More cash to help local businesses go greener
The Sustainability Business Grant – designed to help local businesses invest in low energy technology – is being reopened following a £75,000 top-up.
The grant was so successful it was oversubscribed, so North Lincolnshire Council is putting more Government cash into the scheme.
This will help protect the environment and safeguard local jobs.
Up to £10,000 will be available to local businesses looking cut their carbon footprint and embrace a more sustainable future.
The Sustainability Business Grant can be used to invest in energy production infrastructure such as solar PV panels or biomass boilers and building improvements including insulation and heat pumps.
It can also be used to buy energy efficient products including LED lighting and low energy equipment such as fridges and dishwashers.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We all want a greener, cleaner future for the planet, and we can achieve that by putting North Lincolnshire at the cutting edge of sustainable technology.
“This grant is not just aimed at our larger industries – small businesses can make a big difference just by replacing their light bulbs or buying A+ rated appliances.”
“The Council is committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 and this Government money will help our businesses go a long way towards achieving that.”
The announcement comes after a £100,000 top-up to the Digitalisation Grant was announced in last week’s budget and was once again over-subscribed.
It follows more than £200m of Government cash into the area since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More information on the grant, eligibility criteria and how to apply is on the Invest in North Lincolnshire website.
Grantham announced as Lincolnshire’s bid to host the Great British Railways HQ
Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council will be putting a joint expression of interest to host the Great British Railways Headquarters.
Cllr Colin Davie and Cllr Kelham Cooke have today jointly announced (1 March) that Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council will be putting a joint expression of interest to the Government to host the Great British Railways Headquarters.
Last month, the Government launched a competition for areas to put themselves forward to host the HQ outside of London.
Cllr Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economy and Place at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We’re ambitious for our area and are working on an expression of interest to submit very soon. There are six main criteria to meet so we are compiling data to demonstrate how Grantham would meet the requirements and the benefits it could bring to the wider area. This will be a highly competitive process so we know we need a strong submission.”
Cllr Kelham Cooke, Leader of South Kesteven District Council, said: “Grantham is at an exciting crossroads with significant investment opportunities and extensive plans for the future, supported by Central Government funding.
“Grantham not only has a proud railway heritage but is also a key strategic location for rail commuters and travellers, being only just over an hour from London – connecting north and south, as well as east and west. I hope that residents and businesses will back our joint bid and support us to bring this exciting proposal to life.”
Giant Mantsinen 300 from Finland Heads West to ABP Port of Immingham
The world’s largest hydraulic crane is heading to the port of Immingham in a £3 million investment by Associated British Ports (ABP).
Supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling Ltd, the UK’s leading independent port equipment supplier, the crane, model Mantsinen 300M Hybrilift is currently being built by Mantsinen in Finland.
In their early years, the forerunners of today’s 300M were material handlers and have become popular with UK ports for their speed of operation. They have historically however been ‘small cranes for small vessels,’ an ideology that Mantsinen blew away with their 200 series machines in 2008 and the launch of the 300 in 2018. These super-sized machines now have the reach and capacity to serve panamax size vessels and can handle as much as 1500 tonnes per hour – far greater than the rope crane equivalents.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber said: “Our investment in buying the world’s largest hydraulic crane shows our commitment to ensuring we have the best plant and equipment on the ports to service our customers’ needs. We’re also thrilled to be the first company in Great Britain to have this giant on our port’.”
ABP already operate a fleet of smaller Mantsinen machines across its network of 21 ports, but this will be the first 300 in the fleet and the first delivery into England – Cooper’s first being delivered to Belfast Harbour in 2019.
The machine weighs in at 365 tonnes (without attachment) and is diesel powered by an EU stage 5 Volvo 16 litre diesel engine. ABP have opted for an 18.5m curved boom and 14m stick and the machine has a wheeled undercarriage of 6 axles with 4 wheels per axle. The machine will also come supplied with Mantsinen’s cab riser to enable the operator to position the cab in the optimum position over the hold to gain a direct line of sight. The machine also is supplied with a range of automatic and semi-automatic attachments that also reduce the need for direct labour in the holds thus enhancing safety further than if stevedores were slinging.
David Cooper, Executive Director of Cooper Specialised Handling said: “ABP have enjoyed high uptime and operational performance with their Mantsinen fleet since 2016, and we are thrilled that ABP have opted for the biggest of them all. It seems quite appropriate that the UK’s largest port by tonnage should invest in a machine that can handle the most tonnage per hour”
The new machine is anticipated to arrive as a complete unit in Immingham in April on a direct shipment from Finland together with two 95ER machines destined for Ipswich.
Hull vehicle branding company to represent Yorkshire in national awards
Hull-based vehicle branding company Brandfixx has scooped a top prize at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards.
They came top Business and Product Innovation category for the Yorkshire and Humber region after developing a revolutionary way to brand vehicles. Their approach applies modular panels of branding to vehicles using adhesive, rather than the traditional method of wrapping a vehicle in a single sheet of vinyl using heat guns. It is the biggest innovation in the vehicle branding industry in decades.
Greg Saunderson, managing director of Brandfixx, said: “We are thrilled to have won this award as it reinforces our expertise in the sector and our core purpose: to be at the forefront of vehicle branding innovation.”
The FSB awards celebrate the achievements and contributions of small businesses and the self-employed across the UK. As a category winner, Brandfixx has secured a place at the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards UK final and a chance to be crowned the UK Small Business of the Year.
Greg continued: “That our innovation being recognised is really important to us. We set up in 2021 after facing countless problems with traditional vinyl wraps in the decades we’ve worked in the industry. We knew there must be a simpler, faster and more affordable way for businesses to get their message across on fleet vehicles.
“We are now in the running for the UK Small Business of the Year which would be huge for us. Our team of experts would get the national recognition they deserve.”
In 2021 Brandfixx was also shortlisted in the national What Van? Awards (Aftermarket Accessories category) and were crowned winners of the Hull and East Yorkshire People in Business Awards (HEYPIBA) (Innovator category).
£24m MBO completed at electronics business
NVM Private Equity (NVM) has backed the specialist electronics business, Easby Group Limited that comprises Easby Electronics Limited and Delta Impact Limited in a management buyout (MBO) worth £24 million.
Easby Group, which has offices and warehouses in Richmond, North Yorkshire, Newbury and Thatcham Berkshire, is a UK Franchised distributor and stockist of electronic components and a service provider in the electronics supply chain.
The Easby Group has worked with OEMs for more than 40 years to understand complex product roadmaps and assist them with product selection and design for the demand they are witnessing in the market. This client-first approach has resulted in the company being at the forefront of development in rapid growth sectors such as EV charging solutions, EV related products, smart energy, IoT, building management solutions and 5G, resulting in significant double digit growth over the last three years.
The MBO, which sees four of the Easby Group’s senior executives, Nigel Copely, Gregor Ross, Phil Clarke, and Eamon Francis, become shareholders, is NVM’s tenth deal from its Vintage III LP Fund, and follows a £15m investment into Edit announced in November 2021.
Upon completion of the investment Jonathan Simpson-Dent will be joining the Easby Group Board as chair. Jonathan is an experienced leader of private equity backed B2B services businesses and currently chairs Carousel Danx Logistics, sits on the board of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust plc and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Nigel Copely, CEO at Easby Group, said: “This is a major milestone in our journey, one that will bring additional strengths to both Easby Electronics and Delta Impact.
“Our growth has come from our determination to deliver a strong, technology led portfolio of franchises and services along with strong service solutions while focusing on core markets and verticals that we can bring to our established and ever-growing customer base.
“This deal reflects our successful engagement with both our customers and suppliers and the faultless support, drive and focus of all our Easby Group colleagues.”
Jonathan Simpson-Dent, chair at Easby Group, said: “Easby and Delta Impact have both built strong positions in the rapidly evolving electronic component and supply chain market. NVM will be an excellent investment partner for the next stage of the journey and I am delighted to be joining the Easby Board to support Nigel and the leadership team to continue their impressive growth track record.”
The investment was led for NVM by Mauro Biagioni, investment partner and Oliver Wildig, investment manager. Mauro Biagioni said: “Easby is a fantastic regional business operating in a sizable market estimated to be worth just under £2billion.
“We are hugely confident that Nigel and the team will be able to grow their market share as a result of today’s investment. The quality of relationships that the team has held with customers spans several decades and now with the right investment behind them we look forward to accelerating this growth.”
Dewsbury-based builders merchant acquired for £23.1m
Lords, a distributor of building materials in the UK, has acquired the business and assets of Dewsbury-based independent builders merchant, A.W. Lumb.
The £23.1 million deal, payable in cash, consists of £19.5 million due on completion and deferred consideration of £3.6 million payable in equal annual instalments over the next five years. It is to be funded from Lords’ existing cash resources and debt facilities.
The acquisition provides the group with an extension of its product offering and geographical reach into the North of England.
Both key senior management from A.W. Lumb and its 77 employees will be joining the group.
Established in 1964 and family owned until a management buyout in 2017, A.W. Lumb has depots in Dewsbury and Tamworth. A.W. Lumb’s customers include several well-known house builders, civil engineering contractors, local authorities, plasterers and smaller developers.
In the year to 30 June 2021, AWLC generated revenues of £43.3 million, EBITDA of £3.9 million and a profit before tax of £3.8 million.
Shanker Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Lords, said: “This acquisition delivers against our strategy of gaining market share through geographic expansion and product range extension. Specifically, it gives Lords broader reach in the North of the country.
“A.W. Lumb is highly regarded in its local markets, respected for its product expertise and superior service levels and we are delighted to welcome their 77 colleagues and senior management to our team, who we believe share the same values as Lords.
“Furthermore, this acquisition is a major milestone in our growth and supports our stated ambition to reach £500 million revenue by 2024.”
Terra to purchase 27-acre Lincolnshire site for £67m mixed-use development
Terra has agreed terms with a private landowner to purchase a 11Ha (27.3-acre) site in the Lincolnshire market town of Boston.
A hybrid planning application is currently being prepared for a £67m mixed-use development featuring 315 new homes and a care home.
Located off Toot Lane, under two miles from Boston town centre, the site has an expired Outline Planning Approval, granted in 2016 by Boston Borough Council. Terra’s hybrid application will be a detailed submission for the first phase of 100 homes, with the proposed care home and the balance of the additional 215 residential units covered by an outline plan.
A large expanse of Public Open Space and a fully-equipped play area will create a focal point for the scheme.
Jordan Langdon-Bates, land and development director of Terra Strategic, said: “With so many employment opportunities close by, Boston is an attractive and affordable place to live. The scale of this well-located site will enable the creation of a high quality new community of eco-efficient modern homes within easy reach of town centre amenities and local schooling.
“This immediately available site could help to meet South East Lincolnshire’s annual housing targets at a time when there is a considerable shortfall in the number of new homes being built across the UK. We are looking forward to working with Boston Borough Council’s Officers, Local Councillors and all stakeholders to move forward with our plans.”
Terra has appointed Nottingham-based planning and design specialists Nineteen47 to draw up the fresh plans for the scheme. A range of two-bedroom apartments, bungalows, and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses will be proposed. Hawthorn Tree Primary School is located opposite the entrance to the site, with the rest of the immediate area being predominantly residential in character.
Fast growing independent veterinary group secures £3m funding
ThinCats, the Leicestershire-based alternative lender to mid-sized SMEs, has supported South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire based independent veterinary group, The Pet Vet, with £3.1m in growth funding.
Founded in 2011, The Pet Vet remains a vet-owned, independent practice, bucking the trend of corporatisation in this sector. The organisation is led by Managing Director, Dr Mel Fuller.
With surgeries across South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, each of their 4 sites, located in Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley and most recently in Lincoln, is purpose built and equipped with the latest technology.
Dr Mel Fuller, Managing Director at the Pet Vet, said: “The funding secured from ThinCats will enable us to deliver our ambitious plans to improve and expand the services we offer. Every surgery will benefit from the funding, further enhancing our workplace environment, customer experience and patient care, and aligning with one of our core Values: ‘We strive to be better everyday’.”
Ben Kimball, director business development, ThinCats, said: “It is fantastic to support ambitious businesses like The Pet Vet, but it is even more rewarding given I have known the business for over 8 years, and understand their importance to the local communities they operate in. It was great to work with the team at Parsons on the transaction, and we look forward to seeing The Pet Vet go from strength to strength.
Dr Rob Jones, owner and chairman at The Pet Vet, said: “We are delighted to secure this funding as we aim to continue on our strong growth trajectory over the next few years. Our success can be attributed to the hard work of our knowledgeable team and our passion for delivering excellent patient care. Thanks to ThinCats we can look to provide our services to even more families in the future.”
The funding, advised by Parsons Accountants, will help fund the next phase of growth as the management team look to double the size of the business. Legal support for ThinCats was provided by Andrew Curtis & Marie Pugh at Clarion Solicitors.
Efficiency savings and cutting emissions on the Humber
Eco-efficiency is at the fore of Associated British Port’s latest £1.6 million investment on the Humber.
Four Konecranes Reach Stackers are being used in the port of Immingham, all run on HVO (hydrogen vegetable oil), a renewable, fossil free version of diesel which can cut carbon emissions by 90%. They also feature a Start/Stop function, which means the amount of time the engine is idle is cut, further assisting in reducing carbon emissions. Simon Bird, Director of the Humber ports said: “These new Reach Stackers are part of an ongoing effort by ABP to invest in our infrastructure to enhance the service we offer to our customers. They will improve efficiency and help us improve our carbon footprint. It is part of a wider investment into more efficient plant and equipment over the next five years. “We are investing in equipment of the highest quality that will help us maintain our productivity. Being eco-friendly helps align with our long-term commitment to the environment and sustainability.” The Reach Stackers replace older equipment which had reached the end of their usable life. They will be used to move containers around the port and will be more efficient at travelling over longer distances. The new equipment is also seen as more ergonomic, responsive, and easier to drive. It will also feature a lightweight spreader. This reduced spreader weight enables improvements on the reach stacker design and makes it possible to increase the lifting capacity in second and third container row. As part of long-term investment into new equipment electric cranes are also being looked at, and later in the year 14 electric forklifts will arrive.Flood protection advice and support for businesses across the Humber region and beyond
The University of Hull’s Flood Innovation Centre has expanded the range of services it provides and can now offer fully funded support to business owners keen to protect their premises, em-ployees and other assets against the risk of flooding.
The team is able to provide support to eligible Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the Humber region (including Hull and East Yorkshire), Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Cumbria and more.
£82,000 – the average cost of damage suffered by businesses during a flood event
Communities across our region face a variety of different types of flood risk, and climate change, coupled with increasing urbanisation, means that flood events are happening more frequently. During the 2007 floods, more than 1300 business premises were damaged in Hull alone. The Environment Agency estimates that the average cost of damage suffered by businesses during a flood event is around £82,000. As many as 40 per cent of businesses never reopen after being flooded, and a further 25 per cent of businesses that do reopen go on to fail within a year.
Thankfully, by taking a few simple steps to protect their premises, businesses can give themselves a fighting chance of surviving future flooding events. In fact, every £1 spent on property flood resilience measures can save businesses around £5 in flood damage. Property flood resilience is a term used to describe measures that reduce the risk of flood damage to properties, speed up the recovery process and enable people to get back into their properties quicker after flooding. These measures are installed in business premises, as well as people’s homes, to make them less vulner-able to flooding. Property flood resilience solutions are bespoke to each property; the aim is to identify the measures that are most appropriate for your premises and the type of flooding you face.
Pip Betts, Project Manager at the Flood Innovation Centre, said: “We recognise that there is a lack of awareness about what property flood resilience is and how it works. We also know that every business is unique and that’s where our new, tailored approach to working with businesses comes in. Our Technology Research Managers will work with a business to create a bespoke, innovative solution based on their location, flood risk, employee profile, building design and other factors. Our funding means that this support is provided at no cost to eligible businesses.”
Pip added: “The Flood Innovation Centre and the wider team at the University of Hull are commit-ted to boosting the resilience of communities at a local, regional and national level. The climate crisis means that the need to take action to mitigate and adapt to flood events has never been so vital.”
Any businesses that are concerned about flooding and its potential impact on their activities but don’t know where to start, are encouraged to contact the Flood Innovation Centre
