50% and values the company at around £33.8m.

The bid from Rami Cassis is together with Nova Capital and funds managed by HarbourVest Partners, LLC through a newly incorporated entity called Bidco.

Rami Cassis said: "We believe that Parseq is a business with sound fundamentals and interesting potential. We also believe, however, that this is best unlocked in the context of a focused, private environment with certainty of sizeable funding and a long term outlook.

"In addition, I'm excited to be working with the Nova team who bring a wealth of experience which will undoubtedly enhance employee and shareholder value in the years to come."

The MBO bid came after growth was stunted when the services division of Parseq was impacted by market conditions and delays in signing contracts. The intention is to delist Parseq and re-register it as a private company in order to achieve substantial investment to fully develop its prospects for growth and expansion.

Richard Last, chairman of Parseq, said: "The Independent Board of Parseq announces that it has unanimously recommended the Offer as we believe it recognises the value within the business. As a private company with a strong parent, Parseq will benefit from greater access to funding which will better enable the company to maintain its leading position in the mobile banking software arena and to capitalise on opportunities on a global basis."

Bidco has stated that it has no current intention to redeploy any of the fixed assets of Parseq and has no current intention to change the location of the Parseq Group's operational places of business.

Cassis founded Documetric in 2007 through a management buy-out of the data services division of Atos Origin, a leading European IT outsourcer. The Rotherham facility at Hellaby processes up to 30,000 envelopes every day and utilises a range of cheque processing and scanning machines to process payments. They are one of the ten largest BACS Bureaux in the UK and process 47 million transactions a year.

For the year ended December 2010, Paresq's revenue was £16.45m, an increase of 62% on 2009 (£10.17m) and a world away from a modest £1.8m in annual revenues in 2007.

Parseq website

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News: Oak cut by council

Oak Holdings plc has been temporarily suspended from the AIM stock exchange after Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council terminated the short term lease and associated management agreement for Rother Valley Country Park.

Oak took over the management of the well visited park as part of the developer agreement for the proposed £350m YES! Project on the adjacent Pithouse West site.

The developer agreement was terminated by the council in January after Oak made a material lack of progress on what was to be the largest undercover leisure based scheme in Europe.

The management of the park is set to be brought back under the direct control of the council.

Running the park generated the majority of the loss-making group's turnover and as a result of the termination, the board considered it appropriate to request suspension of the company's shares pending clarification on what affect this will have of the group's assets.

Oak has substantial assets located at the park such as a miniature railway and the board is considering its position in relation to these. Oak also continues to own the valuable freehold of the A57 land adjacent to the site of the Pithouse West site.

In a half yearly report in July, the company posted a pre-tax loss of £209,000 for the six months to the end of April, compared to a £131,000 loss in the same period last year.

Substantial overhead cuts were achieved and a number of directors left the company including Steve Lewis who resigned as chief executive in March.

Since the termination of the developer agreement, the council has selected new preferred developers for the site who intend to create a unique culture and leisure development based on the "Visions of China."

Oak Holdings website
Rother Valley Country Park website

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News: VO4HOME trial shows significant financial savings

A trial of Rotherham-based VO4HOME's leading products has seen significantly reduced bills, lowered carbon footprint and decreased energy usage for those involved.

VO4HOME is designed to maximise the delivery of energy into the home to 220V/230V and the innovative technology can reduce energy use, CO2 and as a result has a direct impact on lowering the end user's electricity bill.

The trials were carried out in conjunction with not-for-profit business support consultancy CO2Sense, and MJ Energy Services.

CO2Sense is a not for profit environmental consultancy that helps businesses to cut costs and carbon emissions. They offer businesses in Yorkshire and Humber the chance to trial environmental products and services that can substantially reduce environmental impacts and costs.

VO4HOMEs voltage optimisation system is one of the key products selected for the Targeted Market Development programme.

Geoff Clifton, business development manager for VO4HOME, said: "Mike Jackson of MJ Energy Services kindly located the trial site - a small business with a significant electricity requirement due to its use of numerous fridges and freezers.

"The voltage optimization device was fitted and energy usage monitored and then measured against previous levels, and the results have been incredibly encouraging.

"The project demonstrates the tangible financial benefits for those involved in the project, whilst simultaneously lowering their carbon footprint. It's very much a win-win situation for the customer."

VO4HOME website

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News: Tata Steel investing £3.5m in Rotherham

Tata Steel is investing £3.5m in its Rotherham operations to improve plant reliability and energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and boost production of high-value steel products.

It is part of £4.5m the Indian-owned company are investing in their South Yorkshire speciality steel plants that will save 19,000 mega watt hours (MWh), enough to power 4,000 homes.

At the company's Thrybergh Bar Mill a £1m investment in state-of-the-art surface inspection equipment will improve product quality in some of the most safety-critical products in its range, including steels used in gears, steering and braking systems on cars.

The investment will not result in increased overall production at the mill but will enable Tata Steel to make more of the technically demanding and safety-critical products for the automotive industry.

At Aldwarke, a £2m investment in new equipment for the steelmaking area's fume extraction system will reduce electricity usage by more than 9,000 MWh every year. By enhancing the system with new controls and motors the company will save more than £0.6m a year in energy bills and reduce indirect CO2 emissions by nearly 5,000 tonnes a year.

An investment of more than £0.5m in the Rotherham site's small bloom caster, which moulds liquid steel into a solid form, will improve the reliability of the caster and minimise breakdowns, leading to a more efficient operation throughout the business.

In Stocksbridge the company is investing a further £1m to upgrade the second of its ingot re-heating furnaces to improve energy efficiency, following a similar investment in the first furnace earlier this year.

Mark Broxholme, managing director of Tata Steel's speciality steels business, said: "These investments will not only improve the energy efficiency and reliability of our operations in South Yorkshire, they will also reduce our impact on the environment and boost production of some of our high-value products for the automotive industry.

"In the last year Tata Steel has invested more than £20m in South Yorkshire. This is a huge indication of the company's confidence in our ability to produce some of the most technically demanding and safety-critical products our customers require.

"As an energy-intensive manufacturer, we're continually exploring new ways to reduce energy consumption wherever possible, and to minimise our impact on the environment. These latest investments will significantly reduce our energy bills, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 7,000 tonnes a year and help us to become a more efficient and profitable business."

Investment in 2005 saw the Rotherham site at Aldwarke become the focus for steel making, casting and rolling of specialist steels. The steel is manufactured at the Rotherham site before undergoing further refining at the Stocksbridge plant or the Thrybergh Bar Mill to improve the quality.

The company announced last year that the Speciality Steels business in South Yorkshire consolidated its return to profitability in the first half of 2011. Tata reported that the business had shown the benefits of a strategy that focuses on exceptional high-value products and sectors and that the proportion of high-value sales in the Speciality Steels portfolio has risen from 50% to 90%.

One key area is aerospace and Tata Steel Speciality has been a leading manufacturer of aerospace steels for more than 60 years and supplies special steels to aerospace component manufacturers around the world.

The company still employs more than 2,000 people in South Yorkshire, including at its technology centre in Rotherham.

At Scunthorpe, Tata Steel has closed the the Bloom and Billet Mill two weeks earlier than planned as part of a £130m cost-cutting programme.

Tata Steel Europe website

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News: The Gummers name 140 years on

A name with strong links to Rotherham's industrial and civic past is surviving, 140 years after William Gummer started the Effingham Brass Works in the town.

The Gummer name made Rotherham famous across the world with the company supplying fine quality bath and WC fittings for hospitals, ships and hotels including the Ritz and the Strand in London.

Tamworth-based Bristan Group acquired the name in 2006 and have now decided to rebrand A & J Gummers as Bristan.

In 1871, William Gummer started the Effingham Brass Works in Glasshouse Lane, Kilnhurst with Tom Greenwood who had worked at Guest & Chrimes, another famous Rotherham brass founders. William's son, George joined the firm in 1875 and by 1877, the firm had outgrown the site and moved to a new site in Rawmarsh Road close to the town centre.

In 1890, William passed the business on to George and his other son, William Guest Gummer and the company became a private limited company, G & WG Gummer Ltd. By this time the firm employed 130 people and this grew to 300 by 1909.

The company was exporting brass products across the world, supplying fittings for hotels, hospitals, Turkish baths and even the RMS Mauretania, the largest and fastest ship in the world at the time. Their fittings could also be found on five battleships used in World War II and HMS Ark Royal.

George Gummer also made his mark closer to home as an Alderman for 28 years and he was elected as Mayor of Rotherham three times from 1899. He was instrumental in improving the town including a series of street developments and was also the founder of the first local football league and in charge of Rotherham Town when they entered the Football League in 1893.

In 1955, Gummers Ltd was purchased by a Birmingham company but continued to operate in Rotherham. However, a takeover by Pentos Engineering in 1975 saw production move to Birmingham two years later, and 230 jobs in Rotherham were lost.

The name came back in 1985 as A & J Gummers, who went on to make products such as the "Sirrus" shower range and following a buyout by US-based MASCO Corp in 1999, the company was eventually moved into their UK subsidiary, Bristan in 2006.

Whilst this year's rebranding sees the name removed from the business, the legacy will live on with some products retaining the Gummers name.

Jeremy Ling, CEO of Bristan Group, said: "By bringing Gummers together with Bristan, we can achieve even greater success in the future.

"Our comprehensive range is the perfect marriage of two brands: the distinctive design and style associated with Bristan and the Gummers legacy of safety, durability and rigorous quality standards in commercial water controls.

"There's an exciting future ahead and we aim to make William Gummer proud of what we achieve."

Bristan website

Images: Bristan / rotherham.gov.uk

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News: Bunker 13 at Magna

Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham is playing host to another live scare attraction this Halloween, Bunker 13.

Areas of the UK's first science adventure centre have been transformed into a forgotten Cold War facility and live actors, detailed sets, special effects, lighting, sounds and psychological fear will be used to create a unique nightmare world.

It has been designed by the Curious Village design house team at G&G Entertainment, who last year transformed Magna into a genetic modification & research facility.

Gary Crompton, creative director of G&G Entertainment, said: "This year we are taking the terror underground and your fear to new depths. On a larger scale than our previous scare attraction Hybrid-X, Bunker 13 will include more themed locations, pitch black corridors and hideous creatures to hunt you down.

"Magna is not the type of building for your average haunted house and after being invited back for a second year my creative wheels were set in motion. After having done a laboratory theme last year, we used our surroundings for inspiration and military sprung to mind, this has led us to the long lost cold war facility that is Bunker 13."

Matthew Beck, managing director at Magna, added: "We are all very excited to welcome the G&G Entertainment team back for a second year. Last year's attraction was a huge success and has recently been awarded finalist at the White Rose Awards for Best Tourism Experience and was also shortlisted for a "Screamie" a very prestigious award in the scare attraction industry."

Bunker 13 opens to the public at 11am on Friday October 21 and runs until Monday October 31.

Magna website

Images: G&G Entertainment

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News: Nicola goes it alone to create Jobs 4 U

A Rotherham recruitment expert has bounced back from redundancy and started her own business with help from the Rotherham Enterprise Project.

Recruitment Operations Manager Nicola Brookes is offering a lifeline to job seekers with a new recruitment agency called Jobs 4 U Recruitment.

Nicola, from Dinnington, was made redundant from her job in November last year, but quickly applied for and was offered another job which involved using her experience and contacts to build up a client and worker database from scratch.

After some serious thought, Nicola instead decided launch her own company using her industry knowledge.

She said: "After 15 years in the business, to find myself redundant was terrifying. I'd never had to face a predicament like that before because I was the person individuals would come to for help and I would assist them to get back into employment.

"Launching my own business wasn't much less daunting to be totally honest but I have had some fantastic support from friends, family and the Rotherham Enterprise project to give me the extra push I needed to turn my concept into reality."

Nicola approached the Rotherham Enterprise Project, which is part financed by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), after hearing how helpful they were from a local job centre. She was then assigned her own community business coach Robert Moorhouse, who helped her with each step of setting up her business. He also helped her find quality premises at affordable rates.

Robert said: "The current economic climate means it is tougher than ever for start-up business to get ahead and for people to find employment. Nicola's market is a hard nut to crack, but she has proved she has a sharp eye for enterprise and we are thrilled to have helped her with her journey into business."

Jobs 4 U Recruitment website
Rotherham Investment & Development Office

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News: Stafforce acquire TEK Personnel

Rotherham's fast growing national specialist recruiter, Stafforce Recruitment, has acquired TEK Personnel Consultants, the Sheffield-based specialist provider.


Following a partial management buy out last year, this is the third acquisition by Stafforce Personnel in the past six months, which also includes Relay Recruitment in Bradford and Action 4 Business in Barnsley.

Ian Anderson, chief executive of Stafforce (pictured), said: "This is a very exciting time for our company.

"TEK Personnel is a great addition to our portfolio and there are many synergies between the two businesses. The company has specialisms in many industrial and commercial areas, which complement and enhance Stafforce's business and will enable us to further extend our services to the market. The company also has a strong track record in permanent recruitment, which will help to support our growth beyond our traditional temporary and industrial sectors.

"The acquisition will further enhance our presence in South Yorkshire and in the Midlands region."

Mike Childs, managing director of TEK Personnel, added: "This is great news for us and we welcome becoming part of the Stafforce Personnel business. Now with their backing and expertise, we will be looking to further develop opportunities within our core market sectors.

"We are very optimistic about the future and are confident that this will be a very positive move for both our staff and customers."

TEK Personnel was established in 1984 and currently employs 24 staff across its three offices – Sheffield, Derby and Wolverhampton. The company has a longstanding UK-wide client base predominantly in the manufacturing, engineering, technical, construction, sales & marketing and IT sectors.

Stafforce has been recruiting the right people for the right jobs for over 30 years. With headquarters on Percy Street in Rotherham town centre, the business continues to grow and today has over 25 sites across the UK. They supply more than 3,300 temporary staff a week and work with over 500 employers, including local businesses, Sheffield Forgemasters, Stelrad Ideal and Braiform.

Ian Anderson added: "We have made a number of very positive acquisitions over the past six months and we see this latest addition to the group as further strengthening our offer to customers.

"We are committed to achieving significant growth over the next couple of years and are confident that we have the right people with the skills and talents across our business to deliver this vision."

Stafforce website

Images: Stafforce

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News: S3 ID appoints new contracts manager following significant business growth

Rotherham company, S3 ID, the UK's market-leading provider of innovative location awareness solutions, has appointed industry-expert Stewart Gater as contracts manager.


The Eastwood firm, which also has regional offices in Norway and Singapore has developed a range of specialist hardware and software products that provide real-time personnel location awareness, mustering and access control. They are used in working environments where a major incident would be catastrophic such as oil, gas and petrochemical plants.

Earlier this year they secured £1.1m from Finance Yorkshire's Equity Fund to maintain the controlled expansion they have experienced over the last three years.

Eivind Fredriksen, managing director of S3 ID, said: "We are delighted to welcome Stewart to the S3 ID team as his experience and industry knowledge will be a real benefit to our customers.

"Stewart's role as contracts manager will prove invaluable in bringing new and improved ways of working to our project delivery teams."

Stewart added: "There are opportunities to improve our project delivery performances which will directly enhance service levels, especially as more customers realise the benefits of partnering with S3 ID.

"I'm looking forward to the challenges of my new role and helping S3 ID to continue delivering excellent quality, service and value."

S3 ID website

Images: S3 ID

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News: Morphy Richards supports Breast Cancer Care

Rotherham-based household domestic appliance giant, Morphy Richards, is working in partnership with Breast Cancer Care for Breast Cancer Awareness month, which will result in a minimum donation of £20,000 going to the charity.

October sees a national campaign to raise awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

Morphy Richards has launched a limited edition Accents pink kettle and toaster set, which will see a donation from each sale going to Breast Cancer Care.

The Manvers company is one of a number of big name brands launching pink products on the high street to raise awareness of the campaign.

A spokesperson said: "Morphy Richards is donating a sum of £20,000 to Breast Cancer Care and through the donation, is proud to be helping the charity support and provide information to women affected by the disease."

Breast Cancer Care website

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News: Site secured for Rotherham United Academy

Rotherham United has secured a 14 acre site on which it plans to build the new Rotherham United Academy.

The academy will provide a modern training facility that will be used by all the Millers sides, from the first team to the youth team and centre of excellence.

The site is situated on the former Outokumpu site, off Bawtry Road on the Sheffield side of the border with Brinsworth.

Tony Stewart, chairman of Rotherham United, told the club's official website: "We will take possession of the site by November this year and the size of the plot is around 14 acres.

"When completed it will house the Rotherham United Academy and will be exclusive for Rotherham United. We will be able to design and develop this custom built sports area, with all the modern facilities required for an ambitious football club.

"The Manager here is very ambitious and there is a lot he wants to do. The new sports ground that we are moving to next season will give us more flexibility and have all the required needs of the club. It will give us the benefit of being able to have all the squads together at one time, in one area and help us in our development as one of the best football sides within the region.

"This new site will give us the opportunity to get the required space and give us all the facilities we need to continue to take this club forward."

Martin Pinder, the human resource vice president for Outokumpu Stainless limited, added: "The sale of the sports ground to Rotherham United is a good outcome for all stakeholders in the local community, as the ground will continue to be used for sporting purposes and will hopefully assist Rotherham United to continue progressing as a Club. I am sure that this will be pleasing to the many Rotherham fans who work at Outokumpu and live in the vicinity of the sports ground."

Since they were forced out of their previous facilities at Hooton Lodge, the team has trained at Doncaster and more recently at Roundwood. In 2009, the club were granted a lease in principle with the council on an area of land at Roughwood Road for a new training ground and Centre of Excellence.

Meanwhile, work continues on the new 12,000 seater stadium on the Guest and Chrimes site close to Rotherham town centre with steelwork being delivered this week.

Rotherham United website

Images: themillers.co.uk

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News: AESSEAL recognised for manufacturing excellence

Rotherham engineering firm, AESSEAL, has been shortlisted seven times as part of the Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2011.

Run by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the MX Awards are the UK's longest running business awards of their kind and were established 28 years ago to protect manufacturing and promote best practice.

Assessors and moderators visited AESSEAL's global headquarters at Templeborough earlier this month as the awards also provide a detailed benchmarking and assessment process to help improve the businesses taking part.

AESSEAL has been shortlisted for awards in Customer Focus; Logistics & Operational Efficiency; People Effectiveness; Business Development & Change Management; Financial Management; Sustainable Manufacturing; and Partnership with Education.

They have gone one better than last year when they made the shortlist for six out of the 12 awards and went on to win the PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Customer Focus.

Colin Brown, director of engineering at IMechE, said: "AESSEAL is a fantastic business that is helping to ensure manufacturing remains at the heart of Rotherham's economy.

"It is exciting to see a company excelling in so many different parts of its business and we hope the company can inspire more local manufacturers to take part and benefit from the Manufacturing Excellence programme."

AESSEAL specialise in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals, bearing protectors and environmental control systems. They won the Queen's Award for Enterprise 2011 for international trade, recognising that over six years the company's overseas earnings have more than doubled and three-quarters of its output are now exported to its markets in more than 100 countries.

AESSEAL website

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News: New team members aid Assured expansion

Fast-growing Rotherham company, Assured Fire and Security is continuing its year of expansion with three new additions to the team.

Alistair Crawford (pictured, right) joins the Dinnington based fire and security specialist as Service Co-ordinator.

Adrian Davidson (pictured, left) takes up a post in telesales, developing new maintenance contract leads and dealing with current client needs as part of the company's customer service focus.

At national level, Paul O'Connor joins the Assured southern team as Service Engineer for the South and Midlands areas, working out of Birmingham.

Simon Stokes, managing director at Assured, said: "These are three more extremely important appointments for Assured.

"As we continue our nationwide expansion over the coming months we need a team that can meet the challenges of developing new important markets at the same time as providing vital continued support for our existing clients."

Last month, Assured secured a £50,000 loan from UKSE to assist the company to increase turnover in the next five years to £15m; five times that which it reported last year. Equally importantly, it will help the company to quadruple its workforce to almost 200 once their nationwide expansion is complete.

The latest contract win comes from St Luke's Hospice in Sheffield as they extend their contract covering full CCTV, access control, fire extinguishers and a complete fire alarm and emergency lighting programme for the hospice which is set for major redevelopment.

Assured Fire and Security website

Images: Assured Fire and Security

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News: Keolia launches in Rotherham

Two enterprising Rotherham students have launched Keolia, an internet business that they first began developing at the age of 14.

Now 16 and studying at Rotherham College of Arts & Technology (RCAT), Joshua Walker together with his classmate and now colleague Samuel Sheldrick officially launched their business in August, specialising in web hosting, domain names and script installations.


The project developed whilst the young entrepreneurs were studying for their GCSEs and Joshua benefited from a period of work experience at Plusnet Broadband in Sheffield where he was given a lower specification server, which they no longer used and hardly worked. Joshua managed to kickstart the server and now uses it for his own business.

Before launching the business, they sought legal advice from Rotherham solicitors, Oxley & Coward, including their free website legal health check, in order to get everything right first time.

Joshua Walker, founder and CEO of Keolia, said: "Samuel and I were really eager to launch Keolia and it is a great feeling to be finally underway.

"We have already spent a good two years from 2009 developing the business throughout school and coursework and are grateful for the sound web and business advice from Oxley & Coward. We already have some local clients on the books and we are looking forward to expanding Keolia with new network services in the months and years ahead."

Rebecca Stopford, partner and business expert at Oxley & Coward, added: "When you start in business there are so many issues to consider, Joshua and Samuel were keen to know it all. They must be some of the youngest entrepreneurs we have ever worked with in these areas and we wish them every success for the future."

One high profile customer is Rotherham MP Denis MacShane, who said: "I am very impressed with the quality and professionalism of these two young entrepreneurs. There is loads of business talent in Rotherham if we know how to release it. My website is the best it's ever been and I am glad to link up with Keolia."

Keolia website
Oxley & Coward website

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News: eoSemi selects strategic sales partner for East Asia

eoSemi, an innovative company with a base in Rotherham, has appointed Intralink as strategic sales partner for the East Asian markets of Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea.

With a facility on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, eoSemi is developing a silicon solution that replaces quartz crystals as the way electronic devices keep time, allowing a move away from physically-vibrating devices and the associated high manufacturing cost, large size and susceptibility to shock.

eoSemi will bring a new timing device to market, based entirely on silicon circuitry, which has applications in industrial, medical and consumer microprocessor-based systems, and mobile handsets. The first products are expected to be launched next year.

Intralink creates and implements business development strategies for Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea to enable technology companies to gain entry to these markets and establish a permanent presence through a local subsidiary, acquisition or partnership.

Greg Sutch, CEO of Intralink, said: "We believe that eoSemi's unique all-silicon technology has huge market potential as it overcomes the cost and size limitations of today's timing references.

"There are substantial growth opportunities in East Asia and we look forward to working closely with eoSemi's management team to build and execute a successful strategy to deliver this exciting new technology into the hands of customers."

Steve Cliffe, VP of sales and marketing at eoSemi, added: "Intralink has more than 20 years' experience in driving business development initiatives in the East Asian markets, and their expertise is strongly endorsed by the many companies they have helped to gain access and succeed in these markets.

"With their deep knowledge of the cultural and commercial challenges in East Asia, and an ability to quickly understand complex technical issues, Intralink's contribution will be significant in the introduction and commercial success of eoSemi's all-silicon products in the region."

In 2010, the company closed a £3m funding round led by NESTA Investments and Capital-E, to add to existing investors Enterprise Ventures (EV) via its RisingStars Growth Fund II and South Yorkshire Investment Fund.

Last month, eoSemi apponted Silicon Valley company, Red Shift Sales as the manufacturer's representative for North America.

eoSemi website

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