DECEMBER 2019 £3.50 YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk VOLUME 34 ISSUE 12 Safe and soundThe buttress of the economy Celebrating developments 01 .qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 10:00 Page 1Pipesco is a pipe and structural engineering, design and fabrication specialist, providing a comprehensive range of services. MODELLING THE FUTURE When you need an accurate prediction of how a finished product will look, our 3D modelling service gives you the insights and confidence you’re looking for. Using the latest technology and software, we can create a 3D model of almost anything in any environment. The benefits of 3D modelling are clear to see. With accurate data, you’ll save time and money and are able to tweak or radically rethink a design before the manufacturing process begins. Simplifying the Process! Surveying | Engineering & Design | Fabrication Piping Systems | Project Management PIPESCO LTD, Osborne Road, Stallingborough, North East Lincolnshire DN41 8DG Tel: 01469 576677 E-mail: info@pipesco.com Website: www.pipesco.com A New Approach Safety focussed Quality driven piping design, engineering and fabrication 02.qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 10:04 Page 1December is here and nothing says Christmas spirit like a general election. No? Only me? Only the politicians, apparently, who have decided to spring this on us at a time when they should be doing plenty of other things – or anything at all. It’s the latest in Bojo’s attempts to quell dissent, though there’s a part of me that thinks he’s hoping for a loss just so he can get out of being judged on any of his promises. We won’t jump into championing any one side here, namely because as far as we’re concerned there’s no one we’d want to champion. The best we can do, like so many others, is focus on our own affairs and making the most of business in our region. The north has always been cut off from events in Westminster, and while we can’t ignore them entirely, focusing on the Northern Powerhouse may allow our region some autonomy. It’s not all doom and gloom and politics, however. Christmas is here in what will be the busiest period for some businesses and something of a quieter month for others. At least outside the staff parties taking place all over Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. In our final issue of 2019, we’ll look at a wide range of topics related to the year at hand, including a review of successful business stories over the year and some of the biggest commercial property deals to boot. Alongside that, we look at the official health and safety statistics for 2019, specifically within the construction sector, to see whether the region has improved and what work needs to be done. It’s business as usual for Business Link magazine, and business as usual for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Despite that, we’ll wish you all a Merry Christmas and cheers to a successful new year. Good reading, as always Michael Fisher Editor The magazine that cares We care because we want to leave our world a better place than we found it Business Link believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is the key to maintaining a flourishing business 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 the much 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 and ensuring our trading partners do likewise. From the Editor 03.qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 09:10 Page 1DECEMBER 2019 6 News The latest business news and success stories from around our region 10 Business Lincolnshire Q&A We spoke to Trudy Roberts, Growth Hub Adviser for East and West Lindsey, to find out how the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub can support small-to- medium businesses in Greater Lincolnshire. 12 Commercial property Although the financial calendar runs from April to April, December brings with it an opportunity to look back over the last twelve months, take stock, celebrate success and look towards the future. For the last issue of 2019, Business Link explores the biggest and most important developments in the commercial property market this past year. 16 End of year success stories 2019 has been a year of extremes both environmentally, economically and politically. Business Link looks back over the last twelve months and invites businesses to share their success stories. Invoice and finance solutions Of all the issues that businesses are forced to contend with, the most significant challenges are almost always financial in nature. Health and safety The construction sector is one of the worst performers for health and safety, as it has been for many years. But what is causing these constant lapses? Ports and logistics With enviable ports, solid road and rail links and air freight opportunities, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have secured their place as logics powerhouses. Business scene Lincoln Sportsman’s Club recently hosted its latest Sportsman’s Dinner at the Bentley Hotel in Lincoln. Attendees were dressed in longue suits and were treated to a three-course meal to help raise money for local sportsmen and women. 34 Engineering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire has a proud engineering and manufacturing heritage, which may be the key to the UK’s continued success – if it can be made as efficient as possible. Corporate hospitality A strong theme can reinvigorate the classic Christmas AutoLink The motoring industry is one that has been worth £80 billion in previous years but concerns over Brexit and floundering trade deals have left the industry reeling. How bright is the future, and what can our automotive industry do to grasp it? • We put Maserati’s Levante through its paces Events We take a look at business events happening around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire And finally… Yorkshire-Lincolnshire- Business-Link @blmforum blmforum.net CONNECT WITH US 28 34 44 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 09/01/2020 13:09 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 Angela Cooper (a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk) Sam Trott (s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk) Vicky Hunt (v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk) Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk) Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Tel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314 Haychart Ltd, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N.E. Lincs., DN31 2QE. 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 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 COVER PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK - MR. AMARIN JITNATHUM • GORODENKOFF • THE PLATFOPRM, LEEDS • MICHAEL TUBI • SORN 340 IMAGES www.blmforum.net 24 04-05.qxp_Layout 1 09/01/2020 13:09 Page 2Jingye sets out plans for future of British Steel After exchanging contracts for the purchase of British Steel, Chinese steelmaker, the Jingye Group, says the two businesses will combine to create a world-class steelmaking group with global scale and ambition. In a statement it said: “The combination will bring together expertise from both businesses to help secure a long-term future for British Steel’s operations through the continued production of high-quality steel products. A completed sale will also preserve thousands of jobs in a key foundation industry for the UK.” Jingye plans to invest £1.2 billion in the business over the next decade in upgrading the plants and machinery, improving the new company’s environmental performance and boosting energy efficiency to place the operations on a more competitive and sustainable footing. Under the terms of the agreement, Jingye would acquire certain assets of British Steel from the Official Receiver, subject to regulatory approvals and certain employee consultation procedures. 6 Business Link www.blmforum.net NEWS Finance announced for businesses in Lincolnshire A fund set up to support entrepreneurs who’ve been turned down by the banks has finance available to help build local businesses in Lincolnshire. Since being established in 2001 as a registered charity, the Fredericks Foundation has transformed the lives of thousands. It provides not-for- profit business loans to people struggling to find finance from a responsible lender because of poor credit or other circumstances. Now the Foundation is keen to reach out to others it can help to either launch a new business or strengthen an existing enterprise. Sole traders, partnerships and limited companies can apply for a loan to support their business – whether they need cash to get started, capital to expand or funds to bridge a gap. Duncan Parker, CEO at Fredericks Foundation, said: “We are determined to help level the playing field by giving everyone the opportunity to apply for one of our loans and transform their lives by running their own business.” Duncan Parker, CEO of Fredericks Foundation Chinese conglomerate acquires stake in Sheffield video game maker Chinese conglomerate, Tencent Holdings, is acquiring 15 million shares in Sheffield-headquartered video game maker, Sumo Group, from private equity company, Perwyn Bidco. Following the acquisition, Tencent, an internet-based platform company, will hold a 9.96% interest in the Company. Perwyn Bidco has been an investor in Sumo Group since September 2016 and, following the deal, will retain a 17.38% interest in the Company. “When Perwyn invested in Sumo Digital in September 2016 we were a private company with annual revenue of around £24 million and operated from three studios in two countries,” said Sumo group CEO Carl Cavers. “We are now a public company and, following the recent announcement of our new studio in Warrington in the north west of England, now have ten studios in three countries and reported revenue of more than £38 million for the year ended 31 December 2018.” © Shutterstock /Oleg Krugliak Jingye Group CEO Huiming Li at the Scunthorpe site 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 09:13 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 7 NEWS Over-fifties lead drive to increasing self-employment, survey finds Millions of older workers are joining and benefiting from the freelance sector, new research from the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) has found. The research shows there are now almost two million self- employed people over the age of 50 in the UK – a number that has increased by 58.5% in the last ten years. The report on the motivations and challenges of the self- employed shows why so many older people are turning to self- employment. They said the four key factors are: being able to work more flexibly (89% agreed this was a factor); having more control over work (89%); having more control over hours (84%), and the freedom to choose where to work (83%). One in four older freelancers did say, however, that losing their previous job was a factor in turning to freelancing, compared to just seven per cent of 16-29-year-olds. The report does show, however, that older freelancers are overwhelmingly happy with their lot. © Shutterstock/shurkin_son Roadmap published to make Humber world’s first zero carbon cluster A new report published by the Zero Carbon Humber campaign has laid out a detail assessment of how the UK can develop the world’s first zero carbon cluster. Led by energy companies Drax Group, Equinor and National Grid Ventures, Zero Carbon Humber said the proposals could help protect 55,000 jobs and deliver the biggest contribution to the UK’s climate goals of any industrial region. ‘Capture For Growth: A roadmap for the world’s first zero carbon industrial cluster’ sets out how the region could deliver the government’s world-leading ambition to establish the first ‘net zero’ carbon industrial cluster in the UK by 2040, helping the Humber to compete on the world stage by attracting new investment, industries and employment. The proposals are supported by new analysis by Element Energy which finds that if the world’s first net zero carbon industrial cluster is developed in the Humber region, 53 million tonnes of CO2 a year could be captured – that’s around 15% of the UK’s current annual CO2 emissions. They would also help save industrial businesses in the region carbon taxes of up to £27.5 billion by 2040 helping to protect jobs and competitiveness. “The Humber is uniquely well placed to deliver clean growth, and I hope the next Government will get behind the exciting proposals coming forward from the region,” said Lord Haskins, Chair of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership. © Drax Group Recently launched Leeds agency acquires London PR firm connective3, a recently launched digital agency in Leeds, has acquired London-based PR agency, Silverthorn. Silverthorn was launched in May 2018 by Laura Crimmons following investment from Vin Chinnaraja and Patrick Altoft whom she worked for at search agency Branded3 prior to its own acquisition. Chinnaraja and Altoft launched connective3 last month headed up by Tim Grice as CEO alongside ex-members of the Branded3 leadership team. In less than a month our team has already grown to 11 members of staff at our Leeds HQ, the acquisition of Silverthorn will further strengthen the team. connective3 CEO Tim Grice said: “Laura has a great reputation and has built up an impressive agency in a relatively short amount of time. We are excited to work with Silverthorn’s clients and staff on PR campaigns as well as introducing the broader range of paid media and SEO services offered by connective3.” © Shutterstock/giggsy25 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 09:13 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 26/11/2019 09:13 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 9 NEWS Funding to boost business productivity in Leeds City Region The second round of funding aimed at boosting productivity for businesses in the Leeds City Region has been launched by the LEP. Working in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the Business Productivity Pilot will award grants to businesses that best demonstrate how capital investment will lead to measurable productivity improvements to their business. Grants can contribute to capital investment in machinery, equipment and the fit-out of premises. Research by the Combined Authority highlights that if businesses can close the gap between the region’s productivity rate and the national average, £11 billion could be added to the regional economy. Businesses have until 31 January 2020 to apply for grants between £25,000 and £100,000. Applications will be assessed by a panel of experts from the private and public sector, and the decision on which applications are approved will be announced 28 February 2020. UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.5 million to work with US partners on the $40 million US offshore wind development programme. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £1.5 million to support UK businesses working with partners in the United States on innovative offshore wind technologies. Businesses and research organisations must first express an interest in applying. The aim of the competition is to reduce technical barriers facing offshore wind farms including cutting costs. The deadline for expressions of interest is at midday on 15th January 2020. Businesses of any size can apply, but all projects must include at least 1 UK SME, and total UK project costs must be between £150,000 and £600,000. © Shutterstock/Kwangmoozaa © Shutterstock /Neil Mitchell Industrial IT and automation systems provider Novotek UK & Ireland is reaching further into the UK market with the opening of a new base in Leeds. The new site, at Hawthorn Park in Seacroft, will accommodate a doubling of Novotek’s team, and features an innovation lab where customers’ engineering, IT and operations teams will be able to see the systems of the future in action. The Leeds office is Novotek’s second site in the UK and Ireland, with the company’s existing UK headquarters being in Glasgow. The company chose Leeds due to the increasing role the city is playing as a tech hub, and for the proximity to both the midlands and norther industrial heartlands. The expansion is being supported by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, through its digital inward investment fund called #welcome. Novotek sets up new base in Leeds as part of UK expansion UK firms urged to tap into US offshore wind energy market © Shutterstock/EtiAmmos 06-09.qxp_Layout 1 26/11/2019 09:13 Page 4Next >