JUNE 2019£3.50 YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk VOLUME 34 ISSUE 6 Meeting demand BEST IN SHOW BEST IN SHOW Celebrating Lincolnshire businesses Cutting the cost of transport 01 .qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 09:58 Page 1Get in touch: T: 01522 835566 | E: libs_exec@lincoln.ac.uk | W: lincoln.ac.uk/apprenticeships Celebrating 100 Apprentices 02.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 09:59 Page 1High Powered Sales Director Abid Bashir (BA) Hons Business and Law Oxford OFFICE: (01274) 800413 Customer Service/Fax: (01274) 403837 MOBILE: 07733 151735 Email: ospreybusinesssolutions@virginmedia.com Website: www.ospreybusinesssolutionsinc.co.uk International Chamber of Commerce FSBUK - Federation of Small Businesses Osprey Business Solutions Inc. “INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATIONS” Sales, Service and Marketing Appointments Worldwide Shipping of Commercial and Domestic Databases United Kingdom Events Bookings With June here, it’s well and truly becoming hot and stuffy in the office and the air conditioning is likely blasting out at full strength. It’s easy to see enthusiasm dipping at times like this, which is why it’s important to monitor motivation and keep the staff going. Those with children likely have it doubly worse thanks to the school holidays and the pressure to take children on holiday while they still can and avoid those nasty school fines. Between all of that, we have a state visit by Donald Trump that could make matters better or worse politically – or, at the very least, lead to politicians spending more time bickering and less time governing. With all of that going on and more, and on the backdrop of Brexit, it’s easy to see how the hot summer months might feel a slog. But as every business owner knows, the important part of the sale is enthusiasm, and employees will look to their boss for theirs. So chin up, smile and remember that a business runs through thick and thin. This month, we encapsulate that, looking at various facets of the business industry, from construction machinery to conferencing, and a special look at what makes family businesses so competitive. As if summer wasn’t daunting enough, we also have our Christmas in June feature. It may seem early – because it is – but it’s worth pointing out that the better venues are likely to be heavily booked by the time July and August come around. June is a busy month for us as well thanks to the Lincolnshire Show, taking place at the Lincolnshire Showground on both the 19th and 20th June. We’ll be exhibiting from the marquee of our sister publication, Lincolnshire Today, which is adjacent to the main ring. If you’re in the area, be sure to drop by and have a chat and a drink on us. We’ll even keep the buffet running. Good reading, as always Michael Fisher Editor From the Editor 03.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:00 Page 1JUNE 2019 6 News The latest business news and success stories from around our region 10 Langleys Solicitors Agricultural Partnerships - Securing the future of your business 12 Insurance Finding the right business insurance isn’t always easy, especially when only one is required by law. So Business Link has explored the policies available to businesses, what they cover and where they’re best suited 15 Commercial property Whether it’s offices or logistics & industrial, our region is continuing to flourish despite uncertainties in the economy and the commercial property market. This is perhaps best exemplified by Leeds, but with quality space dwindling, new speculative developments are a must both for the city and the wider region 20 Ports and logistics The transport and logistics industry is a go-to location for cutting costs, but how much further can the industry be stretched? 24 Agri-business spotlight Yorkshire and Lincolnshire together form perhaps the most important agricultural region nationally, supporting a myriad of jobs across the supply chain and contributing massively to the economy both domestically and in terms of exports on the world stage. 28 Lincolnshire Show The Lincolnshire Show is one of the most important highlights in the county’s corporate calendar, offering the opportunity to network, meet clients and secure new suppliers 32 Construction machinery and equipment Sales of construction machinery and equipment are rising, but without capitalising on new technologies and solutions, manufacturers and suppliers risk loosing out 36 Christmas in June Throwing an annual Christmas party, whether it be at a restaurant, hall or museum, has many benefits for business, from increased staff morale and productivity to better communication 41 Family business Running a business and having a family are two very different yet equally complicated facets of life. When the two are combined, however, it only becomes more complicated – and yet family businesses thrive 44 Meet the experts Industry experts from sectors across our region share their knowledge, experience and insight 46 AutoLink If you love SUVs, read on to discover what we thought of this trio we’ve been lucky enough to test-drive since our last issue 50 Events We take a look at business events happening around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 54 And finally… Yorkshire-Lincolnshire- Business-Link @blmforum blmforum.net CONNECT WITH US 24 32 46 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:47 Page 1Group Editor Steve Fisher (s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Editor Michael Fisher (m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Journalists Dominic Cuthbert (d.cuthbert@blmgroup.co.uk) Stuart Pearcey (s.pearcey@blmgroup.co.uk) Tess Egginton (t.egginton@blmgroup,.co.uk) Editorial contact newsdesk@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310305 Fax: (01472) 310317 Sales Director Angela Cooper (a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk) Advertising Sam Trott (s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk) Vicky Hunt (v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk) Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk) Tel: (01472) 310310 Accounts & Subscriptions Angela Sharman, John Downes Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Design & Production Gary Jorgensen, Mark Casson Tel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314 (studio@blmgroup.co.uk) E-Mail: yorks-lincs@blmgroup.co.uk Website www.blmforum.net Address Haychart Ltd, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N.E. Lincs., DN31 2QE. ISSN No: 1462-2092 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its participating agents accept liability for loss or damage to prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of those held by the publisher. COVER PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK - AMATVEEV • MARINA J • KUNG_TOM • MILOS MULLER www.blmforum.net 20 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:47 Page 2Main civils contractor named for Triton Knoll Siemens has appointed BAM Nuttall as the main contractor to complete the civils work on the onshore substation phase of the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm project at Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire. The contract will see BAM Nuttall complete civil and building works including foundations for the transformer, shunt reactor and AIS equipment as well as constructing the internal road, fence and internal drainage works at the new onshore substation. The wind farm, 32 kilometers off the Lincolnshire coast, will have a maximum installed generation capacity of 857 MW once fully operational. It will be capable of providing sufficient clean and sustainable power for the equivalent of at least 800,000 UK homes, making a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable energy targets. Several subcontractors have already been appointed by Siemens, which is leading the work to design, supply and build the onshore substation and connection into the nearby National Grid substation or Triton Knoll. 6 Business Link www.blmforum.net NEWS Northern universities to tackle transport emissions Leeds scientists are leading a research network of northern universities to find new ways to rapidly decarbonise UK transport. The DecarboN8 network will focus on tackling surface transport emissions, which form 26% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions – including emissions from cars, vans, buses, heavy goods vehicles and trains. It will also examine emissions from the construction and maintenance of these vehicles, and infrastructure. The network, worth £1.25 million and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is made up of experts from the N8 Research Partnership, a collaboration of the eight most research-intensive universities in the North of England; as well as experts from Government and industry. The project will look specifically at how different places could be rapidly switched to electromobility for personal travel, and how different decarbonisation strategies needed for cars and heavy vehicles can interact with each other. Drax welcomes Treasury Minister Robert Jenrick Drax Power Station recently welcomed Robert Jenrick MP, UK Government Minister and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, to find out more about the Selby-based station’s world-first Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project. Drax, the UK’s largest power station and Europe’s biggest decarbonisation project, has successfully converted four of its six generating units to run on sustainable biomass instead of coal, delivering carbon savings of more than 80%. Its BECCS project started capturing carbon dioxide earlier this year and could transform Drax into the world’s first negative emissions power station. This, it said, would play a vital role in helping the UK meet its climate change obligations. “Our BECCS pilot project could enable Drax to go further to become the anchor for a new zero carbon economy in the Humber region, delivering for the environment and the wider UK economy,” said Drax CEO Andy Koss. Drax Power CEO Andy Koss with Robert Jenrick MP © Siemens © Shutterstock / Smile Fight 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:05 Page 1British Steel collapses into insolvency The High Court has ordered Scunthorpe’s British Steel into compulsory liquidation after rescue talks with owner Greybull Capital failed. The Official Receiver, who has been appointed as liquidator, said: “The immediate priority following my appointment as liquidator of British Steel is to continue safe operation of the site. I appreciate that this a difficult time for the company’s employees and I want to thank them for their ongoing cooperation. “The company in liquidation is continuing to trade and supply its customers while I consider options for the business. Staff have been paid and will continue to be employed. The court also appointed Special Managers to assist me with my work and they are engaging with staff and their representatives to keep them informed, as well as contacting British Steel’s customers.” The Court has appointed Hunter Kelly, Sam Woodward and Alan Hudson of EY to act as Special Managers to assist the Official Receiver with his duties as liquidator. Keep your eyes on our website for updates. www.blmforum.net Business Link 7 Celebrations as business school hits Degree Apprenticeship century Management degree apprenticeships designed to help employers grow their own leadership talent have welcomed their 100th apprentice less than two years after they were launched in the business school at the University of Lincoln. The Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) and Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship (SLMDA) at Lincoln International Business School are enabling employers across a range of industries to develop their in-house management teams using the Apprenticeship Levy. These work-based learning programmes are designed to be flexible and accessible for professionals to combine part-time study with their careers, comprising a balance of on and off-the-job training. On successful completion, apprentices can graduate with a degree level qualification, including the prestigious Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Leadership. Sarah Chester-Buckley became the 100th apprentice at the Lincoln International Business School when she joined the latest group of managers on the SLMDA in May. NEWS NPIF has pumped £20m into Leeds businesses The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) has invested a total of £20 million in ambitious, high-growth SMEs in the Leeds City Region. To date, NPIF, delivered by British Business Bank, has completed 104 investments in Leeds City Region-based SMEs across a range of sectors including ICT and manufacturing – £5.50 million and £5.17 million respectively. “SMEs are the driving force behind the Leeds City Region economy and it’s fantastic that NPIF has invested more than £20 million into our most ambitious and exciting firms,” said Roger Marsh, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and NPIF Strategic Oversight Board. He added: “Support of this kind is vital to help achieve the LEP’s ambitions of helping businesses grow, attracting new investment to our region and developing the skills, energy and digital infrastructure to create jobs and prosperity.” £3.4m centre to reduce Humber’s flood risk The University of Hull is to establish a £3.4 million innovation centre to significantly reduce the Humber’s long-term flood risk. The establishment of the Flood Resilience Innovation Centre follows a successful bid for £1.9 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The centre will enable Humber-based SMEs to develop innovative solutions to mitigate flood risk, improve response to flood events and increase resilience where complete flood prevention is impossible. It will help businesses identify R&D opportunities aimed at mitigating flood risk and improving resilience and response. Businesses will be partnered with world-leading academics and researchers to undertake collaborative research and innovation projects. They will have access to state-of-the-art computer-aided design, high performance computing, rapid prototyping and immersion testing labs to develop their ideas. The three-year project will initially focus on the Humber and other parts of England with European ‘Transition’ area status. © Shutterstock / Jevanto Productions 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:05 Page 2TOWER FIELD SERVICES Cat Tech Tower Field Services offers bespoke mechanical services to oil refinery and petrochemical plants all around the world. Our team has vast experience in overseeing and undertaking the installation of all types of Tower internals. Our Tower tray, packing and other internals installation services has deep roots, with several of the senior team at Cat Tech being involved in the founding of the Cana-Tex organisation. Since 1971, Cana-Tex had been the premier global Tower speciality contractor; performing Tower maintenance and plant turnaround projects around the world. These origins, with the addition of new team members, make Cat Tech Tower Field services a global operation which is both cost effective and technically experienced. We strive to create new ways to make your Tower work safer, faster and more productive and that can make very good things happen for your business. We thrive on exceeding our clients expectations and understand the need for upfront communication in relation to timescales and costs. No-one likes surprises in this industry and we ensure that everything is done, from pre-job planning, on site activities to post job reporting in a manner which allows our customers to concentrate on their core business. Let us show you what we can do. We work hard to maintain an industry reputation for safety, speed and dependability. Ours crews have been trained by us, this allows us to staff a project with the proven skills necessary to produce customer satisfaction. It is our intention to demonstrate the benefit of utilising Cat Tech for all of your Tower work. The benefits of engaging Cat Tech are: l Experienced Tower specialists. l Proven track record. l Ability to supply spares and replacements. l Spade to Spade service. l Revamps or modifications to Towers / Internals. l Inspection of Tower internals. l Supervision of external/client labour force. l Detailed inspection reports. l Cleaning of tower internals. l Reactor tray field services. l Turnkey reactor tray field services. At Cat Tech, we continue to create new ways to make Tower work safer, faster and more productive. And that can make very good things happen for your business. Contact us for further information. Our well established sales team have a wealth of experience. We take pride on ensuring all enquires are dealt with quickly and efficiently. UK: Cat Tech (Europe) Ltd., 1 South Park Road, South Park Industrial Estate, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN17 2BY UK Phone: +44 (0) 1724 871747 Fax: + 44 (0) 1724 861928 Bulgaria: Cat Tech Services (South Eastern Europe) Ltd., Devnia, Varna District, Povelyanovo, 20 Droujba Str, R Bulgaria, 9160 Phone: +(35) 9519 92052 Fax: +(35) 9527 46770 China: Cat Tech Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Room 1230 No.1, 58 Nong Huachi Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 20061 CN Phone: +(86) 2152 9175 08 Fax: +(86) 2152 9175 05 Singapore: Cat Tech Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., 17 Fan Yoong Road, Singapore 629794 Phone: +(65) 6264 6261 Fax: +(65) 6264 6401 South America: Please contact the UK office on +44 1724 871 747 Thailand: Cat Tech Services (Thailand) Ltd., 2/1 Soi Banbon Nuenpayom Road, Maptaphut Sub District, Muang Rayong District, Rayong Province 21150 TH Phone: +(66) 894 064 100 Fax: +(66) 638 692 382 MAKING YOUR PLANT WORK… SMARTER www.cat-tech.com PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KAWINNINGS 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:05 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 9 British exports hit record high British exports for the 2018/19 financial year reached a record £639.9 billion, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Total exports grew at a rate of 3% and increased by £18.5 billion compared to the 2017/18 financial year. Despite the uncertain global economic outlook, UK exports have been growing for the past 36 consecutive months on an annual rolling basis, an indication of the unparalleled spirit and resilience of UK exporters up and down the country. In terms of services alone, the data shows our dynamic services sector saw exports increase by 1.4% to £283.8 billion in the 2018/19 financial year. Separate data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) showed between 2016 and 2018, UK total exports grew at 13.8%, faster than Germany (10.5%), France (10.1%) and Italy (11.4%). The OECD data also showed UK export growth was faster than the overall rate for the EU (11.9%). Digital workflows leads to safety, quality & efficiency gains for Pipesco Pipesco, a North East Lincolnshire-based provider of engineering services for the oil & gas, energy, food processing and manufacturing industries, has boost efficiency and simplified its process by embracing digital workflows. Managing Director Duncan Wheeler explains: “A digital workflow is exactly what it says. Instead of relying on manual human and paper processes, we utilise technology to capture and process information digitally.” He added: “Out-dated and old-fashioned working practices have been removed, revolutionising the way maintenance and modifications are delivered. That means we can deliver innovation as standard at no extra cost.” As well as efficiency gains, the benefits of this approach also include safety and quality with the digital workflow enabling Pipesco to reduce HSE risks, increase quality assurances and keep personnel safe. By making the most of digital software and hardware accompanied with experience, Pipesco provides industry-leading quality and turnaround times in engineering, design and fabrication. NEWS Yorkshire SMEs invited to apply for £11m support boost SME manufacturers in Yorkshire can start taking advantage of an £11.8 million business support boost, dedicated to helping them grow and address key skills issues. Funded by ERDF and delivered by Economic Growth Solutions, the Manufacturing Growth Programme has been extended until September 2021 and will help a further 2,400 companies tackle barriers to growth. Support can be used to support continuous improvements, change, environmental and sustainability, leadership and management, marketing, people and skills, productivity and capacity, quality and strategy. The additional funding aims to provide a more valuable and quality level of assistance from a local Manufacturing Growth Manager that has years of industry experience. An in-depth business diagnostic (via ‘GROWTHmapper’) and comprehensive action plan will be provided as part of the new programme, alongside improvement grants starting from £1,000. © Shutterstock /Novikov Aleksey © Shutterstock /goodluz 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 04/06/2019 10:05 Page 4Next >