News: Collaboration for Korean startups

Rotherham firms have been offering advice and support to new business startups from South Korea that are taking part in an innovative accelerator programme hosted by the borough.

Following a successful trade mission, five companies have now invested in the region, bringing remarkable new products to market. After receiving initial support from the South Korean Government, they are being housed in one of Rotherham's four enterprise centres run by RiDO, the Council's regeneration arm.

Based at Moorgate Crofts Businesses Centre, the five companies have teamed up with over 15 local businesses to help them gain an insight into the UK market. Through a number of workshops, mentoring sessions and knowledge exchange the South Korean companies are now much better informed on running a business in the UK.

Cllr. Denise Lelliott, advisory cabinet member for Housing and the Local Environment at Rotherham Council, said: "Our local businesses have proven to be great ambassadors for Rotherham and the UK. They have all been extremely forthcoming in sharing their skills and knowledge which has been well received by the South Korean companies."

Town centre retailer Charlotte Scothern from Patchwork Pig has been passing on her wholesaler and customer experience with the "Daytripper" team who have come up with an innovative idea for the umbrella. Charlotte (pictured, right) said: "The Daytripper team have been wonderful to work with, they have great energy and enthusiasm for their product which would work well in the giftware and retail market."

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Local accountancy firm, Allotts, organised focus groups to enable Daytripper to develop the features of their new umbrella and led workshops to give advice on the legal requirements for operating a business in the UK. Jackie Saunders from Allotts said: "It's been an exciting new venture working with high tech businesses that are new to the region."

The "Ultimate Drone" team has been supported by Vertex Access, a Templeborough company, to help develop their first drone prototype. Vertex Access have shared their expertise in the market and enabled them to identify their customer segments and applications for the use of the drone.

Julia Millea for RiDO (pictured, second right) said: "We've being delighted by the response from local businesses to get involved, they have been very generous with their time and support, which has been one of the key successes of the programme. The teams received a warm welcome which has helped them to integrate into the business community."

"The South Korean Government is delighted by the teams' progress here in the UK and we hope to see at least three of the teams setting-up their business in the region over the coming months."

The Accelerator programme runs until mid-November with a final pitch day for investment being made on November 12.

RiDO website

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News: AMRC to be replicated in Korea

The University of Sheffield is to set up a branch of its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing in the Republic of Korea.

Based 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.

The AMRC employs over 250 people and helped the University of Sheffield to overtake the University of Cambridge for engineering research income. The model has already been replicated in Denmark, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and India.

The new Korean AMRC (KAMRC) is being established following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the University, the Korea Institute of Carbon Convergence Technology (KCTECH), Jeonju University and Jeonju City.

The agreement builds on an earlier MoU, signed in 2012 by the University, KCTECH and Jeonju City, which heralded the start of international collaboration between the organisations.

Since then several successful projects have been undertaken and KCTECH was officially recognised as an Associated Laboratory by the AMRC early this year.

One project led to researchers from the AMRC, KCTECH and the SsangYong Motor Company winning the JEC Asia Award for innovation in automotive applications for their work on developing a complex composite acoustic cover for a car engine bay that could be cured in an industrial microwave.

The new MoU will lead to further collaboration on research, support Korean suppliers to AMRC partners and promote educational cooperation on the joint development of manufacturing courses and student exchanges.

The KAMRC will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Sheffield.

The MoU was signed during a visit to South Korea by AMRC executive dean, Prof Keith Ridgway, CBE; the head of the AMRC Composites Group, Richard Scaife, and Jounghwan Lee, who was involved in the research which led to the JEC Asia Award.

AMRC website

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News: Rotherham welcomes Korea move

Rotherham has welcomed a number of new businesses from South Korea on the back of a successful trade mission to the region.

In May trade delegates from South Korea signed Memorandums of Understanding with the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) on a recent visit to the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham. It was the first time a business delegation led by a representative of the South Korean government has visited a British region outside London.


Five companies have now invested in the region, bringing remarkable new products to market, across the fields of emergency medical treatment, soil nutrients in agriculture, aero-drones, an online tutorial platform and tourism – in the form of a project to help visitors handle the British weather.

The companies are receiving initial support from the South Korean Government. They are being housed in one of Rotherham's four enterprise centres – the borough is recognised as one of the UK's most successful promoters and supporters of new businesses, with multiple awards in the field. The local authority's regeneration arm, Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RiDO) has set up a three-month programme of support and introductions.

The businesses include Ultimate Drone which is developing a new generation of drone – the UD-10X, capable of carrying 30kg of industrial payload.

Three young entrepreneurs are set to launch Umbrella Rental, initially in London and in collaboration with cycle-hire companies and tube stations to use their facilities to site rental machines aimed at tourists caught out by the Great British weather.

Y&S Future is an innovative technology company developing IT software "smart" products and is developing the Lomylife Emergency Medical Service - a small piece of IT tagging, linked to an electronic card or smartphone. It can also be worn in safety helmets.

Entrepreneurs behind Sucseed are developing software that can improve the way nutrients are added to soil. By transferring information automatically via a smartphone or the web, those systems can increase productivity, cut fertiliser use, minimise greenhouse gas emissions and reduce water pollution, cut costs and improve efficiency and overall soil quality.

Netalkers has been created by chief executive Becky Cho and aims to bring together professionals through modern telecommunications, IT and applications such as Skype.

Cllr Denise Lelliott, advisory cabinet member for Housing and Local Economy at Rotherham Council, said: "It is great to see these young companies coming to Rotherham as part of the business accelerator project. I hope they thrive and grow within our business centre and wider business network here in the region."

The May event was put together by RiDO and supported by Sheffield City Region, Sheffield University and private sector partners, including Freeths Law Firm in Sheffield.

TRoom Ltd, a Korean government trade organisation has chosen Rotherham as its base. Founder Dabriel Choi was the driving force behind the mission. He said, "These incoming companies have the potential to change our lives for the better. It's typical of Rotherham's vision – a vision that created the Advanced Manufacturing Park – that it would want to bring them to the UK and support them."

RiDO website

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News: AMRC in new Korean collaboration

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing in Rotherham has signed a new collaboration agreement with South Korea's leading composites research institute.

The agreement was signed at the same time as the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the UK has approved a hugely significant Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Korea that will bring an estimated £500m of annual benefits to the UK and create £2bn of additional export opportunities for UK businesses.

The agreement between the AMRC and the Jeonju Institute of Machinery and Carbon Composites (JMC) covers joint research and development on carbon composite materials, including joint proposals for technology development projects.

The memorandum of understanding was signed at a ceremony at the AMRC Factory of the Future on the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

The AMRC Composite Centre focuses on areas including automated production, machining, and advanced curing technologies. The Composite Centre will move into expanded facilities in the new extension to the AMRC Factory of the Future in April.

The new facility will allow the experts to provide a full range of design, manufacturing, assembly and structural testing services for advanced composite materials. The centre will also work with complex hybrid components and systems, which require manufacturing expertise in both composite and metallic structures.

Carbon fibre composite materials are increasingly used in aerospace, marine, automotive and other high-value industries. They provide a valuable combination of light weight and high strength, but present a host of manufacturing challenges.

AMRC website

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News: Rotherham builds business links with Korea

Gary Soper, the First Secretary of Trade & Industry at the UK Embassy in Korea visited Rotherham this month.

This follows visits between representatives of Seocho City and Rotherham to help develop links between leading industrial, business and investment companies.

The event at the Carlton Park Hotel included a an open, round-table discussion and the opportunity to listen to the diverse opportunities that currently exist for business in Korea and the far-east.

Rotherham MP Denis MacShane spoke at the event: "Korea is Asia's forth biggest economy with a highly educated population and the world's biggest and best broadband access. We all see Korean products on our road in the form of Kia or Hyundai cars and in our homes or in our pockets in the form of Samsung and LG products.

"Europe as the world's biggest single market is very important to Korea which is why I would like to see the UK as the European gateway for Korean goods into the 500 million strong EU market and Rotherham should seek to get a slice of that action.

"I welcome Gary Soper's visit here as one of the UK’s most experienced trade diplomats and I hope we can now sow the seeds of a positive relationship between Rotherham and Korea."

Rotherham

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News: MariNOx chosen for new Korean LNG carriers

The world-leading emissions monitoring system from Rotherham's Martek Marine has been specified for two new 147,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built in the DSME shipyard in South Korea. The vessels will be operated by Shell STASCO on behalf of the Brunei Government and the contract follows on the back of 44 other deals for LNG carriers and 21 tankers being built in South Korea over the last three years. One such deal will see the first giant tanker carrying LNG from the Middle East to one of two new terminals in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire complete with Martek's MariNOx system on board. The Tembek, a 211,885 m3 Q-Flex LNG tanker, was built at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard at Geoje, South Korea and launched in November 2007 as part of the Qatargas 2 project. It is one of over 40 vessels in the Qatargas project to be fitted with the MariNOx on-board engine emissions monitoring system. MariNOx was the world's first Type Approved on-board NOx, SOx & CO2 emissions monitoring system and remains the overwhelming market leader with over 100 systems sold.

Martek Marine website
Rotherham

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News: Bulksafe makes a splash in Korea

Following large contracts for its MariNOx systems, Rotherham based Martek Marine has recently established a new market opportunity in the Far Eastern country of Korea with the Bulksafe water ingress detection system. Martek has built up a number of relationships in Korea in the run up to Christmas highlighting the success of breaking into new markets which has helped to kick start 2009. Sales Coordinator Sue Baum is excited about the Bulksafe System entering another new country: "It’s been great to develop business links in a country where we have not previously had a presence. Korea is one of numerous new countries that we’ve developed relationships with in the past few months and the team are very excited about the enquires we’ve received so far!" Last year Martek announced that MariNOx systems are to be installed across four major shipyards in the Korean city of Busan.

Martek Marine website

Rotherham

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News: Rotherham to welcome South Korean visitors

A special delegation from South Korea is to visit Rotherham next week to meet with leading businesses partners and visit regeneration projects. The eleven-strong visiting party from Seocho City, a sub-centre of Seoul, includes Sung-Joong Park, the Mayor of Seocho, and host of business people and officials. Whilst in Rotherham, the party will visit major regeneration projects, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at Waverley and tour the Magna Science Adventure Centre. They will also take in a presentation on economic regeneration, sustainability and housing issues in Rotherham. Explaining the purpose behind the visit, Karl Battersby, Rotherham Borough Council's Strategic Director for Environment and Development Services, said: "This visit has been arranged as a result of a long-standing partnership between Wales High School and Banpo School in Seocho City - the first relationship of its kind between a UK and a Korean school. "The Mayor of Seocho City was keen to develop the school link into a broader partnership at a council-wide level. The objective of their visit here is to look at possible areas for collaboration and joint-learning on many fronts, including regeneration, housing, leisure and the environment. I'm sure this visit will be the start of a productive and valuable relationship between Rotherham and Seocho City." The party will arrive in Rotherham on Monday 21 April and depart on Friday 25 April. Many of South Korea’s largest corporations, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai/KIA Motors and LG, have established their head offices in Seocho City. Seocho is actively pursuing its mission of becoming a centre for the ‘hitech intelligence’ industry and house the headquarters of The Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency, which actively seeks overseas investment opportunities for Korea.

RiDO website

Rotherham

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