Small manufacturers have a vital role to play in shaping a strategy for UK industry – but they need a clear, consistent vision from Government first.
This was one of the key messages at the East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference 2023, in which business, industry and academic leaders came together to discuss opportunities and challenges.
More than 170 people attended the summit, organised by East Midlands Chamber in partnership with East Midlands Airport, Geldards and Loughborough University, which hosted the event at its West Park Teaching Hub on Thursday 6 April.
It was the latest initiative in the Chamber’s engagement programme to develop insights behind its regional economic blueprint, titled A Centre of Trading Excellence: A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond, which was launched in Westminster last autumn.
The 12-page manifesto is led by “The Big Opportunity” for Government to further develop the region’s key assets – its industrial heritage, leading-edge universities, central location and the country’s largest pure freight airport – to establish a formula for economic growth across UK regions as part of priority national agendas such as levelling up and net zero.
Chris Hobson, director of policy and insight at East Midlands Chamber, said: “It’s always important to tap into the knowledge base of our region’s manufacturing leaders, who live and breathe the everyday reality of running a business in an industry that holds the key to unlocking future economic prosperity but is also experiencing a long list of challenges.
“One of the threads that ran through several discussions was the importance of having a consistent, shared vision between Government and business.
“Policy has changed direction far too often, including numerous industrial strategies in recent times, for companies that require a stable environment to breed the certainty which ultimately leads to long-term investment plans.
“When creating this vision, it’s vital that SMEs are at the heart of it in a bottom-up approach, while it must also be underpinned by targeted public investment. For businesses, the message is they should also be willing to play an active role in these discussions with our policymakers.”
The conference included keynote speeches from:
· Nora Senior CBE, chair of the East Midlands Freeport, which recently received official approval from Government and was described as “one of the most transformative economic initiatives this region has seen in a long time”
· East Midlands Airport’s new managing director Steve Griffiths, who explained how the average export tonne that passes through the airport’s cargo operation is worth £335,000 – 1.9-times higher than other UK airports and 168-times higher than the average for all British ports
· Loughborough University vice-chancellor and president Professor Nick Jennings, and professor of manufacturing automation and robotics Niels Lohse, who explained the financial and cultural barriers to adoption of automation, which he said could improve productivity by 22% just by using technology that’s already available.
Chris added: “There were some really interesting lessons from our speakers. We know all about how poorly we perform as a nation when it comes to productivity despite being an international leader in digital technology innovation.
“There are clearly some significant cost and cultural barriers to adoption that we must begin to understand in order to implement these innovations within our manufacturing processes.
“Also, the importance of East Midlands Airport’s cargo operation to our region’s economy was reinforced by insights into the high-value goods in sectors such as automotive and aerospace it transports across the world – and with 28% of all cargo originating in the East Midlands, this reaffirms the Centre of Trading Excellence we have in this region.”
Streets Chartered Accountants will sponsor the East Midlands Bricks Awards for the sixth year running in 2023, backing the prestigious Overall Winner award.
Speaking with Business Link, James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, said: “Streets Chartered Accountants, as specialists in property and construction, are looking to build on our reputation for looking after clients in the sector.
“Our continued support and engagement with the East Midlands Bricks Awards certainly is a great way to promote our work, support the sector and for us to connect with developers, contractors, agents and other professionals who across the region are engaged in a plethora of exciting, imaginative and innovative projects.
“The Bricks has earned an enviable reputation as a must enter awards for those involved in the construction and property sector from across the East Midlands. As such we are delighted to be sponsoring the ‘Overall Winner’ category for the sixth year in a row and are really looking forward to attending this year’s awards evening in September.”
The awards, which will take place on Thursday 28 Septemberat the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, celebrate the outstanding work of those shaping the landscape of our region, recognising development projects and people in commercial and public building across the East Midlands – from offices, industrial and residential, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools.
Nominations are now OPEN for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards.
To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
Nominations end Thursday 31 August.Find out who last year’s winners were here.
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the awards event – click here to secure yours.
The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, our keynote speaker.
Dress code is standard business attire.
Thanks to our sponsors:To be held at:
Easter eggs aren’t just for children – that was the feeling of generous company staff when they donated hundreds of chocolate treats for grown-ups helped into Derbyshire properties after experiencing homelessness.
Shacklocks solicitors, which has branches in Belper, Derby, Ripley and Mansfield, turned Easter bunny in aid of people supported by Derventio Housing Trust. Derventio’s residents received more than 50 eggs donated by Sean Clare, senior business director at Blue Arrow recruitment, too.
The legal firm donated huge numbers of eggs, bunnies, sweets, vegan and diabetic-friendly goodies to help people in Derventio’s properties enjoy their Easter.
The eggs were handed over to grateful Derventio staff working at its Growing Lives base in Ilkeston. Growing Lives is a day centre run by Derventio which provides people in its properties – and referred there via other services – with communal activities such as woodworking, craft and walks, with the aim of helping support them to get back on their feet again.
Many people who have attended Growing Lives have said it really helped them turn their lives around. They include Cotmanhay man Darren Cox, who went from homeless and attempting suicide to training to be a lay preacher, helping others through his church.
Penny Wiltshire, funding and development manager at Derventio, said: “We received four boxes absolutely brimming with a massive variety of treats from Shacklocks. They had gone to so much trouble. The donation of more than 50 eggs from Blue Arrow just blew us away too.
“They will be much enjoyed by our residents. When you’re short of money, the last thing you think about doing is going and buying yourself a bit of chocolate. By doing this at Derventio with generous support from companies like Shacklocks and Blue Arrow, we are showing our residents that we’re not just helping them out with giving them a roof over their head, we want to support and look after them and help them develop, and actually just give them a treat now and then!”
Derventio now manages 600 bed spaces of accommodation for single homeless people in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Wiltshire, and helps more than 1,100 people a year by offering housing, support and specialist projects in order that they improve their health and wellbeing, increase resilience and prepare for independent living, learning and employment.
It is appealing to businesses to support its work by donating to support starter and moving on packs to help people move into its properties, and then move on at the end of their time with Derventio.
A partnership between the University of Derby and Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd focused on developing nuclear skills and experts of the future has been recognised at a top industry awards ceremony. Together, the organisations scooped ‘Employer & Training Provider Partnership Award’ at the UK Nuclear Skills Awards 2023 at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester. The award recognises the strong partnership working between the two organisations, in particular the collaboration on the new Nuclear Skills Academy (NSA) in Derby, which opened its doors to 200 new apprentices in September 2022.Developed at pace, the Academy is the first of its kind and aims to sustain nuclear capability within the UK’s submarines programme by creating a dedicated pipeline of talent at the start of their careers. It is supported by other industry experts, including the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the National College for Nuclear and Derby City Council, ensuring apprentices have access to the best courses and mentors throughout their apprenticeship.The University has been instrumental in providing the nuclear apprenticeship pathways, and has worked to develop the facility and convert the building into classroom and digital learning spaces, along with industry-standard engineering workshops. Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby, said: “At Derby, we are committed to developing, training, empowering and supporting the next generation of game-changers, equipping them with the skills, experiences, resilience and curiosity to thrive and make a positive impact on the world.
“The Nuclear Skills Academy is a first of its kind, bringing together leading experts in industry and academia who are delivering skills for the future. We have a long-standing relationship with Rolls-Royce and are delighted that our approach to partnership working has been recognised through this award.” Lee Warren, Engineering & Technology Director at Rolls-Royce, and a former apprentice himself, said: “The launch and delivery of our Nuclear Skills Academy has been a truly collaborative effort from the start. Receiving this prestigious award, around a year after we announced our intentions to launch a dedicated centre for nuclear education, is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and the pace with which we’ve brought it to life.
“The expertise and support from the University of Derby, and other NSA partners, have been invaluable and this is another step on the way to cementing Derby as the home of nuclear excellence.”
Workplace consultants and office interior fit-out specialist Blueprint Interiors has announced a director promotion and the appointment of a new business development manager.
Andy Sawyer, who was previously contracts manager has been promoted to project director and Ben Dawson joins as a business development manager.
With over 25 years’ experience within the fit-out sector, Andy joined Blueprint Interiors in 2016 and will join the management board. He has previously worked with some of the leading global leisure and retail brands on demanding and high profile commercial fit-out projects.
Andy Sawyer said: “I am delighted that my loyalty and hard work has been rewarded with a promotion and I am looking forward to working with the management team to improve processes and nurture the skills of the fantastic team we have at here at Blueprint Interiors.
“The size of contracts we have been trusted to complete over recent years are testament to our commitment to helping employers create cultures centred around workplace well-being and designed to be used by their best asset – their people.”
Ben, who lives in Leicestershire, has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and studied architecture at De Montfort University. He began his career as an interior designer but gravitated towards business development in order to build on his passion for developing relationships and delivering tailored solutions.
Ben said: “I’m looking forward to promoting the company to my extensive network of contacts within the architectural and commercial property sectors as well wider business community. I was hugely impressed with the quality of case studies on the website and the glowing testimonials from some impressive clients.”
Operations director Rachel Biddles added: “We are enjoying an extensive period of growth as businesses realise they need advice from workplace consultants to discover how to create inspiring places where people are equipped with the tools to adapt to hybrid work styles.
“Andy joining the board will strengthen the management team and enable us to further improve contract processes and Ben’s expertise in business development will help us to continue winning work from the top employers in the Midlands.”
Small manufacturers have a vital role to play in shaping a strategy for UK industry – but they need a clear, consistent vision from Government first.
This was one of the key messages at the East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference 2023, in which business, industry and academic leaders came together to discuss opportunities and challenges.
More than 170 people attended the summit, organised by East Midlands Chamber in partnership with East Midlands Airport, Geldards and Loughborough University, which hosted the event at its West Park Teaching Hub.
It was the latest initiative in the Chamber’s engagement programme to develop insights behind its regional economic blueprint, titled A Centre of Trading Excellence: A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond, which was launched in Westminster last autumn.
The 12-page manifesto is led by “The Big Opportunity” for Government to further develop the region’s key assets – its industrial heritage, leading-edge universities, central location and the country’s largest pure freight airport – to establish a formula for economic growth across UK regions as part of priority national agendas such as levelling up and net zero.
Chris Hobson, director of policy and insight at East Midlands Chamber, said: “It’s always important to tap into the knowledge base of our region’s manufacturing leaders, who live and breathe the everyday reality of running a business in an industry that holds the key to unlocking future economic prosperity but is also experiencing a long list of challenges.
“One of the threads that ran through several discussions was the importance of having a consistent, shared vision between Government and business.
“Policy has changed direction far too often, including numerous industrial strategies in recent times, for companies that require a stable environment to breed the certainty which ultimately leads to long-term investment plans.
“When creating this vision, it’s vital that SMEs are at the heart of it in a bottom-up approach, while it must also be underpinned by targeted public investment. For businesses, the message is they should also be willing to play an active role in these discussions with our policymakers.”
Chesterfield’s Central Technology has been named as Veeam Software‘s Cloud Services Provider ‘Partner of the Year’ 2022.
Veeam Software is a global IT company which develops backup, disaster recovery and modern data protection software for virtual, cloud-native, SaaS, Kubernetes and physical workloads.
Central Technology MD Rob Longden said: “Winning the Veeam Cloud Services Provider Partner of the Year 2022 award is a proud moment for us, and we are grateful to our customers and partners for their support. “We believe that this recognition is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional cloud services and to our vision of becoming a leading IT solutions provider in the United Kingdom and beyond.“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Veeam and delivering world-class cloud services to our customers for many years to come.”
As a partner-centric organisation, Veeam recognises partners that leveraged customer support and Veeam expertise to deliver Modern Data Protection in increasingly complex IT environments so that the most diverse workload types, data, and applications are protected.
Alex Walsh, Channel & Alliances Director UK&I at Veeam, said: “2022 added to the challenges businesses were already facing as they emerged from the global pandemic. Chief among them was the ever-present and rising incidence of ransomware attacks, that left only 24% of UK&I organisations unaffected. With secure, immutable backups the last line of defence against ransomware, protecting enterprise IT across all ecosystems is essential to keep businesses running.”
As a long-standing partner of Veeam, Central Technology offers clients Veeam-powered backup and recovery solutions. The firm’s cloud services are built on a foundation of innovation, reliability, and security, with a commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and technical expertise.CT’s team of experts provides customers with 24/7 support and proactive monitoring, ensuring that their systems are always up and running. The firm’s customer-centric approach has helped it build long-term relationships with customers, resulting in high customer satisfaction and retention rates.
Central Technology supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
A warmhearted Northampton construction consultancy has donated 150 chocolate Easter eggs to a local hospice so that its patients can make new memories to treasure.
Bhangals Construction Consultants delivered a car boot full of the sweet treats to Cynthia Spencer Hospice last week. The chocolate will be used to create a fun-filled Easter egg hunt for patients and their families.
The Bhangals team also ensured there were enough Easter eggs for the hospice team too, spreading some cheer and appreciation.
Managing Director Parm Bhangal said: “It is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to bring these little gifts to the hospice and to their patients. We are very appreciative of the amazing work that Cynthia Spencer Hospice does in our community and we’re glad to be able to show our gratitude and support for such a worthy, wonderful cause.”
Nina Gandy, corporate partnerships fundraiser at the hospice, said: “Bhangals Construction Consultants have been kind enough to support with Easter eggs donations over the last few years and always consider not only patients and families but our hospice team too.
“We are delighted to be able to host an Easter afternoon and egg hunt for patients and their families to enjoy the eggs and create special memories together. The support we receive from local businesses like Bhangals Construction Consultants is really appreciated and vitally important to enable events like this to take place and make them really special, thank you so much for your continued support.”
More than 200 Boohoo warehouse workers at the firm’s warehouse in Crick, Northamptonshire, have lodged a collective grievance against the imposition of ‘unconscionable’ shift changes.
Unite, the union, said the workers are angry that the new shift patterns will leave the workforce having only one weekend off in every five. The new shift patterns will also leave workers with fragmented single days off, according to the union. Boohoo denies these claims.
The grievance was lodged after the company “refused to listen to workers’ concerns” during what was described by employees as a “sham” consultation process.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The shift patterns proposed for Boohoo’s Crick warehouse are completely unacceptable in a modern society. People are not machines and deserve to able to spend time with their families, rest and have a life outside of work.
“This is a serious step backwards for a company whose reputation was left in tatters over the terrible treatment of workers just a few years ago. Unite defends our members’ jobs, pay and conditions to the hilt and Boohoo’s Crick workforce will be receiving their union’s complete support in their fight against these unconscionable shift demands.”
In what will come as a further blow to Boohoo’s reputation, when the firm’s Crick workers began to organise to oppose the shift changes, they were reportedly asked by management to not join a union.
In December 2020, Boohoo was forced to cut ties with 64 garment manufacturers in the UK after it emerged exploited workers producing clothes sold by the brand were being paid as little as £3.50 an hour.
The company has since tightened its code of conduct for suppliers, including for workers to able to belong to a union without being subject to discrimination.
Unite regional officer Sean Kettle said: “Unite demands that Boohoo apply the same freedom for association and collective bargaining rights to their directly employed workers at Crick that they say they expect for the employees of their third-party garment producers and suppliers.
“Boohoo must allow Unite access to the Crick site to organise and represent workers to negotiate ethical and fair shift patterns.”
Approval has been granted by Charnwood Borough Council for the creation of 210 new homes in the Leicestershire town of Shepshed.
The development – known as Jubilee Rise – will be delivered by Persimmon Homes’ North Midlands team. Bringing a mix of new homes to the area, the community will help to meet local housing needs, with 20% of properties to be transferred to an affordable housing provider for rent and shared ownership.
As part of the wider site, millions will be pledged to support infrastructure delivery and ensure economic development. Featuring a number of proposed community benefits, the wider site will also bring a range of facilities to the local community, including £2.1m towards local education provision, £349,000 towards local highways and £114,000 towards local healthcare.
Particular attention has been given to the environmental and ecological credentials of the new community, which will bring a biodiversity net gain to the area. Specific measures implemented by the developer include on-site wildflower meadows, bat and bird boxes, and landscaping in keeping with the development’s surrounding green space.
Sean Barratt, technical director at Persimmon Homes North Midlands region, said: “We’re delighted to have received approval for our development at Shepshed and I want to thank Charnwood Borough Council for their support. Not only will the development deliver 210 quality new homes and a biodiversity net gain, it will also create local jobs as part of the construction and generate a significant investment in the local economy.
“We’re committed to creating vibrant, successful communities and supporting more local families in getting their dream homes. We’re looking forward to our new community taking shape over the course of 2023.”
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“The Bricks has earned an enviable reputation as a must enter awards for those involved in the construction and property sector from across the East Midlands. As such we are delighted to be sponsoring the ‘Overall Winner’ category for the sixth year in a row and are really looking forward to attending this year’s awards evening in September.”
The awards, which will take place on Thursday 28 September at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, celebrate the outstanding work of those shaping the landscape of our region, recognising development projects and people in commercial and public building across the East Midlands – from offices, industrial and residential, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools.
Nominations are now OPEN for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards.
To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
To be held at:
