< Previous30East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / OCIACIAEast Midlands Business Link 31CONSTRUCTION & MACHINERYincoming and future machinery and equipment.Perhaps the industry is now ready to fullyembrace the digitisation in front of it with dronesperforming surveys, Building InformationModeling, and autonomous driving vehicles allbeing used on site. While this may sound likescience fiction, these are now mainstreammachines.In considering what is new in machinery on asmall scale, apps are now being integrated intomachines on site. They can be key for increasing aconstruction worker’s productivity by illustratinghow to complete a task quickly and safely.On a grander scale, AI machinery is now beingargued by many as the next step for construction.It is becoming popular for streamlining work toincrease efficiency. AI can also be beneficially usedto monitor malfunctions in heavy machinery, trackequipment, reduce or even eliminate human errorand, perhaps most importantly, improve safety onsite.An example of AI equipment has beenpresented by Nottingham Trent University, whocreated e-gloves which alert a worker whenvibrations that could cause carpal tunnel syndromeoccurs – a small helpful use of AI equipment.Resulting from strides with AI, robots may bethe next “big thing”. A rather dystopian soundingfuture is reflected in incoming robots, however,due to fears of these machines making humanjobs obsolete. As robots can now lay six times asmany bricks than builders a day, it is not surprisingthat these fears exist. With this wave of advancement in technologyand machinery, it is predicted by Balfour Beatty intheir report ‘Innovation 2050’ that building sitesmay be worker free by 2050, with “drones flyingoverhead … sending instructions to robotic cranesand diggers and automated builders.” Oftenignored on this front, however, is that robots andother autonomous equipment are key for reducingrisk, as robots can enter sites to assess their levelof danger and stop people doing jobs that areexcessively dangerous. Then again, this may resultin a culture of remote working by less workers,and we need to consider: is this what we reallywant? Concerns also arise from potential cyber attackson AI. Last year saw 200,000 businesses and 150countries affected by ‘WannaCry’ ransomware. Therise in, and acceptance of, AI, on the other hand,could be a necessary solution to the skillsshortage. The Arcadis Talent Scale, for example,reports that if the government is to reach itshousing targets, the UK will need to recruit400,000 people a year until 2021. AI machinescould be helpful here as less people would needto be employed, filling the gaps many businessesare facing.On a less sci-fi and less morally confusing note,machinery and equipment are changing positivelywith their electrification. Machinery that embracesthis is already being applauded, for instance VolvoConstruction Equipment’s fully-electric compactexcavator is winning Innovation Awards left andright. This reflects a change in mind-set for theconstruction machinery and equipment industry,where the importance of zero emissions and lowernoise pollution are rising. One can see thatwhether it is in a small or grandiose way,machinery and equipment in construction arechanging.www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / DMITRY KALINOVSKY32East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukPUBLIC RELATIONSLike many readers, I’m sure, I lost count ofthe emails begging me to remain on theirmarketing list over the last couple of weeksleading up to the dreaded GDPR deadline.It annoyed and inspired me in equal measurewhich is why I am off to buy 100 tins of Spamonce I file this copy. More on that later.Meanwhile, why they had waited so long toclean their database I do not know as the vastmajority of them seem to have never botheredemailing me before.In and amongst the legal waffle, they seemedto be asking me to stay on their marketing list,despite appearing to offer nothing of any value.It was as if out of the blue someoneremembered they had a newsletter facility and atonne of emails and thought it was worth a shotat getting me to opt-in again. For the numbers.Now, this would have been a whole lot morelikely to happen if they had been emailing meregularly with valuable content. I might havebeen a lead then, or even a prospect. Theyshould have been able to segment their list into‘never opens’ ‘sometimes does’ ‘doesn’tengage’ ‘clicks on loads of stuff’ or similarmarketing jargon to that effect, but I can onlyimagine that for the vast majority this didn’thappen. Sadly, I suspect even after the frantic Mayspring clean it STILL won’t happen. What awaste of data. Marketers may well be feeling a tad deflatedbecause their email list has shrunk by almost 50percent or more, but this is madness. There isnothing but vanity and ego in jealouslyguarding the total number of subscribers andseeing that as your metric for success. It matters not a jot if you are bellowing yourmessage out to a stadium full of people if halfof them have their headphones on and aren’tlistening, and another quarter of them didn’teven know they why they were there in the firstplace.Remember, when it comes to your marketing,size really doesn’t matter. So here’s my next marketing move afterGDPR, or #GregDoesPR as I prefer it. I emailedmy list offering them a recipe for Spam or toopt back in to my newsletter or both. You mightsay it was very ‘tongue in cheek’. Sorry. So I’mnow going to go old-school marketing and dosome direct mail to help grow my list again withnew leads.That’s right, I’m off to buy 100 tins of Spam tomail out to some carefully chosen people Iwould LOVE to work with. Why 100? Well, iteasily splits into percentages and I can startmanaging and measuring the success of thisnext campaign at a glance. Remember folks, 100 is NOT the key numberhere…Will some of these people laugh at me andnot with me? Maybe. Will some think I’m anidiot? Perhaps. Will some drop me a line to setup a free PR strategy call? You betcha. Willsome of these people end up on my newsletterlist? Of course. However, you can bet your life it won’t be meputting them on there and hoping they stay.They will put themselves on there because theylike my message, my method and mymarketing.That or they really like Spam.Why I’m still sendingspam after GDPRdeadlineGreg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise NationChampion for Nottingham www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 33Greg Simpson - on a mission to tell 2020stories by 202034East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukAGRI-BUSINESSThe East Midlands is a region with vast farmland,and as such the agricultural industry is a keycontributor to the economy. In fact, it is Lincolnshire’sthird largest sector, adding £2.4 billion into theLincolnshire economy alone each year. But withBrexit plaguing conversations between peers, alongwith recent dramatic turns in weather, where doesthe industry stand?The latest figures from the Department forEnvironment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on theTotal Income from Farming in the UK shows thatfarming’s contribution to the economy has risen by20% to £10.3 billion. The sector’s profitability hasalso increased by 41% to £5.7 billion. This certainlypaints a positive picture for agribusinesses.The good news for our region is that East Midlandsagribusinesses are outperforming those in otherregions this year in terms of stability. Recent researchfrom R3, using Bureau Van Dijk’s Fame database,shows that just 3 in 10, or 29.2%, of agriculturebusinesses in the East Midlands are at higher thannormal risk of insolvency. Though this may notseem great news, this is amongstthe lowest percentages in theUK, making the region one ofthe most financially stable foragriculture.Further strengtheningagriculture’s strongposition in the EastOnce in agenerationopportunityAgribusiness in the East Midlands has faced a tough start to the year withrough weather adding on to a number of issues already hurting the industry.As the country warms up, so is the region’s agriculture industry, but what’sreally changing?Once in agenerationopportunityAgribusiness in the East Midlands has faced a tough start to the year withrough weather adding on to a number of issues already hurting the industry.As the country warms up, so is the region’s agriculture industry, but what’sreally changing?www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 35AGRI-BUSINESS© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / OTICKIMidlands is that the Agriculture, Food and Drinksector was one of the top three sectors mostfeatured on the East Midlands Top 200 PerformingBusinesses, making up 23% of businesses featured.This report, produced by Grant Thornton UK LLPand the CBI, highlights the top businesses that aresubstantially growing profits and employment levels.There are, of course, problems remaining foragribusiness despite these more positive statistics:productivity, increasing food production, technology,skills, sustainability problems and a loss of seasonalworkers after leaving the EU all prevail. To helpaddress these problems, and grow the industry,agribusinesses must strive for innovation andtechnological advancement in order to be moreproductive, and invest in upskillingworkforces. The ‘FoodEnterprise Zones’(FEZs) in our region,three in Lincolnshireand one inLeicestershire, are nowimportant in helpingdevelop thistechnology, and makeour region a leader ininnovation.DEFRASecretary of State Elizabeth Truss emphasised howFEZs can help the industry: “Food Enterprise Zoneswill help unlock the potential of local food andfarming businesses, boosting local economies andattracting more investment.“These Zones will ensure we can grow more topquality produce and expand our food industry, whichis worth more than £100bn a year to the UKeconomy – more than cars and aerospacecombined. Food and farming is at the heart of ourlong-term economic plan and vital to securingBritain’s economic future.” Further addressing,and taking a step to resolve, key problems affectingthe future of farming in the East Midlands is thesignificant amount of agriculture specific fundingthat is now available. Among this funding is theLEADER programme. LEADER grants are availableall over the East Midlands to projects supporting therural economy, and have already donated£1,968,646 to local businesses as of this year,creating 113 jobs. For those seeking financing, thereis still £4.5 million in funding remaining.Also key for agribusinesses seeking funding, is theRural Development Programme for England’s (RPDE)Growth Programme which finances those carryingout a project to create jobs or bring more moneyinto the rural economy. DEFRA also have fundingavailable through their Environmental FarmingScheme, which provides financing to farmbusinesses in a five-year agreement stipulating thatowners will use environmentally friendly andbeneficial methods of farming. 36 uThe Prince’s Countryside Fund is currently providingover £1 million in grants each year, and while thereare grants of up to £50,000 for innovative projects,the programme aims to improve prospects of viabilityfor family farms, sustain rural communities, driveeconomic vibrancy, support aid delivery in emergencyand building resilience.Of course, perhaps most famously there is £90million available, as announced by Greg Clark, to fundfarming innovation, and a £40 million grant schemeannounced by Michael Gove, for investments in farmtechnology and equipment that will boostproductivity. All this funding is important, as Gove said, because:“Farmers truly are the backbone of our rural economyand as the original friends of the earth, we want tosupport them to grow more, sell more and exportmore great British produce – all while doing good forour environment. This new funding is a wonderfulopportunity for our farmers and food processors toinvest in the technology they need to boostproductivity, competition and, of course, sustainabilityas a key factor in future proofing our world leadingfood and farming industry.” Taking advantage of thisfunding is vital for the industry’s future.Exemplary to attacking agribusiness issues in ourregion is the Greater Lincolnshire LEP. With moreGrade 1 agricultural land than any LEP in England, theLEP is planning on keeping up the gradual growth ofthe sector, and doubling its contribution to ourregion’s economy by 2030. To do this, more significantinvestments are being made in productive capacity,skills and knowledge to increase sales within the UKand export sales.37East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukAGRI-BUSINESSWhile the sector is seeing an influx of funding it isalso, importantly, seeing a rebirth in the wake ofBrexit. Though leaving the EU is causing a lot ofconcern in regard to increasing competition foragriculture exports, since Europe is the biggestexport market for UK agriculture, Brexit has allowedan interesting turn for the industry whereagribusinesses can have more of a say in how thesector should be controlled and its financing in whatthe government are calling a “once in a generationopportunity” to directly affect policy. The government’s consultation document, ‘Thefuture for food, farming and the environment in aGreen Brexit’, on the future of farming post-Brexitproposes that there will be a “more self-reliantagriculture industry as we continue to competeinternationally, supplying products of the higheststandards to the domestic market and increasingexports” along with “a reformed agricultural and landmanagement policy to deliver a better and richerenvironment in England.” The proposals aim to see that money paid from theCommon Agriculture Policy, in which direct paymentsare made based on the amount of land that isfarmed, changes to paying farmers “public money forpublic goods.” This involves work that is good for theenvironment and invests in sustainable foodprotection, technology, animal welfare and skills. Thegovernment are committing to providing the sametotal funds to farm support until 2022. Moving awayfrom the old direct payments system is slated to beable to free up £150 million in the first year post-Brexit (2020), and this funding will potentially be usedto enhance farmers environmental offering.www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukEast Midlands Business Link 38AGRI-BUSINESS© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / SINGKHAMA day at the races38East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.ukBUSINESS SCENEAs Group Editor at East Midlands Business link Magazine, there’s rarely a dullmoment and this month was no different with a visit to Nottingham’s racecourse wherewe were joined in a private box with a number of businesses from across the region. The stunning views over the racecourse and great company made it a day toremember as did the excellent food and steady flow of Prosecco, supplied by thecatering team. Guests cheered their chosen horse over no fewer than seven races and it wascelebrations all round for those who won, while a steady flow of prosecco more thanmade up for those that didn’t. Fortunately Chris Eason, Business DevelopmentExecutive for Nottingham Racecourse knows a thing or two about horses and was ableto provide valuable insight, along with the racecourse’s official tipster.Highly recommended as it proved a great day’s entertainment and allowed someexcellent relationships to be forged. Mike and Lisa Douglas from Visa-V with Teri & Steve Fisher, East Midlands Business LinkJeremy Hall of Steane Mechanical and Electrical BuildingServices with Shaun Doak from System HygienicsCarl from Poppleston AllenSolicitorsAlexandra, Sarah and Elle fromVisit NottinghamshireJohn Bancroft MBE from Badgemasterwith MarkTracey Robottom from PopplestonAllen SolicitorsSimon Grace and Sean Pegden from A-PlantSally-Ann from PopplestonAllen SolicitorsLinkingbusinesstogetherEast Midlands Business Link has been bringing businesses together through itsonline pages and we’re now offering even more chances to network and createnew relationships with a host of special events – and there are numerous sponsorship opportunities to help promote your brand!Round TablesBringing together leading names from local businesses, our round table events debate the latest hottopics. By sponsoring the event you can decide on the topic and help shape the guest list to ensurerelevance. The resultant debate will appear in our pages.Breakfast EventsEast Midlands Business Link's breakfast events present topical and incisive discussion. A panel ofexperts offer their views on business matters in front of an informed and interested audience –alongside plenty of opportunities to network! Sponsors of the event receive access to the delegate list as well as extensive pre- and post-event coverage.AwardsHighlighting the best of local business, there are myriad sponsorship opportunities atEast Midlands Business Link's awards evenings. Bringing together guests from across the region,sponsoring a category or even the entire event will ensure exceptional exposure for your business! These events are also a great place to entertain and welcome distinguished guests.Business Link is renowned as the voice of the East Midlands business scene. By partnering with us at these special events you can take advantage of our strong reputation and enjoy exceptional exposure for your brand!Connectwith us today to see what we can do for your business...Next >