News: Rotherham manufacturers urged to make most of business support

A specialist taskforce established by Yorkshire Forward to look at how Yorkshire and Humber's manufacturing industry can be supported through the recession has found that many regional companies are missing out on opportunities for support.

The group is Chaired by Richard Wright, CEO of Rotherham based Intertius Ltd and former President of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and includes representatives from regional companies, Business Link Yorkshire, the Manufacturing Advisory Service and Engineering Employers Federation.

The group has identified that many are missing out on opportunities to access support and are now working to make sure companies understand the best routes to access support and improve their business.

Richard Wright said: "An example would be finance. There are various publicly funded finance schemes available through Business Link Yorkshire but the Banks still remain the major source of short term finance. We know that they are being more challenging to companies who want to borrow; however, one of the many services Yorkshire Forward is funding through Business Link Yorkshire is a free financial health check, which allows a company to look at their financial situation in detail.

"Similarly, there is a huge amount of support available via the Manufacturing Advisory Service around process efficiency and productivity. MAS are also able to provide mentoring support, which can be incredibly helpful for those company leaders for whom this is their first recession."

As well as direct business support, manufacturing companies are also eligible for assistance from Rotherham Council and HMRC via their Business Rates Deferral Scheme, which allows companies to spread payment of their tax or business rates to help alleviate short term cash flow issues.

Yorkshire Forward website
Business Link website
Rotherham

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News: Sandvik to create European Centre of Excellence in Rotherham

Sheffield developer JF Finnegan has secured one of the region's largest pre-let deals; Swedish global industrial group Sandvik, with a £1.7M supporting grant from Yorkshire Forward, is introducing a new state-of-the-art Sandvik European Centre of Excellence (SECoE) to be sited at JF Finnegan's Beighton Link Business Park in Rotherham.

As reported first on Rothbiz last month, Sandvik will be utilising a new 112,500 sq ft facility which incorporates a 90,000sq ft workshop, 22,500sq ft of office accommodation over 3 floors and 150 parking spaces.

Upon its completion towards the end of 2009, the Centre of Excellence will bring together all the finish processing and supply management activities for the production of orthopaedic implants and instruments from Sandvik's existing Sheffield facilities.

Sandvik will be well placed to build on its existing market leading position in the medical sector, becoming the ideal partner for medical device companies. The development will incorporate the latest in environmentally-friendly technology, minimising energy consumption and it is expected that the business will grow in the future, enabling the creation of new jobs.

David Beighton, President and Managing Director of Sandvik Medical Solutions, explained: "The new SECoE will bring together state-of-the-art technology with our commitment to skills development, faith in the Sheffield workforce and a determination to ensure excellent facilities both inside and surrounding the SECoE, making Sandvik a true employer of choice in the locality.

"The development of the new SECoE in Rotherham will complement our existing operations and create a platform for future expansion. The SECoE will provide an improved working environment and contain state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Employees will, therefore, be able to develop their skills through a comprehensive training programme and exposure to the latest technology available."

Philip Ryan, Chairman of JF Finnegan, said: "The development of Sandvik’s SECoE at Beighton Link is a major coup for both the scheme and the region and confirms our initial confidence in the development as an integral part of South Yorkshire’s regeneration."

Tim O'Connell, Business Development Manager at Rotherham Investment & Development Office, said: "We welcome the announcement of this Sandvik project. It is yet another example of how advanced manufacturing companies can thrive and expand their businesses in this region."

Sandvik website
Beighton Link website
Rotherham

Images: JF Finnegan

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News: Lantern's yard ramps defy recession

Lantern Engineering, the Rotherham based manufacturer of mobile yard ramps reports record numbers of both enquiries and sales for the final quarter of 2008.



Lantern's Sales Director Michael Warren says: "Traditionally November and December are usually our quieter months for sales of yard ramps, but this year we saw massively increased enquiry volumes all through the quarter. This resulted in our best months ever for sales and rentals of yard ramps. Even more encouraging is that this upward trend has also continued into 2009 which has again seen record interest in our range of mobile yard ramps."

Whilst a certain amount of new business has come from existing yard ramp users transferring their allegiances to Lantern, the main increase in activity has been from companies discovering the benefits of yard ramps for the first time.

By speeding up the unloading of containers and vehicles, users can dramatically decrease turn-around times and with less staff, thus lowering their costs. Because yard ramps are a relatively low cost tool, they provide incredibly quick payback times.

The Maltby company has also increased export sales and recently delivered a standard 10T capacity yard ramp to a new client in Dubai.

Lantern website
Rotherham

Images: lantern.co.uk

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News: Davy Markham apprentices visit Dormer Tools

Young apprentices from Sheffield heavy engineering firm, DavyMarkham, were among the first visitors to Dormer Tools' brand new training centre the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.


Whilst DavyMarkham's corporate history dates back to the very earliest days of South Yorkshire's engineering and manufacturing heritage, nowadays it is equally focused on state-of-the-art production technology, notably high precision machining, boring and drilling. So the company promptly accepted an invitation from Dormer for a group of its apprentices to visit the brand new training centre and view how ultra-modern products can be used to improve productivity and quality.

The purpose of the training session was to give the DavyMarkham apprentices an in-depth introduction to selecting and using Dormer cutting tools, with a view to optimising cutting conditions and enhancing productivity.

During the day, the lads enjoyed demonstrations in milling, threading and drilling, using the latest generation of high tech tooling, and had practical sessions in calculating cutting data.

Kevin Parkin, managing director at DavyMarkham said: "This is a world-class facility that Dormer has created and it was an unmissable opportunity for our trainees to increase their knowledge of cutting tools, in a superb learning environment.

"It's through such collaboration that Sheffield will maintain its position at the cutting edge of manufacturing technology."

Robert Smith, Technical Sales Manager at Dormer Tools, added: "We were pleased to host the apprentices from DavyMarkham and provide them with an opportunity to see the training and research & development services available at our new site. The training room has proven to be very popular, with a number of organisations using the facility since we opened."

Dormer Tools website
DavyMarkham website
Rotherham

Images: strategic-sites.com / davymarkham.com

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News: Emerging energy technologies on the agenda in Rotherham

Businesses, researchers and investors interested in supporting the emerging energy sector attended an event to explore the development and support of new energy technologies in Rotherham.


The Emerging Energy Technologies Conference organised on behalf of Yorkshire Forward took place at the flagship Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, and is part of an increased focus on the environmental energy technology sector.

Delegates got a feel for the predominant design and themes within the broad spectrum of the energy sector; and will got an insight into the political and economic environment which is both supporting and challenging this market.

The event focused on case studies from a variety of forward-thinking companies including Altium, British Airways, Royal Mail, ITI Energy Ltd, Life IC Ltd, ITM Power Plc and Yorkshire Forward who had representatives speaking at the event.

Chris Scholey, Yorkshire Forward's new Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) Champion, previously the Managing Director of Renaissance South Yorkshire and Project Director at the AMP for three years, discussed the AMP's energy and environmental credentials.

The AMP's most recent construction, the second phase of the Advanced Manufacturing Park Technology Centre offers flexible, serviced offices, laboratory and workshop units in a carbon-neutral building, powered by Europe's largest capacity hydrogen mini-grid system. It has been designed to allow companies to develop and expand their environmental energy technology business in the countries most environmentally advanced technology centre.

Jim Farmery, Assistant Director at Yorkshire Forward said: "There is huge potential for the region's businesses to tap into the emerging environmental energy technologies market and we hope this event will help them do this. The AMP is an ideal location for these businesses to locate with its wealth of materials and manufacturing expertise and EETC allows companies to reinforce their commitment to environment."

AMP website
Rotherham

Images: ampwaverley.com /hydrogen-yorkshire.co.uk

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