< PreviousSUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT30Business Link www.blmforum.netGreater Lincolnshire’s agri-fod supply chainand conditions are set to be majorlyimproved in the coming few years.get thebigger picturewww.wwlals.comBREAK BULKHIGH AND HEAVYSPECIALIST CARGOWORLDWIDESUPPLY CHAINMark Tinsley, a south Lincolnshirearable farmer and sector lead for theplan at the Greater Lincolnshire LEP,says, “Greater Lincolnshire is fortunateto be home to the UK’s largest and mostprogressive food sector, with dynamicbusinesses and well developed supplychains. “Our agri-food sector is truly a nationalleader in this rapidly growing sector, butwe must not rest on our laurels. Thecoming decades will bring manychallenges and it’s important that GreaterLincolnshire is ready to face them.“Our plan for the agri-food sector inGreater Lincolnshire is ambitious, butwe are confident that it is achievable.”A joined-up attitude and morecollaborative working then, seems to beleading the way. Our region looks set tobe a leader in this new globally-facingsupply chain future, and looks set to bewhere other look for effective examples.businesses through a combination ofone-to-one support and workshops thatwill help them acquire cost effectiveprocurement practices, as well helpingput systems into place to ensure thatthey are ready to win contracts withlarge, private sector businesses, as wellas with the county’s local authorities.Fertile futuresLincolnshire’s enviable base infarming and agriculture looks set togrow as well, improving the supplychain for the agri-food sector over thenext few years. The food and farmingsector in Greater Lincolnshire is set todouble its contribution to the economyby 2030 by investing in skills,knowledge and production capacity.That’s the ambitious target set out ina new plan for the region’s agri-foodsector which has now been publishedby the Greater Lincolnshire LocalEnterprise Partnership.The Greater Lincolnshire Agri-foodSector Plan 2014-2020 confirms GreaterLincolnshire as a market leader in theagri-food sector, pointing out that 10%of English agriculture, 5% of UK foodprocessing jobs and 70% of the UK fishprocessing sector are in GreaterLincolnshire.The plan says the prospects for futuregrowth are very positive, with largefuture increases in global demandprojected; but the agri-food sector inGreater Lincolnshire faces a number ofchallenges and needs a clear andambitious strategic plan if it is to sustainits market-leading position.Among the plan’s recommendationsare the creation of an industry-led FoodBoard, a new sector skills plan, a 25-year water supply plan to support foodproduction and investment in transportinfrastructure.28-30:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:20 Page 3environmentalwww.blmforum.netBLMGROUPBLMGROUPPHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KHENG GUAN TOHFor businesses that areserious about reducing theircarbon footprint31:Layout 1 27/6/14 10:30 Page 132www.blmforum.netENVIRONMENTAL - NEWSLower Don Valley flood defencesBID period to commenceCompanies involved in the Lower Don Valley Flood Defence Business Improvement District will begin contributingto its construction from 1st July. The BID project will see more than 250 companies contribute approximately£1.4million to the defences over the next five years, until June 2019.The finance will enable more than fifty interventions to be installed across an 8km stretch of the River Donbetween Nursery Street in the City Centre and Blackburn Brook near the M1. This will improve flood protectionlevels up to and including a 1 in 100 year standard, plus the addition of a freeboard to help mitigate against climatechange in the future. The project will also include maintenance of the river channel over the five-year BID term. Since the start of 2014, Sheffield City Council has been working with Carillion and the Environment Agency todevelop detailed designs for the various interventions. Construction work is expected to start in the autumn, with theintention of the defences being completed by the spring of 2016.Country house to make substantialsavings with new heating systemA beautiful country house has wavedgoodbye to its ageing oil-fired heatingsystem and welcomed a state-of-the-artbiomass boiler in its place. Hinton Ampner, a National Trust propertynear Alresford in Hampshire, called on theexpertise of Lorien Engineering Solutions tomanage the transition to biomass, which willsave approximately 80-90 tonnes of CO2each year compared to the oil-fired systempreviously installed. The new system will fuelthe house at Hinton Ampner, along with theshop, tea room and two residentialproperties on the Estate. Lorien Engineering designed and project managed the transition for the National Trust, whichincluded appointing renowned historic buildings architect Ptolemy Dean to hone the Client andConservator’s desired look. The property intends to produce its own wood chip, so a bulk storagefacility will be procured on site to allow months of fuel to be stored at any one time.Ecus helps UKhit back ataquatic invasivespeciesAn environment consultancy has completed aseries of surveys on invasive non-native specieswhich are affecting UK waterways.Ecus, which has a head office in Sheffield, hasbeen surveying a variety of species including thekiller shrimp, crayfish and the New Zealandpigmyweed at numerous sites of special scientificinterest around the country. The work has beencarried out on behalf of national water andconservation authorities to help monitor andcontrol the non-native species which are impactingon hundreds of rivers and water reserves. It willhelp the country meet with 2015 targets set outunder the European Water Framework Directive.In 2010, inter-governmental organisation CABIannounced there were more than five hundredinvasive non-native species in the country, whichhad a total annual cost to the UK economy at anestimated £1.7 billion.Can recycling plant featuresin £2.6 million projectsScunthorpe-based ClugstonConstruction is working on two newprojects, together worth £2.6 million.The first is a £1.2 million extensionto an aluminium recycling plant inWarrington, where the company isdelivering a new steel portal framedbarn extension with a link canopy forNovelis, a world leading recycler ofaluminium. The company recyclealuminium cans into ingots for thebeverage can manufacturing market and this scheme will see capacity double.Meanwhile in Billingham, a £1.4 million project is extending an office and lab facility for Tracerco. Thecontract will see an extension to existing offices to create further mixed use offices, break out spaces,meeting rooms, new utilities and drainage. The contract extends Clugston’s relationship with the clientwhere they are currently on site building a new £7 million main headquarters.32-33:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:05 Page 1High Technology Lighting seesmore international successHigh Technology Lighting,suppliers of energy-efficientlighting solutions for retail andcommercial spaces, hasexperienced substantialinternational success in the lastsix months, after expanding itsinternational operations as part ofthe company’s long-term growthstrategy.The company has suppliedfittings to Kuwait, Cyprus, Poland,Czechoslovakia, Belgium, andRussia directly, as well as to Sweden, Australia and the UAE, through distribution partnerships.The job in Russia was a particular highlight for High Technology Lighting, with the companysupplying 120 of the Quartet Uno fitting to a church. The fitting incorporates leading LEDtechnology from Xicato’s Artist range.Thomas Holgeth, joint managing director of High Technology Lighting, says, “We areextremely pleased with our international success over the last six months. The installation ofour technology in the church in Russia was a particular high and the new lighting lookingfantastic. We are looking forward to similar jobs across the world.”Cereals cements its position asUK’s leading arable eventAlmost 25,000 people attended this year’s sun-drenched Cereals event to catch up with the latest technicaladvances, machinery innovations and business advice. CAP greening measures, blackgrass and grain prices were keytalking points at the event, which took place at Chrishall Grange, near Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Jon Day, Haymarket’s Cereals event director, says, “The arablesector is second to none when it comes to innovation, and there was plenty on show at Cereals, whether thatbe improvements in cultivating, drilling and harvesting techniques, novel spraying systems, or the latest precisionfarming developments along with increasingly powerful record keeping systems.“Cereals has also developed into a leading conference venue, giving audiences the chance to hear and discussa range of topical issues with those in the know. This was very evident this year in the first Arable Conference atCereals session, which saw DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson outlining and discussing the CAP greeningmeasures that DEFRA had released just prior to the event. The fact he used Cereals as a platform to discussthese measures face to face with farmers how important Cereals has become to all who are involved in thesector.”www.blmforum.net33ENVIRONMENTAL - NEWSCouncils award£200 million wastecontracts for nextten yearsEast Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council haveawarded new contracts to jointly manage their waste.The contracts – awarded to FCC Environment, ImpetusWaste Management, J&B Recycling & Biowise Ltd and BiffaWaste Services – will manage the recycling and wastematerials that the two councils collect from their 263,000households and run the thirteen household waste andrecycling sites provided by the councils.Councillor Symon Fraser, portfolio holder for environment,housing and planning at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, says,“Recycling, reducing waste and cutting down on what is sentto landfill is close to the hearts of residents in the East Riding.We are all taking greater care over the amount of waste wecreate in the first place and the contracts take account of thatby reducing the cost of the contracts the more we recycle.The contracts will also enable us to continue to deliver goodservices for our residents in the coming years.”PHOTO: GUZELIAN LTD32-33:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:05 Page 234www.blmforum.netENVIRONMENTAL - ANAEROBIC DIGESTIONWith food and water waste being high onthe green agenda as targets for change,anaerobic digestion is undeniably playing itspart in moving business towards greenertimes in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.While the overall implementation has, sofar, been somewhat skewed towards privatecompanies installing their own facilities,however there have been calls to make theanaerobic digestion sector more joined upand integral. Ahead of UK AD & Biogas 2014– the UK’s only dedicated AD and biogasevent, held at the NEC in Birmingham,industry leaders speaking at the free eventhave suggested it can be a cost-effectivesolution to global cash flow restrictions.Singing the praises of AD for its ability toclose the loop between food waste andproduction Ken Webster, Head of Innovation,Ellen MacArthur Foundation says, “The uptakeof anaerobic digestion is key in the movetowards a circular economy. We are beginningto see a step change from food manufacturersand processors as they discover that allmaterial flows have value. This is excellentnews for the AD market.”Dustin Benton, Head of ResourceStewardship at Green Alliance points out thatintegration of AD can provide local control ina global economy: “The resource price shocksin food, fuel, and other commodities haveraised bills and dampened wages across theUK. We can’t control internationalcommodity prices, but there are practicalsolutions, including anaerobic digestion, whichcommunities can use to become moreresilient. Where done well, resource efficiencyand renewable technologies can be wins forthe economy as well as the environment.”The challenge to reduce, reuse and recycleeffectively falls to those with control of thewaste stream however Darren Atkinson,General Manager Development, Biffa,highlights the need for co-operation betweenall those involved: “Making best use of ourwaste resource is crucial and anaerobicdigestion is a core component of any plan todo this effectively. It is important that wastemanagers are able to work together and buildlong term partnerships with local authoritiesand waste producers. If separate food wastecollections are to integrate effectively weMorethanhot airAnaerobic digestion is one of the emerging success storiesfor the region’s take-up of renewables, with both agriculturaland business use skyrocketing. What advantages does thismethod of producing energy offer?34-36:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:06 Page 1www.blmforum.net35need good information about what is in thewaste, where it is, how is best to collect it.Then we are able to plan effectively and buildthe infrastructure where it is needed in orderto deliver the right results.“This is why events like UK AD & Biogas2014 are important, bringing together wasteproducers, waste managers, AD operators andlocal authority officers together to discussthe pros and cons of the available options.”Brilliant by-productsIt’s not just the biomethane that anaerobicdigestion produces, it’s often forgotten justhow rich in nutrients and growing power theresultant digestate that runs off from theprocess is as a fertiliser. There have been numerous recent trials ofthe use of a liquid digestate as a viablealternative to traditional chemical fertilisers,often with great success. Results so far indicate that areas sprayedwith AD digestate have grown as well asthose treated with chemical fertilisers. Givenits performance, and the fact that thedigestate is 100% organic, it is believed that awide range of growers will place increasingvalue on this natural feedstock. Trials, conducted in collaboration withturfing and landscaping specialists, haveindicated that the nutrient value of liquiddigestate has an equal value to the appliedchemical fertiliser normally used by manyfarmers and growers. This has been backed upby scientific tests conducted at specialistchemical testing laboratories. The cost of the digestate is currently on apar with chemical fertilizers but, as moreand more AD facilities come online,economies of scale dictate that the price will36 PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/LIANEMPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/CARLO VILLA34-36:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:06 Page 236www.blmforum.netENVIRONMENTAL - ANAEROBIC DIGESTIONfall as supply increases. The turf growing properties of ADdigestate have already been well documentedfollowing research conducted by thegovernment-sponsored organisation WRAP atthe Sports Turf Research Institute. The trialsconcluded that, when used as a feed for turfestablishment and then as an on-goingmaintenance product, the effect of thedigestate was comparable to fertilisertreatments and demonstrated clear signs ofsoil improvement. Sandra Sassow, SEaB Energy’s CEO, says:“As well as generating a reliable source ofenergy, trials have demonstrated micro-powerplants also produce a completely organicdigestate rich in nutrients. Lab tests and fieldtrials have proven that it performs as well astraditional fertilisers, but without thechemicals and, over time, at a reduced cost.This presents plant and turf growers with aclear economic opportunity to shift to amore sustainable propagator as well as apotential valuable additional income streamfor organic waste producers”.To add to this, Farmers in England can nowapply for Stage 2 of the On Farm AnaerobicDigestion Loan Fund of up to £400,000 perfarm, as part of a £3 million initiative to helpbuild small scale AD plants.The first stage of the On Farm AD Fundlaunched in October 2013, offers grants of upto £10,000 per farm to help farmers developbusiness plans. This second stage is a loan,funded by Defra and managed by WRAP,which aims to support the construction ofon-farm AD plants generating less than250kW of energy, and which will use farmresidues like manures and slurries.Dr Jonathan Scurlock, NFU chief adviser onrenewable energy, says, “Having participated inthe design and approving the terms of thisscheme, the NFU is delighted that WRAP areoffering further support to reduce thebusiness risk of small-scale on-farm AD andbring forward more projects. “The NFU understands that WRAP isalready in the process of offering at least 18business development grants of up to£10,000, which will stimulate the deploymentof this key technology to deliver multiplebenefits for farmers and growers. Anenthusiastic response has been reported toboth the grants and the loan scheme in termsof expressions of interest and downloadedapplication forms.”With this many opportunities on offer, itseems there’s never been a better time toinvestigate biomass and anaerobic digestion asan option for dealing with both food wasteand agricultural waste. With funding andinnovation clearly running ahead of trend, itcould be that those somewhat alien towerscould become a common sight across ourcounties soon. A great way of meetingrenewable and zero waste targets, it’s alsocost effective. Just how many boxes dobusinesses need ticked to investigate? We’dvouch not much more. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/HENRY NOWICKFarmers in England can now apply forStage 2 of the On Farm AnaerobicDigestion Loan Fund of up to £400,000per farm, as part of a £3 million initiativeto help build small scale AD plants34-36:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:06 Page 3FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINTWWW.RENEWABLESANDENVIRONMENT.COMYou can read Renewables &Environment on the go!Available on smartphones and tablets. Ideal forthose whospend time away fromtheir office37:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:12 Page 1NETWORKINGThe advent of social media has beenpounced upon by many and it’s easy tosee why - it’s free, you reach masses ofpeople and in a short period of time. Forall the digital interaction that is takingplace however, physically meetingclients, potential customers andbusiness leaders face to face is stillsomething we are firm advocates of.That’s not to say social media isn’tunderpinning conferences andnetworking meetings, it’s a great way ofsupporting what you aim to find out andachieve, but there is no better way ofbuilding trust than traditional methods.The human element is something thatis far from receding and doesn’t meanpeople are purely talking to each otherover networks. We have witnessed arise in organised network groups thatget to know each other on a personal aswell as business level. Attend anyexhibition as a delegate and you will findseveral chances to network, both amongyour peers in your chosen industry andwith experts that can provide opinion,advice and tips for bigger and betterbusiness practice.Nothing beats that personal, overallhuman interaction and we’d say gettingto know people in this way leads tobetter business relationships and moreof a feel of community. Getting thatbalance between knowing a customer in‘real life’ and interacting with themdigitally is arguably essential these days.Behaviour changeRather than being stuck to yoursmartphone or laptop, networkingevents give you the chance to, horror ofhorrors, talk to people! It’s not just acase of filling time by discussing theweather and other niceties though, it’sabout making the right impression. Notonly are you representing yourself, butIt’s sometimes said that for all the digital networking we do,nothing beats meeting face to face. But what are theadvantages and what are the best methods?your company too. Here’s some tips toensure your networking goes with abang:Introduce yourself: No waiting in thewings, please. Nobody strikes upconversation with wallflowers and ifyou’ve been sent there or decided toattend, it’s not because you’re shy andretiring. The old trick of elevatorspeech is a good trick to use here. Tento fifteen seconds is all it takes totheoretically introduce yourselfcorrectly, so make sure it counts.Reeling off this short, sharp deliverymight seem overbearing, but it getseverything you need to know across.Tell them your name, your businessname, where you operate and whatyou offer in just a few sentences andyou’ll have their attention. Give peoplea chance to let the conversationwander and your chance to make afirm impression evaporates.Be different: Aim high and aim bigwith your expectations, be ready tointroduce what it is you do in aninteresting way, “I work as anaccountant” or “I’m a sales manager”aren’t really inspiring enough, mostpeople at the networking session willbe doing something similar, what canyou do that they cannot?NetworkingnousPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/EDHAR38-39:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:13 Page 1Business Link 39www.blmforum.netNetworkingnumbers is onthe way!Our new feature, starting August, is set to show what can bedone with extra background when it comes to networking.Working in a way that not only showcases your services andcompany prowess well ahead of a meeting to those who mightnot be attending, it’s also a great way of impressing delegatesbefore you even arrive. Our networking by numbers feature willgive people a chance to get to know one another prior to the event by providing information and contact details so that pre-networking introductions can be made and a meeting face to face can be arranged. We can’t wait to spread the networkingmessage, why not join us too? Contact Becky Darnell on 01472 310302 or email b.darnell@blmgroup.co.uk for more details.Help others out: Identify what it ispeople might need before you attendthe meeting. It’s likely that whoever isattending has confirmed their presenceso try and do some research before theevent begins. Then you are ready tooffer something you know the ‘target’might want. Seen a gap in their businessyou could solve easily? Mention it andget things moving, what’s stopping you?Build up trust: It’s not all mercenarytactics by the way, you are allowed tobe human! By getting to knowsomeone, it’s probably a good idea tofollow up the meeting with a call or atleast a tweet or email after. Making apoint of talking to them at future eventsis also brilliant for building up trust andit’s a proven way of continuing businessrelationships. Talking to people onlywhen you need them is somewhat see-through and most will click yourPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGESfairweather ways pretty quickly.Offer expertise: If there’s a chance toshow your value or pass on expertise,then go for it. The chances to offerspeeches or chair meetings come upmore often than you might think. Itoffers you a chance not only to shoutabout your company, but to have apositive influence too. Being confident isjust half the battle, to really succeed youhave to grab chances too!38-39:Layout 1 30/6/14 09:13 Page 2Next >