Seafood industry boosted by Lincolnshire organisations’ research
Two Lincolnshire-based organisations have joined forces to identify a fresh and sustainable approach to the freeze/thaw process of seafood produce, which could transform the global seafood industry.
The University of Lincoln, UK, has partnered with New England Seafood International (NESI), through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). Designed to link forward-thinking businesses with the expertise of academics, KTPs provide schemes to help organisations innovate and grow. This KTP project will research and develop a brand-new fish thawing process, combining ecological, environmental and sustainable business outputs.
The UK seafood industry relies on a large quantity of frozen and raw ingredients as part of the food manufacturing process. Currently, seafood thawing remains an under-researched area of the food chain, bringing many costly processes relating to timescales, cost efficiencies and retention of produce quality.
In addition to identifying new and sustainable practice in the seafood industry, the initiative will also aim to tackle the skills shortage gap. The project will be based at NESI’s North East Lincolnshire facility in Grimsby, and the team at NESI will have access to a team of the University’s industry experts at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM), who will assist on the project and impart their knowledge and expertise.
The KTP will use a blended approach across manufacturing and scientific disciplines, in which they will challenge established industry practise, advancing the understanding of the freeze/thaw process and creating opportunity for wider industry adoption.
Martin Davies, Group Operations Improvement Manager at NESI, said: “New England Seafood are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside the University of Lincoln to improve one of the most complex and critical manufacturing process steps.
“The academic expertise the University will provide, combined with many years of seafood industry experience in New England Seafood, a recipe to optimise this process for the long-term in a balanced way, across people ergonomics, food hygiene, environmental, and operational efficiency factors.”
Janey Bellamy, Associate Professor in Food Robotics and Process Automation at NCFM, said: “This is a great opportunity to challenge established industry practices and to advance the understanding of the freeze/thaw process with clear and validated data. This work will have a positive transformational impact on the food supply chain across multiple sectors.”
The project is funded by Innovate UK and will last for 2 years.
Six join Drax at Selby as apprentice engineers
Six new employees have joined Drax Power Station at Selby to start a four-year apprenticeship to turn them into engineers.
The apprentice engineers have won places on the technical apprenticeship scheme at Drax Power Station near Selby in North Yorkshire – the UK’s single-largest generator of renewable power, which produces enough renewable electricity for four million homes.
The four-year programme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain expertise working alongside the world-class engineers at the plant. Drax Power Station has been transformed over the last decade as part of Europe’s largest decarbonisation project, swapping coal to generate renewable electricity using sustainable biomass.
Drax has ambitious plans to go even further in the years ahead, aiming to become carbon negative by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. Its plans would see the site capture up to 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
Sean Barry, Head of Decommissioning and BECCS Operations, said: “It was fantastic to welcome our new group of apprentices to Drax Power Station. Providing these young people with the skills required for a successful career in engineering is not only essential to the success of our business, but it is also an incredibly rewarding part of what we do.
“Giving our apprentices the opportunity to work on the cutting-edge, environmental technologies of the future will ensure we’re nurturing our in-house talent and creating opportunities for people here in Yorkshire to lead the green energy transition to net zero.”
Sheffield internet services provider snapped up
GI Partners, an investor in critical data infrastructure businesses, is set to acquire ASK4 from Bowmark Capital. ASK4 will be GI Partners’ first data infrastructure investment in Europe.
Sheffield-based ASK4 provides managed Internet, IT and IoT services across 12 European countries supporting over 320,000 customers.
“ASK4’s purpose is to support people and communities to be connected, allowing them to live life and work productively in their homes and workspaces,” said Andrew Dutton, CEO of ASK4.
“We have enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Bowmark over the last 5 years and we are excited about the future with GI as we continue to develop the ways we support existing clients and expand the delivery of our services into multi-tenant communities across Europe and North America.”
“ASK4’s core proposition is the delivery of fully managed Wi-Fi connectivity within multi-tenant buildings serving students, working professionals and people in retirement. We are delighted to partner with Andrew Dutton and the ASK4 team to execute a focused geographical, sector and service expansion effort,” said Matt Barker, Managing Director and Head of Europe for GI Data Infrastructure.
“ASK4’s technical and service excellence is uniquely positioned to provide real estate investors and operators with market leading services that drive retention, re-bookings and improved net operating income.”
Mark Prybutok and Brendan Scollans, Co-Heads of GI Data Infrastructure, added: “We are pleased to be announcing our first European investment for GI Partners’ Data Infrastructure strategy.
“We have tracked the development of ASK4 for many years, and our teams in Europe and the US worked closely together to execute on this investment. ASK4’s balance of high-quality contracted revenues and attractive value-add growth prospects makes it a very well-suited addition to the GI Data Infrastructure portfolio.”
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
Leeds surveyor goes back to school
A Leeds surveyor went back to school over the summer holidays to make sure children across the north of England can continue getting a first-class education.
Trident Building Consultancy, based in Carlton Tower, St Paul’s Street, was appointed to carry out contract administration and project management services on five schools during the summer break by the Anglican Diocese of Leeds, along with construction works worth more than £500,000.
Works at the schools, which included Bramley St Peter’s C of E Primary and Cookridge Holy Trinity C of E Primary, both in Leeds; Austwick C of E Primary in Lancaster; Bowes Hutchinson C of E Primary in Barnard Castle; and St John’s C of E Primary in Golcar, consisted of flat and pitched roof refurbishments, roof light replacements, boiler replacements and re-routing flues, and installing security fences and audio/visual intercom systems to enhance child safety.
Jamie Clark, director of Trident Building Consultancy and public sector lead for the business, said the works were part of a scheduled maintenance programme that ensured the schools were in the best possible condition to provide quality education to hundreds of children.
He said: “The Diocese of Leeds is an extremely conscientious landlord that understands well maintained school buildings are integral to providing a high quality education in a safe environment.
“As a result, they have a planned, proactive approach to building maintenance and repairs, and one that ensures all their buildings are fit for purpose throughout the school year.
“It is an honour to work with the Diocese and to survey and maintain buildings that are so important to parents and to the development of the generations to come.
“As a new school year dawns, teachers, parents, and pupils can be confident they have access to the best possible learning environments to help give them the best start in life.”
Kevin Matthews, School Buildings Officer, said: “Having well-maintained school buildings is a vital part of ensuring all of our schools can deliver the best education experience possible to our pupils.
“Integral in achieving this is trust; trust in the partners we select to assess and maintain our building stock.
“Trident Building Consultancy provided an honest appraisal of the work needed to be undertaken and managed that work effectively and efficiently, enabling us to continue supporting pupils and parents to the best of our abilities. It is a pleasure to have Trident Building Consultancy as part of our consultancy team.”
Network Rail and TRU Alliance select Leeds SaaS firm to help deliver £10bn programme
Leeds-based SaaS company eviFile has been selected by Network Rail and the TRU Alliance to power its digital project management and progressive assurance approach for the multi billion Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme after a pilot that improved project efficiency by over 20% and reduced hours spent in possessions reporting by over 50%.
The transformative programme aims to improve connectivity on the 122km line between York and Manchester – via Leeds and Huddersfield – which served up to 29 million passengers between 2019-2020 and stops at 23 stations.
The upgrade will include full electrification between Manchester and York, upgraded signalling to increase tracks from two to four in places, as well as other upgrades which will improve line speed – resulting in more and shorter journeys for passengers.
To complete the works successfully within the scheduled time and budget, eviFile has been working in close collaboration with Network Rail and the TRU Alliance partners to align its real-time Field-to-Control Room insight solution to overhaul railway possession activities. Including how it tracks completions management, quantities and volumes as well as progress on site.
This new contract award is designed to provide a rolling programme of digitalisation, with the aim of providing the East, West and Central delivery teams a real time view on programme progress. Alongside completions management for every discipline, eviFile will be deployed to provide real time possessions and blockade reporting, daily shift reporting and time management, Close Calls data capture as well as a single solution for Quality Check Sheets and Inspection & Test Plan (ITP) management for all the contractors working across the TRU footprint.
In the first 18 months of eviFile’s deployment workforce productivity has increased by up to 20% through better data capture, reporting, quality and performance tracking. Saving an average of 2.5 hours in each 24 hours of the possession – coming from quicker and better-informed decisions, faster management of defects and real-time visibility of the impact on the programme.
eviFile has delivered over 100 possessions to date, with this number set to increase dramatically as the new contract enables over 1200 users to manage all work digitally.
Moving from traditional processes to a digital approach is a huge cultural shift for the rail industry. Automating possession management streamlines the message from site, forming the single source of the truth, while providing crucial metrics that enable agile decision-making immediately.
Utilisation of eviFile allows data to be collected and processed in a clear, concise way, which further facilitates the use of business intelligence to feed the management team the information they require without any manual intervention.
Luke Allen, Managing Director of eviFile, said: “Our vision of better project control to improve construction performance through increased transparency has come to fruition with the TRU programme. For the first time, clients, Alliances and primary contractors can track all works and activities in real-time, hour-by-hour, from anywhere.
“We are extremely glad to see that engagement with the solution is high, resulting in significant reductions in time, which provides a clear return on investment (ROI).
“The ability to centralise a huge programme like TRU into a consolidated eviFile platform across regions, alongside other platforms and workstreams to provide real-time data into PowerBI to deliver completion, will be one of best examples of rail project digitisation we’ve engaged with to date.”
Swell Group employment pledge sees 25 new employees this year
Hull-based Sewell Group has invested in 25 graduates, apprentices and trainees this year, after pledging to support people who may struggle to enter the world of work.
The company’s Gateway Project, launched two years ago, aims to triple the number of graduates, apprentices and trainees recruited into the business, as well as providing opportunities for young people to gain real-world experience and skills. The company is on target to have 15% of its total workforce made up of these career-starting roles, and almost 50 people have benefitted from the scheme since 2021. The Gateway Project promotes opportunities for the communities Sewell Group serves, in support of local economic recovery. As well as job opportunities in entry level roles, so far in 2023 the company has also provided 290 days of work experience and internships for young people who are looking to start a career in the industry. Sewell Estates MD Jo Barnes, said: “We’ve always found it rewarding to bring in new talent and develop them into the leaders of the future. But making a definite pledge to triple our recruitment of entry level positions has really made us focus on how we can provide as many opportunities as possible. “Since the pandemic, so many young people had their education disrupted, and they’ve found it very difficult to find jobs without being able to gain experience. We firmly believe that skills can be learned on the job, and we prefer to recruit for culture fit and attitude. “We’re already seeing the benefits of our recruitment drive, with our new recruits bringing in creativity, drive and new ideas to the business. We’re looking forward to finding what they excel at and developing their skills to become the next generation of leaders.” Several of Sewell Group’s senior leadership team progressed themselves from trainee, graduate or apprentice roles, so they know how valuable these opportunities are. Mark Boothby, Joint MD of Sewell Construction, joined the company in 1996 as a trainee. He said: “Being given the chance to join a company that supports and develops its people enabled me to grow and learn the culture of the business, along with skills for carrying out new roles. There have been a number of opportunities for growth since I joined, which have resulted in me co-leading Sewell Construction. I recognise and feel responsibility to reinvest in apprentices and trainees to give young people the support and opportunities I’ve had in my own career, as at a young age you never know where your career may take you.” Sewell Group is known as a construction company, but the Group has diversified considerably in the last 20 years, with forecourt convenience stores, facilities management, property investment and development partnerships and consultancy all now forming part of its business.Drax appoints Chief Sustainability Officer
Drax is pleased to announce the appointment of Miguel Veiga-Pestana to the new Executive Committee role of Chief Sustainability Officer, reporting into Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner.
Miguel, pictured, is a seasoned leader of strategic sustainability and reputation building functions and he will use his extensive experience in major global corporations and ‘not-for-profit’ organisations to support Drax in delivering its purpose, strategic aims and ambition.
Prior to coming to Drax, Miguel most recently held the Executive Committee role of Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs at the British multinational consumer goods company, Reckitt Benckiser. He has also been Chief Communications Officer at the Executive Leadership level for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic organisation, and worked for 11 years at Unilever where he was Vice President of Global External Affairs and Sustainability.
Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said: “I look forward to working with hMiguelim to deliver on our corporate strategy, including generating dispatchable renewable power, building BECCS facilities around the world, becoming a major player in the carbon dioxide removal (CDRs) market and maintaining our leadership position in the production and sale of sustainable biomass.”
Miguel said: “Drax has the potential to play a significant role in tackling climate change and I welcome the opportunity to join the business at such a critical moment in its journey. During my career I have focused on building and protecting reputation, purpose and embedding sustainability into core strategy and feel that this experience is closely aligned to Drax’s growth ambitions.”
They’re off! Doncaster businesses celebrate for return of the St Leger Festival
Doncaster Chamber is celebrating the return of the Saint Leger Festival this month when thousands of racegoers will visit the city, simulating economic activity with their presence.
This will be the 247th running of one of five British horse acing ‘classics’, with the 2023 festival kicking off yesterday with Ladies Day. Here, Doncaster Chamber members were able access to an exclusive marquee — with an unobstructed view down the home straight — that provided them with the ultimate St Leger experience.
Dan Fell, Chief Exec of Doncaster Chamber, enthused: “The St Leger festival is one of our biggest attractions here in South Yorkshire and its impact on the local economy cannot be overstated.
“Indeed, the business community truly reaps the benefits of this, especially those in the hospitality sector. Excited spectators come from all over the country to watch these races and, in the process, they inevitably end up staying in our hotels, dining at nearby restaurants, frequenting shops and visiting bars.
“Meanwhile, the St Leger Stakes itself is obviously an iconic race and the subject of enormous interest for sporting fans across the globe. Which means that it is also an opportunity for us to represent Doncaster on the world stage and really show ourselves in the best possible light.
“It should go without saying then that it’s incredibly heartening to see The St Leger return to its former glory, after all of the unforeseen disruptions that forced it to be cut short in recent years. In the face of great adversity, the racecourse has valiantly continued with this event in whatever form they could — and they deserve to be commended for that — but it’s great to see it now returning without any limitations.
“While we certainly have enterprising and tenacious businesses here in Doncaster — all of whom have demonstrated fierce resilience by weathering the economic hardships of our current times — we do need events like this to support them.
“It is for this reason that the Chamber always has a presence at The St Leger festival, as we recognise its importance for the region as a whole. Every year we have a dedicated marquee at Ladies Day where our members can relish in the glamour of the occasion, enjoy the various entertainment offerings and develop their relationships with peers.”
Stewart Olsen, MD of sponsor ORB Recruitment, said: “Ladies Day is always a fantastic event and one that we eagerly look forward to year after year. 2023 was no exception in this regard and, as proud Patrons of the Chamber, Orb Recruitment was delighted to be sponsors for the Chamber’s marque here. It was great to see members and colleagues networking together and enjoying a bit of downtime, at an event that’s truly like no other in our city.”
An airport in Doncaster is a viable proposition, says report
Next week, City of Doncaster Council (CDC) Cabinet will hear updates on several strands of work looking at the viability of a reopened airport, its economic and growth potential as well as its investment opportunities.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) has the potential to be successfully reopened and offer a range of positives including thousands of jobs in aviation, leisure and retail for the City of Doncaster and South Yorkshire, according to a report.
Detailed assessments of the financial, business and investment calibre of what is now known as South Yorkshire Airport City – the programme which aims to reopen the airport – show that:
- The airport has the potential to be successfully reopened and could be profitable within five years of reopening
- It could attract up to two million passengers a year within a decade, which is considerably higher than the annual passenger numbers achieved prior to its closure
- It could bring almost 5,000 direct jobs as well as creating up to 11,500 jobs in the wider economy
- The net economic benefits of reopening the airport could be up to £1.5 billion within the first three decades of operating
- Reopening the airport offers the most favourable balance between economic cost and benefit and is the preferred option
Smarta Water secures £500,000 investment
Smarta Water has secured a £500,000 investment to support the future growth of the business across the UK.
The funding from NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, is providing additional working capital to assist the creation of two new head office roles. It will also support general expansion of the business, assisting Smarta Water with the building of a new billing platform with Trevi to offer an enhanced and easier payment software solution.
Smarta Water was established in November 2018 and employs ten people. The business is an independent retailer supplying non-household water and wastewater services across England and Scotland. It operates from offices in Leeds and Bristol.
Paul Griffiths, investment executive, worked with Steve Black, Managing Director, and Paul Watson, finance director at Smarta Water to provide working capital to support their strategy for future growth.
Steve Black, Managing Director at Smarta Water, said: “We’ve recently taken on two new starters and have plans to grow the business further thanks to the working capital boost we have received from FW Capital. We’re an ambitious, fast growth business that today has a turnover of £26 million.
“We were introduced to eleven investors and lenders and chose FW Capital because we were impressed with Paul Griffiths, who was phenomenal. His communication was fantastic, and he was always available when we needed to talk to him. He played a massive part in getting the funding across the line for us which is instrumental to Smarta Water’s future growth.”
Paul Griffiths, FW Capital, investment executive, said: “Smarta Water is an impressive business that is expanding at pace. The team are all highly experienced and knowledgeable in the water sector and as a result can bring all the benefits of a big brand, but with the high level of service and care of an independent, small company. This sets them apart and is a key driver of their success. I’m thrilled to support the next phase of their company development.”
