News: AMRC shaping the Sir Henry Royce Materials Institute

The University of Sheffield and The AMRC with Boeing brought together industry and academia again recently to help shape the scope of the nationally-focused Sir Henry Royce Institute for Materials Research and Innovation.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It is a partnership between industry and academia, which has become a model for research centres worldwide.

The institutions are set to share in the £235m funding package for the Sir Henry Royce Institute that was announced by the Government in December. It will be led by the University of Manchester with a substantial wing in Sheffield and support from other universities. It will accelerate the translation of research into materials for advanced manufacturing and provide growth to the entire UK manufacturing base.

Much of the AMRC's work in the Sir Henry Royce Institute is expected to focus on developments in powder metallurgy, aimed at improving the quality and capabilities of the technology, so that it can be more widely used in manufacturing.

The outline plans recently submitted for the AMRC 2 campus on the Sheffield Business Park includes a £30m National Material Institute. The development is set to be to co-located adjacent to the AMRC's Factory 2050 that is already under construction as many shared research interests will be developed as a consequence.

Outlining the overall strategic aims of the Royce Institute at the event held on the AMP, Professor Colin Bailey, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Manchester (pictured), said: "Getting materials to market can often take more than twenty years. We know that we can half that with the UK's expertise in materials research. However, what was missing was a facility to design and test new materials and accelerate these getting to market. This is what the Royce Institute will do."

The event also heard from GKN Aerospace, who already works with experts at the AMRC and Rolls-Royce, one of the AMRC's tier one members who has opened a £110m manufacturing facility on the AMP.

Neil Glover, head of materials technology for aero gas turbines at Rolls-Royce, said: "The global aerospace industry is reliant on the technology and materials we need being there in 2020 and beyond. We can't do this in isolation, which is why we work with leading universities such as those involved in the Royce Institute to develop the products and processes we need."

Also at the event, Diana Buckley, economic strategy manager for Sheffield City Council outlined the vision for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in Sheffield and Rotherham. She said: "Translational research is one of the most transformative tools universities have. When universities get this right – as demonstrated by the AMRC – you find the best companies in the world will come to you to solve their problems. Through translation research we can attract global research partners and investors, increase UK competitiveness and design new materials and products that will kick-start whole new markets.

"Our Innovation District will create places and spaces that enable innovation ecosystems to develop and enhance our global reputation for advanced manufacturing across the world."

AMRC website

Images: University of Sheffield

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News: Bawtry Motor Auctions bidding to take on Rotherham site

Bawtry Motor Auctions, one of the country's oldest motor auctions, is planning to take on the large auction house facility in Rotherham after the original operators went into administration.

In 2014 a planning application was approved to change the use of the Carr House site on Greasborough Road into an auction centre. Close to Barbot Hall Industrial Estate, the property has previously been home to Transco, Fulcrum, British Gas and East Midlands Gas Board.

UK Auctions PLC operated the site, hosting regular vehicle auctions until the company, previously known as Vehicle Locators PLC, entered administration in 2015.

New plans have now been submitted by agents Knight Frank on behalf of Bawtry Motor Auctions outlining a relocation to Rotherham and bringing the facility back into use. It involves minor amendments and modifications to the approved planning permission to allow for the reuse of a currently vacant building.

The plans state: "Bawtry Motor Auctions currently operate from their existing site at Corner Garage, Bawtry, Doncaster where they employ 54 people. This planning application will facilitate the relocation of the business to the proposed site.

"Whilst the proposal will involve a number of staff relocating to the new site, a substantial amount will also need to be sourced from the local area. The relocation forms part of a significant expansion, with job numbers anticipated to grow to 60 within a year."

Bawtry Motor Auctions currently holds vehicle sales days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and its first "Grand Show & Motor Auction" was held in 1947. It hosts sales from vendors including The Car People and motor finance firms.

BWC Business Solutions were appointed administrators for UK Auctions PLC in February. Its statement of proposals outline the difficulties encountered by the company when a key member of staff suffered health issues.

After a substantial refurbishment of the leasehold property, the company commenced trading in May 2014. Needing to sell around 120 cars per week to break even, an industry professional was employed to source vehicles to sell at auction. The documents state: "Unfortunately, the individual concerned had health issues and was unable to fulfil his ongoing role at a critical time in the auctions early inception."

Another experienced industry professional was appointed in August with the aim of securing sales of 200 cars per week. Sales did increase but it was not a levels to make the company viable. The company closed in January 2015 with the landlord taking steps to forfeit the lease of the auction site.

Bawtry Motor Auctions website

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News: Get Up To Speed breaks records

This year's Get Up To Speed (GUTS), the premier event in the region aimed at inspiring the next generation of manufacturers and engineers, has broken all records with over 1,850 visitors, exhibitors and attractions.

This is the first year that the highly acclaimed careers event has been held at The Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham and the venue proved to be a perfect fit with the ambition of the event in promoting the region as still having an exceptionally successful engineering and manufacturing base, built from our heritage spanning hundreds of years.

Organised by the Sheffield-based work-wise Foundation and Very Creative Ltd, alongside RiDO and Creative Sheffield, the events have been a chance for visitors to see some of the fastest vehicles, innovations and people on earth, all in one place. Attendees get to learn about how their success has been achieved and the fundamental role design, engineering and manufacturing have played in that success. Families, young people and teachers also learn about exciting career opportunities in the manufacturing sector within the region.

Now in its fifth year, and funded entirely by the private sector, 60 local companies and organisations attended with interactive stands keen to show their apprenticeship opportunities.

John Barber co-founder of the work-wise Foundation, said: "In addition we had a vast array of different attractions demonstrating to young people the impact that science, technology, engineering and maths has in our world, ranging from virtual welding, mind controlled quad copters, the Delorean car, featured in "Back to the Future" 1980's film, a full sized aircraft being built by students, Formula racing simulators, speedway, electric and hydrogen fuelled cars and much more. We even had a Dalek built by an Apprentice!

"It was an amazing experience seeing hundreds of young people queuing to get into the event, all eager to meet employers and apprentices!"

Speaking at the event Master Cutler, David Grey MBE said: "I can only describe this as the best careers event for young people I’ve ever attended. Its letting them see that not only is engineering and manufacturing a good career choice, it's an exciting career choice and an interesting career choice. The excitement is palpable, its fantastic and the great thing is - this is the private sector getting together and making the decision we need to attract young people into our sector because we are growing."

Headline sponsors of Get Up To Speed are The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Tata Steel.

Work is already underway planning for next year's event, again to be held at Magna, with April 20 pencilled in the diary.

Get Up To Speed website

Images: Get Up To Speed / Andrew Klinkenberg

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News: Metalysis scales up tantalum production

Metalysis has completed a series of successful commercial production runs of tantalum powder at its production plant in Rotherham, the first new primary tantalum metal production plant in Europe for more than 30 years.

Metalysis holds the worldwide exploitation rights to the FCC Cambridge process which sees specialist powder metals created in a simple, cost effective process with significant environmental benefits.

The Manvers company is in the process of commercialising the technology to produce titanium, tantalum, and related high value alloys. These are used increasingly by major worldwide industries such as aerospace, marine, medical, chemical, automotive and electronics.

The electro-chemical process has been developed through years of R&D to the point where it is now ready for industrial production of tantalum, a high-value niche metal.

Using its technology, Metalysis has produced, at commercial scale, tantalum powders directly from metal oxide using its one-step electrolysis technology. It has been producing significant amounts of tantalum powder to fulfil customer orders during Q4 of 2014 and Q1 of 2015.

Metalysis takes the tantalum oxide feedstock and transforms it directly into tantalum powder using electrolysis. The process uses less energy than traditional processes as it does not require the melting of metals, and the salt used in producing the metals can be recycled.

The metal powder produced directly in this one step process has a high surface area and is nodular; both functional properties necessary for electronic components, for example capacitors, found in items such as smart phones, laptops and pace makers. The tantalum metal can also be used as an alloying element for current and next generation super alloys, which are used extensively in jet engines.

The small industrial plant has now completed more than 30 commercial scale production runs producing significant amounts of tantalum powder. The plant has been running continuously to fulfil the orders from its global clients, who operate in the electronics, aerospace and biomedical sectors. This is a significant step forward for tantalum because it is the first new primary tantalum metal production plant in Europe for more than 30 years.

The company is also studying methods of creating a spherical grade of powder that has applications in 3D printing. Being an expensive metal, the use of powders for 3D printing could offer customers in the petrochemicals, processing and biomedical industries both cost savings and better functionality versus traditionally machined parts. Metalysis will be bringing its previous knowledge and experience in its production of titanium powder production for additive layer manufacturing to support this development.

Dion Vaughan, CEO of Metalysis, said: "With the successful commercial production of significant quantities of tantalum, Metalysis is expediting the widespread use of high performance metals in a range of industries including 3D printing. The commercial production of tantalum powder at our new plant demonstrates that the Metalysis technology is scalable and mature. We are now looking forward to expanding its application across the periodic table into new metals and markets."

Metalysis website

Images: Metalysis

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News: Council agrees new decision making arrangements

Details of how decisions will be made by the Government-appointed Commissioners overseeing Rotherham Council have now been agreed.

After a number of reports highlighted serious failings across the authority, an intervention package was announced by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and saw commissioners appointed who will provide new leadership and take on all executive functions of the authority.

An unprecedented step, the five commissioners have been appointed for a period of up to four years and could be in charge of the Council until March 2019.

Each of the commissioners will consider significant decisions in their own areas of responsibility, working alongside elected members and senior managers.

Councillors, local people and other interested parties will be invited to have their say on these decisions – to be known as "minded-to" proposals – and a final conclusion will only be reached once their views have been taken into account.

Julie A Kenny CBE DL, chair and chief executive of growing Rotherham business, Pyronix Limited, is one of two supporting commissioners and has been given the lead on growing the local economy. Kenny outlined her role at a recent meeting of the Rotherham United Business Club.

The Council had previously used a "strong" Leader and Cabinet form of executive which carried out all of the Council's functions that are not the responsibility of any other part of the Council, whether by law or under the Constitution. Executive functions include key decisions taken by the Cabinet that generally include decisions relating to incurring significant expenditure or are significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area. Cabinet members were delegated powers to make decisions regarding council undertakings that were within their remit and a number of committees were used to deal with some of its functions.

The existing delegation framework to officers will remain in place and Commissioner Kenny will take all decisions previously taken by the Cabinet Members responsible for planning, regeneration and development and future housing investments.

Commissioner Kenny is to be informed of "any critical or untoward issues within the portfolio as well as maintaining an oversight of activities" and be kept up to date with progress of current or new regeneration, housing and transport projects.

Commissioner Kenny will be in Rotherham around two days per week and will meet with Karl Battersby, strategic director of Environment and Development Services for general briefings once a week, in addition to any other issue related meetings which both may be attending.

The next scheduled meeting for Commissioner Kenny is May 1 and key decisions include signing off the final version of the Rotherham Growth Plan.

The Commissioners have also set out how they will work with elected members. Led by Council Leader, Cllr Chris Read, a new Advisory Cabinet is now in place. They will act in an advisory capacity only, in support of the Commissioners.

Commissioner Sir Derek Myers, Lead Commissioner at Rotherham Council, said: "These are unprecedented circumstances, working outside the usual rules of local democracy and decision-making, but it is absolutely crucial that we are open and accountable in delivering services to the people of Rotherham. We will be clear about what we are doing, and why we are doing it.

"Each Commissioner has a different role and responsibility and, crucially, we can take decisions both as individuals and as a group. This gives us the ability to work in a way which is very different to the previous Cabinet system, i.e. without a rigid set of public meetings as a group – allowing for speedier decision-making to underpin progress across services.

"I want to be clear however, that we will not take any decisions without the chance for councillors, local people and other interested parties to have their say, with the exception of those deemed to be urgent in the public interest."

Under the new system interested parties have five days to put their views forward and Commissioners can take urgent decisions without the five day public consultation period if needed.

The operation of the Planning Board is to stay the same.

Regular reviews and reports are expected to result in a phased roll back of functions over the duration of the intervention. Commissioner Sir Derek added: "Our aim is to return Rotherham to a healthy democracy as soon as possible, and working with elected members throughout this process is crucial. We will consult with them, and we will listen - and together we will strengthen the local democratic process to underpin a strong future for this town."

Rotherham Council website

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News: DSA Airport celebrates ten years

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, the regional airport for the Sheffield city region, is celebrating its tenth birthday with news that passenger and cargo numbers are on the increase.

Peel Holdings bought the site from the Ministry of Defence when it was RAF Finningley in 1999 and has invested around £150m. It was the first airport to open in 50 years when the first commercial flight took off in 2005.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport currently flies to 35 destinations including Spain, Turkey, Poland, the Canaries and Egypt. Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, will be flying five times a week between Doncaster and Dublin from May and Thomson Airways recently announced two new routes to Heraklion, Crete and Larnaca, Cyprus.

Wizz Air also recently announced that it is adding a new route making it ten destinations on the ultra-low-cost carrier from the airport. Doncaster Sheffield Airport is Wizz Air's second largest UK base and the only one in Yorkshire. Currently, the airport operates a total of 33 Wizz Air flights per week to eight destinations including Bucharest in Romania, and Gdansk, Warsaw and Wroclaw in Poland.

A new route to Kosice was announced earlier this year and Riga and Bucharest launched in 2014. The latest destination is Lublin in Poland.

Airline, BMI regional, is hoping to secure funding to start up a weekday return to Frankfurt from DSA starting in 2016. A bid has been submitted to the Government's The Regional Air Connectivity Fund which is providing "start-up aid" to create new routes, boosting connectivity, increasing trade and supporting jobs in the regions.

The new link road currently under construction is of huge importance. The £60m FARRRS project, with £12m from Peel, is estimated to result in £1 billion of further investment and 14,000 jobs.

Steve Gill, managing director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport said: "We are delighted to be celebrating the airports tenth birthday.

"This is a very exciting time in the airports history. We have been named the UKs best airport for customer service by Which? magazine, the FARRRS link road which will improve motorway access to the airport is well underway and is due to open in January 2016 reducing journey time to the airport by 15 minutes, and our passenger numbers grew by 8% over the last 12 months, with further strong growth forecast over the next 12 months.

"For passengers we've added ten new routes to our growing destination list in the last 12 months, which is helping to meet the demand for variety.

"Added to this are our cargo figures which show a 112% growth in the last calendar year and through strong partnerships this is an area which is continuing to grow."

Between October and December, the airport saw seven B747-400s operate from the Cargo Terminal, and almost 500 tonnes of freight distributed this year. Through operator Anglo World Cargo, the airport managed a series of aid flights in November and December to Sierra Leone as part of the Government's programme to help those affected by Ebola.

Last year, owners, Peel Holdings, were in the region to update local transport leaders on its current and long term plans for the site, where the leading infrastructure, transport and real estate investment company has purchased 480 acres of additional land.

With a current capacity of 2.3 million passengers a year, Peel's masterplan for 2030 shows that it could accommodate 12 million passengers a year, and because the essential infrastructure - the 2893m runway and all the services - is all future proofed, Peel see no constraints for accommodating nearly 24 million passengers a year in the very long term.

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield website

Images: Peel

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News: Masterplan submitted for "AMRC 2"

The University of Sheffield has submitted a masterplan for a new advanced manufacturing campus based on the success of its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing.

Located on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham and a partner in the HVM Catapult (the government's strategic initiative that aims to revitalise the manufacturing industry), the AMRC focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It is a partnership between industry and academia, which has become a model for research centres worldwide.

In 2014 the institution signed a deal to secure 50 acres of land at Sheffield Business Park, paving the way for the expansion of the AMRC and building on its success on the AMP, where it already operates from 300,000 sq ft of accommodation within seven separate buildings.

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With space at a premium on the AMP, construction is already well underway on the first project on the new site - the £43m Factory 2050 that will be the UK's first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research.

Now plans have been submitted for 46 hectares of employment land on the former Sheffield Airport site, off the Parkway between Rotherham and Sheffield, to create the AMRC2 Campus. Drawn up by Bond Bryan Architects and DLP Planning consultants, it includes 1.3 million sq ft of buildings - 860,000 sq ft for advanced manufacturing and research, 670,000 sq ft for a residential training centre and conferencing, and 16,000 sq ft for outdoor and indoor recreation.

It is designed specifically to have a "campus" feel "which encourages cross fertilisation of ideas and work. The value to the University and more importantly to the business and partners that the University works with will be significantly enhanced."

Support amenities including office space and elements of retail may also be included but these would be of a scale to support the overall function of the campus and be ancillary in nature.

New research buildings include the proposed £30m National Material Institute, part of the Sir Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Material Science, announced in December. Anticipated projects also include a £20m Fast Make Centre of Excellence were prototypes move to manufacture within months, and a £30m Energy 2050 development - a world-leading hub of excellence set up to address the "trilemma" of making energy more affordable, secure and sustainable.

On the AMP, the next developments for the AMRC include a £7m extension of the Cti facility so that it can become the only place in the UK that can produce large scale titanium castings for the next generation of aircraft. It is also hoping to double the size of its AMRC Training Centre.

In the same way Rolls-Royce has been attracted to the AMP, the new campus is expected to attract leading manufacturing companies to locate the the area. The AMRC has signalled its intentions to double its turnover to in excess of £80m over the next five years and to play a key part in the ambitious plans announced earlier this year by Sheffield and Rotherham Councils to create the first Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in the UK.

The plans cover areas of previously developed land and involve the demolition of airport buildings but they will also need to prove the case for special circumstances as the scheme proposes a significant amount of development within the Green Belt.

The development could lead to the creation of 1,494 – 1,881 jobs directly related to the proposal and an annual direct operational contribution of £58.9m - £74.2m in GVA (a measurement of an area's economic output) to the local economy.

The plans state: "The development at Sheffield Business Park of the AMRC Campus 2 has already attracted significant interest from partner organisations nationally and internationally. The University anticipates that this interest will, just as with Rolls-Royce, develop into significant investments for manufacturing, employment, and gross value added to the local, regional and national economy.

"The global renown of the University's AMRC activities indicates the potential for AMRC2 Campus to be a prestigious development which contributes to civic pride and most importantly significant investment in manufacturing."

AMRC website

Images: AMRC / Bond Bryan

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News: Xeros building momentum

Innovative Rotherham company, Xeros, is signing deals and generating interest from major global players as it commercialises the patented polymer technology behind the first real revolution in laundry in 60 years.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), Xeros is a Leeds University spin-out that has developed a patented system using a unique method of special polymer beads rather than the usual large amounts of fresh water to clean clothes.

Admitted to AIM in 2014, Xeros is commercialising the system which uses at least 70% less water, up to 50% less energy and approximately 50% less detergent.

In its financial results for the six months ended January 31 2015, the Xeros Technology Group reported income of £172,000, up from the £86,000 in the same six months a year ago.

Debt free and with cash balances of £24.2m, the group continues to utilise money it raised by floating on the stock exchange to fund further research and development at its Rotherham HQ. £2m was invested in R&D during the period which resulted in an Adjusted EBITDA (earning before taxes) loss of £4.5m. Xeros is currently working with world leading chemical company, BASF to develop "Generation 2" polymer beads.

In commercialising the polymer technology, Xeros has also proved its systems deliver superior cleaning, thanks to the polymer beads' ability to gently agitate stain and soil away from textile surfaces easily.

It is the billion dollar US laundry market that is the major target for Xeros, which has now seen 54 installations of its system with a further 69 committed to be installed. The group signed up 61 partners to its US reseller model during the biennial industry Clean Show in Atlanta, with forward channel partners taking advantage of water scarcity and water cost issues and bouyed by the financial incentives on offer from major utility companies.

The business model is more about the deployment and servicing of the patented polymer beads than the machines themselves. The company and resellers benefit from a monthly recurring revenue stream from services and sales of "Sbeadycare," the all-inclusive laundry management programme, to hotels, commercial and industrial laundries, dry cleaners, fitness clubs and spas.

To meet the need of commercial customers, Xeros has introduced a new pricing strategy, to enable buyers to own the machines outright instead of leasing them. For Xeros, while the lower entry purchase price point for the machine results in an initial up-front loss on the cost of the machine, a greater monthly service fee will generate increased service margins for the Group and an improvement in gross margin overall over the course of a five year contract.

The group is also working on a smaller 15 kg prototype which should launch before the end of 2015, and a Xeros laundromat concept store is due to open in the US before the end of the year.

Bill Westwater, CEO of Xeros Technology Group (pictured), said: "The building blocks are in place for acceleration in our primary commercial laundry business. The combined impact of water scarcity and energy conservation, especially in our key US market, are now intense market trends. Our current enterprise customers are demonstrating that Xeros bead cleaning provides a robust and effective solution. This was clear from the excitement that we created at Clean Show 2015, with 61 channel partners signing up in four days to provide us with a scalable sales and service capability across North America."

In domestic laundry, Xeros is continuing discussions with both machine manufacturers and detergent companies to become partners and produce and distribute Xeros machines as the business moves to end-user consumer trials.

Beyond laundry the group is targeting the processing of leather in the multi billion dollar global leather industry, and has announced a joint development programme with LANXESS, a DAX listed global speciality chemicals business based in Germany with sales of €8.3bn. Working with the leading supplier of chemicals to the leather industry that supplies tanneries around the globe, scale up work will now take place, with the first prototype in tannery trials due in the second half of 2015.

Westwater added: "It is not only in commercial laundry where we have seen success. The joint development programme announced today with LANXESS provides an entirely incremental opportunity to develop and ultimately commercialise a Xeros bead solution in the $50 billion leather processing market. Just as we did in commercial laundry, our team is set to move from positive laboratory trials to a prototype in a tannery before the end of 2015.

"We continue to discuss partnership opportunities with major global players in domestic laundry. Our success in commercial laundry, especially as we move to smaller machines and end-user consumer trials, is creating greater interest from these global players.

"We're hugely encouraged by the momentum building across the group's activities as we continue to deliver a superior performing Xeros bead solution for a world that can no longer depend on traditional aqueous processes."

The share price of Xeros has risen from 130p on admission in March 2014 to close to 300p today.

Xeros website

Images: Xeros

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News: Support for 100 apprentices in 100 days campaign

Sarah Champion, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Rotherham, and former Home Secretary David Blunkett visited Rotherham College recently to discuss apprenticeship schemes and to promote the college's drive to recruit 100 apprentices in just 100 days.

The "100 in 100" campaign is backed by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rotherham Investment & Development Office and the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.

The campaign is a joint venture with Dearne Valley College and the colleges are challenging local companies to get involved and pledge to support an apprentice.

Since the campaign went live on Tuesday March 3, 58 apprentices have found employment in a range of roles including engineering, construction and business administration. The campaign is well on target to achieve its aim and find 100 apprentices employment.

James Burrows, plumbing apprentice at PC Kelly Plumbing and Heating, was the first apprentice to find employment. He said: "I opted for an apprenticeship because I'm more hands-on and because it's a great way to gain knowledge. You learn the theory side of the trade at college, whilst getting the practical experience in the workplace."

PC Kelly is based at Parkgate, Rotherham and they undertake all domestic and commercial plumbing work. The company employs 15 staff members and James is the second apprentice they have employed to tap into the skills and knowledge of their original workforce.

Ryan Kelly, company director at PC Kelly (pictured above, left), said: "We've already seen the benefits of employing an apprentice and that's why we've pledged to support the campaign and offer James an apprenticeship.

"The advantage for us is that we get to train someone up to our standards, in return we support our apprentices as much as we can and provide them with the skills to become qualified."

Sarah Champion, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Rotherham, added: "For me, apprenticeships are a real option and should be seriously considered by young people when deciding their future.

"They offer a great way of investing in a generation and providing them with skills and training so they are work ready. Rotherham now has the 31st highest rate of unemployment in the country. The only way we can achieve long-term economic recovery and stability is by making sure our young people have real prospects for the future."

Rotherham College website

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News: Heart of Steel for Rotherham town centre

A two metre high "Heart of Steel" is set to be installed in Minster Gardens in Rotherham town centre - "a symbol of love that local people have for their town."

The artwork is linked to the Man of Steel project - the iconic piece of art designed to be a landmark gateway sculpture close to the M1 that will recognise the history of steel and coal in the region, and preside over a new age of technology and specialised steel production.

The Heart of Steel is set to be on show at the popular pocket park on Corporation Street, next to Rotherham Minster. It comes after several trees in the area were removed at the request of South Yorkshire Police.

Sitting on a concrete plinth, the planned artwork is set to measure 2.2m high by 2m wide and be illuminated. Expected to be made of stainless steel, the replica will be the only other Heart of Steel created.

The planning application states: "Rotherham is a town with a big heart and the "Heart of Steel" sculpture will represent the "heart" of the community. It will be a symbol of the love people have for their town. It will also be a direct link to the Man of Steel sculpture."

Planning permission was granted conditionally in 2012 for the 27.3m high Man of Steel art installation, based on work by local sculptor Steve Mehdi, on a former land fill site at Kimberworth in Rotherham.

A not-for-profit charitable company, Yorkshire Icon Limited, has been created which will work with the Rotherham Council, stakeholder partners, and other trustees to manage the project and deliver a lasting legacy that includes education and apprenticeships.

The Man of Steel is to have his own Heart of Steel, a 2.5 tonne sculpture, made from super alloys and containing up to 150,000 names of individuals from across the region. Partners have recently linked up with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the nation's heart charity and the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research.

Until now the landmark project has been supported entirely by the private sector, but the new initiative allows for donations from members of the public which enables their names, or names of loved ones, to be on the heart of steel.

Rotherham was one of the first 50 towns in the UK to sign up as a BHF Heart Town as part of the initiative to bring entire communities together through local fundraising and volunteering to help beat heart disease.

In 2011, Rotherham became Gallery Town when a group of local entrepreneurs got together to arrange for 60 large pieces of artwork – including work by Rotherham students, local artists and some of the world's greatest painters – installed in key outdoor locations around the town. The aim of Gallery Town is to help regenerate Rotherham town centre and increase the number of visitors.

Steve Mehdi recently joined the Gallery Town project. The artist said: "I was invited to join Gallery Town by its founder, Nick Cragg. His passion for art and culture, combined with a philanthropic flair has been used to great effect by creating Gallery Town and bringing art to the masses, as well as getting them to produce their own."

It is hoped that the Heart of Steel will be installed in the town centre this summer. A date for installing the Man of Steel has not been set.

Mehdi added: "Ultimately the Yorkshire Man of Steel is about the sons and daughters of Rotherham; past, present and future. It's also about the wider region, its heritage of steel and coal and perhaps more importantly it's about the recent advances in the new technology sector.

"The Yorkshire Man of Steel will become a destination for visitors, adding significant economic and cultural capital to the region."

Man of Steel website
Gallery Town website

Images: yorkshiremanofsteel.com / RMBC

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News: Finance Yorkshire continues to invest

Regional funding body, Finance Yorkshire, has secured further support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and match funders.

Finance Yorkshire was the first European JEREMIE (Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprise) initiative to become fully invested in England.

The initial £90m fund had three investment teams, Seedcorn Finance, Business Loans and Equity Linked Investments. It secured £45m from the European Investment Bank, together with £30m investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £15m from the Government via Yorkshire Forward. Around £28m was invested in South Yorkshire companies.

In February the fund announced that it had secure funding from Round Six of the government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to invest in businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Alex McWhirter, chief executive at Finance Yorkshire (pictured), said: "Finance Yorkshire reached a milestone when it invested £90m at the end of 2014. New investment capital means that it is business as usual for Finance Yorkshire – we will continue to invest in SMEs and build on our success to date in helping to create jobs and facilitate sustainable growth across the region.

"The economic impact of our investments has been significant and we look forward to receiving enquiries and continuing our work with intermediaries to highlight the investment opportunities available and the huge value our fund brings to businesses seeking access to finance."

The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been keen to boost access to finance through the development of a loan and equity funding using the JEREMIE model and a Holding Fund, and has been working with other LEPs to explore a future JEREMIE initiative and integrating it with its own £50m RGF Business Growth Fund.

James Newman is chairman of Finance Yorkshire and is also chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP. He said: "Finance Yorkshire has done an outstanding job in supporting businesses to invest, grow and create jobs. Access to finance remains one of the biggest challenges for SMEs and Finance Yorkshire's commitment to continued investment is a real boost to the regional economy."

To date, Finance Yorkshire has made 694 investments in SMEs across the region, creating and safeguarding 9,240 jobs and increasing overall turnover by £265m.

Rotherham firms securing funding include AME Group Ltd, Xeros, Approved Food, Sterecycle, RediRack, S3-ID, Xiang Trading Ltd and Labfacility. Whilst Redirack and Sterecycle have since gone into administration, S3-ID was acquired by Singapore listed CSE Global in a £7m deal, Approved Food has expanded into larger premises in Sheffield and Xeros went on to raise millions through floating on the London Stock Exchange.

Finance Yorkshire website

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News: Data centre achieves PCI DSS compliance

IT infrastructure company, Onyx Group, has been certified as compliant to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) at its Yorkshire Data Centre in Rotherham.

Stockton-based Onyx opened its Yorkshire facility at Pioneer Close, Manvers in 2012 where it delivers Cloud hosting and backup, colocation, IT support and security. The £2m investment has been certified to v3.0 level 1, which means Onyx customers hosted systems can be involved in a variety of payment channels in the certain knowledge they are locating their hardware in a fully audited and certified facility.

PCI DSS was developed in 2004 by major credit card companies to encourage and enhance cardholder data security and facilitate the broad adoption of consistent measures globally. Today any company that stores, transmits or processes cardholder data must comply with the requirements.

2014 saw online retail sales break through the £100 billion barrier for the year for the first time in history. A growth of 14% on the previous year, the figure demonstrates the increasing need to protect critical cardholder information, reassuring both organisations and customers alike.

PCI DSS is no small undertaking and achieving it puts Onyx in a small number of companies that can help customers to more easily attain compliance for their end to end business systems. The site is also ISO27001 Information Security Management accredited and features other support their retail and e-commerce customers such as vulnerability assessments, Anti-Virus, Web-Filtering, Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems.

Neil Stephenson, CEO of Onyx Group, said: "As a company we are committed to offering our clients and businesses throughout Yorkshire the very best in terms of cutting edge security and resilience. Achieving PCI DSS was the next step in our ongoing strategy to offer businesses superior I.T. services and is indicative of the continued investment that we are making to our infrastructure and the Yorkshire region.

"With our Yorkshire Data Centre passing the rigorous compliance assessment, we can now help to remove the burden associated with meeting such high standards, allowing our customers to focus on what is most important to them; their business."

Onyx Group website

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News: Made Here Now at AESSEAL

Leading Rotherham company, AESSEAL has been chosen as one of the first case studies to showcase modern UK manufacturing.

Made Here Now, the brainchild of former Financial Times manufacturing editor Peter Marsh, is a new website with the aim of using the best writing, photography and design to paint a more upbeat picture of UK industry than is often seen in most mainstream media.

The website tells the story of modern-day industry through a series of articles and stunning pictures on four exemplar companies and is aiming to educate and inspire young people, academics, politicians and international investors about Britain's engineering strengths.

With its global headquarters at Templeborough, AESSEAL manufactures seals to stop leakage of harmful liquids and gases into the environment used in the oil, chemical, gas, mining, water and other industries.

Chris Rea OBE, the founder and current managing director of AES, recently opened the doors of the impressive Rotherham facility as the site celebrates the benefits of being "niche."

Born in Northern Ireland in 1954, Rea graduated from Queens University Belfast in 1975 with an Honours Degree in Economics. He took on AESSEAL in 1979 when it had just eight staff. It is now the UK's last remaining, and the world's fourth largest, mechanical seal manufacturer, with 1,700 employees and 230 locations worldwide, supplying customers in 104 countries.

With sales in 2014 of £142m, 85% from overseas, Rea, who taught himself about engineering and production, talks about the three key areas of success for the business - devising new products, manufacturing excellence and sales. He told madeherenow.com: "A lot of businesses can innovate. But can they manufacture the products and can they sell them? I think you've got to be equally good at all three. If you aren't, the customers will soon notice."

The company strives to provide customers with a sufficiently compelling reason to give them an opportunity and prides itself on exceeding expectation, meeting even the most complex briefs and challenging lead times.

The case study discusses the support from Rotherham Council, providing land for AES to build its facility in the early days, and how it has paid dividends with continued investment and staff levels up to 350 with more to come.

Peter Marsh, who has covered industrial developments for more than three decades, said: "The website is setting out to put British manufacturing on the map with the public in a much more vibrant way than before, illustrating new technologies, innovation and skills through a series of articles, photography and video.

"47 organisations - spanning a diverse array of business and public life – have backed the project. Without such a large amount of assistance this initiative would never have got off the ground and I'm very grateful to them for backing the cause of UK manufacturing in such an imaginative way.

"There's a big appetite for this and the plan is to generate more case studies, articles, pictures and educational resources to ensure Made Here Now is the first place people visit to discover a true picture of 21st century British manufacturing."

AESSEAL website
Made Here Now website

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News: GDF Suez in Rotherham biomass deal

Business energy specialist GDF SUEZ Energy UK has finalised an agreement to purchase all of the power generated at the proposed biomass-fired power plant project in Rotherham.

The Brite Partnership secured planning permission in 2010 for a biomass development at the Firth Rixson Ickles Works at Templeborough where land and disused buildings where purchased in March 2011. The plant will generate heat and power from carbon-neutral renewable wood pellet fuel.

Last month it was announced that Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CI) had acquired 100% of the project for £150m and has now created Templeborough Biomass Power Plant Limited to take the development forward.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) is one of two (the other at Snetterton in Norfolk) awarded to GDF SUEZ Energy UK, a dedicated business-to-business energy company in the UK that specialises in supplying energy to the industrial and commercial sector. Based in Leeds, it is a subsidiary of French energy giant, GDF Suez.

Expected to be commissioned in March 2017, the 39.3MW Rotherham plant will burn waste wood to generate 315GWh of electricity each year – all of which will be purchased by GDF SUEZ Energy UK.

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S, the Danish subsidiary of the giant US Babcock & Wilcox Company, will design, manufacture and operate the plant, with Interserve responsible for its construction.

Although prices have not been disclosed, the 15 year deals will see GDF SUEZ Energy UK buy the output at an index-linked rate, providing a market-reflective price for every kWh of electricity generated. To provide an assured return on investment, the PPAs also include a floor price, guaranteeing a minimum rate for the output.

PPAs are essential to the viability of any new renewable energy plant. Funders of these major infrastructure projects need concrete assurances that the money they invest will be repaid through the sale of energy to a reliable, experienced and credit-worthy offtaker.

GDF SUEZ Energy UK has built up a strong reputation as a leading player in the power purchasing arena, having secured agreements with several major renewable energy plants in recent years.

Paul Roberts, head of local portfolio management at GDF SUEZ Energy UK, said: "These new agreements are the first PPAs we have secured for biomass plants, having previously focused on wind power and energy-from-waste technologies. It demonstrates the flexibility of our PPAs, which present an attractive and secure proposition for any type of renewable energy plant."

Rúni Bro Róin, senior partner at CI, added: "We're pleased to have found the basis for cooperation with a strong and reputable partner like GDF SUEZ, which will be the sole purchaser of energy from both Snetterton and Templeborough."

GDF SUEZ Energy UK will also purchase all ROC and LEC certificates received by the two plants, which will help the energy supplier to meet its own sustainable sourcing commitments under the government's Renewables Obligation.

Images: Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S

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News: Cash for Kids call on Carlton Park

Generous members of staff at the Carlton Park Hotel in Rotherham are hoping to raise hundreds of pounds to support Hallam FM's charity Cash for Kids.

The appeal will see members of staff undertake a range of fundraising activities throughout the year which will see staff members test their cooking skills in a number of culinary challenges and later this year the hotel is planning to host a Superhero family lunch as well as supporting Mission Christmas, the charity’s festive feel-good appeal which tries to ensure no child in the region wakes up on Christmas morning without a present.

Cash For Kids was originally launched by Hallam FM as Help a Hallam Child in the early 1970s and was renamed Cash for Kids in 2008, following the radio station's acquisition by Bauer Media. Over the past twelve months, the charity has supported Rotherham Women's Refuge, South Yorkshire Community Foundation as well as hundreds of children requiring special support to help improve the quality of their lives.

The charity was chosen by the hotel's sales manager Jason Gossop in a bid to help raise funds for children and children's charities throughout Rotherham during the year and is the first time in the long history of the Moorgate hotel that it has named a special charity of year.

Eleanor Stephenson, community manager at the Carlton Park Hotel (pictured, second right), said: "The Carlton Park has been at the heart of local community life in Rotherham for more than 30 years but when it comes to supporting the local community our staff have big hearts too.

"The hotel has previously supported other local charities such as the Rotherham Hospice and Greasborough Co-Operative Funeral Care. This year is the first time the Carlton Park have formally named a charity of the year.

"We wanted to support Cash for Kids as we felt it was a good way of investing back into the local community, particularly as all the money raised by the charity goes directly towards benefiting children across South Yorkshire."

Last year, the charity raised over £1m. Throughout the year Cash for Kids organises fundraising events and initiatives such as the Big Bake Day and Mission Christmas. The Carlton Park will be hosting a family superheroes lunch, taking place on Sunday August 16.

Allan Ogle, charity manager at Cash for Kids (pictured, right), said: "We are excited to have a well-known, South Yorkshire based business such as The Carlton Park helping us to raise funds for Cash for Kids this year.

"As the hotel have previously taken part in fundraising for other local charities, they have knowledge and experience of charity work and fundraising, as well as being a family oriented business and committed to the local community."

Carlton Park Hotel website
Cash for Kids website

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News: Crawshaw on track for 200 stores

Crawshaw Group, the Rotherham-based fresh meat and food-to-go retailer, has reported a rise in earnings of 30% for the year ended January 31 2015.

The AIM-listed firm currently has 23 retail outlets throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Humberside and recently moved onto Sandbeck Industrial Estate at Hellaby, occupying a 12,000 sq ft unit for the manufacture and distribution of specialist foods.

It recently acquired 11 more retail butchers units and a distribution centre in the North West from Gabbotts Farm Limited in a £3.9m deal.

Reporting its latest financial results, Crawshaws saw sales increase by 17% to £24.6m which saw EBITDA (earning before taxes) increase 15% to £1.6m (2014: £1.4m). Excluding infrastructure costs the adjusted EBITDA was 30% higher than last year at £1.8m.

Full year like for like sales were up 5% and average customer spend continues to rise and was up 3.5% to £6.22 versus last year as the retailer maintains a focus on larger value packs and multi buy offers. Customer numbers are 3.2% higher than last year driven by an improved range and consistency of a lunchtime and take home offer.

The results meant that the group is proposing a dividend of 0.57p.

During the year, Crawshaw moved from three separate head office and factory locations into one newly refurbished facility in Rotherham, investing £1m. This single location can now support up to 60 shops and also contains a new factory shop which is performing well above expectations.

The group has also appointed Noel Collett, formerly Lidl's chief operating officer for the UK business, as chief executive officer. He joined as Crawshaws heads towards its ambitious target of 200 shops within eight years. Last year it announced details of the placing of new shares in a bid to raise nearly £9m to support the acceleration of its store opening programme.

Richard Rose, chairman of Crawshaw Group, said: "I am very pleased with the progress made to date on our plans to open 200 shops. The post year end acquisition of Gabbotts Farm has provided 11 additional profitable shops and a distribution centre in the North West of England. We have also recently signed leases on new shops in Leeds and Bolton which are currently being fitted out. In addition there are a number of other locations in the process of being signed up.

"It is a very exciting time for the business and whilst short term profits will be held in check for a while as we add infrastructure costs ahead of the curve, we very much look forward to reporting on our progress as we build scale as quickly as practically possible."

Crawshaw website

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News: Bargain Buys in Rotherham town centre

Poundworld Retail has opened a branch of its multiprice format store, Bargain Buys in Rotherham town centre.

Bargain Buys was launched in 2013 by the same father and son team who brought retail giant Poundworld to the high street. With prices not fixed to £1, the stores aim to provide everyday essentials at outstanding value and offers over 8,000 branded products.

Established in 1974 by current owner, Chris Edwards, the retail chain was originally branded Everything's a £1 before the introduction of the Poundworld brand in 2004. Over the past 40 years, the business has adapted to changing retail markets, successfully maintaining the £1 price point through many economic cycles.

The Yorkshire-based business launched its first multiprice retail format, Discount UK in 2010 and began rebranding three years later. There are around 40 stores in the UK, with plans for 50 more Bargain Buys stores over the next five years.

The Rotherham store is on College Street, having recently rebranded from Discount UK.

Now employing around 5,000 staff and with an annual turnover of £340m, Poundworld has over 240 stores across the UK and has grown to be the third-largest single price point retailer in the UK, with strong aspirations for growth. Its business plan includes opening between 40-50 new stores per year over the next three years, as well as operating more distribution depots.

For the year to March 2014, pre-tax profit was up to £5m compared to £1.9m in the previous year and Poundworld's turnover was up 18% to £345.3m, while like-for-like sales jumped 2.6%.

Discount UK caused a stir in 2011 when it was revealed to be taking over the former Marks & Spencer's retail unit on College Street in Rotherham. The retailer took the whole of the 23,000 sq ft, two floor property and uses the ground floor for retail. The building was last occupied by Hitchens.

Bargain Buys website

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News: Xeros sign up 61 at Clean Show

Rotherham high-tech firm, Xeros, has added 61 partners to its US reseller model during the biennial industry Clean Show in Atlanta as it capitalises on the increasing demand for its innovative commercial laundry offering.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), Xeros is a Leeds University spin-out that has developed a patented system using a unique method of special polymer beads rather than the usual large amounts of fresh water to clean clothes.

The company, which raised £30m when it floated on the AIM stock exchange, is targeting the billion dollar US laundry market first, taking advantage of water scarcity and water cost issues, bouyed by the financial incentives on offer from major utility companies.

Xeros' Forward Channel Partner programme, launched at the Clean Show, is creating a broad sales network across North America of established laundry industry players. The business model is more about the deployment and servicing of the patented polymer beads than the machines themselves. The company and resellers benefit from a monthly recurring revenue stream from services and sales of "Sbeadycare," the all-inclusive laundry management program to hotels, commercial and industrial laundries, dry cleaners, fitness clubs and spas.

The environmentally-friendly technology system uses up to 80% less water, 50% less energy, and approximately 50% less detergent as compared to conventional washing to deliver superior cleaning results. The reusable beads have a lifespan of hundreds of washes before being collected and ready for re-use in the polymer supply chain.

The expanded network will support installed Xeros machines, delivering the "final mile" of the Xeros Sbeadycare service and extending the group's own customer service capabilities.

Bill Westwater, chief executive of Xeros Technology Group, said: "The material expansion of our Forward Channel Partner programme is an exciting and significant development for us. Our 61 new partners expand our sales and service capabilities substantially and will enable us to capitalise further on the growing interest in our commercial and environmental proposition across North America.

"Our Forward Channel Partner network will help accelerate the roll-out of our superior bead cleaning technology across US commercial laundry businesses, increasing the number of installed and committed to be installed machines, and as importantly securing the long term, embedded service revenues that Xeros Sbeadycare provides.

"The tremendous interest shown in Xeros at the Clean Show is testament to the immediate relevance of our proposition to the commercial laundry market and is complemented by the financial incentives to install energy efficient Xeros machines now being offered by 13 utility companies."

Xeros will announce its results for the six months ended January 31 2015 on April 28.

Xeros website

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News: Cuts at Rotherham Station

Rotherham may have a modern £8.5m train station but ticket office hours are being cut and there is still no ticket machine.

Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham, has written to the Department for Transport and Northern Rail to oppose the recently announced changes that mean that the ticket office at Rotherham Central will be closing for an extra five hours and 45 minutes over a week, including almost three hours on a Sunday.

With no ticket machine outside of the office, it means passengers cannot buy tickets when the office is closed in addition to not being able to order cheaper tickets in advance to print out on the day of travel at Rotherham.

The Northern and TransPennine Express franchises provide many rail services across the North of England, including all services into Rotherham. The process of procuring new operators is now underway, with both new franchises due to commence in February 2016.

Publishing tender documents for bidders earlier this year, the Government has made pre-election promises that new franchise holders must replace outdated Pacer trains, introduce a brand new fleet of modern trains, add over 200 new train services every day across both franchises and provide over one-third more capacity across both franchises.

The RMT Union has warned that the new franchises will allow Driver Only Operation of trains, thereby threatening the jobs of conductors, and the loss of hundreds of station and ticket office staff. Both will have detrimental consequences for passengers, safety and service.

Champion believes that the cuts mean that Rotherham station has already been impacted more than any other in South Yorkshire. She questioned this decision and also the decision not to consult South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive about the move; despite the SYPTE being the organisation responsible for public transport in Rotherham.

Sarah said: "I'm extremely disappointed that this choice has been made and I hope that a solution can be found quickly. I understand difficult decisions are needed when it comes to public transport services but for me these cuts to Rotherham Central Station ticket office opening hours are a step too far.

"My biggest concern is the impact it will have on passengers, particularly the elderly and most vulnerable. A number have spoken to me about their safety concerns when using public transport and a staff presence provides them with reassurances. People deserve to feel safe when travelling and I don’t think this has been taken into serious consideration.

"I've now written to both the Department for Transport and Northern Rail in a bid to try and find a solution and reverse these changes. The fact they didn't consult the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive before these new times were implemented is a major worry. I believe the decision to cut almost six hours of the ticket office opening times will have a detrimental impact on Rotherham and the people who use the station."

Images: SYPTE

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News: Parseq's employee education partnership

Business process and technology specialist, Parseq, has announced a partnership with the skills provider, the National Sales Academy, which will enable its 1,500 employees in Rotherham and Sunderland to gain access to £3,000 worth of educational funding each.

Based at Hellaby, Parseq specialises in mobile and online banking software and technology-led outsourcing services and operates contact centres and finance and administration processing. It processes over 100,000 items of correspondence a day, £2 billion of electronic payments a month and make and receive over 70 million calls a year on the behalf of its clients.

Parseq will trial the educational scheme with the National Sales Academy first in South Yorkshire and the North East, before it is rolled out across its London and Brighton sites making it available to more than 2,100 employees.

Designed to encourage more employees to gain nationally recognised qualifications in subjects such as business administration, customer services, sales and management, the initiative is being made available to all of Parseq's employees who have been with the firm for at least six months and who currently don't hold any higher or further education qualifications.

Louise Cope, group HR hirector at Parseq, said: "Our employees are our most valuable asset. We pride ourselves on not only attracting the best talent in the industry but also supporting their professional development from the very moment they join Parseq and throughout their career with us.

"Our partnership with the National Sales Academy will further enhance our existing staff development programmes by providing all our employees with the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications while they work.

"We've always maintained the view that our business growth and success is the result of a dedicated, motivated and skilled workforce and this investment is testament to our continued commitment to all of our employees."

The firm, which works on behalf of a third of UK's utility sector, the top ten international banks and a sizable proportion of the charity sector, has announced a commitment to grow its business from turnover of £65m to £100m in just three years.

Parseq website

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News: Count on the election to create uncertainty

Paul Moorhead of Rotherham insolvency practice, Moorhead Savage, is warning that uncertainty around the upcoming general election could send some businesses closer to a financial crisis.


Established in RiDO's Moorgate Crofts business centre in Rotherham, Paul leads a team at Moorhead Savage offering high quality, professional, impartial and ethical help and debt advice to both companies and individuals.

Paul says that companies that depend on government contracts in particular could be badly affected over the next few weeks.

"Organisations working in that area may well already be having difficulty getting those contracts agreed and getting necessary funding in place, which could have a seriously detrimental effect in the long term," he said.

"Investment decisions are not being taken and people are generally being quite cautious about business in the run up to May 7.

"That uncertainty only grows when there is a possibility of a coalition and nobody can predict what form that coalition will take."

"But if businesses are being cautious with their cash and delaying buying new equipment, for instance, then there starts that whole serious knock on effect as the problem begins to spread and even when the election is out of the way it will still take quite a while for businesses to get back on track."

Paul added, though, that fears about cash flow needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

"My advice is always the same – seek help now when you can see the possibility of things going badly," he stressed.

"By making sure you have the best possible opportunity to manage the process and ensuring you have taken control of the situation before it becomes a crisis, the crisis should be avoided."

The growing firm has recently appointed Mark Watkin as partnership development manager.

A former financial advisor, Mark has spent many years working in the financial services sector and joins the team to raise the profile of the business by promoting the services across the region and building relationships with other professional organisations.

Moorhead Savage website

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News: Rotherham pubs set for new leases of life

The Spirit Pub Company has submitted plans that could see the Sandygate Hotel in Wath, Rotherham, given a new lease of life.

Owned by Trust Inns, the hotel, restaurant and pub was given national prominence when its then operators, David and Dyan Elliott, featured in Channel 5's Hotel Inspector in 2010, looking to turn the business around. The hotel gained further notoriety when Elvis-loving Dave left suddenly in 2012 blaming "astronomical overheads and beer costs."

Following a period under new operators, the eleven bedroom hotel was put up for sale.

Now plans have been submitted for refurbishments that indicate that the site is being brought back into use. These include new access doors, new paved areas, a new smoking canopy and a kitchen extractor.

The plans add that 35 new jobs, ten full time and 25 part time, could be created.

Spirit, which is set to be acquired by rival Greene King in a £750m deal, operates 750 high quality pubs under a number of brands including Fayre & Square; Flaming Grill; Taylor Walker; and John Barras. It also operates Good Night Inns, a group of hotels located next to its pub restaurants. This includes The Brentwood and Rockingham Arms in Rotherham.

In its financial results for the 53 weeks to August 23 2014, the company saw earnings increase 7% to £159m and profits up 11% to £60m. It added that it was looking to grow through its existing portfolio and through acquisitions and saw a significant opportunity to roll out its successful brands. £75m was available to fund expansion.

At Thrybergh, Star Pubs & Bars Ltd, the leased pub business of Heineken UK, has submitted plans to renovate the Reresby Arms with new entrances, full external redecoration with oak cladding and new signage. If approved, the renamed Lord Reresby (cgi above) could lead to a doubling of job numbers to 12 (four full time and eight part time) as it could accommodate 50/60 covers.

The company, which invested £18m in its estate last year, said that the 60's building is subject to a proposed refurbishment "which will include but not limited to an overhaul of the overall image and bring a focus on a good food offering."

The Master Brewer at Bramley is set for a new lease of life as offices for Wickersley firm, Aeon Financial Services. After acquiring the former Marston's property, the established firm of Chartered Financial Planners and Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs), has submitted plans to convert the pub into office accommodation.

The plans state: "The new scheme will allow the company to consolidate its business in one location without moving to far from its current base. This will be achieved by forming new accommodation within the existing structure. The scheme will be privately funded and has been designed in a manner that allows public access by appointment with AEON Financial Services."

Images: Rightmove / Star Pubs & Bars Ltd / InnSight

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News: Bus station refurb out to tender

Plans for a multimillion pound revamp of the interchange car park in Rotherham town centre are progressing with construction firms invited to tender for the £4m to £5m project.

Investigations had shown that the car park on the site of the bus station requires £4m worth of repairs. Plans have been approved for the detailed design of the renovation and re-cladding of the four-storey car park where highly durable anodised mesh panels will be used to replace the poorly implemented current cladding, with the junctions and recesses in the structure used to break the building into an appearance of three blocks.

Planners at Rotherham Council said that the current building is utilitarian in appearance and looks run-down, and that it does not contribute visually to the town centre. They expect the proposed cladding, in three tones of brown and gold, to greatly improve the overall appearance of the building in the day time and at night.

As part of the plans, the internal areas, which in some places are now in a poor state of repair, would be totally revamped.

Opened in 1971, the car park, which sits between Frederick Street and the River Don, has since developed widespread defects and the existing tight spaces and drab appearance mean that occupancy levels only average approximately one third of its 678 capacity.

In the recent Borough Wide Lifestyle Survey, only 10% of the 4,123 pupils surveyed said they usually feel safe in Rotherham town centre. 9% said they feel safe at the bus station and 7% at the train station. Last year this was phrased "waiting for local transport" where just 14% said that they felt safe.

The approved plans were only meant to a fall back option if other development opportunities did not progress. Discussions had been ongoing with the landlord with a view to developing the interchange site. The SYPTE, Rotherham Council and the owners, Norseman Holdings, met to discuss potential alternative development options for the site and Norseman committed to review the options of a leisure facility at the site and report back on options.

The long term plan and required funding for car park repairs was being investigated by officers but with the refurbishment option reaching the tender stage, a larger scale redevelopment looks unlikely.

SYPTE website

Images: Aedas

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News: AMRC help Close Brothers launch apprenticeship scheme

Close Brothers Group plc, the leading merchant banking group, has launched a programme to help SMEs recruit and train a new generation of advanced engineering workers with the support of the AMRC Training Centre in Rotherham and the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA).

Under the scheme, Close Brothers will help pay for 20 apprentices to learn their skills at the AMRC Training Centre. Close Brothers will fund half of the new recruits' wages during the first year and a quarter in the second, meaning participating SMEs won't have to bear the full cost of employing the apprentices until they are making a positive contribution to their business. The first intake will be in September 2015.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, The AMRC Training Centre forms part of the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) group and provides training in the practical and academic skills that manufacturing companies need to compete globally, from apprenticeship through to doctorate and MBA level.

In what is a banking first, the programme will support a further 20 apprentices in year two and 20 more in year three, meaning Close Brothers will be supporting up to 60 apprentices in the scheme at full capacity.

Specialising in lending, wealth management services and securities trading, Close Brothers has been a long-term supporter of SMEs, doubling its lending to the sector since 2009. The scheme is open to all SMEs, not just those currently working with Close Brothers.

Close Brothers, the MTA and the AMRC Training Centre will offer further support for participating companies and there are plans to bring the SME apprentices and Close Brothers' own financial apprentices together for team building and other events.

Stephen Hodges, chief executive of Close Brothers Banking division, said: "We know from our work with SMEs that many would like to take on apprentices but they are worried about the cost, time, and resource involved. Britain's manufacturing companies urgently need to recruit and train a new generation of skilled engineering workers if they are to grow in an increasingly competitive global market: we hope our initiative will help more SMEs to do just that. We believe this pioneering scheme will provide genuine financial support to the SME sector."

James Selka, CEO of the MTA, a trade association for companies working in the engineering-based manufacturing sector, said: "Companies need highly skilled workforces to enable them to get the most out of the latest technology they need to deploy to stay ahead. This initiative offers smaller firms the chance to be at the forefront of securing those skills for their futures. They, no less than larger companies, need to increase side-by-side investments in technology and skills to be globally competitive and meet customer demands for versatility. This scheme will help them do just that."

Alison Bettac, director of training at the AMRC Training Centre, added: "We are really grateful to Close Brothers for creating this golden opportunity for smaller firms to put fears of the costs and the administrative burden of employing an apprentice to one side.

"In addition to getting a high-quality vocational education, shop floor skills and access to employment, apprentices at the AMRC Training Centre can also be taking the first step on a road that could lead to undergraduate and post graduate qualifications that could make them company leaders in the future."

AMRC Training website
Close Brothers website
MTA website

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News: Rolls-Royce lands $9.2 billion Emirates order

World-renowned engineers, Rolls-Royce, has won its largest ever order, worth $9.2 billion (£6.16 billion), to provide Trent 900 engines and TotalCare service support to Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East.

The order is also one of the largest ever export orders for a UK company.

Rolls-Royce said that the decision confirms the Trent 900 as the engine of choice on the four-engine A380, the world's largest passenger airliner. It has now secured more than 50% market share on the aircraft, in addition to being selected by the majority of Airbus A380 customers.

John Rishton, chief executive officer at Rolls-Royce, said: "The success of Emirates over the last thirty years has been extraordinary; this is in no small part thanks to the exceptional leadership of Sir Tim Clark. Rolls-Royce has been proud to have been part of this success, powering Emirates aircraft since 1996. We are delighted that Emirates has again placed its trust in our technology, with the biggest order in our history.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, added: “Rolls-Royce is a key partner for Emirates and we have been impressed with its commitment to continual improvements in the economic and operational performance of the Trent 900. These improvements have been decisive factors in our selection of the product for 50 of our A380s.

"Today's announcement is significant not only because it cements the partnership between Emirates and Rolls-Royce, but also because of the significant economic impact that this will have on aviation manufacturing in the UK and Europe."

The engines will contain turbine blades manufacturing in Rotherham at Rolls-Royce's Advanced Blade Casting Facility (ABCF), the £110m facility that was officially opened on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), earlier this year.

The Nickel-based superalloys are made from single crystals using the very latest manufacturing techniques. These SX blades generate the power of a Formula 1 racing car and temperature within the high pressure turbine is 1,700 degrees centigrade, hotter than the melting point of the turbine blades themselves, so they have to be coated with a special ceramic and cooled with air passed through the discs and out of a series of precise holes in the blade.

The facility, has the capacity to produce 200,000 turbine blades per year. There are over 65 in every iconic Trent engine and 182 turbine blades in each Trent XWB engine.

The Trent XWB, the world's most efficient aero engine and specifically designed for the A350 XWB, is the fastest-selling civil large engine ever, with more than 1,600 already sold to 40 customers. The latest version of the Trent 900 includes technology developed for the Trent XWB and Trent 1000 engines.

Rolls-Royce website

Images: Emirates

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News: Chantry's toast to Beatson Clark

Rotherham's Chantry Brewery has named a new beer in honour of glass bottle manufacturer Beatson Clark, one of the oldest businesses in the town.

The Greasborough Road firm, which has been making glass bottles and jars in Rotherham since 1751, specialises in providing glass packaging solutions for niche brands in the food, drink and pharmaceutical markets worldwide.

Chantry Brewery began producing quality real ale in 2012 after significant investment in the latest brewing technology installed at its Parkgate facility. It has recently launched Teaser, a 4.5% pale ale brewed with Bravo USA hops.

Tim Swetnam, technical and environmental manager at Beatson Clark (pictured at the Cutler's Arms in Rotherham), noticed that the names of the beers focused on Rotherham's steel heritage, with brews called Women of Steel, Kaldo and 18 Eight – a grade of stainless steel. The idea for Chantry Brewery came about when Mick and Kevin Warburton, who worked in the steel industry for many years, and their friend Sean Page saw an opportunity to bring brewing to their home town of Rotherham.

"I suggested to Sean Page from Chantry that he brew a glass-themed beer for Beatson Clark," said Tim.

"We discussed what style of beer I like and what I thought it should be called. I suggested Teaser, which has a double meaning: the beer teases the palate but a teaser is also the original name given to the furnace man in the glassworks centuries ago.

"Three weeks ago they told us they were brewing the new beer and invited us to go to the brewery and take a look."

Beatson Clark furnace operator Max Elliott features on the pump clip for the beer, which is being sold in Chantry Brewery’s three pubs in South Yorkshire.

"The beer is delicious, a stronger than average hoppy pale ale, and we're very proud of the association with this fantastic local brewery," said Tim.

Mick Warburton, co-owner at Chantry Brewery added: "Everyone in Rotherham is proud of Beatson Clark with its 250-year history. Tim is fan of our beer and when he asked if we could name one after Beatson Clark we were more than happy to oblige.

"We thought it fitting that Tim named it and brewed it to his taste – a nice hoppy session beer to quench the thirst of a glass maker, but with a bit more bite!

"The beer has proved very popular in the area. It's being sold in over 30 local pubs and more than 4,000 pints of it have been drunk already."

Beatson Clark has close associations with the brewing industry and manufactures beer bottles for several breweries, including Meantime, Robinsons and Brooklyn Brewery in New York.

Beatson Clark website
Chantry Brewery website

Images: Beatson Clark

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