Lincoln International Business School’s Help to Grow: Management programme is 90% funded by the government, delivered in partnership with the Small Business Charter and runs for 12 weeks via online and face-to-face sessions, 1-to-1 mentoring and peer networking. 15 SME delegates embarked on their learning journey as the first cohort back in January 2023. Working collaboratively, the delegates surged ahead in exploring avenues in the ever-evolving digital landscape. By reflecting on their current practice and observation using horizon scan, their digital readiness resonated with the latest research findings from Enterprise Research Centre Business Futures and the Federation of Small Businesses. These acknowledge that SMEs across the UK are rapidly adopting digital technology, willing to tackle digital challenges and constructing outcomes that can reshape success narratives. Lincoln International Business School want to support SMEs to deliver profitability, innovation and growth. The Digital Adoption module is tailored for SMEs to address how businesses can gauge to embrace digital innovation and transformation. It will help to identify and utilise internal and external factors that drive the digital journey, for performance enhancement; process optimisation; product diversification and personalised experience. Chang Ge, School Digital Lead, a Senior Lecturer and the Digital Adoption Module Leader at the University of Lincoln said: “The pragmatic approach with business focus adopted on this module encourages SMEs to apply knowledge and insights gained to follow up the digital road map in their own context and transverse amongst sectors and industries, making the digital adoption accessible and meet their unique needs.” Lincoln International Business School are excited to welcome the second cohort of the Help to Grow programme in October 2023. To ensure your business obtains a place on this coveted programme please visit Help to Grow | University of Lincoln or hear directly from the first cohort delegates here.

Precision engineering firm David Brown Santasalo (DBSantasalo) has revealed plans to create 38 engineering jobs at its Huddersfield headquarters. The gearbox manufacturer, which was acquired by US private equity firm Stellex Capital Management earlier this year, has appointed Elland-based manufacturing and engineering specialist E3 Recruitment to manage the appointment programme and secure 38 new skilled engineers for the firm. A global business, founded in Huddersfield in 1860, DBSantasalo has 26 locations worldwide and employs over 1,200 people, with 350 based in the UK. The firm delivers precision-engineered industrial gear systems, manufactured for a range of industrial applications including mining, pulp and paper, power generation and defence. “We are on a growth trajectory and our recent client successes have paved the way for this raft of new opportunities within the marine, engineering, and heavy manufacturing departments at our state-of-the-art Huddersfield site,” said Leanne Crowther, DBSantasalo’s HR manager for UK operations. E3 Recruitment director Tracie Norton said: “We are really pleased to be working with DBSantasalo on this major recruitment programme, which is great news for Huddersfield and is also further evidence of the value and importance of engineering and manufacturing skills and qualifications to the economy.” E3 Recruitment is working in partnership with DBSantasalo to recruit for a range of Huddersfield-based roles including quality and manufacturing engineers, assembly team members, general labourers, CNC machinists and manual millers, programme managers and schedulers, project controllers, senior design engineers and buyers. The roles will support programmes across the firm’s engineering, marine and large gear cell departments.

A son and mother responsible for illegal activity involving up to 1,300 tonnes of waste at a site in Huddersfield, which then set on fire in 2016 causing significant risk to the environment, have been sentenced. Samuel Hunter, 31, of Dewsbury, and Jacinta Hunter, 59, of Dewsbury, were given a 24-month custodial sentence, and 12-month sentence respectively, suspended for two years. Samuel Hunter must undertake 300 hours of unpaid work, the maximum number of hours a court can order. Jacinta Hunter must undertake 80 hours of unpaid work. The two defendants, who were director and manager of Hunter Group (Yorkshire) Limited also known as Sam H Services Limited, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to charges of waste offences at a site in Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield, and were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. They accepted they had kept waste which posed a fire risk in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health. The company had premises at Scotland Yard, Queens Mill Road, Huddersfield, and held an environmental permit from the Environment Agency. Following site inspections by the Environment Agency in 2015 and 2016, the site was found to be repeatedly in breach of its permit, as huge piles of waste were found pushing against a perimeter fence which was broken in places. Shredded waste was found stored between a roofed area of the site and a wall, when it should have been in a building or held in bays. The Environment Agency ordered the waste be moved and the fences repaired, but return inspections found that no improvements had been made. Following continued breaches of the permit, and concerns over the waste falling through the fence and potentially polluting a river, two enforcement notices were issued. When advice had been given to make improvements, Samuel Hunter was verbally abusive to officers on more than one occasion. Environment Agency officers were concerned that rubbish including wood, rubble and scrap metal including a gas bottle was hanging over the wall against the damaged fencing towards the river. In one place where the boundary fence was completely missing, some waste had fallen into the river, so was at risk of causing pollution. West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service advised Samuel Hunter that the site was a fire risk and that he needed to introduce fire breaks between the waste piles. An Environment Agency officer estimated the volume of waste on site to be between 825 and 1383 tonnes. Disposal of this quantity of waste at landfill would cost between £98,880 – £165,912. The amount charged by the company for accepting the waste onto site was estimated to be £120 per tonne. In June 2016 another individual began running the company and site. The court then heard how on 18 August 2016 a fire broke out at the site and a large amount of runoff had accumulated behind the premises of a nearby glass factory from the firefighting activities. This was a major concern as it was about to overflow into the river or flood the building where the glass company had important compressor machinery. To avoid this, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service used a small pump to move the runoff onto the access road so it would flow into the sewer network. Later, Kirklees Council brought machinery onto site to move the waste around on the site to help the fire service put out the fire. The fire was still smouldering on the 30 August 2016. It took Kirklees Council till March 2017 to remove all the waste from the site to reduce the risk of ongoing fires. The total amount paid by Kirklees Council for clearance of the site amounted to £1,142,131. In sentencing, the Judge was satisfied both defendants had committed the offences deliberately with a flagrant disregard for the law which he described as a financial decision. Jacinta Hunter had followed Samuel Hunter’s lead as he was the controlling mind of Hunter Group (Yorkshire) Limited. He said Samuel Hunter should be ashamed of his behaviour when he described his interactions with Environment Agency officers to whom he had been foul and abusive. In mitigation, the defence said the Hunters were trying to act within the law and were not rogue operators. Jacinta Hunter said she hadn’t been given enough time to meet the deadlines to rectify issues at the site. Samuel Hunter maintained he had done everything he could. Ben Hocking, Yorkshire Environment Manager at the Environment Agency said: “The seriousness of this sentence sends out a message that waste crime will not be tolerated. “This case followed action from the Environment Agency with support from our colleagues at West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and Kirklees Council. Despite repeatedly being warned, waste was still brought onto site causing a risk to the environment and contributing to a fire which affected the surrounding community and businesses, and left authorities with significant clear up costs.”

Sheffield-headquartered Irwin Mitchell is investing in Scotland-based law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie, with the two firms working in collaboration to provide a full suite of legal and financial services operating out of more than 20 locations across England, Scotland, and Wales. The firms have complementary skills north of the border with Irwin Mitchell Scotland operating out of Glasgow predominantly in banking and finance and complex personal injury work, while Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie specialises in corporate, private client, property, and asset management. In England and Wales, Irwin Mitchell already provides a full suite of legal and financial services which will be opened up to Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie’s clients. The two firms have access to 200+ jurisdictions across the world via membership of several international law firm networks and through these networks have collaborated for a number of years. As part of the agreement, on completion Irwin Mitchell partners Bruce Macmillan, Craig Marshall and Mark Higgins will join the newly constituted Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie Management Board. Craig Marshall, Group Chief Operating Officer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “The two firms are a great cultural fit and share a similar purpose, values, and future vision. We have ambitious plans for growth, and we are both focused on building on our client-centric approach, an excellent colleague experience and an ambition to become leading responsible businesses. “This strategic investment significantly expands our access to Scotland and Irwin Mitchell and Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie believe it will fundamentally enhance the service for current and future clients across the whole of the UK and internationally.” Fraser Gillies, managing partner at Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie, will continue to head up operations in Scotland. He said: “This is a landmark moment for our firm. We have expanded considerably over the past decade and this investment will supercharge our growth efforts and provide a clear route into England and Wales, while broadening the services we can offer our clients. “We share a similar approach, putting our clients and people at the heart of everything we do. We also share similar ambitions for the future, so we are proud to make history together and begin this exciting new chapter.” Both Irwin Mitchell and Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie have pursued strategic growth plans over the past decade with lateral hires and M&A activity used to grow their businesses in complementary areas and in order to adapt to their clients’ and the market’s needs. In the past 12 months Irwin Mitchell has also agreed deals to acquire asset management firms TWP Wealth and Andrews Gwynne. The firm has also opened new offices in Cardiff and Liverpool and recruited 18 new partners.