MAY 2016 £3.50YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINEwww.blmgroup.co.ukVOLUME 31 ISSUE 5COMMERCIALPROPERTY Recycle, refurbish,regenerateTHE HUMBERBANKThe energy estuaryENGINEERING &CONSTRUCTION Batteries not includedEXPLORING THEFUTUREEXPLORING THEFUTURE01_Layout 1 03/05/2016 13:30 Page 102_Layout 1 03/05/2016 10:07 Page 1This month I’m standing in or our esteemed Editor as he suns himselfsomewhere in the Mediterranean…May has arrived and despite the looming approach of the EU Referendum thereseems to be as such confusion and mis-information as ever. Will we remainwithin the union or will it be time for the Brexit? Certainly the lack of informationprovided isn’t helping. One might suspect that Cameron’s plan is to encouragerecord numbers of absentee voters, or at the very least make a complete hash ofthings.In the business world we know that it’s always best to sell on the basis of whatyour product or service does well, rather than slate the competition. If only thepolitical parties of the country could realise this – but then again, it seems thatmany of our PM’s and their respective aides come from softer backgrounds thanbusiness management. And in those cases where they have run businesses, wehave to question how they managed it. In many cases it may be that the realfallout will only be known closer to the time, because so far all the predictionsmade by the Government seem not only contradictory, but also more than a littlebizarre. But one cannot run a business just by looking at the future, and it may bethat a remain vote means no changes to business life whatsoever. As such, this month’s issue of the Business Link Magazine takes a look at arange of topics facing businesses now; from energy efficiency and how to reducewhat we use, all the way through to generator power systems and the things thatneed to be kept in mind with when powering a plant. Beyond that we explore the international connections that our region isfounding, opening Yorkshire and Lincolnshire up to new markets abroad – whilealso taking an in-depth look at the development and future of the Humber Bankarea, one such location that is forging its own links. There’s also our regular motoring section, commercial property, news and upcomingevents. This month’s issue is packed full of valuable information on what’s going on in ourregion. Good reading – and good business – as always and don’t forget to keep abreast of theregion’s business news as it breaks at www.blmforum.net.M FisherAssistant EditorThe magazine that caresWE CARE because we want to leave our world a better place than we found itBusiness Link believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is the key to maintaining a flourishingbusiness that our customers will be pleased to use and our staff will be proud to be part of.Community-From a very local point of view, we strive to be a ‘good neighbour’. We also extend that into themuch broader local community, through financial support of local causes and charities. Environment-Our actions extend to: conservation of energy and natural resources, minimisation of waste andensuring our trading partners do likewise.welcomeIn many cases it maybe that the realfallout will only beknown closer to thetime, because so farall the predictionsmade by theGovernment seemcontradictory.03_Layout 1 03/05/2016 16:05 Page 116CONTENTSMAY 20163235www.blmforum.net6NewsCatch up with the latest business news from around our region10Mergers and acquisitionsThe Current State of the M&A Market for Small and Medium SizedBusinesses by Neil Gray, Corporate Finance Partner Streets CharteredAccountants11LettersReaders’ letters and replies12Commercial propertyRecycled building structures and refurbished materials are ushering in anew business infrastructure that is attracting exciting start-ups in our region16Ports and logisticsMaintaining international connections in the face of the forthcoming EUreferendum will prove crucial to the future of trade in our region20Engineering and constructionPower systems have come a long way in recent years, but they aren’timpervious and still need regular inspection25The Humber BankThe Humber region has experienced a surge of growth in recent years, butwith many projects now coming to completion – will it continue?29Energy and renewablesIncreasing efficiency in the renewables sector could help to mitigate thesubsidy cuts and other challenges32Food, chemicals and process industriesManufacturing equipment is costly at any level, so it’s important to ensurethe ROI is good. Equipment that can be fit into an automated system is likelyto be of particular interest35Supporting business growthAs criminals become more sophisticated in their actions, companies areexpected to improve their own security. Insurance companies are at theforefront of this, demanding clients keep up-to-date wherever possible38AutoLinkWith Summer approaching it may soon be time for convertibles to come outto play, we review our top five44Safety & Health ExpoTaking place on 21-23 June at the ExCeL in London, the Safety & HealthExpo showcases more health and safety exhibitions than any other UK event46EventsWe take a look at business events happening around Yorkshire andLincolnshire50And finally…04-05_Layout 1 03/05/2016 13:31 Page 1EditorSteve Fisher (s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk)JournalistsMichael Fisher (m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk)Stuart Pearcey (s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.uk)Dominic Cuthbert (d.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.uk)Editorial contactnewsdesk@blmgroup.co.ukTel: (01472) 310305 Fax: (01472) 310317Sales DirectorAngela Cooper (a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk)AdvertisingDanielle Chester (d.chester@blmgroup.co.uk)Christine Jewitt (c.jewitt@blmgroup.co.uk)Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk)Tel: (01472) 310310Accounts & SubscriptionsAngela Sharman, John DownesTel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311Design & ProductionGary Jorgensen, Mark CassonTel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314(studio@blmgroup.co.uk)E-Mail:yorks-lincs@blmgroup.co.ukWebsitewww.blmforum.netAddressHaychart Ltd, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street,Grimsby, N.E. Lincs., DN31 2QE.ISSN No:1462-2092All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without expresspermission of the copyright holder, for which application should beaddressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care istaken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents acceptliability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies,negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to thispublication. The views expressed in this publication are notnecessarily the views of those held by the publisher.This magazine is now fully recyclable. By recycling magazines,you can help reduce waste and add to the 5.5 million tonnes ofpaper already recycled by the UK paper industry each year.Before you recycle your magazine, please ensure you removeall plastic wrapping, free gifts and samples. If you are unable toparticipate in a recycling scheme, then why not pass yourmagazine onto a local hospital or charity?Yorkshire-Lincolnshire-Business-Link @blmforumblmforum.netCOVER PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM - BECKY STARES • LUKE BROUGHTON • PRASIT RODPHAN • MATEJ KASTELIC• BMW2504-05_Layout 1 03/05/2016 13:31 Page 26Business Link www.blmforum.netNEWSLincolnshire family businesses event at Cleethorpes Pier The Lincolnshire Family Business Forum is gathering pace with a key event plannedfor 20th May at the newly refurbished Cleethorpes Pier. The event aims to acknowledgethe important role that family businesses play in Lincolnshire’s economy and recognisethe unique challenges they face.Hosted by Streets Chartered Accountants, NatWest Bank and Andrew & Co Solicitorsand supported by Business Lincolnshire, the Cleethorpes event follows on from thehugely successful meeting held in Lincoln earlier this year and is a must for familybusinesses in and around North East Lincolnshire. As James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner at Streets explains: “The event is free andopen to family businesses, owners and managers . We are particularly keen to hear fromand welcome family businesses from Grimsby/Cleethorpes and the surrounding area.”He continues, “Cleethorpes Pier seemed a perfect choice for our event, given that ithas only recently undergone an extensive refurbishment by new local Family owners.” “Family businesses deserve the recognition and support of such an event andwe have some interesting speakers from professionals and family businesses fromour County, including the Director of the Midlands family business awards, so itshould be a lively event and offer opportunities for guests to meet like-mindedpeople.”The event is being held at 11.00am on Fri 20th May and is free to attend althoughseats do need to be booked by 13th May 2016. To reserve places, please contactncsmith@streetsweb.co.uk or telephone Natalie Charlotte Smith, MarketingAssistant at Streets Chartered Accountants, on 01522 551200. Lincolnshire launchesconstruction awardsschemeBusiness leaders from Lincolnshire’s property and constructionbusinesses joined together to launch the county’s first ever industryawards. It will recognise, unite and champion the county’s leadingbusinesses and the dedicated people who work so hard behind thescenes. Organisers of the awards include representatives from MorganSindall, Andrew & Co, Pygott and Crone, Forum for the BuiltEnvironment, William Saunders, the Lincolnshire Chamber ofCommerce and Lincolnshire County Council. Zoe Summerfield, Business Development Manager at Morgan Sindalland the Chair of the Lincolnshire Construction Forum, said: “Theconstruction and property industry plays a vital role in Lincolnshire’seconomy. Through the success of the Lincolnshire Construction Forum,we saw an opportunity to further recognise the achievements ofLincolnshire’s property and construction businesses and celebrate thebest of the best in Lincolnshire’s multimillion pound industry.“The industry awards will bring business together to network andmake new connections, encouraging inward investment, whilst alsoputting Lincolnshire on the map.”Entrants will open in September, with the awards ceremony takingplace in February 2017. Leeds and Bradford jointhe Gigabit Cityrevolution With nearly 200km of pure fibre optic infrastructure available for use bybusinesses and the public sector, Leeds and Bradford are now amongst thebest digitally connected cities in the world.A new generation of affordable, gigabit speed internet services is nowavailable from CityFibre’s launch partners Exa Networks and Diva Telecom.The new networks offer speeds up to 100 times faster than the UK nationalaverage and unlocking a host of productivity benefits to organisationsincreasingly reliant on digital systems and communications.CityFibre’s pure fibre network will help support the drive for a ‘NorthernPowerhouse’ by providing the infrastructure to enable the next-generation ofdigitally based businesses to flourish across the region. David Cawthray, Assistant Director of Information Services at the City ofBradford Metropolitan District Council, said: “As a Gigabit City, Bradford willbe able to set itself alongside the most digitally advanced locations inEurope, allowing the council to further our digital agenda quicker than everbefore. We are delighted to see CityFibre continue its investment inYorkshire.”PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/FUYU LIU06-10_Layout 1 03/05/2016 10:09 Page 1www.blmforum.netBusiness Link 7Crawshaw Group hails“transformative” yearRotherham headquartered meatretailer Crawshaw Group has seenrevenues grow by more than50%.According to the company’sfinancial results for the yearto 31 January 2016, itrecorded turnover of £37.1million – a figure up from£24.6 million in theprevious year. However,due to investment toaccelerate its expansionplans, the retailer reported astatutory loss before tax of £300,000compared to pre-tax profit of tax £1.2 million the year before. Last year saw the appointment of a new management team and put theinfrastructure needed to facilitate its growth plan in place. It furthermoreinvested in 17 new stories with a rebranding of others as part of theoverall standardisation of its retail estate. CEO Noel Collett said: “We are pleased to report another set of solidresults for the business and are delighted with the significant progresswe’ve made during a very transformative year. “We have proved that customers love our compelling retail contempt,delivering quality fresh meat and food-to-go at exceptional prices. Withstrong foundations now in place, we are well positioned to build on ourcurrent position and establish Crawshaws as a national brand.”Regional law firm securesvictory in internationalcoal dispute The High Courthas found infavour of twoIndian-basedcoke producersfollowing multi-million dollararbitration claimsagainst aSingaporecompany inproceedings led by a law firm in our region.Dominic Ward, pictured, Head of Shipping and Transport at lawfirm Andrew Jackson, was contacted by Indian-based Ennore Cokeand Haldia Coke in 2013 over various disputes with the Singapore-based supplier from which they had purchased a consignment of50,000.00 tonnes of coking coal shipped from China to India.Ennore, which is part of an Indian conglomerate, contended thatthe coking coal provided by the seller didn’t meet certain contractualspecifications and was of unsatisfactory quality, being oxidised andweathered, and unfit for all purposes for which coking coal iscommonly supplied. Added to this Haldia hadn’t sent a certificatefrom a specific sampling and analysis laboratory, which would haveshown that the coking coal did not conform to the specifications.Andrew Jackson has offices in Hull, York and Grimsby.Business groups call forchange to schoolscareers advice rulesProminent businessgroups including theFederation of SmallBusinesses and theBritish Chambers ofCommerce have joinedexperts from academiaand the Education andEmployers Taskforce inco-signing a letter withBeverley andHolderness MP GrahamStuart calling for achange to the statutory guidance for schools on careers advice.The letter asks Secretary of State Nicky Morgan MP to amend thestatutory guidance so that all schools are required to work to obtain aquality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance thatmeets an approved standard determined by the Department for Education.The letter says: “The central problem facing careers education is thatschools are not incentivised to take careers advice seriously. In our highstakes education system school leaders will understandably prioritisethose issues that will lead to serious consequences if they fail to deliverthem.”Mr Stuart, pictured, said: “There is no silver bullet to improve careerseducation but both business and careers experts alike agree making thischange would encourage England’s schools to up their game – andbetter prepare their pupils to make a success of their lives.”PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/CHRISTIAN JUNGCelebration Event on Thursday 116th June 2016Email madeinlincolnshire@streetsweb.co.uk to book your placewwww..maadeinlincollnnsshire.coooCCoulld you be a MMMaadde in LLinccolnshire winnneer? Do you make something that you think is special and worthy of recognition, or do you know someone else who does?MADE INLINCOLNSHIREMADE IN LINCOLNSHIRE AWARDS 2016ENTER OR NOMINATEEEnttries closssee on FFriddayy 13th Maaayy 2016606-10_Layout 1 03/05/2016 10:10 Page 28Business Link www.blmforum.netNEWSWordsandSpacesLtdtel:01724 352156 mob:07736 952885 fax: 0871 989 5784 email: stuart@wordsman.co.uk twitter:@stuartpearcey Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 2QEI’ll write blogs, websites, ads, articles, leaflets, news releases and newspapers; I’ll design print and buy it. I’m Stuart Pearcey. How can Imake your life better today?www.wordsman.co.ukWhere goodcopywritingmeans businessJRI Orthopaedics continuesinternational expansion withBrazilian market breakthrough JRI Orthopaedics has continued itsinternational expansion by breakinginto the Brazilian market with itsVAIOS shoulder replacement system.After securing regulatory approval,the Sheffield-based companylaunched VAIOS at the BrazilianCongress of shoulder and elbowsurgery.The system was developed by JRI Orthopaedics workingwith biomechanical engineers at Newcastle University andworld renowned orthopaedic surgeon Professor AngusWallace from Nottingham.Combining cutting edge design and manufacturing capabilityat JRI with leading surgical and engineering expertise, VAIOS waslaunched six years ago, winning the best new mechanical product atthe British Engineering Excellence Awards.Product Manager John Suggitt said: “I think VAIOS demonstrates thebest of British design and manufacture and shows what can be achieved bya company working with leading academic and clinical partners to delivereffective solutions to improve outcomes for patients requiring shoulderreplacement surgery.“We have a great distributor, Osteocamp, and are delighted to haveentered the Brazilian market, which is growing rapidly and is potentiallyhuge. As part of our plans for further expansion into major internationalmarkets, we are also aiming to launch VAIOS in the US early next year.”FSB probes issues faced bywomen in businessA new report from theFederation of Small Businesses– ‘Women in Enterprise: TheUntapped Potential’ – exploresthe specific challenges faced bywomen-led businesses andmakes recommendations forimproving support, developingmentoring networks, andincreasing the diversity ofbusies ambassadors.FSB spoke to more than1,900 women business owners in the UK and found key challengesincluded balancing work and family life, achieving credibility forbusiness, and a lack of condolence. All of these are limiting women’sability to start, run and grow their businesses. Helen Walbey, pictured, FSB Diversity Policy Chair, said: “Women-ledsmaller businesses already contribute over £75 billion to the UKeconomy, But less than one in five (18%) of businesses are majority runby women. If women were to set up businesses and grow them at thesame rate as men, we would see a huge boost to growth and prosperityin this country. In fact, the Government estimates it could add £600billion to the economy.”She added: “More needs to be done to really empower women.Vocational education is one way to grow the next generation of womenentrepreneurs, but they also need long-term business support to helpthem succeed and grow.”06-10_Layout 1 03/05/2016 10:10 Page 3www.blmforum.netBusiness Link 9MRS Training toinaugurate newtraining facility It’s exciting times for MRS Training and Rescue, the new name forMines Rescue Service, as it prepares to open a brand new trainingfacility in Knottingley, West Yorkshire.The new facility has five training rooms where MRS will offer a fullrange of Health and Safety training courses including First Aid, SafeEntry into Confined Spaces, Fire Fighting, IOSH and NEBOSHcourses. It is also able to offer first class practical training facilities whichinclude a self-contained confined space training chamber, built intothe fabric of the building with 70m of crawl space and internalcameras for recording all training, to prepare and train anyone whoworks in confined spaces. MRS have developed its specialist skills, experience andknowledge gained from working in difficult and potentially high riskenvironments.The new facility will be officially opened by Yvette Cooper MP onFriday 27 May from 11am – 2pm.HpE Hygienic TwinScrew PumpA client producing ready meals, a range of curry sauces, raita and chutneysapproached HpE Process after they were struggling to get a consistent mix of currysauce and suspended solids at their depositor. HpE Process suggested that the hygienic twin screw pump would give betterresults and a demo pump was offered to allow trials to take place. Unfortunately,production pressure was such that a window of opportunity for the trials was notgoing to be available for some time, so engineers set up a trial at the HpE works inLeeds.The Hygienic Twin screw pump can run at speeds of up to 4000 rpm and whenfitted with a VSD, pump speed can be ramped up from a gentle low speed onproduct transfer, to much higher speeds enabling it to handle CIP flowrates whichallowed recirculation of CIP providing significant environmental improvement. The Twin Screw pump is also able to handle liquids with up to 60%entrained gas – an essential attribute for a CIP scavenge pump. A trial with a sample of the customer’s product was conducted, which made it clear thatthe twin screw was transferring both liquid and solid phases of the product equally well.Digital divide opensup in UK economy According to new research by the CBI and IBM, despite the UKtaking top place globally for e-commerce and fifth place for theavailability of technology, it ranks only fourteenth in the world forcompany-level adoption of digital technology, with many companiesstruggling to digitise their businesses at the rate of peers in othercountries. Companies cite a mix of connectivity challenges and securityconcerns as barriers to digital adoption, but predominantly they arehindered by a lack of appropriate skills inside their business and anunclear return on investment. But the problem is not lack of conviction about the potential impact– early all firms believe that digital technology has the ability torevolutionise the business landscape, driving productivity, growth andjob creation, and almost three quarters see improved customersatisfaction and experience as its biggest benefit. To take advantage ofdigital technology across the economy, the CBI, the UK’s largestbusiness group, recommends that firms appoint a Chief Digital orTechnology Officer to the senior executive to drive digital strategy andexecution, and increase the age and skills diversity of boards andboard advisers, drawing on the expertise of a new generation of‘digital natives’. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/YEKO PHOTO STUDIO06-10_Layout 1 03/05/2016 10:10 Page 4Next >