‘Best of the Best’ crafted in Plymouth!

Princess Yachts are delighted to announce that the Princess ‘Superfly’ X95 has been awarded ‘Best of the Best’ in Robb Report‘s Yacht category.
The team at Robb Report explained, “we were impressed not only with the yacht’s volume—which clearly adds to gracious on-board living—but also the way your team, along with Pininfarina, shaped the exterior. The unique design makes excellent use of the top deck, foredeck and beach club areas. We’ll sum it up in one word: Bravo”.
Find out more about the Princess ‘Superfly’ X95 on our website: https://lnkd.in/d7cWYzb

(COVID-19) Coronavirus restrictions: what you can and cannot do

Some coronavirus restrictions are being cautiously lifted across England today 29th March 2021.
Here’s what you need to know
https://lnkd.in/dqJiFVZ

Image  – here

5 Manufacturing roles that will soon look very different. The factory of the future will demand a whole new combination of skills.

Article by Stephen Laaper and Asi Klein

AUG 25, 2021

This article appeared in Industry Week magazine and is available to read in full – here

The fact that digital transformation and Industry 4.0 are changing manufacturing operations is no secret, nor is the fact that skilled manufacturing talent is increasingly harder to come by. With Deloitte research projecting that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs will be unfilled by 2028, the question becomes: What talent and skills do manufacturers need in order to succeed in the factory of the future?

Here we look at five manufacturing jobs and how they are expected to evolve. We highlight the critical new skills needed for these jobs that manufacturers will need to cultivate in order to better recruit, train and upskill workers.

A common thread across all of the jobs below is a trend in “human capabilities”—or soft skills—becoming just as important as technical and manufacturing skills. For example, as artificial intelligence (AI) reduces the need for humans to be involved in lower-value, manual work, workers increasingly need to be able to take on new responsibilities in areas such as problem-solving, communication, interpretation, design thinking and customer engagement.

Five Roles that are Getting Smarter

Several manufacturing roles are changing due to technology innovation. We chose the five roles below to highlight as these roles are experiencing a particularly high level of evolution in the smart factory era and are representative of how manufacturing jobs will continue to evolve.

The Production Planner

The Industrial Engineer

The Operator

The Line Leader

The Quality Engineer

Read about each one in turn in the original article – here

A transformational step for Alstom: completion of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation

Agents’ summary of business conditions – 2021 Q2

Manufacturing output increased to close to pre-Covid levels, though supply bottlenecks constrained production in several sectors.

Output among food and beverage producers increased as the hospitality sector stocked up ahead of reopening. Strong demand for construction materials pushed mining and quarrying output above year-ago levels, and contacts in the oil and gas sector said that production was close to pre-pandemic levels.

There were widespread concerns among contacts about the cost and availability of materials and components. Output in the automotive sector continued to be constrained by the shortage of semiconductors. And contacts in some sectors reported stockpiling of materials and components in anticipation of continued supply-chain disruption. There were many reports of lead times increasing.

Contacts reported that Brexit-related issues that had previously impacted on exports – such as customs declarations, rules of origin and product-labelling – were starting to abate as businesses adapted to the new requirements. Demand from the EU for UK goods was reported to have returned. More businesses said they were setting up hubs in the EU in order to continue selling to customers in the region. There was limited evidence of substitution away from EU imports.

More – here

All the latest newsletters received in the PMG Office – up until 1st June

Download this summary list of newsletters recently received by the PMG Office – here

All the latest newsletters received in the PMG Office during May

Download this summary list of newsletters recently received by the PMG Office – here

An opportunity to help shape Plymouth’s future engineering graduates

The Mechanical – Marine Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee (MMIAC) is a forum comprised of experienced mechanical, marine and manufacturing engineering company representatives from across the SW region and academic members of staff from within the University of Plymouth’s School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.

Working in partnership with the MMIAC, the University ensures that it keeps their student’s curriculum up-to-date with issues facing the profession and that they are highly employable when they graduate.

Nominations are now being sought from local manufacturers to help boost the representation of the private sector on this important body.

With the University currently planning its New Engineering and Design Facility, there has never been a more exciting time to be engaged.

The role is not onerous in terms of time commitment. The Committee meets twice a year for a couple of hours. What it seeks to do most, is to tap into your lifetime of knowledge and experience as an engineer.

See full details – here

Are you Interested in making more effective use of your CSR strategy and aligning this to the Sustainable Development Goals through supporting local and global health in Plymouth? 

As UK and global populations age and suffer preventable long term conditions, the economic viability of businesses will come into increasing focus because their workforce is drawn from these populations. Medical expenditure, absenteeism, loss of skills through disability and death, and reduced productivity will increasingly challenge businesses. At the same time, businesses are increasingly operating in the context of wider political, environmental, social and technological challenges, not least those presented by COVID, global inequalities, climate change and loss of trust in politics and governments. These challenges and opportunities call for radically new ways of collaboration.

Accordingly, the South West Global Health Collaborative (GHC), which exists to improve local and global health, is interested in working more collaboratively with local businesses in Plymouth who want to demonstrate and/or strengthen their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials. (For an explanation of ESG see – here)

Businesses do not have to be health-related. The Sustainable Development Goals highlight how every single sector has a role in ensuring that economic growth is promoted without compromising equity and fairness. That’s why we want to work with every business in the city who recognises their role in this and wants to fulfil it

Established at the University of Plymouth in 2016 alongside a Masters course in Global Health, the Collaborative brings together extensive experience and expertise amongst local health workers who are all engaged in international health partnerships. The government has now pulled some international health funding that has affected several new projects, but this could also present an opportunity for health and business to work more closely together, taking a more visible leadership role in this agenda.

The GHC ethos is that

• “Health is interdependent and interconnected – it is no longer possible to separate health issues in the UK from health issues abroad….” – All Party Parliamentary Group in Global Health
• ‘Education must be globalised for all NHS staff’…. who ‘must deliver effective care to multicultural communities with diverse needs’ and ‘must understand the effects of globalisation on health and health systems.’ – Health Education England
• Health is determined by problems, issues and concerns that transcend national boundaries,” and are thus beyond the capacity of individual countries to address through domestic institutions – Public Health England GH strategy 2014-2019/ 2008 and UK Government ‘Health is Global’ Strategy
• Almost every health service problem has been solved at some scale somewhere. Health workforce crisis, patient empowerment, etc – and often by health services developed under more austere conditions.
• The reciprocal benefits of working together and sharing innovation globally are well recognised at NHS health worker, but also whole health system, level.

There are a number of planned new projects underway in the collaborative:

• Plymouth and Uganda working together on building community health worker roles and empowering these workers and their communities to collect own data and prioritise own health needs through geospatial mapping technology
• Paramedicine partnership with an NGO in Nepal on first responder services
• Midwifery partnership with community midwifery services in rural Ethiopia

There are many existing other global partnerships /projects with opportunities for additional collaboration – these can be found at:

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/global-health-collaborative/projects

Please contact the leads for the GHC tara.harrop@plymouth.ac.uk / lucy.obolensky@plymouth.ac.uk if you would like to explore collaborating with us on any global and local health projects.

Argos Fire Protection introduces new products offering even greater protection.

We have been around a fair few years now starting out as a fire extinguisher maintenance company in St Ives, Cornwall back in 1969, we soon grew a loyal customer following by providing an efficient and focused 24hr service and started to expand our offering to include fire training, risk assessments, fire alarm servicing and installation. As the company grew we moved our head office to Exeter where we could expand outwards, we have always strived to provide the products that customers need so we can be the company of choice. We have now been a Diamond Install and Service partner for Ansul R-102 kitchen suppression for over 10yrs and have seen this area grow in recent times and are very proud to say we are one of only 6 companies in the country to receive BAFE SP 206 Accreditation.

2020 – The start of an unprecedented time for the whole world, a very worrying time which is hopefully now easing and allowing businesses especially hospitality and travel to start trading at something closer to normal levels. As a business we are proud to say our heritage kept us somewhat shielded from the effects and we were able to maintain our staff levels and since returning back full time early this year we have even grown the number of staff we employ.

One thing the pandemic did do is allow us to look again at what products we could offer to protect our customers further in the future, one such product that caught our attention is that offered by a company called Reacton who we have partnered with to provide cutting edge fire suppression systems that can be designed to protect Vehicles, Farm Machinery, CNC Machines, Electrical Consumer Units, Residential Kitchens and many other applications. We chose Reacton as their systems do not require any electrical input therefore can offer a stand-alone solution in most environments.

Another product that we felt would plug a gap in current protection offerings are flame spotting cameras and we chose a company called Ciqurix (Formerly Spot Fire) as once again their products are cutting edge and can be designed to BS5839 compliance, these cameras can spot a flame inside or outside up to 180 metres away in under 15 seconds which is extremely useful in high roofed buildings and outside where traditional detection is not available.

We are ready to your answer questions about our products and services! Please contact your local consultant Phil Lawrence on 07966 031431 or email phil@argosfire.co.uk

Please also visit our website for further information on the products and services we offer at www.argosfire.co.uk

Awarding vocational and technical qualifications in 2021

This article applies to BTEC, OCR Cambridge Technicals, Pre-U, Core Maths, IB, professional and technical qualifications (for GCSE, A or AS levels see our article: Awarding academic grades in 2021 without examinations)

In brief

The Government has confirmed that teacher judgements will play a crucial role in awarding results for students of vocational and technical qualifications this year. In some cases, assessments may still go ahead, either remotely or in person where it is safe. Assessments evaluating professional competence must take place, but may be subject to delays due to public health and safety. Students will be kept updated.

An online interactive tool will be released on the government website during March so students can check which approach is being used for each qualification.

The aim is that students will be awarded a grade to reflect what they know so they can move on to the next stage of their life.

In summary

Applied generals – including BTEC, OCR Cambridge Technicals, Pre U, core maths

Teacher assessment based on the work completed, such as tasks performed and course work.

International Baccalaureate

Cancelled in the UK. Awaiting announcement due mid-March about how they will be awarded.

Functional skills

Teacher assessed grades will be awarded if assessments cannot be taken due to public health measures.

Professional or occupational qualifications

Assessments must be taken, although this may be conducted in a different way to normal (such as remotely or using social distancing) so there may be delays. Awarding organisations will advise colleges or training providers of when grades can be awarded based on when assessments can take place.

Read the complete article – here

Babcock awarded Asset Availability Service contract continuing in-service support to Phalanx Close Weapon System

Babcock International, the Aerospace, Defence and Security Company, has been awarded a two year contract with the Ministry of Defence, for continuation of in-service support to the Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS).

Phalanx CIWS is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm Gatling gun system and is the Royal Navy’s primary defence for ships against the threat of anti-ship missiles.

The c. £15m agreement will see Babcock continue in-service support to the system from specialised facilities at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. Babcock is responsible for technical support, upgrades, maintenance and ensuring operational availability of the Weapons Systems to the Royal Navy fleet on an Asset Availability Service basis.

Richard Drake, Managing Director, Babcock Defence Systems Technology, said ‘We are delighted to once again extend our role supplying in-service support that ensures the availability of the Royal Navy’s Phalanx weaponry. Using our global support capability and programme specific expertise built up over many years, we are well positioned to continue providing the Royal Navy with first class in-service support to its gunnery.’

Original story  – here

Babcock awarded five year contract extension for Royal Navy 4.5 Medium Calibre Gun

Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence Company, and BAE Systems, have been awarded a five year contract extension by the Ministry of Defence to continue in-service support to the Royal Navy’s 4.5 Mk8 Medium Calibre Gun (MCG).

The agreement is worth c. £43m and will see the continuation of in-service support to the 4.5 MCG across 19 Type 23 Frigates and Type 45 Destroyers as well as HMS Collingwood. The continued collaboration between Babcock and BAE Systems, the Gun’s designer, offers the capacity, proven capabilities and infrastructure to safely and effectively run in-service support.

Babcock has also opted to implement innovative Digital Twin technology to drive an increase in reliability and availability of the weapons system and work to extend its service life. The effort to increase efficiency will also see the roll out of BAE Systems’ design interventions.

The Digital Twin enables digital connection with the asset presenting near real time insight to the materiel state of the Gun. It combines Babcock proprietary data capture technology and data science capability, augmenting Babcock’s engineering pedigree in Naval Gun support. The technology provides the on-board maintainer with the information they need to optimise maintenance and provides Babcock the foresight needed to predict future faults and proactively intervene to keep the asset operational and increase availability.

The full press release can be read – here

Babcock awarded seven year pump Equipment contract for HM Ships and Submarines

Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence Company, has secured a seven-year, c. £50m contract with the Ministry of Defence for the repair and maintenance of Sea Water Systems on HM Ships and Submarines.

The arrangement leads on from Babcock’s previous programmes, and will operate from Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. It will see Babcock continue in its role providing repairs, technical support and maintenance to pump equipment on board the Royal Navy Fleet. Under the asset availability service, Babcock’s scope will increase to support the Chloropac and Bio-foul systems.

Richard Drake, Managing Director of Babcock’s Defence Systems Technology business, said “We are delighted to continue our partnership with our customer on this programme; this award builds on our already strong relationship. We will provide first-class technical support and engineering services to pump equipment for the Royal Navy, helping ensure maximum availability of their assets.”

Babcock has been working with suppliers to explore innovative new solutions in manufacturing and supplying pump components with the aim to further extend pump reliability and drive even greater efficiency for our customer.

Source: here

Babcock issues business update

Today Babcock International Group issues a business update for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 (FY21) including an update on reviews currently taking place and our headline unaudited results. This announcement is being made ahead of the Group’s Preliminary Results announcement to provide some early transparency on key issues.

To view the business update click here

Babcock pledges to reduce emissions to net zero by 2040

Babcock is pleased to announce we have signed the Business Ambition for 1.5o Pledge to limit global warming in line with the Paris Agreement, enabling us to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Race to Zero and the We Mean Business Coalition.

This pledge commits Babcock to setting science-based emission reduction targets aligned with 1.5oC, which we aim to achieve by 2030, and sets us on course for decarbonising our estate, assets and operations to reach our overarching goal of net zero emissions by 2040.

David Lockwood, CEO said: “Babcock is committed to playing our part in addressing the Global Climate Crisis. Through our Plan Zero 40 approach, we will minimise the impact of our operations and strive to embed the highest standards in environmental management and protection. We will also grasp the opportunity to be a leader in low carbon enablement and drive low carbon innovation throughout our value chain. Achieving our targets will require commitment, innovation and collaboration between our employees, customers, suppliers and wider stakeholders and we look forward to working together will all our partners on the journey to net zero.”

View this article on our website – here

Babcock retains Carbon Trust Standard for Carbon

Babcock is pleased to have secured recertification of the Carbon Trust Standard for Carbon, which it has held since 2010.

The certification process included a quantitative assessment of carbon emissions, as well as a qualitative assessment of governance, carbon accounting and carbon management.

The Carbon Trust confirmed that Babcock achieved 14.9% absolute carbon reduction across its UK based operations in the 2018 – 2020 compliance period. The recertification demonstrates Babcock’s ongoing commitment to the highest standards in energy and carbon management and its effectiveness in addressing the global climate crisis.

Babcock CEO David Lockwood said: “We are fully committed to minimising the impact of our operations and strive to embed the highest standards in environmental management and protection.  This recertification by the Carbon Trust is another positive step on our journey towards decarbonising our estate, assets and operations, and achieving our goal of net zero emissions by 2040.”

View this article on our website

Babcock’s role in support of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group tour

And they’re off! Described as the Royal Navy’s most significant deployment in a generation – the UK’s Carrier Strike Group tour of duty has commenced.

Led by flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth the group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations covering 26,000 nautical miles. Babcock is proud of our strong association with the Royal Navy and all of the platforms in the deployment – our very best wishes go to everyone serving and supporting this fantastic opportunity.

Proud to play our part – watch our video on LinkedIn to find out more about Babcock’s contribution.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/babcock-international-group/videos/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_company%3B48X03Ob3SE2UfWjDxXtrRQ%3D%3D

Balazs Bagi, Managing Director of Improved Ways Limited

My name is Balazs Bagi and I am the Managing Director of a young and upcoming business to business service provider and consultancy company called Improved Ways Limited. We’re based in North Devon. The company’s primary focus is to provide business services and management system improvement advice for reputable organisations just like yours. What we are offering is to provide a professional service including Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety (QEHS) management systems implementation / upgrade / integration and to assist in delivering various QEHS improvement programmes to private and public sector organisations (5 to 250 employees) across the UK. We also have extensive experience with aerospace quality management systems such as AS9100D.

Services:

1. Installation of ISO business management systems (ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018)
2. Installation of EN9100:2018 aerospace quality management system
3. Installation of integrated business management systems. ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 integrated into one single business management system reducing certification and operational costs and maximising benefits
4. Delivery of quality, environmental and health and safety training. As part of the service our company would take care of your organisation’s quality, environmental and health and safety training needs starting with planning through implementation and training efficiency monitoring.

Company website: www.improvedwayslimited.co.uk

Best regards,

Balazs Bagi

MSc, Tech IOSH, CQP MCQI, CMgr MCMI

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 & AS9100 Management Consultant

Managing Director

Improved Ways Limited

Mobile: 00-44-(0)7986558587

Skype: Improved Ways Limited

Website: www.improvedwayslimited.co.uk

E-mail 1: balazs.bagi@improvedwayslimited.co.uk

E-mail 2: improved.ways@gmail.com

Bandvulc Celebrates 50 years with its eyes firmly on the Future

Retreading experts Bandvulc mark its 50th anniversary this year, and while the successes of the past are celebrated, the organisation has its eyes firmly on the future.

Bandvulc is Britain’s foremost commercial retreader.  The Devon-based operation began re-using rubber to make retread tyres back in 1971, retreading just 30 tyres a week for local use. Acquired by Continental Tyres in 2016, Bandvulc now produces a premium quality retread tyre every three minutes to serve commercial vehicle customers across the country.

Its 50th anniversary is marked by the introduction of the next generation of quality retread products, with major investment planned for their facility at Lee Mill, just outside Plymouth.

“We believe in the old saying that ‘standing still is going backwards’,” says Bandvulc Operations Director Tony Mailling. “So we keep innovating, we keep developing and creating new products, and we look at changes in manufacturing and technology that will make us more effective and more energy efficient, into the next 50 years.”

Bandvulc pioneered retread technology, which prolongs the lifespan of tyres and contributes to lower carbon emissions in tyre production. Its Ivybridge plant unites tyre recycling and retreading under one roof, setting new benchmarks in sustainability.

The 2016 Continental acquisition saw mutual benefits for both brands, who had existing 25 year working relationship, including a five-year investment plan, with projects designed to increase efficiency at the Bandvulc plant aligned with predicted increase in demand for retreads.

Tony Mailing says, “Sustainable manufacturing developments and legislative changes are being driven at an accelerated pace,” he says. “We are well ahead of the game and remain at the forefront of sustainable tyre manufacturing – the reuse and recycle approach is in our DNA.

“This year we’ve made a £1 million investment in automation in one of our build cells which is due to be on stream later this winter. It’s a huge investment, the biggest for many a year, and we plan more investment next year with a further robotics project.”

And for Mailling, such investment is only half the story, crediting the development of its 300 strong manufacturing workforce as another key to the brand’s success. He says, “We mark our 50th anniversary with many employees able to count their association with the company in decades rather than years.

“We invest to ensure the tyres we produce deliver exceptional levels of quality and performance, we are quick to respond to customer needs, and we invest in training to ensure our people have the right skills for each area of production.”

Read the complete article – here

In addition to recognising their history within the business, Bandvulc also used its milestone birthday as an opportunity to say thank you to its local community. The company has given away a series of £250 grants to charities and community groups that shared the same Devon postcode – PL21. Read the full article here.

Bandvulc Launches Wastemaster 5

Devon-based Bandvulc are preparing to roll out the latest state-of-the-art tyre in their Wastemaster range after extensive testing and field trials. The launch of the Wastemaster 5 marks the 5th generation of the Wastemaster tyre product which has been developed, tested and produced at Bandvulc’s Ivybridge factory.  The Wastemaster 5 will replace the Wastemaster III, a proven product in the waste sector that has been around for more than 20 years.

Tony Mailling, Operations Director at Bandvulc comments; “Over the past 2 years we have seen strong growth in the waste and construction market, which is buoyant at the moment because there’s lot of infrastructure and housing being built.  Our understanding of UK roads and vehicle operating conditions has been a key tool in our market research for this exciting new product.  The waste collection market is changing; waste is more segregated now with more collections a week and the collection vehicles are operational in all weather conditions such as sleet, snow, or heavy rain.  Our roads can be subject to a lot of debris especially in urban areas so our tyres need to be equipped with features to perform for the driver in all conditions”.

Specialist waste vehicles providing kerbside waste collections and operating in recycling sites require a hardworking tyre.  Tyres in this industry can be subject to sidewall damage from kerbing, tread damage from stone trapping, chip and chunking from rough surfaces, all which can result in premature removal and not achieving the full life of the tyre.

Read the full story – here

Bank of England Agency for the South West Monetary Policy Report Briefing May 2021 – Open to all PMG members

South West Webinar – Wednesday, 12th May. Online presentation by Malindi Myers (Agent) and Jamie Barber (Deputy Agent). The event will start at 10am and finish by 11am.

The webinar will be held on MS Teams and joining links will be sent to registrants a couple of days ahead of the event.

Register – https://app.keysurvey.co.uk/f/41564138/2f79/

Barclays Bank Report into Exporting “Made in Britain” 2021

Become more Mental Health Informed

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a significant toll on businesses as they face unprecedented levels of challenge and uncertainty, particularly in terms of employee mental health. At Psychology Associates, our passionate and expert team of Psychologists and Therapists are dedicated to helping businesses address and overcome these challenges.

We aim to help businesses become more mental health informed in order to improve wellbeing in the workplace and to get the most out of teams though services such as bespoke training packages, consultation, improving interpersonal skills, psychologically informed recruitment and supervision sessions.

Further information about our services can be found in our Services to Business Leaflet and on our website.

Please note that we offer free consultations with our Clinical Director to ascertain the individual needs of your business.

To arrange this, please contact us on 0300 303 5233 or email enquiry@psychologyassociates.org.uk.

Brexit Effects “More Negative Than Expected” KPMG/BCCG Survey: Companies Draw Conclusions

Around 100 days after Brexit, most companies are experiencing Brexit effects that are more negative than they expected at the beginning of the year.

This is evident from a recent survey conducted by KPMG and the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany (BCCG) among 93 member firms of the BCCG. 80 percent of these companies are based in Germany, the rest in the UK.

As a result, companies are drawing the first conclusions.

For example, one in six of the companies surveyed has decided to cease exports to the UK altogether. To avoid additional import and export burdens, companies have also decided to look for suppliers from other countries and another 13% percent are replacing imports with goods/services from local suppliers. Only around 30% of those surveyed still intend to look for new sales markets and product opportunities within the German-British corridor.

Full story – here

This follows earlier stories: –

UK exports to EU rebound partially after January’s slump – here

Brexit’s toll on Scotland’s exporters highlighted in Fraser of Allander-Addleshaw Goddard survey – here

Business Bulletin – Brexit: New rules are here

Issue 79: 19 April 2021

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for businesses. Includes:

o              Apply for a grant to help small and medium-sized businesses new to importing or exporting

o              New Guidance

o              Updated Guidance

o              Webinars

Download the bulletin – here

Business Revival Post Co-vid 19

This fully-funded, four week on-line course is aimed at businesses looking to adapt and thrive in the new normal.

Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it and as a result has had a significant change on consumer behaviour. This course explores the consumer trends that are emerging as the world starts to return to a ‘new normal’. The course looks at how you create commercial opportunities in this changing world.

Each course will cover the following key elements:

• Predicting the changes in consumer trends due to COVID-19
• Looking for new market opportunities
• Understanding your consumer
• Being adaptable
• Managing employees through times of change
• Motivating teams through times of change
• Understanding the importance of having personal resilience to help deal with the changing environment

Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it and as a result has had a significant change on consumer behaviour. This 4 week course explores the consumer trends that are emerging as the world starts to return to a ‘new normal’. The course looks at how you create commercial opportunities in this changing world.

Tuesday June 1st (1pm – 3 pm)

Thursday June 3rd (1pm – 3 pm)

Thursday June 10th (1pm – 3 pm)

Tuesday June 15th (1pm – 3 pm)

Thursday June 17th (1pm – 3 pm)

Tuesday June 22nd (1pm – 3 pm)

Thursday June 24th (1pm – 3 pm)

Tuesday June 29th (1pm – 3 pm)

To book a registration of interest, please book through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/152844013559

Chancellor marks Help to Grow scheme launch with teach-in alongside business owners

The Chancellor has called on small and medium business leaders to sign up to a new programme designed to hone their expertise as he attended one of the first courses in the UK today (August 2).

Rishi Sunak joined a class taking part in the government-funded management scheme at Aston Business School alongside small business owners to see first-hand how it is giving them the tools they need to innovate, grow and help drive the recovery from Covid.

The Chancellor delivered a talk to participants at the business school in Birmingham on the critical role small businesses can play in boosting UK productivity. He then took part in a group activity and led a discussion about their own business models and opportunities for growth.

The scheme, which was announced by the Chancellor at the March Budget and opened for applications in May, will give 30,000 SMEs access to world-class business expertise on everything from financial management to marketing, and is a pivotal part of the government’s Plan for Jobs.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: Small businesses are key to our innovation and economy and will therefore be an essential part to our recovery from the pandemic, which is why we are levelling up their skills through the Help to Grow schemes.

I want to bring some of the best bits of management training from around the world to help boost productivity here in the UK.

Help to Grow: Management will ensure our brilliant SMEs seize every opportunity to grow, fuelling our Plan for Jobs by boosting productivity in all corners of the UK.

Five universities have already started to offer courses – Aston, Portsmouth, Derby, Nottingham, and Birmingham City. Over August, four universities will follow – Coventry, Kingston, Strathclyde and Nottingham Trent.

The programme is being delivered by business schools across the country and was developed in close partnership with the business community to ensure it is as relevant as possible.

Leading business groups – including CBI, FSB, BCC, IoD and Make UK – have also played a key role in supporting the programme design.

According to the ONS, making small improvements in management practices can lead to a 10% increase in productivity. Analysis from the CBI suggests that boosting the productivity profile UK SMEs to match that of Germany could add up to £100bn to the economy.

Access the complete article – here

City College Plymouth – Employer Connections Conference – Marine, Defence, Engineering & Digital Technologies

Thursday 23 September 2021, 8.00am – 10.30am

It has been six months since we got together over Zoom to consider the future of the engineering industry in the wake of COVID and Brexit, whilst also facing the problems caused by a skills shortage. The talks and presentations were informative and really stirred a lot of interest, but the virtual format denied the opportunity to properly discuss the matters on the table: and a conference is never quite the same without hearty discussion and debate. With indoor hospitality now allowed, we want to invite you to enjoy another full programme of talks from industry leaders, but with the added bonus of being able to discuss your thoughts and opinions with like-minded industry colleagues who share the hopes and concerns for the future of this vital sector.

See the full programme – including speakers from the PMG – here

Climate Action: The Time is Now – Low Carbon Devon Inspire Event – 22nd April 2021 at 4.30pm

Declarations of Climate Emergencies, the Race to Net Zero, Reducing Carbon Footprints – these are now daily headlines, but what does this mean for you and your enterprise here in Devon?

The first in a series of Low Carbon Devon expert panel led discussions aiming to inspire action, this event will address the worldwide context of Climate Emergency, what this means for Devon and how you can take action today.

Featuring;

• Andy Middleton, Chief Exploration Officer, TYF Adventure; Partner, NOW Partners, helping organisations correlate their ambition, goals and actions to the speed and scale of response that’s needed for large scale sustainability change.
• Phil Hawthorne, Head of Design at Red Paddle Co and advocate for creative and responsible design which embodies Circular Economy processes.
• Natalie Whitehead and Alice Mills, co-founders of the Exeter Science Centre, a visionary project creating a public space where science is accessible to everyone.

Be inspired this Earth Day, 22nd April, and find out why the time for climate action is now and how you and your enterprise can be a part of it.

Visit the Low Carbon Devon website to find out about our future events, including practical action workshops helping you to calculate your carbon footprint and starting enterprises on the journey to becoming a registered B-Corp.

College’s new vision and purpose hailed inspiration after special launch event

City College Plymouth launched its new vision and purpose at an innovative event on Thursday, with guests hailing the College’s plans as bold, ambitious and inspirational.

Staff and governors were joined by councillors, local business leaders and other well-known names in Plymouth as each of the College’s strategic actions were presented in a series of informative videos.

Jackie Grubb, City College Chief Executive & Principal, said: “It was a privilege to officially launch the new visionary direction for our college. Our organisation is very clear on the vital role we play in our city and the positive impact we have on the lives of our community.

“For the past 18 months there has been a cross-College effort involving students, staff, governors, employer partners and other stakeholders in developing our strategic plan in line with the city and employer needs. This includes investing in exciting, cutting-edge facilities that are aligned to industry requirements and will make certain our students are receiving the very best and most up-to-date training.”

In addition to the videos setting out the College’s intentions for areas such as staff development, finance and its estates, guests also heard from the Leader of Plymouth City Council, Nick Kelly, whose speech pointed out how closely aligned the College’s vision is to the Council’s.

Chair of Governors, Richard Stevens, said: “Those who call Plymouth their home are fiercely proud of their city, and rightly so. We all want to see it develop and thrive, and through this new vision and purpose, the College has clearly stated the role it intends to play in achieving this, which involves working closely with the city’s employers to ensure it is equipping their workers with the skills they need.”

Since the event, the College has been inundated with messages and social media comments about the strength of its new Vision and Purpose and expressing their thanks for being invited to the launch. In a tweet, Sharron Robbie, Managing Director of the Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network, said: “Fantastic event! Good to hear how the College of the city is gearing up to meet the skills needs of Plymouth, whilst fostering robust partnerships with key stakeholders to enable economic growth and success.”

Both the College’s Vision and Purpose and Strategic Intent for 2021 to 2031 are available to read in full at www.cityplym.ac.uk/about/strategic-intent

Collins Aerospace wins the fourth Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Collins Aerospace’s inertial systems business in Plymouth, UK, has won a 2021 Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the highest official UK honour for British businesses. The award, in the category of international trade, recognizes outstanding export sales year on year. Collins Aerospace is a Raytheon Technologies business.
“This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding achievement of our teams in Plymouth to provide support to our customers in a very competitive global market,” said Kevin Pindard, Managing Director Collins Aerospace Inertial Systems in the UK. “Over the last 3 years, working with UK government agencies, overseas earnings grew by more than 75 % thanks to new export opportunities, secured export licenses and introductions to new customers. On the same period, we invested in highly skilled engineers doubling our headcounts, and major investments in our operations have enabled volumes to increase 400%. Complemented by advancement of our digital infrastructure and Lean credentials removing waste, reducing lead times and maximizing efficiency all help make us the supplier of choice for many customers.”
Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognize outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of international trade, innovation and sustainable development. The awards are made annually by Her Majesty The Queen, are judged to a demanding level, and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated in each category.
In 2013, Collins Aerospace won the Queen’s Award for Innovation, and this new award for International Trade makes it the 4th recognition for the Company.

Collins Aerospace in Plymouth designs, develops and produces miniature high performance solid state inertial systems that provide stabilization, guidance, navigation and control for an array of systems from land vehicles to satellites. The company is a market leader in micro- electric-mechanical systems (MEMS) based inertial systems, and it supports products in service with 23 military forces worldwide.

Original story – here

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 1 April 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 1 April 2021

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support

• Workplace testing
• New grant funding and Business rates relief in England
• Workplace Guidance
• New and Updated Guidance
• Job Retention Scheme
• Haulier Advice

The newsletter can be downloaded – here

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 25 March 2021

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support

It includes details of the Brexit Support Fund – a £20 million Support Fund for SMEs new to importing and exporting.

The bulletin can be downloaded – here

Dr Jan Vlieghe, member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee discusses the outlook for the economy and monetary policy Thursday, 27 May 2021 12:00 – 13:00

An online talk hosted by the Department of Economics and the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), University of Bath

About this event

In this talk, Dr Jan Vlieghe will discuss the outlook for the economy and monetary policy. He will focus in particular on recent developments in yields on government bonds, and what we can learn from these developments about the perceived risks to future growth and inflation. He will also reflect on the extent to which Quantitative Easing has influenced yields over the past year.

Speaker Biography

Dr Jan Vlieghe is an external member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee. Jan joined the MPC in September 2015, and his term is due to run until August 2021. He has previously worked at the Bank of England, between 1998 and 2005, as well as private sector investment houses, covering macroeconomic trends and their interaction with asset prices.

Register to attend – here

Photo above shows Dr Vlieghe (right) guest speaker at our PMG Christmas Lecture in 2018, along with Craig Moore, Partner with Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP who were our sponsors on the night.

Dr. Dan Jones BEng. PhD from Composite Combinations is offering consultancy services

‘My mission’ is to help companies develop and launch more innovative composite products by selecting and developing the right combinations of resins, reinforcements, and processes to optimise performance and cost. And to lower the barriers to successful product launches by guiding companies through setting up reliable, documented processes for robust manufacture to reduce the risk of product performance variability and consequent failure.

Full description of services – here

Engineering Growth podcasts

A recently launched podcast platform to spread engineering news and topics.

Our Goals and Vision

We love helping engineering companies to grow. It’s a simple philosophy and we don’t see the need to complicate it with jargon, or bullshit!

The idea for the podcast is to talk to people that are involved in the engineering sector about how they have overcome challenges, solved problems in their businesses and achieved success themselves, in the hope that it inspires others to do the same.

We understand there are many facets of engineering, and one person’s widgets are very different from another’s. By concentrating on the human element we hope this cuts through those complexities and provides common sense advice on how to grow your business.

Our Story

With our collective experience in manufacturing and engineering, the formation of the Engineering Growth podcast was a natural evolution.

In an industrial B2B environment, where the requirements for lead generation, and the sales process, are often very different to many other industries, there is an appetite to share experiences and solutions.

We hope the podcast can shed light on common issues and provide some guidance as to how your engineering business could achieve sustainable growth.

We encourage you to think differently about engineering! Advance your leadership, elevate your team and tackle your problems head-on with new solutions.

Connect with like-minded engineers across the industry to grow your business, and face the challenges we all need to master. Whether its leadership, technology, workforce, community or process, Engineering Growth aims to give you the insight and the means to take ’em all on.

We talk to leaders and influencers, analyse industry news and hunt out tips and tricks to help your engineering business grow.

The Engineering Growth Podcast

A series of podcasts dedicated to helping Engineering businesses grow. Stay up to date with the latest industry trends, and learn how problems became solutions from some of the industry’s leading figures. Can you afford not to listen!

SUBSCRIBE NOW for free.

As recommended by Sylvain Briand, Business Development Manager at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Catapult.

Explore the Commonwealth Week – Export Events from 26th to 30th July 2021

With one year to go until the Commonwealth Games 2022 join us for a week of free virtual events to learn about opportunities for your business in a range of Commonwealth markets. Expect virtual 1:1 meetings with market and sector experts, peer to peer learning from Export Champions and market exploration webinars…

Today’s 54 Commonwealth countries account for over 17% of world GDP in Purchasing Power Parity and contain 2.4 billion of the world’s 7½ billion people.

Even without any formal arrangements, trading between Commonwealth countries is 19% cheaper than with non-members. Massive cost cuts come from shared history, cultural links, common legal systems, business practices, and a common language between many Commonwealth countries. This is also known as ‘the Commonwealth advantage’.

We want to support your business in exploring new and exciting markets across the Commonwealth. You can join a range of free events including….

Game On: Explore the Commonwealth

When? 26 – 30 July 2021

Exporting to the Commonwealth: Discovering Local Successes

When? 28 July 2021, 09:30 – 12:00 (BST)

Full details are available – here

Flying high with great ideas… How psychological safety can help foster innovation

By John Bessant

Try this. Get hold of a group of people, mostly strangers, and have them gather at the opposite side of a large room. Now run very fast towards them and, just before you reach them, leap off the ground and let yourself fly through the air.

Sounds a crazy thing to do and one which is not too healthy if they fail to catch you — yet it is a typical warm up exercise in the world of theatre. Groups of actors gather together to try and create a theatrical experience which will be memorable, drawing an audience into a journey of imagination. And in order to innovate in this fashion they need some core skills around building a sense of support for each other as they take risks and explore new ways of delivering that experience.

Flying through the air and hoping someone will catch you is a powerful way of developing that sense of support — and it underlines a key element in our understanding of what makes for effective innovation. We need a sense of psychological safety.

Innovation isn’t a solo act, never has been. It’s a team sport, a multiplayer game in which interaction amongst members helps create value from ideas. And a lot of innovation, particularly of the more radical variety, is about making it up as you go along — improvisation.

Read the complete article – here

Foot Anstey Employment & Pensions Bulletin 31st March

March newsletter – here

Forder Valley Link Road – First Beam Lift

The Forder Valley Link Road project reached a major milestone on Monday (17^th May) as work got underway to install the first of 28 concrete beams that will form the 140-metre bridge across the valley.

Each u-shaped beam measures 32 meters in length and needs to be carefully installed by an eight-strong crew.

Work to start installing the first of 28 beams got underway on Monday at the southern end of the bridge, nearest to Novorossiysk Road.

The Council has commissioned 2 videos:

how the beams got to Plymouth

and

first beam lift

Please do click on the links; there are some fantastic images of the work in progress.

Thanks for your interest in the project

Regards

Jon Cartwright

Senior Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, Southern Delivery Unit

Free virtual Jobs Fair on 26th May

Calling all South West employers! Are you looking for fresh new talent and candidates with digital or technical training to join your team? Want to situate yourself as a leading regional employer?

Register for our free virtual Jobs Fair on 26th May as an employer and host a virtual table, giving up to 6 Train4Tomorrow learners the chance to learn about your company and exchange vacancy information and contact details.

You can register to attend for a full day, or a half day to meet with as many of our high-skilled learners as possible.

Find out more and sign up at: http://soc.devon.cc/WCg0F

Freeports: have your say

Please take part in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Freeports business sentiment survey, have your say and help us understand how businesses and regions feel about Freeports.

There’s been a lot of excitement and noise in the market following the government’s budget announcement, which confirmed the locations of UK Freeports (East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich, Humber Region, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth, Solent, Thames, Teesside).

Our aim is to collect survey responses from across the UK as an ‘industry pulse’ to better gauge how business owners and leaders feel about Freeports at a regional and national level. Once the survey has concluded, we will publish a report outlining our findings.

The survey should take no more than seven minutes to complete and your data will be used on an anonymous basis. There will be a question towards the end where you will able to submit your details if you’d like to receive the report.

Take the survey – here

Freeports: truths, myths and misconceptions – post event resources

Courtesy of our hosts Womble, Bond Dickinson, we are pleased to share with PMG members the recording and slides from the event held on 13th July.

The session led by Craig Moore, Malcolm Dowden and Peter Snaith explored what the real opportunities are regarding Freeports, with a focus on Plymouth and South Devon Freezone.

We were also joined by Kevin McKenzie, Policy & Intelligence Advisor for Plymouth City Council and Stuart Elford, Chief Executive for Devon & Plymouth Chamber to help people to understand what the opportunities are whether you are within, adjacent or nowhere near a Freeport.

Please click below to watch the recording or download a copy of the slides. As always, if you have any queries regarding Freeport opportunities, do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual contact.

Webinar recording – https://tinyurl.com/k9cecbj6

Webinar slides – https://tinyurl.com/ydbsf7h2

email me for the recording password stevegerry@dsl.pipex.com

During the course of proceedings, Malcolm Dowden referred to the Electronic Consignment Note (eCMR). The eCMR protocol (https://www.iru.org/what-we-do/facilitating-trade-and-transit/e-cmr ) has been ratified by 28 countries including the UK in December 2019 and provides a legal framework and standards for the use of electronic means to record the CMR consignment note. The eCMR schema holds comprehensive data sets that can be integrated directly with HMRC Customs Declaration and Goods Vehicle Movement data sets, as well as with waybills across all other modes of transport to automate customs declaration submissions and compliance.

If you need to know more about eCMR and a Customs Gateway developed expressly for the purpose of managing declaration communications with HMRC please contact Jonathan Bowker, CEO & Founder,  Innovative Integrations and efreight.uk

Email: jonathan@innovativeintegrations.co.uk

Contact/Whatsapp: +44 (0) 755 204 5721

Fully Funded Student Virtual Internships with the University of Plymouth Business School

I’m contacting you to see if your PMG members would be interested in a scheme Plymouth Business School is running.

I have secured funding to pay for student Virtual Internships, whereby we want to support local businesses and organisations and give our students or recent graduates experience at the same time.  The scheme allows us to fund a limited number of student Virtual Internships.  Interns working on projects will be paid at a standard rate of £13/hour, up to a maximum of 38 hours per project (£494), which will be funded by the Plymouth Business School Virtual Internship Scheme.  We have run a similar scheme last year elsewhere in the University, and it was very successful in helping deliver specific projects for business and organisations.

Plymouth Business School students and graduates study a range of courses including knowledge of finance, economics, marketing, HR/leadership, strategy, logistics and supply chains and events/hospitality/tourism.  Some students will have knowledge of French and Spanish.

If your members are interested and have discrete projects they feel our students could help them with I attach the application form – here – which needs to be returned by Friday 16^th April, with funding allocated on a first come first served basis.  I do not think the application form is complicated, but hopefully a small funded project may help some of your members.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

All the best.

Nigel

Dr Nigel Jackson

Reader in Persuasion and Communication

Associate Head of School

Knowledge and Engagement

Plymouth Business School

Fully funded Training Dates for manufacturers in April 2021

Fully funded Training Dates for manufacturers in April 2021 courtesy of Cornwall Marine Network.

See here for details – https://bit.ly/3r8rlkg

Lisa Hutchings

Maritime UK South West – Skills Manager

Visit our COVID Business Support Hub for up to date information and resources and links

Cornwall Marine Network Ltd

Tel:        07494 898134

Email:    lisa.hutchings@cornwallmarine.net

Funded internship and work experience initiatives with the University of Plymouth

SME PMG employers! If you would like some support with a project, from a student or recent grad, for up to 100 hours (funded), then the brand new Santander Employability Scheme https://bit.ly/39nOvgy could be of interest to you.

The University of Plymouth has worked in partnership with Santander for several years. Funded internship and work experience initiatives have always proven popular and beneficial for students, graduates and employers. Building on previous successful schemes we are pleased to announce two new programmes available to SMEs for the remainder of the 2020/21 academic cycle.

If finances are currently holding you back from offering a workplace experience to our students or recent graduates then either initiative could be the solution for you, whilst the funding is available.

Funding will be allocated on a first come first served basis, to those who meet the eligibility criteria and at the discretion of the Employer Engagement team within the Careers Service. All bursary payments will be coordinated by the University and made payable direct to the individual. 

For more info please contact our team on: internships@plymouth.ac.uk.

Further applications invited to LEP’s £900k inward investment fund

The HotSW LEP has announced a second round for applications to its £900k ERDF Inward Investment Support Grant Scheme. The fund, designed to boost economic recovery and create new jobs in Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay, offers grants of between £25k-£150k which require match funding, to foreign-owned businesses based in the region who are looking to grow.

Two businesses who successfully secured grants of almost £190k between them in the first round are EFFECT Photonics and Vexcolt, which will lead to the creation of over 70 new jobs.

More – here

Going with the flow – How great ideas sometimes come from following the natural flow of things…..

In our continuing series of articles on the subject of innovation taken from John Bessant’s blog, this one features James Brindley, who was born in 1716, and offers a good reminder of some key innovation themes involved in bringing large scale ideas to fruition and having an impact at scale.  He might have been nicknamed  ‘the Schemer’, improvising his way to solving engineering problems, but he also understood things like:

• the importance of systems thinking and the need for complementary assets – identifying and putting in place the many interlocking pieces of the puzzle
• the value of prototypes and working models to help persuade and accelerate adoption. Legend has it that when he was presenting his ideas to a sceptical group of Members of Parliament whose approval he needed for the Bridgwater canal route he used a cheese out of which he carved a model of the aqueduct he proposed to build!
• the power of open innovation, learning from the many different sectors and projects he worked with and integrating knowledge from these different worlds – for example, using his knowledge of ceramics to develop the puddling clay liners for his canals
• the importance of business models in laying out the architecture through which ideas can create value. He not only understood the literal flow of water, he was also skilled at managing cash flow, acquiring a reputation for being ‘careful with money’ which undoubtedly helped realise some of the huge schemes with which he was involved.

Read the full article, taken from John Bessant’s blog – here

Image: James Homans on Unpslash

Greenlight Safety & Training

Greenlight is a Plymouth-based family-run business that understands a one-size-fits-all approach to Health and Safety is problematic. Every company is different and has different needs. That’s why we offer a bespoke approach to providing our services, based solely on client requirements. There’s no flab, nothing extraneous – we give our clients what they need, and we appreciate that what a client needs varies greatly from business to business. When you hire us, we’ll tell it like it is. Greenlight will undertake an internal safety audit within your organisation in the first instance, and then tell you exactly what you need to do to make sure you are fully compliant with the very latest industry legislation. We’ll provide clarity and practical advice as to your next steps, and we won’t dress it up with unnecessary jargon.

Our clients get industry-leading advice and guidance, and the confidence to know they’re supported by our expertise. We ensure that staff are looked after, that projects can go ahead without delay, and that work can continue in the safest way possible. We enable businesses to develop and assist them as they go on to larger, more ambitious projects. Our friendly, matter-of-fact team brings a no-nonsense approach to all interactions, whilst never forgetting that safety and professionalism is at the forefront of everything we do.

To find out more please visit www.greenlightsc.co.uk

Help Eggbuckland Community College to engineer our future workforce!

Please support Eggbuckland Community College as they raise funds through Crowdfunding to replace aging equipment within their Technology Department.  This equipment, to include a laser cutter and CNC router will help to develop students knowledge and skills so they are ready for the workplace, particularly within the engineering, manufacturing and construction sectors.  Please check out this Crowdfunder video link for further information.

Eggbuckland Community College’s Crowdfund to Engineer our Future Workforce

How is Social Media Driving Innovation?

This is a second in a series of blogs on the subject of innovation courtesy of John Bessant

Every organization should strive for innovation. By coming up with fresh ideas and concepts, as well as properly implementing them, organizations can collectively work towards a brighter and more successful future. However, generating new concepts and aiming for true innovation does not come easy.

Thankfully, various advancements in technology have allowed us to easily exchange ideas and gather data. One such tech tool that can drive innovation today is social media. According to a recent report, at least 70% of Americans use social media for various purposes, such as connecting with one another, sharing information, entertaining themselves, and engaging with news content. The sheer amount of data generated on social media platforms can help organizations produce new and innovative concepts, services, or products.

Here, let’s take a closer look at how social media positively impacts innovation.

It allows for active social listening

In order to connect with an online community and learn from consumers, organizations need to practice social listening. However, this process is not as simple as talking to customers via social media or looking at comments. In order to unlock actionable insights that can be used for innovation, organizations need to develop processes that capture, measure, and analyze comments on social media. When gathered correctly, the data from active online listening can have a bigger impact compared to those collected through traditional processes like focus groups or surveys. It also allows for companies to respond to any issues much quicker. Research shows that 71% of customers who receive quick, effective responses on social media are more likely to recommend the brand to others.

It helps organizations safeguard their ideas and data

Driving innovation in an organization requires the assistance of some key professionals. In order to be successful, a company will need to hire someone who has been trained in the latest trends. One area that this is particularly true in is cybersecurity. Social media is driving innovation in cybersecurity because the amount of people who use it makes it a huge security risk. Cybersecurity degree holders can help a company overhaul its security protocols, protect their novel ideas and concepts through offensive and defensive strategies. In a world where data is considered a commodity, organizations have to bolster their cybersecurity through virtualization, digital forensics, malware analysis, and event management.

However, it can be difficult to hire these professionals nowadays, as it is reported that there are 3 million unfilled job openings for skilled security professionals around the world. Thankfully, organizations can connect with and hire these professionals through professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn. With over 720 million users, LinkedIn allows businesses to screen and employ professionals who can help them bolster their security and protect their data.

It allows organizations to streamline the innovation process

Some organizations find it hard to break out of their linear structure. After collecting customer insight and data, an organization then goes through the long process of developing a product, marketing it, and hoping that it turns a profit. However, this step-by-step approach is a cumbersome and costly process that organizations need to transform in today’s fast-moving world.

Through social media, organizations can shorten their approach to product development, as well as conduct multiple experiments for various innovative concepts. As the customers interact with their experiments on social media, organizations can shorten the feedback loop and quickly figure out what concepts work best for their target market. For more information on this subject, do check out our post on platforms for social innovation.

This feature was prepared by JBurris and appeared on John Bessant’s website –  here

Image courtesy of unsplash

How your business can engage with SailGP

SailGP is sailing redefined. Not only for the sailing enthusiast – but for anyone that wants to be part of a truly thrilling, adrenalin packed, annual global sports championship. It will culminate with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race in the final in San Francisco in March 2022.

However, major events such as SailGP bring more to a city than fan excitement. In addition to the thrills of the on-sea action, SailGP will funnel millions of pounds into the local economy – whilst attracting global attention and supplying the cobbles with a boost to tourism.

We want to make sure that this is not only a valuable event for those that visit Plymouth, but for all of us in Plymouth too. Making sure there is ‘wind in your businesses sails’ before, during and long after SailGP hits the sound.

Involvement and engagement are key to the success of your business benefiting from SailGP’s two-day event, and with that in mind, we have created a SailGP Business Engagement Pack for ways that your business can unlock value from this thrilling close to shore yacht racing event

View the SailGP Business Engagement Pack

Find out more on the Invest Plymouth SailGP page

Watch SailGP live

The Great Britain SailGP Team has unveiled its squad that will race in the global sailing championship this year. The team will be racing in the SailGP Great Britain Grand Prix, which takes place in Plymouth on 17^th and 18^th July 2021.

British fans will be able to watch all the action live on Sky Sports, SailGP’s Official Broadcast Partner in the UK, who will air each of the global races live, starting with the Bermuda event which took place over the weekend, and can be watched on demand – https://sailgp.com/watch/

Innovate UK SMART Grants: Aug 2021

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million for game-changing and commercially viable research and development innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy.

This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Eligibility summary

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered:

• business of any size
• research and technology organisation (RTO)
• carry out your research and development (R&D) project activity in the UK
• intend to commercially exploit the project results from the UK
• be or involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Full details – here

Internationalisation Fund now open for businesses in England

The Department for International Trade has launched its new Internationalisation Fund for eligible businesses in England.

Match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £9,000 will be available for future activity (subject to eligibility and availability).

To secure a grant, you will need to fund a proportion of your costs yourself. This varies according to where your business is based and will be either 40 or 50% of the total cost.

The fund can be used to support areas including (but not exclusively limited to):

• Market research
• IP advice
• Translation services
• International social media/SEO
• Trade fairs (where no TAP funding is available)
• Independent market visits
• Consultancy and other international commercial services

Is your business eligible?

• The company must be based in England
• The company must be a small or medium sized enterprise (SME) with up to 250 employees
• No more than 25% of the business is owned by an enterprise which is not a SME
• Annual turnover does not exceed €50 million or annual balance sheet does not exceed €43 million

The fund is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Invitation to Register Interest in SWMAS Make it Net Zero Programme

Latest News from BEIS – 15th March

BEIS Business Bulletin 15 03 21

Latest News from BEIS – 29th March

Business Bulletin

Brexit: New rules are here

Issue 78: 29 March 2021

“The UK has left the EU, and the Brexit transition period has ended. There are new rules for businesses doing business with the EU from 1 January, and you need to take action now. All information on Brexit can be found at www.gov.uk/transition. This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for businesses.”

Download the latest bulletin here:

Latest news on Electron and Atomic Force Microscopy in Plymouth

Two pieces of news regarding microscopy facilities in Plymouth.

Firstly, Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC) at the University of Plymouth has secured EU funding to provide free access to small and medium enterprises within Devon and across the UK until June 2023, and reduced-cost access for large enterprises too.

This funding will allow unrivalled access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, including three brand new instruments in 2022, to help develop business and increase collaboration between the industrial and academic environment.

Join the PEMC team to find out exactly how this new round of funding can help your business now and in the future.

This launch of our successful ERDF funded project, Plymouth Materials Characterisation Network (PMCN) follows on from our extremely successful Plymouth Materials Characterisation Project (PMCP), which concluded last year.

This free online event will introduce PEMC, our facilities and team, and explain the new project in more detail; how exactly can businesses benefit from this funding? How can businesses get involved?

There will also be a live Q&A session delivered by our technical specialists where you can ask anything you might want to regarding the use of electron microscopy for industry on the following topics:

• Materials or Engineering
• Biological, Medical, or Marine Science
• Geological or Environmental Investigations
• Food Science
• Space or Aerospace

Questions for the Q&A can be submitted here before the event, but live questions will also be taken on the day.

Target Audience

• Devon-based companies looking to develop new products – particularly those who work in food, advanced engineering, photonics, microelectronics, manufacturing, composites, robotics or new energy.
• Larger companies in the same sectors. Business groups (e.g. Plymouth Manufacturers Group, North Devon Manufacturing Association, Hi Tech Forum)
• Business support organisations (e.g. HOTSW LEP Growth Hub)

There are no restrictions on attendance. Please book your place online, or by contacting either Tom O’Hanlon or Jen Mitchell.

Also, while writing …

On a related topic, the University of Plymouth is in the process of applying for an EPSRC equipment grant (deadline 7 Sep) for a specialised Nanosurf Atomic Force Microscope (details – https://www.stevegerryconsulting.co.uk/app/download/5818580059/Nanosurf-DriveAFM-Brochure.pdf ). They are interested to hear if anyone else could potentially make use of this piece of equipment in the future (if the bid were to be successful)?

They ideally need to demonstrate in the application that the equipment will be used extensively by different groups and external agencies (beyond academics within the university), hence my email!

Here is a brief description of the equipment and please see brochure with further info:

The Nanosurf Atomic Force Microscope has extensive range of capabilities for applications in material and life sciences, nanotechnology etc. On imaging mode the AFM can map surface topography, characterise electrical, magnetic, mechanical material properties. For life sciences the instrument can image down to atomic scale, i.e image DNA strands, molecules, proteins, cells and viruses. There is even a possibility to deposit such biomaterials locally or at a specific location on a substrate. Therefore, it is a very versatile instrument with a very broad range of applications.

If this could be of benefit to you/your business in the future, please contact Ewa Thompson , who would be very happy to provide more details and keep you updated on the grant application.

Latest SWMAS Manufacturing Barometer Results

With predictions for future sales and profits at the highest they’ve been since January 2020, this quarter’s Manufacturing Barometer reveals heightened optimism from a number of SME manufacturers.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gxYV3Wf

Latest Virtual Internship offering from the Plymouth Business School for PMG members

Hi there PMG

I wanted to share news of our latest Virtual Internship offering before the funding gets allocated.

Following two successful rounds of Virtual Internships, we’ve secured additional funding through Plymouth Business School and are about to go live with another call for projects.

Our Virtual Internship scheme sees current students and recent graduates from Plymouth Business School working on short term projects to benefit local businesses and organisations, whilst improving their own employability. Interns working on projects are paid at a standard rate of £13/hour, up to a maximum of 38 hours per project (£494), which is funded by Plymouth Business School and supported by iMayflower. Example projects include:

• Business Development Intern: To conduct market research to identify key prospects within a defined market
• Communications Intern: To assess existing and draft new promotional content
• Customer Service Intern: To critically evaluate current customer service delivery
• Evaluation Intern: To conduct an impact study assessing the effect of organisational activity
• Events Intern: To support with planning and management of a specific event, or work with you to develop plans for COVID era events
• Fundraising Intern: To identify funding sources, draft action plan for achieving funding goals, or focus on bid writing
• HR Intern: To conduct an assessment of Corporate Social Responsibility opportunities, and devise an appropriate plan of activity
• Learning & Development Intern: To create a basic system for monitoring mandatory compliance training
• Marketing Intern: To conduct a strategic review or existing marketing activity suggesting new opportunities
• Operations Intern: To identify improvements in supply chain
• Research Intern: To devise and conduct data collecting projects of either secondary or primary sources
• Social Media Intern: To analyse social media opportunities and create content
• Sustainability Intern: To conduct an audit/plan of sustainability activity

We will be accepting project proposals on the attached form from Monday 23rd August and are able to support a maximum of 40 individual projects. Funding will be awarded on a first come, first served basis and will be withdrawn when the maximum allocation has been reached.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sarah Holcombe

Plymouth Business School

University of Plymouth

sarah.holcombe@plymouth.ac.uk

Levelling-Up & County Deals – What does this all mean?

The decision by Devon County Council to bid for a “County Deal” has significant business implications and needs to be understood as part of the National Recovery Programme.

Here’s an interesting article written by Tim Jones, Chairman, South West Business Council and friend of the PMG.

You can access it – here

Living and Working in Plymouth Publication

Located at the heart of the South West, Plymouth is a city by the sea with so much to offer. With an amazing quality of life, stunning waterfront location, vibrant city centre and fascinating maritime history, there is quite simply nowhere better to live, work and play than Britain’s Ocean City.

Plymouth City Council’s Invest Plymouth team has recently updated their Living and Working publication – access it on-line – here

Make UK Diversity, Equality & Inclusion and Apprenticeship Survey

Research tells us that diverse businesses outperform others. Companies in the top-quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams are 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability. By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials who want their workplace to be inclusive. Make UK wants to ensure that no manufacturing business is left behind. We are surveying manufacturers to determine what the average manufacturing business looks like and what, if any, measures companies are taking to encourage greater diversity within their business. This will form the basis of a report that will showcase best practice and offer support to those companies that want to pursue the diversity agenda further in their business. This survey also includes questions on apprenticeships. With the number of apprenticeship starts falling we want to understand what will encourage manufacturers to recruit more apprentices. All responses are completely anonymous.

Please complete the survey – here

MAKE UK Manufacturing Outlook 2021 Quarter 1

Make UK’s Q1 2021 Manufacturing Outlook Report, in partnership with BDO, updates on the tumultuous year that was 2020 which saw manufacturers deal with both the COVID-19 pandemic and leaving the EU. 

Download the Report here;

Make-UK-BDO-Manufacturing-Outlook-Q1-2021

Make UK’s latest policy paper – Cyber Resilience: The Last Line of Defence

The Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly pushed many businesses, including manufacturers, at speed towards remote ways of working. For office staff working at home is the new norm, accessing often sensitive files on hastily purchased laptops, while production staff have had to adjust to remote monitoring and production and virtual commissioning using mobile apps.

Our latest figures show that just under half of manufacturers have been the victim of cyber-crime in the last 12 months. Of those companies that experienced an attack, 63% said it cost them up to £5,000 while almost a quarter (22%) revealed a cost to their business of between £5,000-25,000.

The acceleration of digital adoption, primarily by the pandemic, has propelled cyber risk to the forefront of Britain’s boardrooms, with 61% of companies now having a board director responsible for cyber security.

But it is not just the adoption of industrial digital technologies that is bringing cyber-security back into the spotlight. As we move out of lockdown and into the ‘new normal’ it is increasingly clear that the new normal is one that brings with it more hybrid working and greater use of digital tools and technologies. Ensuring manufacturers are cyber-secure is a now not a nice-to-have but a necessity.

Make UK’s latest policy paper – Cyber Resilience: The Last Line of Defence – explores how cyber-crime has impacted the manufacturing industry with the move to remote working and the continued focus on digital adoption. It offers advice to companies from cyber experts as well as considerations to Government on how best support companies in their quest for cyber-skills.

Download available resources – here

Make UK’s Q2 2021 Manufacturing Outlook report, in partnership with BDO

Exactly one year on from the publication of Manufacturing Outlook’s worst results in the survey’s history, the mood music has changed dramatically. In what has recently been a dejected patter of quarters for the industry, manufacturers are now finally able to look to the future with earnest confidence. The industry is certainly not without its challenges, both ongoing and new, but the sector has now demonstrated that it can generate growth despite the still perilous circumstance.

While the industry gets back to work at an unprecedented pace, it does so now more keenly aware, and prepared, to mitigate the impacts of the trials that the rest of the year has poised to test it with. These trials, which are by no means mutually exclusive, form the basis for somewhat of a triple-threat to the sustainability of the recovery that is being exhibited within the manufacturing sector in this second quarter.

The first of these antagonising musketeers comes in the form of the novel Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and the EU. The onus of new protocols and paperwork wreaked havoc for British exporters in the first quarter of the year, reflected in the 40% drop in exports to the EU in January. Since then, businesses have overcome many of the hurdles imposed on them by this new arrangement, with this report detailing significant export improvements compared to the start of the year. Nevertheless, snagging issues continue to emerge with customers and partners in the EU which hamper the speed of trade recovery for the sector.

The second dampener to the industry’s recovery is the ongoing uncertainty generated by unpredictable COVID-19 regulations both here and abroad. While the UK has come leaps and bounds in recent months in terms of the economy reopening, many events critical to the prosperity of UK manufacturing, such as trade shows, struggle to go ahead. This is particularly pronounced in the case of international business travel, where companies and delegates must worry not only about the viability of an event, but also must endure the mercurial travel and quarantine regulations both domestically and abroad.

The third, and perhaps the most prolific of challenges facing the sector lies in supply-chain disruptions. As the international business community enjoys a sudden spike in demand as the economy has sped up faster than expected, so too the strain on these already delicate supply-chains increases. Of course, just prior to this demand spike supply-chains were already significantly stressed owing to COVID-19 related pressures, but now with demand outstripping supply, or rather, the ability to supply in many cases, UK manufacturers are finding that they cannot affordably source inputs for their product, or cannot source inputs at any rate. Supplier delivery lead times are floating at an all-time high, container shipping prices are ballooning, and core inputs are seeing waning availability.

However, despite these obstacles, the manufacturing sector has set off the starting blocks of recovery. The trajectory of which is encouraging, with performance outpacing expectations for the first half of the year. Confidence within the sector is soaring, fuelled by orders and demand across the industry which has been long-missed since the start of the pandemic. Much needed investment expenditure is set to be rendered and employment within the sector looks to expand. The industry is confident that it will be able to overcome the obstacles put before it in the coming year, now equipped with the crisis management ability that it was forced to learn under duress at the inception of the pandemic. It’s with these lessons learned that the sector now has the opportunity before it to build back better, with business resilience and sustainability at its core.

Download the full report – here

Manufacturers explore immersive technology at Devonport Market Hall

On Tuesday 28th September, 2021, the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group and Real Ideas welcomed PMG members and their connections to the Devonport Market Hall to explore and discuss the building’s ‘state of the art’ immersive dome facilities, and the collaborative opportunities in immersive technology and digital fabrication.

Immersive and other modern digital technologies can potentially impact on many aspects of business from new product or factory layout design to product launch.

Immersive technologies are predicted to become a $160 billion market. While much of this demand is consumer-led, the deployment of immersive technology in the manufacturing sector is fast becoming the dominant driver for future growth around the globe. It is vital that UK manufacturers ride the crest of this wave and become early adopters, or risk losing competitive advantage and market share: BMW, for instance, has already incorporated virtual reality into its automobile design process.

The UK is well-placed to make the most of this technology and Plymouth in particular.

Plymouth has been awarded a grant of nearly £3.5 million from the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) to deliver the iMayflower project; one of only five projects in England and the only one in the South West. It’s a three year project that has also raised £2.5 million of match funding from partners – that’s £6M in total.The iMayflower project involves working with partners across the city who are developing digital technology, such as 3-D printing, virtual reality or immersive technology to help the city expand its expertise in advanced manufacturing, robotics and digital making.

The Market Hall is a world-class space for digital innovation and learning situated in the heart of Devonport, Plymouth. The Immersive Dome is the first of its type (15m diameter, 210 degrees over the top, with a flat floor) in Europe. The only other like it in the world can be found at SAT in Montreal, Canada.

In addition to exploring the Devonport based facility, the event attendees heard from a variety of iMayfower partners including the University of Plymouth; the Plymouth College of Art and private sector providers whereafter they divided into small discussion groups to consider collaborative opportunities in more detail. Members also received a twenty-five page iMayflower & PMG Prospectus which can also be viewed here

Steve Gerry, Secretary of the PMG, said “After a gap of more than eighteen months, it was great to have the PMG members meeting together, once again, in person. Thank you to members of the iMayflower project for what was a very informative and potentially beneficial two hour event.”

For more information, visit these sites:

The Immersive Dome, Devonport – https://tinyurl.com/crzt4y4a

University of Plymouth – https://tinyurl.com/3n3hf7z2

Plymouth College of Art

https://www.plymouthart.ac.uk/posts/plymouth-becomes-the-uks-first-city-to-join-fab-city-network

For a report by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Visualisation and VR Forum.

https://www.amrc.co.uk/files/document/200/1540805826_HVM_CATAPULT_IMM_TECH_DL2.pdf

Manufacturing PMI at near-record high in April but sector still beset by supply-chain disruptions

April saw a further acceleration in the rate of expansion of the UK manufacturing sector. Growth of output and new orders were both among the best seen over the past seven years, leading to a solid increase in employment. The sector remained beset by supply-chain delays and input shortages, however, which contributed to increased purchasing costs and record selling price inflation.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to 60.9 in April, up from 58.9 in March and above the earlier flash estimate of 60.7. The latest reading is the highest since July 1994’s record high (61.0).

Manufacturing production increased for the eleventh successive month in April. Output growth was attributed to a loosening of lockdown restrictions, improved demand and rising backlogs of work.

Underpinning the latest robust expansion of production was a similarly marked improvement in intakes of new business. Total new orders rose for the third straight month, largely due to a further revival of domestic market conditions. Stronger client confidence, the re-opening of parts of the economy and improving global market conditions all contributed to sales growth.

Although new export business also rose in April, the growth rate was weak in comparison to that registered for total new orders. Companies reported improved new work intakes from several trading partners, including mainland Europe, the US, China and South-East Asia. Large-sized manufacturers saw a UK Manufacturing PMI at 60.9 in April (321-month high) Production and new order growth strengthen Output prices rise at record pace Data were collected 12-26 April 2021. substantial expansion in new export order intakes, compared to only a marginal rise at small-sized firms.

Read the full article by IHS Markit / CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI® – here

Mental Health at Work – an HR professional’s perspective

Everyone is talking about mental health at work and it is reasonable to assume that absence due to mental health issues is going to continue to increase and it is becoming a significant challenge. Here, Adrian from AB HR Solutions discusses the nature of responding to and supporting an employee with mental health issues.

Mental Health and Medical Certification

You don’t very often see a medical certificate that says the reason for absence is mental health. We are seeing all sorts of different language on medical certificates these days – low mood, anxiety, fatigue, work related stress, depression. Recently – one said “stress due to workplace bullying.”

These are all terms being used by GPs and they should send out warning signals for the employer because it is suggesting that the employee is demonstrating signs of struggling with mental health.

Mental health and disability discrimination

Dismissing an employee with mental health issues can give rise to a disability discrimination claim so it is important that employers tread carefully when dealing with employee mental health issues.

Employers often think that if the employee has mental health issues and less than 2 years service, there is no comeback. This is incorrect because even though the employee cannot bring a claim for unfair dismissal, they can potentially bring a claim for disability discrimination. However, an isolated 2 week medical certificate for work related stress does not automatically mean that the employee has mental health issues and can claim disability discrimination.

Conflict of interest

The employer also has to tread a fine line because they owe their employees a “duty of care” and the natural instinct is to be supportive. Recently, whilst supporting a client with an employee mental health issue, I challenged the client and asked – “hold on – are you their therapist or their employer?” They looked aghast at the comment.

Here is our dilemma – the majority of us are not mental health specialists and think that we should help an employee when they have difficulties but actually, there is a risk that our actions are compounding the problem. Employees who display mental health issues are often reluctant to seek specialist help and are in denial. Also, many businesses now have Mental Health First Aiders, who do an excellent job and are trained to identify and recognise mental health issues but not to provide specialist help because they aren’t clinically qualified.

About 12 months ago, a client told me about an employee who had “issues” and he insisted on coming to work because he said he preferred to come to work because of the social inter-action and he got lonely if he stayed at home. The workplace is not a social club or a therapy centre and in those situations, an employee should be getting medical help but the biggest challenge with mental health is actually those who are unwilling to face up to their problems.

The natural instinct of most Companies is to be supportive to their people but there may come a point where a difficult conversation has to take place about their future in the business.

If you look at some work environments, specifically Helpdesk Contact Centres or large scale transactional processing centres, the Supervisors get very close to their team, socialise with them, befriends them on social media……and actual forget that their core role is to line manage them and socialising with them can lead to a conflict of interest when they have to have difficult conversations.

Similarly, a lot of employees confide in their work colleagues about their mental health issues on the basis that “I’m going to tell you something but you mustn’t say anything…..” This is putting people in a very difficult situation and often they feel conflicted and they want to be supportive but people with serious mental health issues need specialist help.

How can employers help?

Companies can help in many ways. Often a first step is to refer the employee to an Occupational Health clinician – this may be a Doctor but they will be clinically able to help. It is quite common for an OH referral to involve obtaining a report from the employee’s GP under the Access to Medical Reports Act.

An OH assessment in conjunction with a GP report is likely to give useful insight into the employee’s condition and history of mental health as well as details of medication and side effects, likelihood of return to work and whether the employer should make any reasonable adjustments to accommodate the employee’s return to work.

It is also likely that an OH report will recommend carrying out a stress questionnaire or risk assessment – this can be a very useful exercise because it highlights “trigger points” for the employee which are likely to accentuate the problem.

Some Companies support the employee by funding counselling but there can be long waiting lists for counselling. Sometimes, the employee will be referred through their GP.

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are excellent because they give employees an opportunity to off load in confidence with a trained specialist who is independent of the business.

Note the words – “specialist” and “independent”. Employees often need specialist help from people who are trained, qualified and experienced in dealing with such issues and wherever possible, such people should be independent – remote, distant, separated from the busines to avoid a conflict of interest.

Mental health issues in the workplace are going to increase and Companies have a responsibility to put processes and procedures in place, run workshops to increase awareness to ensure that employees with mental health issues can be supported.

Many larger Companies are now seeing the benefits of training Mental Health First Aiders. These are people in the business who are trained to spot early warning signs of mental health issues with employees and they can sign post the employee in the right direction for specialist help and support.

Keeping in touch with employees who have mental health issues

Someone once told me that you can’t contact someone when they’re off with mental health issues.

Not true – you can keep in touch with employees who are off with mental health issues but you must be careful. Too much contact and you will be accused of pestering the employee and hampering their recovery and if you have too little contact, you will be accused of not caring.

So, it’s almost impossible to get the balance exactly right and it is beneficial to have a single point of contact to avoid countless people always getting in touch. One solution does not fit all when dealing with mental health issues.

Need advice and support on managing mental health issues with employees – get in touch with AB HR Solutions – adrian@abhrsolutions.co.uk or call on 07885 714771.

Miscellaneous newsletters and other articles received recently by the PMG office

Rather than post each of these newsletters and articles individually, I thought it would be better to collect a number of them together for you to look at.

Available to read – here

More mentors sought

Some months ago the PMG commenced a new mentoring service.

We now need more mentors

Do you know one? That is, a senior manager who is appropriately experienced and has perhaps retired from a PMG member firm who is interested in making a contribution and ‘putting something back’. We would like to build up a database of contacts to work across the membership.

More details – here

If you know of someone who you think may be interested, please give me their name and contact details.

stevegerry@dsl.pipex.com

New FE Skills White Paper published by Government

Nexus Open Systems Ltd

Nexus is one of the leading and most experienced IT solutions and services providers in the region. We operate throughout the UK, providing industry-leading services and solutions to over 1,600 customers spanning multiple sectors including education, enterprise, SMEs and local and central government.

Throughout our 20-year history, our aim has been to work with market-leading suppliers and best-in-class partners to deliver the right solutions, services, support and training for any business needs.

• Comprehensive IT solutions and systems integration portfolio
• 1000+ small, medium, and global brand customers.
• Employs 50+ technical and sales personnel.
• Modern IT training and exam centre, technology pilot, testing and demo suites.

As an accredited Microsoft Partner, Nexus has achieved 12 gold and silver competencies in the Microsoft Partner Network, demonstrating our ability to meet the evolving needs of business customers in today’s dynamic marketplace.

This achievement places Nexus within the top 1% of Microsoft Partners worldwide.

GOLD PARTNER

• Application Integration
• Cloud Platform
• Cloud Productivity
• Collaboration & Content
• Communications
• Datacentre
• Messaging
• Small & Midmarket Cloud Solutions
• Windows & Devices

SILVER PARTNER

• Application Development
• Enterprise Mobility Management
• Project & Portfolio Management

PARTNER

• AEP Authorized Education Gold Partner
• CSP Tier 1 Partner

For an informal chat please contact our Business Development Manager Matt Cook – matt.cook@nexusos.co.uk / 07812205983

No cost Smart Skills programme launched – Intro to composites course this friday

The SMART SKILLS programme, funded to the tune of £3.5m by the European Social Fund, can help small and medium sized PMG manufacturers to upskill their staff to gain valuable new skills with no-cost training solutions.

Our experienced and talented SMART SKILLS Advisors are on hand to guide you through the skills and training options available to your business and link you with the relevant training options for your organisation. Help is also available for unemployed people to gain new skills!

Focusing on the advanced manufacturing & engineering sector as well as others, SMART SKILLS Devon is delivered through our SMART Partners, City College Plymouth, Focus Training, Learn Devon, Petroc, South Devon College and the University of Exeter. SMART SKILLS Partners offer a range of flexible training solutions from short courses through to full higher-level qualifications.

Sample courses include:

Digital Bootcamps

Google App Masterclasses

Cyber Security

Leadership & Management

Introduction to Composites

Introduction to Resin Transfer Moulding

Introduction to Resin Infusion

Click here for more information

Contact our SMART SKILLS HUB team today on: 07789 878751 / 07881 551970 or email us on SMARTSKILLS.HUB@cswgroup.co.uk

October 2021 Newsletters Received

Below are links to the various useful newsletters we receive into the PMG office each month.

We will regularly update this post as new links arrive.

• Business Update – South Hams & West Devon Districts – Oct 21
• University of Exeter,South West Skills Newsletter 4th Oct 21
• The BEIS Bulletin – Click here for the Department for Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy Bulletin sign-up page. Or you can keep up to date with all their news by following their Linkedin page here.
• Hinkley Point C Power Station Project Update, October 21
• Latest Plymouth news, events and COVID-19 updates, 15th Oct 21
• Latest Business news and updates for Plymouth businesses, 15th Oct 21
• Forder Valley Transport Improvements Newsletter, October 21
• Heart of the SW LEP newsletter – including an invite to their AGM on Friday 22nd Oct at 12:00 noon

Plans announced to open the city’s one-stop-shop skills service within Barclays Armada Way

Plymouth and South Devon Freezone Stakeholder information  

Thank you for your interest in the proposed Plymouth and South Devon Freezone. As you know, Plymouth and South Devon are one of eight freeport areas or “freezones” in England proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the March 2021 budget.

The proposed “freezone” for our region follows a successful initial bid to Government by Plymouth City Council, with support from Devon County Council and South Hams District Council. The Plymouth and South Devon Freezone will harness the power of our marine, engineering, defence, space and logistics sectors to deliver clean growth and provide the high quality jobs we need for the future.

The initiative is intended to support the levelling up of our regional economy and stimulate new investment through tax and business benefits. There is a strong focus on attracting overseas investment as part of a wider Global Britain strategy.

The next step is the preparation of a full business case for the Freezone which must be submitted to the Government this Autumn for final approval.

The three lead local authority partners are keen to co-design the business case with stakeholders such as yourself. We very much want to hear your ideas and priorities so that the business truly reflects the needs and opportunities of our region.

We aim to therefore hold an open stakeholder event and a series of workshops over the summer and would be delighted if you are able to participate.

Please save the date 25^th June 2021 and RSVP to this invitation and we will send full details in due course. In the meantime we attach our Plymouth and South Devon Freezone business snapshot – here – with all the latest information about the freezone.

You can also find our latest updates on our website:

https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/plymouthandsouthdevonfreezone

Kind regards,

Anthony Payne

Shadow Chair of Plymouth and South Devon Freezone Board

Plymouth currently ranks 5th in the country for job posting recovery as of April 2021

According to Centre for Cities, a leading think tank dedicated to improving the economies of the UK’s largest cities and towns, Plymouth currently ranks highly in the country for job posting recovery.

Aside from Plymouth, cities and large towns in the North and Midlands have so far witnessed the strongest job posting recoveries. In nine cities and large towns — led by Barnsley, Mansfield and Stoke — there are more job postings now than before the pandemic.

Posting recovery is fastest in manufacturing and distribution hubs.

See the blog posting here

Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre Industrial Solutions event – 10am until 2pm 26th October

Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre is home to a range of state-of-the-art electron microscopes, providing high resolution, high magnification imaging and detailed compositional analysis to researchers and businesses alike. Through our EU-funded Plymouth Materials Characterisation Network, we are able to offer free or heavily discounted access to our facilities and expertise to all UK-registered businesses for their research & development purposes.

Industrial Solutions is our free, quarterly event series specifically designed for to help businesses understand how electron microscopy may be useful to them. Launching on the 26th of October, our first Industrial Solutions event of the academic year will be focused on the ‘Food and Drink’ sectors, and features a live (virtual) demonstration analysing blue cheese using our Cryo-SEM system.

Join us online (from 10am until 2pm) to learn more about the facility, the techniques, and how electron microscopy can help businesses in the food and drink sector. We’ll be joined by Lecturer in Food Quality Dr Victor Kuri (University of Plymouth), Paul Winterton from Rare and Pasture (former CEO of our previous beneficiary Langage Farm), Mark Taylor (Quorum Technologies), as well as our in-house Technical Specialists. We will also have UKRI on hand to discuss future funding opportunities for UK businesses.

This event also marks the establishment of our Analysis & Imaging Network, bringing together new and existing clients for ongoing support, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.

Make sure to register at the following link to get access to the event: www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/pemc-industrial-solutions-food-and-drink

On behalf of everyone at the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre, we hope to see you soon! If you would not like to be contacted about future events, please let us know – you are always welcome to reach out to us again in the future.

All the best,

Dr Natasha Stephen, on behalf of Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre

Plymouth manufacturer plays key role in development of innovative wheelchair seating system

A Plymouth manufacturer is playing a key role in helping develop a new seating system for wheelchairs that improves function and corrects body posture.

Source Engineering, a specialist in pressed and machined components, has supported wheelchair seating specialist Matrix Seating with a complex stamped part that acts as a locking clamp for the unique micro modules that are shaped to deliver customised support.

A 5-strong engineering team has worked with inventor Dr Steve Cousins to come up with a 11-stage progression tool capable of producing the ‘lock’ in spring steel – vital for delivering strength and flexibility at a unit price that works.

To date, 120,000 of the components have already been manufactured and delivered, with an increase in sales from the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the US set to result in a surge in volumes.

“This is a really exciting project to be involved in and we are delighted to be able to use our design and manufacturing expertise to help people enjoy a longer and better standard of life,” explained Pablo Gutierrez, Technical Director at Source Engineering

“Steve approached us about coming up with a stamped metal part to replace what was previously a plastic and then hybrid component. He’d been to a number of other suppliers, but we were the only one prepared to invest the design time in trying to come up with a solution that worked.”

He continued: “There was a lot to consider. We had to deliver a critically strong part that still allowed the system, which looks like a robust mesh and is fitted in place of the usual wheelchair back, to move to deliver the potential orthotic spinal correction.

“Initially, it was deemed to be just one part for the locking clamp, but after a number of prototypes and iterations we found that it was best to manufacture two components – a top and a bottom that would be connected with a bolt. Tolerances were really tight and also had to meet clinical specification.”

 The full article can be downloaded – here

Plymouth manufacturers lobby Government for change to self-isolation rules

Plymouth’s manufacturers are lobbying the Government for a change to the rules around self-isolation fearing production will be hit by a shortage of workers.

Factory chiefs are contacting Plymouth’s MPs and the manufacturers’ organisation Make UK to put pressure on Westminster to relax rules.

They say production could be curtailed by large numbers of staff having to stay at home because they have been told to self-isolate for 10 days after being “pinged” by the NHS Test and Trace app.

Car producers Nissan and Rolls-Royce have already raised concerns about low staff numbers at their plants in Sunderland and Goodwood, and now Plymouth’s largest factories are fearing they will follow suit.

A meeting of the Plymouth Manufacturers Group (PMG) heard of concerns across the board as “freedom day” arrives on July 19 just as UK Covid cases rise.

The meeting was attended by more than 15 Plymouth manufacturers, including some of the largest employers such as Plessey, BD, Collins Aerospace, Kawasaki Precision Machinery, and Vi-Spring, with others such as Princess Yachts contacted afterwards and also giving support.

“We are lobbying the Government through local MPs and the offices of MakeUK for a relaxation of the rules, for Test and Trace to not be so indiscriminate,” said Steve Gerry, PMG secretary. “Otherwise production could be affected here, definitely.”

Plymouth has the largest concentration of manufacturing employment on the South coast of England and the sector supports more than 12,000 jobs in the city.

But there have been predictions of a “summer of chaos” for the UK as the number of Covid infections rises to about 50,000 daily, including more than 1,000 cases reported in a week in Plymouth, and the NHS app sent alerts to more than 500,000 people in the UK in a week.

Mr Gerry said: “We have examples of employers saying there is exponential growth in the numbers of workers having to self-isolate, and the projections are not good. We could be going from 40,000 to 100,000 daily cases by mid-August.

“In a matter of days some firms will be finding the situation untenable. The Government desperately needs to do something.”

He said one solution would be for people who have had two doses of the vaccine and have returned a negative test to be allowed to work even if they have been “pinged” by the app.

Meanwhile, he stressed that PMG members were also highly aware of the need for staff safety and have been canvassing and consulting with workers and that polls and surveys are ongoing, adding: “The importance of communication with staff is seen as paramount.”

He said firms had found staff are generally said to feel “apprehensive, nervous and hesitant” at the prospect of safety restrictions being lifted and said most Plymouth manufacturers are not expecting to relax protocols – including self distancing, temperature checking, hand hygiene, mask wearing, one way directions in workplaces – until safe to do so.

Mr Gerry said provisional dates for this were given as late August or September, with some even considering October.

“The rationale for this approach is associate/employee safety based on an assessed risk,” he said. “Having said that, some firms are taking steps to change working patterns. For instance, to reduce shift changeovers. Some are relaxing rules regarding visitors to site.

“Most firms are planning a phased return of home workers to the office. The timing of which varied but is commonly planned for August and/or September. Hybrid solutions are likely to be favoured. The longer term balance of home working is predicted by some to possibly change as people return.

But he added that from the PMG meeting: “There is a general recognition that as a nation – indeed the whole world – we will have to get used to living with Covid-19, much as we do with the common flu.”

This story appeared in the Plymouth Herald – here

Plymouth retains title of the southern city with the highest concentration of manufacturing employment

Plymouth Trading Standards Service merges with the Devon, Somerset & Torbay

With effect from 1^st April,  Plymouth Trading Standards Service has merged with Devon, Somerset & Torbay. Read the full notice – here

Plymouth’s health boss urges people to continue wearing masks as Covid cases remain high

Figures released on Friday (24/9) show that Plymouth’s case rate still sits above the national average at 288.0 per 100,000 compared to England’s average of 285.2

Plymouth people are being asked to continue to wear masks in public places because “Covid hasn’t gone away in the city”.

Despite the lifting of government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions, the city’s health and business leaders have united in calling on the public to continue to take the precautions.

Figures released on Friday show that Plymouth’s case rate still sits above the national average at 288.0 per 100,000 compared to England’s average of 285.2.

They have united in a joint plea to the public to help protect “businesses and jobs this winter” by continuing to use face coverings on public transport, in shops, theatres and cinemas.

They warn the number of positive cases in Plymouth is still higher than the national average and that there are more Covid-19-related hospital admissions among younger adults than in the rest of the UK. And they fear “devastating consequences” if the virus isn’t under control by winter with more people hospitalised or suffering from long-Covid.

They add: “For the business community there could also be serious consequences. We do not want to see mandatory measures being brought back. If they are, we could see local businesses close and local people lose their jobs.”

The letter has been signed by the leaders of Plymouth City Council, HM Naval Base, Babcock, the Theatre Royal, Princess Yachts, Marjon University, the Plymouth College of Arts and Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, Plymouth Octopus. It says anyone visiting any of their buildings will be asked to wear a mask.

Read full article – here

Plymouth’s Culture Plan

An ambitious vision to put culture at the heart of Plymouth’s development has been revealed, supporting and creating hundreds of jobs and businesses while building a world class cultural offer that attracts visitors and connects communities.

Plymouth Culture – the organisation that supports the city’s cultural sector – has united businesses, stakeholders and city leaders as well as artists, creatives and performers to develop the plan, which sets out how culture can give Plymouth the economic and creative support it needs to truly prosper.

The Culture Plan urges Plymouth to be a leader for culture, highlighting the achievements of other cities brave enough to tread a similar path. Liverpool, for example, has doubled the size of its visitor economy thanks to cultural activity, where it is estimated for every £1 invested, £10 is brought back into the city.

Culture is vital to Plymouth’s future in a world after the Covid-19 pandemic – the sector currently employs more than 1,500 people, with an estimated 600 indirect jobs supported by it. The sector accounts for nearly £70 million of economic output per year and 365 businesses in Plymouth are classed as “arts, entertainment, recreation and other services”.

Click – here – for more details of the Culture Plan.

PMG hosts a virtual Apprentice of the Year Awards event for 2021

PMG iMayflower Virtual Internship Scheme 2021-2022

Information for Businesses

Our PMG iMayflower Virtual Internship Scheme will see current students and recent graduates from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business working on short term projects, to explore virtual manufacturing, 3D printing and other manufacturing technological trends on behalf of a PMG member business.

Interns working on projects will be paid at a standard rate of £13/hour, up to a maximum of 38 hours per project (£494), which will be funded and supported by iMayflower.

Case Study: Dan’s Engineering Ltd

Bridgwater based Dan’s Engineering Ltd recently collaborated with a 3D Design undergraduate who undertook a small scale research project evaluating the viability of replacing traditional measurement methods with 3D laser scanning. The resulting report supported the team in their assessment of the potential for technology, providing information on everything from the hardware and software required; processing power and file sizes; skills and training; and costs.

The application process

Businesses and organisations wishing to access support through this scheme are required to provide a brief project proposal for the internship, providing an overview of the research project, details of the anticipated time commitment and the type of skills they are looking for from the student.

A maximum of 10 individual projects can be supported for PMB member businesses. Funding will be awarded on a first come, first served basis and will be withdrawn when the maximum allocation has been reached.

Applications will be accepted from Monday 18th October 2021, with projects due to commence in December 2021. All projects must be completed by 25th February 2022, or later by prior arrangement.

The full details are available – here

Portakabin – market leader in modular buildings

Portakabin is a market leader in the design, manufacture and installation of modular buildings, and a pioneer of advanced modular construction.  Portakabin innovates, develops and delivers exceptional modular buildings across every sector.  From a single office to large multi-storey spacious offices, right through to portable cabins for construction sites, from stand-alone single buildings, laboratories and canteen/staff facilities right through to award-winning modular buildings such as ultra-modern hospitals and schools – tell us what you need and leave the rest to us.

With a promise to always deliver on time and on budget Portakabin can deliver buildings up to 70% faster than traditional construction.

If you’re interested in finding out more, please refer to link for our manufacturing case studies https://indd.adobe.com/view/6b384aa5-0e80-4201-8b41-a1c8fdf09c87 , visit www.portakabin.com or please contact your local Plymouth hire and visitor centre – plymouth.hire@portakabin.com or 01752 663 692.

Post Graduate Engineer – MSc in Autonomous Systems Technology

Are you looking to drive AI and autonomous systems within your business?

Do you have qualified staff who have the potential to take the next step with your business?

The world of autonomous systems is exciting and fast paced – revolutionising the way we live, work and play. Plymouth is fast becoming a global centre for excellence in marine and robotic autonomy systems development.

Our unique, flexibly delivered work-based Masters Degree Apprenticeship (MSc in Autonomous Systems Technology) will enable you to develop your workforce to:

• Analyse the effectiveness of existing systems resulting in more agile and efficient ways of working to increase your profit margins
• optimise automation processes without affecting the day to day running of the business
• Develop Masters level hardcore techniques skills and knowledge to adopt them practically in the business
• Grow specialist skills in autonomy such as artificial intelligence in decision-making, navigation, guidance, control and sensor fusion, machine learning, security, communication and networking and data management.
• Understand social and ethical issues related to autonomy

The learning is personalised to your Engineer and will apply directly to your business, putting you at the heart of the programme. We will work with you to develop a tailored programme and work-based projects that have real impact to your business bottom line.

How does it work? 

Starting in September 2021 and delivered over 2.5 years, this flexible work-based program is delivered mostly online with masterclasses on campus, with the opportunity to use our specialist laboratories including the COAST, Robotics and Control Laboratory.

Successful completion of the apprenticeship will give professional recognition and opportunity to apply for CENG Status, alongside the achievement of MSc in Autonomous System Technology.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, e-mail us or visit our website

Our next employer information session will be on the 8th June for our Post Graduate Engineer- MSc in Autonomous Systems hosted by Dr Sanjay Sharma.

This programme can be offered nationally and flexibly through online delivery and an allocated workbased tutor.

Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock

Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock is a small, low-tech, creative, plastic recycling project which aims to engage and educate around plastic waste and environmental issues. We have exciting shredding and injection moulding machines which can take waste plastic and form new products. We use this creative, hands-on experience to engage people in conversations about the values and problems of plastic. We would be interested in linking with businesses. We are particularly wondering if anyone has a heat press or knows someone who has. We might be able to recycle plastic waste from businesses, particularly HDPE and LDPE. You can find out more about us at: www.katecrawfurd.co.uk/ppp  or https://www.linkedin.com/company/precious-plastic-plymouth-and-tavistock and https://www.facebook.com/Preciousplasticplymtavi/

Princess Yachts announce the appointment of the new CBI South West Regional Chair

We are delighted to announce that the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) South West Regional Council has named Adrian Bratt, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Princess Yachts, as its’ Chair for the next two years.

A governance specialist and commercial lawyer by trade, Adrian joined Princess Yachts in 2017 after operating a national private practice specialising in the manufacturing, retail and energy sectors on behalf of national and multinational firms. He is a former Royal Navy officer who has been part of the CBI South West Council since 2017, while also sitting on the Plymouth Growth Board and the Maritime Enterprise Working Group.

Princess is delighted to support Adrian’s appointment. The company is proud to be a key business in the region, and looks forward to growing its role as a leader within the South West business community.

Princess Yachts provide a new level of design and sophistication at the 2021 Cannes Yachting Festival

Princess Yachts, the UK’s leading luxury yacht manufacturer, are delighted to confirm that eight yachts will be on display at the Cannes Yachting Festival this year, including the global debut of the all-new Princess Y72 motor yacht and the European premier of award-winning Princess X95, the first model in Princess’s new ‘super flybridge’ X Class. The complete S Class range comprising of the S62, S66 and the S78 in addition to the F50 and the F55 plus the dynamic V60 make up the exceptional line-up at Vieux Port, Jetee 114, 7th – 12th September. Princess Y72.

At the show, Princess will also be announcing their continued commitment to setting industry benchmarks in sustainability and reduced environmental impact with some exciting news about partnerships and new innovative projects.

Designed by the Princess Design Studio in collaboration with naval architects Olesinski and Italian design house, Pininfarina, the all-new Y72 is instantly recognisable as a member of the Y Class. Featuring the very latest in Princess exterior design and interior finishes, with beautifully sculpted exterior forms, she is fitted with expansive full-length hull windows, also seen on the highly anticipated flagship of the range, the Y95, due to launch in 2022. Indoor and outdoor living areas are optimised to create sociable yet practical spaces, whilst powerful twin MAN V12 1650mhp engines provide up to 34 knots of power.

Read the complete article –  here

Princess Yachts Success at Palm Beach International Boat Show 2021

Princess Yachts was thrilled to participate in this years’ Palm Beach International Boat Show.

Princess Yachts America showcased an eight-yacht line up representing all six classes of Princess yachts for the first time in history at an American boat show. The line up included the global boat show debut of the ‘Superfly’ X95; the revolutionary R35 performance sports yacht; craft from the S Class – the S66 & the S62; plus the Y78 and the Y85 – which is a true triumph of contemporary design. Also on display was a show debut of the F45, a yacht which delivers unparalleled space, quality and flexibility for the ultimate on-water experience plus the V65 representing the V Class, with engines taking you up to 38 knots.

The show organiser Informa, created a safe environment for exhibitors and visitors alike to attend the show, thus allowing Princess Yachts America to achieve great commercial success during the show. “I am incredibly grateful to both the teams at Princess Yachts America and Informa for ensuring that the safety of everyone attending the show was the utmost priority,” said Will Green, Chief Sales Officer, Princess Yachts.” We were absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity to showcase the ‘Superfly’ X95 at Palm Beach, the results from the show are strikingly positive and we are thrilled by this achievement.”

Read the full release – here

Radical shake up to government export finance support for small businesses

Register now for Future Plymouth 2030 updates

Open to all collaborators and fresh thinkers.

The Future Plymouth 2030 initiative is a series of webinars, co-funded by the Sustainability Hub, the Royal Institute of British Architects and Plymouth City Council.

The initiative focusses on opening up conversations about Climate Change, initially focused on the built environment, it will expand to a broader range of topics and will be of relevance to the business sector.

The Autumn series is being planned now, to keep up to date register here:

Future Plymouth 2030

Rising supply chain constraints lead to slower production growth and rising input prices in August

UK manufacturers continued to face rising constraints caused by supply chain issues during August. Shortages of inputs and delivery delays disrupted production schedules, leading to slower output growth, and also resulted in marked increases in input prices. Companies nonetheless still achieved solid gains in output, new orders and employment.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) fell to a five-month low of 60.3, a tick below July’s 60.4 but above the long-run average of 51.9. The PMI has signalled an improvement in operating performance in each of the past 15 months.

Manufacturing output rose again in August, albeit to the weakest extent since February. Growth eased particularly sharply at intermediate goods producers. Companies linked higher output to new order gains and the ongoing process of re-opening global economies.

Incoming new business rose in August, reflecting increased inflows from both domestic and overseas markets. On the export front, manufacturers reported increased orders from clients in Europe, China, the US, Asia and South America.

The outlook for the UK manufacturing sector also remained bright in August. Almost 66% of companies indicated that they expect output to rise over the coming year, compared to only 4% forecasting a decline. Confidence rose to a three-month high, reflecting expectations of continued economic revival, stronger global demand, investment plans and hopes that current supply issues would either lessen or even UK Manufacturing PMI at 60.3 in August Output growth slowdown exacerbated by input supply issues Input cost and selling price inflation remain close to survey records Data were collected 12-25 August 2021. be fully resolved.

Robust confidence among manufacturers supported further job creation during August. Employment rose for the eighth month in a row and to one of the greatest extents in the survey history (albeit also the slowest since April). Staffing levels were raised to increase capacity, meet rising demand requirements and start addressing backlogs of incomplete work. However, there were also reports from some manufacturers of both labour and skills shortages.

The complete article can be downloaded – here

Safer Plymouth Webinar on the Domestic Abuse Toolkit for Employers – 21st April 11:00am-12.30pm

• An estimated 2.4 million adults aged 16 to 74 experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
• Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales.

Domestic abuse is a hugely destructive problem and employers have an important role to play in society’s response to it. Often workplaces are the only safe place for victims, offering hope of escaping abuse if the signs are spotted – but these spaces are now less accessible for those forced to work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Public Health England partnered with Business in the Community to produce ‘Domestic Abuse: a toolkit for employers’ to help any organisation make a commitment to respond to the risk of domestic abuse. It also offers guidance on how to build an approach that ensures all employees feel supported and empowered by their workplace to deal with domestic abuse.  Safer Plymouth will be promoting this toolkit with local employers as we see them as key partners in addressing this important issue.

To book a place, please use Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/domestic-abuse-toolkit-for-employers-tickets-149148562365

For further information please contact sophie.taylor3@nhs.net

This is an event being put on especially for PMG members. In order to maximise attendance it is also being offered to other business sectors in Plymouth.

SailGP – Sponsorship Opportunities to help support your brand

SailGP is the sport’s pinnacle global league Powered by Nature. Set-up in the belief in the power of sport for good. Racing for a better sport and a better planet.

It’s an annual nation vs nation competition with fierce national rivalries lining up in equally matched boats for exhilarating racing from the world’s best athletes including Sir Ben Ainslie, Jimmy Spithill and newest America’s Cup champion Blair Tuke. SailGP is committed to gender diversity and each team is introducing some of the brightest female sailing talent as we gear up what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet in Plymouth on the 17/18 of July.

SailGP’s core pillars for prospective partners are Sustainability, Technology, Innovation, Key Hubs and entertainment.

How can SailGP help my brand:

• Enhance Perception and stature
• Empower communications
• Showcase value proposition
• Deepen stakeholder relationships
• Elevate profile and awareness

Plymouth is a renowned sailing venue and the Hoe promises to be a spectacular activation site for any brand with thousands of fans.

From week commencing 19^th April, we will start to focus on the Hoe Fan Zone sales, so if businesses want to showcase at the event, there is space – budget around £10k depending upon the activation being provided.

SailGP welcomes all partnership discussions with the local business communities, support being crucial to securing the £20m Economic Impact that SailGP provides.

Conrad Humphreys

Managing Director

Sport Environment

Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, PL99RQ

WhatsApp/Mobile: 07720 287674

Santander Manufacturing Industry Week – 20 – 22 April 2021

Following our successful Industry Days in 2018 and 2019, we are excited to launch our first ever

virtual Manufacturing Industry Week! This will be a series of live, interactive sessions over 3 days.

• Date: 20 to 22 April 2021
• Time: 09:15 to 13:00 BST

During the week we will discuss the key challenges that UK manufacturers face and showcase the

international opportunities that exist beyond Brexit, beyond Covid-19 and, beyond banking.

The wide-ranging agenda will enable you to hear from industry leaders on topics and issues that are

relevant to your business, as well as exploring opportunities to help you grow your reach in

2021/2022within Europe and across the globe.

Speakers include:

• Lord Karan Bilimoria – Confederation of British Industry and Cobra Beer
• Stephen Phipson – MAKE UK
• Mike Hawes – Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
• Steve Elliott- Chemical Industries Association
• John Carroll- Santander

You will have the chance to connect with both sector and international specialists, trade bodies and

other manufacturing businesses from across the UK in diverse subsectors such as Advanced

Manufacturing, Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals and Life Sciences.

There will be bitesize sessions across the three days. View the final three day programme – here

We look forward to meeting you virtually during the week. Register – here

Take a look back at our last event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZZtFDAFAYU

SMART SKILLS are offering 4 x 2 hour online sessions on the changing world of work

About this event

SMART Skills funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) is a project aimed at helping Devon-based small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) businesses to identify skills gaps in their existing workforce and provide the skills training they need to become more resilient during this economic crisis and beyond; the bid aims to support business now for the future.

The New Ways of Working course is a suite of 4 online sessions running from June 2021 to July 2021

Course Topics

• An overview of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and Business
• Adapting to a changing working environment – the virtual workplace
• and managing teams remotely
• Managing your people through periods of change
• Motivating and engaging with your people
• Developing people in the workplace

Course Dates & Times

All courses will be delivered online on the following dates:

Tuesday 15th June 13:00 – 15:00

Tuesday 22nd June 13:00 – 15:00

Tuesday 29th June 13:00 – 15:00

Wednesday 21st July 13:00 – 15:00

*All courses are fully funded and non-regulated.

*Participation is subject to meeting eligibility requirements

Eligibility and relevant paperwork will need to be completed before the start of the course, instructions on this will be provided with your booking confirmation email.

Register – here

Source Engineering invests £100k in a new press and now eyes 20% turnover hike

A Plymouth manufacturer has invested £100,000 into a high-speed press line to boost capacity ahead of a raft of new opportunities.

Source Engineering, a specialist in precision pressed parts and machined components, employs 32 people across its two divisions in Plympton.

The firm has tapped into the expertise of industry leading high-speed press maker Bruderer UK to purchase a machine that can do the work of four conventional HME (Hordern, Mason & Edwards) power presses.

The BSTA 200M 20-tonne stamping press was identified as the ideal solution and is now up and running at Source Engineering’s Langage Business Park facility, achieving 300 strokes per minute which represents a 200% increase in production output across a range of products destined for the automotive, electrical wholesale and oil and gas markets.

Read the full story – here

South West most optimistic region ahead of Freeport arrival – but businesses give warning over guidance and skills shortage – survey reveals

BUSINESSES in the South West are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the region’s planned Freeport in Plymouth – but education and business contributors have raised concerns over skills needs as companies ramp up plans to bring skilled jobs to the region.

Transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), which has a large office in Plymouth,  launched its Freeports Business Sentiment 2021 report this week, representing the views of over 500 businesses across the UK, from a range of sectors and business turnover size.

The report, which includes contributions from Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group and City College Plymouth, shows positive sentiment from South West business leaders is the highest in the UK, with 50% of respondents agreeing that Freeports would have a positive impact for their business, compared to a national average of 44%. 52% also felt Freeports would help to enhance trade to and from the UK.

However, only 18% of respondents in the region felt they had a clear understanding of how Freeports will operate and how governance will work in practice. This mirrored the national viewpoint, with businesses wanting to understand the practicalities of how the initiative becomes a reality and see better guidance on how Freeport activity will be secure and fair for the whole of the South West.

When asked about skills, 59% of respondents in the region agreed that Freeports have the potential to regenerate areas and create highly skilled jobs. 42% of respondents based within a Freeport or free zone also said they would seek to create more skilled roles over the next 12 – 24 months and said this was due to the impact of the Freeport and incentives.

Peter Snaith, partner and head of manufacturing at WBD, comments: “A large proportion of businesses in Freeports and free zones expect to create more skilled roles in the next 12 – 24 months. This is a great indicator that Freeports will bring the benefits they promise and help to build opportunities in the surrounding areas.

“However, multiple contributors across the country from both business and education sectors stress that collaboration is what’s needed to drive success.

“As of yet, there isn’t enough clarity on what is expected of governance structures, but the expectation is that a key function will be to ensure the security of custom sites and ensure that the businesses operating within them are adhering to the associated rules and regulations.”

Steve Gerry, Secretary and Treasurer at Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group, said: “Plymouth has the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the South of England and we already have a major skills shortage, there is a feeling that if the region does succeed in bringing in more investors, the labour market could tighten further.

“The forecasted 9,000 new jobs that the Freeport is expected to bring will also require an improvement in the region’s supporting infrastructure. We will need to work closely with education providers to ensure we are providing imaginative solutions to introduce the skills required to fill these jobs.”

Jackie Grubb, Principal and CEO at City College Plymouth, said: “Freeports and free zones have the potential to develop skills across multiple sectors to meet the needs of the future as hubs of innovation and to support the creation of long-term job prosperity, so we have developed its strategic direction to encompass the majority of free zone users, linked to maritime, manufacturing, construction and the built environment.

“As part of this strategy, the college is working closely with industry to ensure that they are demand-led and demand informed, building on the skill requirements for the short, medium and long term. Regular skill scan surveys form part of this action, whilst innovation, collaboration and horizon thinking will support the industry with its future needs.”

Only 32% of respondents were aware that businesses outside of Freeports and free zones could access some of the same incentives and initiatives as those within the customs and tax sites.

Craig Moore, partner and head of WBD’s Plymouth office, adds: “We would like to see the Government expand the possibilities of customs and tax benefits within regions by allowing customs warehouses or those with appropriate authorisations to link up more formally with the Freeport sites. This could make it really exciting, creating mutual benefits and expanding the success in the region as long as there is commitment between the sites.

“It is very encouraging to see at this stage that the majority of respondents in the South West think that the Freeports initiative has the potential to drive regional regeneration and economic recovery. The survey highlights a number of key trends, but most importantly emphasises that Freeports will not drive success in isolation. Freeports will not be the answer for every business, but used as one tool in the economic toolkit, the benefits could be significant if all plans are realised and that’s a really exciting opportunity.”

Read the Freeports business sentiment report – here

South West Skills Newsletter, April 2021

Last month saw the release of the latest Budget and accompanying that were a number of reports. Three of these will impact particularly on the skills an employment landscape and some highlights and links are given in our Reports and Publications section later in this newsletter. The three reports are:

• Building Back Better
• Levelling Up Fund: Prospectus
• Community Renewal Fund: Prospectus

There has been considerable criticism of the targeting methodology for this new funding as it seems to have ignored many measures of deprivation. Financial Times analysis found that in England 14 places that were wealthier than average were ranked in the most needy category, and all had at least one sitting government MP.  This follows similar criticism of the Town’s Fund.

Also in the news recently was the finding from the TUC that 1 in 8 of us will be forced to leave the labour market due to ill health or disability before reaching state pension age. The report – Extending working lives: how to support older workers – finds that more than half a million (534,876) workers aged 60 to 65 have had to leave the workplace due to medical reasons.

You can read the full newsletter – here

Sterts Theatre SE Cornwall require surplus office furniture

Sterts Theatre https://www.sterts.co.uk/  are on the scrounge…we were gifted a cricket pavilion in 2019 to use as a new box office and succeeded in getting grants for the rebuild and conversion, plus enough funds to put in a Changing Places facility too. We are finally close to getting the building done but wondered if any of your members would have surplus office furniture they would like to donate so we can kit out the office a bit better? We only need three or four desks, a couple of filing cabinets and cupboards, not a lot.

If you could canvas your PMG members we would appreciate it and of course thank them very publicly.

Kind regards,

Ali Fenn

Chair – Sterts Council

chair@stertsarts.org

SupplyDevon

SupplyDevon helps organisations buy better, supporting the local economy and reducing carbon emissions.

Funded by the government’s Sustainable Innovation Fund, we help suppliers in Devon recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is SupplyDevon?

A regional procurement platform, enabling local sourcing of goods and services.

The platform enables buyers to identify suppliers within their district or county and compare aspects such as localism, quality and price, all through machine learning.

Why use SupplyDevon?

SupplyDevon is completely free to use for buyers and suppliers in Devon.

SupplyDevon strives to provide a very simple and intuitive solution to sourcing locally and supporting the local community, as well as to help Devon reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.

Getting started

It couldn’t be easier. As a buyer, simply use the ‘Request quotes’ button from anywhere on the site, provide us with some details of your request and we’ll begin sourcing quotes for you. As soon as we know a bit more about your business we can begin sending you quotation requests to start winning new business locally.

Join as a supplier – here

Sustainable Earth 2021

Join us for a two-day online forum across 24 and 25 June, as we bring together researchers, businesses, NGOs, the public sector, community groups and individuals to tackle global and local challenges around the climate emergency.

Hear from inspirational speakers, network, participate, spark ideas and find opportunities to collaborate.

The event is free, but registration is required to attend any part of the two-day programme, be it one session, half a day, day 1 or 2 only, or the full two days!
The free event includes:
5 KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS | 20 GUEST SPEAKERS | 12 WORKSHOPS | 40+ MARKETPLACE SESSIONS | 8 BILLION ANGELS DOCUMENTARY and Q&A | VIRTUAL EXHIBITION HALL
Hear from inspirational speakers, network, participate, spark ideas and find opportunities to collaborate.
The event is open to anyone interested in understanding the challenges and solutions to reaching net zero, and aims to inspire action at any level. The event is free, but registration is required to attend any part of the two-day programme.

Register online today.
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/institutes/sustainable-earth/se21

SUSTAINABLE LOW-COST DELIVERY FROM A LOCAL COMPANY

A new sustainable delivery service, Nipii Express, conducted through a fleet of electric vehicles and the very latest technology for real time ETA & tracking, is now operating in Plymouth.

Nipii Express is an offshoot of another new company, nipii.co.uk, which links independent local traders with local customers to provide an alternative to the big global players like Amazon, eBay and Etsy, who have left a lot of smaller businesses feeling pushed out of the marketplace.

With so many larger corporations & manufacturers looking to find more sustainable solutions for their businesses and drive to lower their carbon footprint – Nipii Express believe that as many businesses as possible need to hear about their service.

The company has full online quoting and booking systems open to all businesses, alongside an online dashboard for any ‘contracted’ clients too – this means that a business can keep a handle on all their logistics as the portal allows online booking, tracking & reporting.

The team behind Nipii believe their rate card is very competitive as they pass the fuel cost savings on to the customer – and rates can be negotiated down even further depending on volumes.

Find out more on their website here: Nipii Express

You can read their launch article in the press here. 

SW Innovation EXPO

14 October 2021 (Physical Event)

The SW Innovation Expo is for innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses, academics and investors to come together and explore cutting edge technology developed in Devon, Cornwall, The Isles of Scilly and Somerset. Founded by lead partners University of Exeter, University of Falmouth and University of Plymouth and supported by Innovate UK, the event is a metamorphosis of the hugely successful Venturefest SW which ran in 2016 and 2019.

This event is focused on demonstrating the cutting edge technical and intellectual innovations that could be transformative for your own business. Strands include:

• Innovation on a budget
• De-risking supply chains
• Leadership and management
• Investors
• Replacing manual process
• Virtual and digital technology
• Improving productivity
• Marketing and customer communications

Full details – here

The Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network request for surplus laptops

The Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network (D&CTPN) is leading on an initiative across both counties to collect donated laptops ready for re-purposing to enable apprentices to access online learning & support. This photo shows D&CTPN’s MD Sharron Robbie with Jamie Rail from QTLS The Focus Training Group who generously donated 14 laptops. Sharron said, “we certainly could do with more donated laptops and devices – we just need to have power cables and  screens which are not cracked, we will do the rest: cleanse, wipe, re-set, PAT test and make ready for use. We have more than 200 learners and/or apprentices needing support!  Any help from the PMG would be gratefully received”.

The Devon Net Zero Innovation fund

The Devon Net Zero Innovation fund is in place to enable collaborations between Devon enterprises and University of Plymouth academic researchers. The aim is to help Devon enterprises to develop new products or services for the low carbon sector, with funding of up to £7,500 per enterprise.

The Fund is a research and innovation opportunity funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), delivered through the Low Carbon Devon project at the University of Plymouth. The aim is to bring Devon enterprises together with University of Plymouth academics to collaborate to accelerate the development of new products or services in the low carbon sector, or other sectors, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

The opportunity aligns with the UK Government’s Build Back Better strategy as the UK shifts towards a net zero carbon future; recognising that working towards net zero is a major opportunity for economic growth and job creation across the UK and particularly in Devon with its rich natural capital and innovative technologies.

Key information

• The call opened on Monday 12 July 2021.
• Deadlinefor applications – 28 October 2021 (12.00 midday) (after this time, no applications can be accepted)
• Scoring of applications will take place in November 2021 and upon approval, partnerships will have 6 months to deliver their project.
• Completion – The collaborative project must be completed by 31/05/22
• Budget– up to £7,500 will be allocated per collaboration
• Applications– please email all enquiries and applications to sustainabilityhub@plymouth.ac.uk, clearly entitled “DNZIF” and company name / academic name.

Who can apply?

• Applications will need to be led by an eligible Devon enterprise – in partnership with a University of Plymouth academic(s).
• Existing or new collaborations are welcomed.

Objectives of the Devon Net Zero Innovation Fund

This fund is designed to encourage new industries to emerge and to boost investment in the development of low carbon products and services:

• to enable Devon enterprises to address key low carbon challenges and opportunities through new product / service development
• to enable at least 10 eligible Devon enterprises to develop new, commercially viable products / services for the low carbon economy
• to enable Devon enterprises to collaborate with University of Plymouth academic researcher expertise that falls outside of the Low Carbon Devon Industrial Research Fellow (IRF) expertise (i.e. Green Walls, Power Electronics, Energy Efficiency in Buildings (Occupant Behaviour) and Creative Industries)
• to support diversification of technology from one industrial sector to another to support low carbon ambitions.

Call to action

• Now– register your interest in this funding opportunity and raise any queries direct with the project team at sustainabilityhub@plymouth.ac.uk
• Register to attend our ‘Take Action: Devon Net Zero Innovation Fund’ information and questions event on 22 September 2021 at 4.00pm

Application form – here

Guidance notes – here

The Future of Clean Mobility – May 13, 10:00AM to 12:00PM Noon

On Thursday 13th May, EXIST (Exeter Initiative for Science & Technology) will be returning with a

virtual event exploring Clean Mobility and the race towards zero emission transportation.

This knowledge sharing & business engagement session will run from 10am – 12pm, focusing on the

challenges, innovations and opportunities for zero emission transport, electric vehicle charging

infrastructure, and regional carbon neutral ambitions.

At the event you will be able to find out more about the following:

What does the future look like?

• Urban (Exeter) & rural infrastructure challenges
• Exciting regional Clean Mobility research, development & innovation projects
• Funding opportunities within the UK, to accelerate innovations towards a future of zero emissions.

Book here

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership March 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to our March newsletter. Spring is definitely in the air and it’s great to see our children and young people back in schools and restrictions beginning to lift along the lines of the Government’s roadmap. Whilst there is a significant way to go before life starts to feel more ‘normal’, we remain cautiously optimistic about the gradual re-opening of all sectors and can begin to more confidently plan for life post-pandemic.

With that in mind, the Heart of the South West LEP is this week publishing its Build Back Better plan, which we have been consulting with our partners on since January.

Download the newsletter – here

The NatWest Accelerator

The NatWest Accelerator supports and empowers UK entrepreneurs and business owners to scale their businesses to the next level. Through our specialist Accelerator programmes we provide wrap around support and access to expertise, removing barriers and providing more opportunities to help customers grow.

We focus on the key driver of any business –you.

With the right level of support and challenge, we could help you to take your business much further and faster through our four pillars of support…

Coaching

You’ll be supported by a dedicated Acceleration Manager, helping to develop both you and your business, overcome challenges and move your business forward.

Community

Join a vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs through our virtual network and make use of free co-working spaces across the UK.

Network

As the biggest bank for business in the UK, our experienced Ecosystem Managers are here to connect you to the unrivalled partner and mentor network across the UK, at the right time for you and your business.

Thought Leadership 

Focussed on your needs as an entrepreneur, our programme of thought leadership and content could support your acceleration.

To find out more about how we could help give you and your business the power to succeed, go to:

https://www.business.natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html

Please note: cohorts run on a six month cycle and our next intake is currently open with the deadline for applications being 11 June 2021.

The Navy sub commanded by artificial intelligence

On 20 April, the Royal Navy’s latest nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, HMS Anson, emerged from a vast construction hall at Barrow-in-Furness, travelled down a slipway and entered the water. All 7,400 tonnes of it.

Around 260 miles away in Plymouth, another submarine made its debut that same day. A minnow compared to HMS Anson, this secretive nine-tonne craft may have greater implications for the future of the navy than the £1.3bn nuclear boat.

MSubs of Plymouth, a specialist in autonomous underwater vehicles, won a £2.5m Ministry of Defence contract to build and test an Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) that should be able to operate up to 3,000 miles from home for three months.

The big innovation here is the autonomy. The submarine’s movements and actions will be governed entirely by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Ollie Thompson is a recent graduate who is studying for a master’s degree in robotics at Plymouth University. He also works for MarineAI, the MSubs arm that is fitting out the XLUUV’s brain.

To read the full article that appeared on the BBC news website click – here

The PMG Annual Christmas Lecture 2021 – 7th December.

To be held at the Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth 6:00- 8:30pm

Sponsored by PKF Francis Clark

With guest speaker:

Ruth Cairnie

Chair of Babcock International Group plc

Ruth Cairnie is the Chair of Babcock International Group plc and the SID at Associated British Foods plc. She chairs the POWERful Women initiative and is Patron of the Women in Defence Charter, also a trustee of Windsor Leadership and of the White Ensign Association. She was a member of the Covid Recovery Commission and is a supporting Chair at Chapter Zero.

Ruth left Royal Dutch Shell in 2014 after a 37 year career spanning Research, B2B businesses, Strategy, Supply Chain and M&A. Her roles included EVP for Strategy and Planning, responsible for the development of global Group strategy, and chief executive of Shell’s global Commercial Fuels business. Her previous board roles include Non-Executive Director of Rolls-Royce Holdings, Contour Global plc and Keller Group plc.

During her career in Shell, Ruth was mainly been based in London but also lived in Stockholm, Hamburg, Singapore and The Hague.

Ruth is also a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

To register, click on this link with the University’s website – here

The South West Manufacturing Barometer results are in

Welcome to the South West Manufacturing Barometer for Q4 2020 (covering Jan, Feb, and March 2021).

We are pleased to share this report with you, which highlights the recent experiences and future confidence levels of regional SME manufacturing Business Leaders. This valuable data helps to paint a clear picture of SME manufacturing across the South West and allows us to measure how regional results compare to the national findings.

This quarter’s survey revealed heightened optimism across the South West; with the majority of respondents not only reporting an increase in sales, profits, staff numbers, and investment over the past six months but also predicting that this will continue into the Autumn…

Access the results – here

The SWMAS Q1 2021/22 (Apr -June) Manufacturing Barometer results are in!

We are pleased to be able to share this quarter’s national report with you.
With valuable input from 260 businesses, these findings help to highlight the opportunities and challenges being faced by SME manufacturers across the UK.

In addition to recording trends in performance and future confidence, this quarter’s report focuses on the factors currently inhibiting growth for SMEs across the sector, revealing that:

• An overwhelming 96% of respondents said price changes within their supply chains are currently presenting challenges
• 94% believe that a lack of raw material availability is causing these price changes

Almost half – 49% – cited ‘recruitment challenges’ as a barrier to growth

You can access the results – here

Tidal Stream Supply Chain “Meet the Buyer” : Developers share project plans and opportunities across six UK and French sites.  

Two supply chain webinars events are planned on the 10^th and 15^th June where project and technology developers from tidal stream sites across the Channel in France and the UK will share the details of their forthcoming development and procurement plans. Both events will take place at 9.30 – 11:00 BST, (10.30 – 12:00 CET).

The events are part of the €45.4m Interreg funded Anglo-French Tidal Stream Industry Energiser (TIGER) [link www.interrgtiger.com] project which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of the tidal stream industry in the Channel region by engaging regional supply chains and connecting them with leading tidal stream project and technology developers.

The 90-minute events will include introductory presentations from developers highlighting regional cross channel supply chain opportunities across the TIGER tidal stream sites. This includes a range of different site conditions and technologies with a range of different emerging needs. Participants are encouraged to sign up to both events which will be streamed simultaneously in French and English.

10^th June French event: 

Minesto & EDF on the Paimpol-Bréhat tidal test site in Brittany

Morbihan Hydro Energies SAS Tidal stream project in Golf de Morbihan, Southern Brittany

Normandie Hydroliennes and Hydroquest’s commercial tidal stream projects in Le Raz Blanchard, Normandy

15^th June UK event: 

Cambrian Offshore SW’s Ramsey Sound tidal test site in Pembrokeshire, Wales

QED Naval’s Community tidal test site outside of Yarmouth Harbour, Isle of Wight

Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) supported by European Marine Energy Centre’s Tidal stream commercial demonstration site, Isle of Wight.

Why should you attend?

The presentations from developers will include details of project timelines, specifics as to the technologies deployed, and a variety of marine and onshore supply chain opportunities both current and future. These webinars are aimed at wide range of potential companies from small local suppliers providing for example craneage and transfer vessels up to and including large steel fabricators, marine operations and a wide range of civil engineering opportunities with varying scales of contract values.

Details of the projects at each site are available as site data packs on the Tiger project website [link: https://interregtiger.com].

The resources section of the website also holds videos and presentations from the technology specific supply chain events held in 2020.

Tidal stream turbines generate electricity from tidal currents using structures sometimes resembling underwater wind turbines (although there are still numerous different concepts – attend this even to find out more). Ocean Energy Europe’s ‘2030 Ocean Energy Vision’ predicts up to 2.4GW of Tidal stream energy capacity installed by 2030 and becoming cost competitive with fossil fuels. This means a sector with huge potential for market growth over the coming years with the potential to contribute to Government Net Zero targets.

To sign up to events

https://interregtiger.com/events/

Today Western Power Distribution (WPD) has published its second draft Business Plan and an accompanying consultation. We’d love to hear your views.

We contacted you in late January to ask for your feedback on our first draft business plan, which outlined a range of proposed investments and improvements we will deliver for our customers between 2023-2028. This included commitments to reduce power cuts to their lowest ever levels, whilst building a smarter, low carbon energy system and setting ambitious targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions much earlier than the Government’s target for 2050.

In the last two years, nearly 10,000 people have had their say to help to shape our draft Business Plan. In the last eight weeks alone, in response to our first consultation, a further 2,300 have provided valuable feedback to help us refine our proposals.  We’ve been listening intently and making significant changes as a result. We have:

• Streamlined our key deliverables, to 58 core commitments.
• Raised the ambition of 60% of our business plan commitments
• Introduced four entirely new proposals
• Reworded 11 commitments to ensure they deliver clearer outcomes

We now want to give you another chance to have your say.

OUR REQUEST OF YOU: Please download our Business Plan and respond to our consultation by 25th April

You can view WPD’s second draft Business Plan and consultation online – here. You’ll find that we are asking 14 questions overall.

Tomorrow’s Engineers Code – Working together to inspire a diverse engineering workforce

Driving a new era of engagement

Engineering is a varied, stimulating and valuable career but we need to work harder than ever to ensure that it is accessible for this generation of young people – for their own life chances and so that we have a diverse and insightful workforce that enables the UK to thrive.

Many organisations are already doing important work to enthuse the next generation but there is evidence and widespread agreement that we must work better together to improve the quality, inclusivity, targeting and reach of activities designed to inspire young people.

The Code will improve collaboration between organisations that fund, design or deliver engineering-inspiration activities, to ultimately increase the diversity and number of those entering engineering.

Together, we can deliver a joined-up approach to drive change at scale.

The Code

The Code provides a robust approach to increasing our collective impact and our return on investment in engineering engagement. It will enable organisations to improve the impact of individual initiatives through collaboration with other Signatories.

Signatories of The Code make 4 pledges about their approach to funding, designing, delivering, and learning from engineering-inspiration activities.

Signatories have access to support that will empower them to meet the pledge areas including evidence based summaries of what works, case studies, and ideas for developing engagement programmes.

Download the Tomorrow’s Engineers Code – here

Tyre firm Bandvulc on road to strong sales recovery after £1m investment

(This article first appeared on Business Live – here) Plymouth factory is receiving major investment from owner Continental and expects full bounce back from Covid dip

Multinational autoparts giant Continental Group is investing more than £1million into the Bandvulc Tyres Ltd plant it owns in Plymouth as it predicts a strong sales recovery now lockdown is easing.

The Lee Mill-based factory mainly sells recycled and retreaded tyres for commercial trucks and lorries, serving about a third of the UK’s supermarket fleets, and while it suffered a 10% dip in trade during the Covid year, partly due to “non-essential” retail being shut, it is seeing sales pick up strongly.

The growth in supermarket sales and e-commerce, and a booming construction sector, are seen as drivers for demand in recycled and retreaded tyres.

This optimism is born out by Continental, which acquired Bandvulc from the founding O’Connell family in 2017, continuing to invest in the Plymouth operation.

“Since the acquisition by Continental there has been a lot of investment in plant this year, spending more than £1million on new equipment and processes,” said Tony Mailing, operations directors at Bandvulc, “Continental is investing in this business which is great for the local economy and employees.”

During the pandemic the company continued to service regional and national fleets and that while sales were hit during the initial 2020 lockdowns demand soon rebounded to the extent that during the last three months of 2020 the company sold more tyres than it did in the same period in 2019.

Directors at Bandvulc, which also has a 24/7 breakdown service and tyre management division, called 2020 “challenging” but said the company was nonetheless “resilient” and it anticipates remaining profitable in 2021.

Mr Mailing said: “Through 2020 we saw a drop of about 10% on a normal year but we are lucky because we are very much supplying the supermarket industry, so through the Covid year we kept going.

“Home deliveries have gone through the roof, that has been of some assistance for us. But the 10% dip was because some retail was closed.

“About 60% of our business is related to supermarkets, and it has grown as they have grown. The construction industry is booming, and that is a big market for us, building materials and removal of anything from site, these are strong markets for our products.”

In addition, Bandvulc is finding its position has been strengthened by Brexit trade issues which have hiked the price of imports, and Europe lagging behind the UK in Covid vaccine roll-out.

“As a UK manufacturer, with the changes from Brexit it has made importing more expensive,” said Mr Mailing. “With Covid issues in Europe, where a lot of tyre manufacturing plants have been hit by absenteeism, that has affected the inflow of tyres into the UK. Nearly all of our production is to the domestic market, more than 90%.

Mr Mailing added: “The second half of last year, when we came out of lockdown was extremely busy for us and the forecasting looks like that will continue.”

He said that the prediction is that if the UK fully unlocks, as planned, in June the firm will be busy and ready for a “full bounce back.”

“The expectation is we will continue growing,” Mr Mailing said. “We had a 10% dip but it is growth year-on-year and the expectation is that will continue.”

UK Economy now recovering rapidly says Bank of England

The Covid-19 pandemic has been affecting us all for more than a year now.

My fellow Agents and I know that those businesses that rely heavily on being able to have customers visit them in person – for instance, the hospitality and tourism sectors right across the SW – have been particularly hard hit.

And as my contacts across the South West have been telling me for much of the past year, with less money coming in, businesses have generally cut their investment spending to save cash.

Many people have spent less than usual, too – partly because they haven’t had all the usual opportunities to do so, and partly because some of them have lost their jobs and many more have been very worried about losing theirs.

Here in the South West, the unemployment rate has risen to 4.1% in the three months to the end of February this year from 3.1% in the same period a year ago, although the Government’s furlough scheme has gone a long way to reduce the effect of the pandemic on jobs.

In the early months of this year, the UK went back into lockdown, to halt the spread of coronavirus, with renewed tightening of restrictions on activity.

But the fall in spending during the latest lockdown was much smaller than it was during the first lockdown last year, as people and businesses have become more adept at operating within the restrictions.

And with a growing proportion of the UK population being vaccinated and infection rates falling, restrictions are now being loosened again, allowing businesses to reopen more fully.

It appears likely that being vaccinated is making people, some of whom will have saved money during lockdown, increasingly confident about going out and spending.

In addition, as we note in our Agents’ summary of business conditions in the Bank’s latest Monetary Policy Report (MPR), published earlier this month, we’re hearing that some businesses are being encouraged to bring forward their investment spending on plant and machinery in response to tax breaks announced in the recent Budget.

The summary also notes that our contacts across a range of business sectors say that their job cuts have largely been completed, and a growing number say that they’re hiring again.

A reduced risk of job losses should further support people’s confidence and spending.

All told, the recovery is already underway, and the level of economic activity is looking stronger than we thought only a few months ago.

The Bank’s latest forecast shows the economy getting back to where it was before the pandemic, in terms of total spending, around the end of this year.

The prompt and substantial action we have taken in response to the pandemic is underpinning that recovery.

By keeping Bank Rate at the record low of 0.1% and continuing with the expansion of our quantitative easing (QE) programme, we are helping maintain low interest rates on people’s mortgages and businesses’ loans.

We don’t intend to raise Bank Rate or reduce QE until we have clear evidence that the economy is making significant progress towards a full recovery and inflation is returning sustainably to target.

As the economy recovers and the effect of last year’s falls in oil and gas prices fades, we expect inflation (the pace of price rises), which is currently just below 1%, to return to our 2% target.

Even though a strong recovery is underway and vaccinations have reduced the risk of another downturn, the future path of the economy remains uncertain.

So we can’t take our eye off the ball.

And we, the Bank’s Agents, will continue to gather the intelligence that keeps policy-makers here at the Bank in touch with what’s going on in the South West and the rest of the UK.

Malindi Myers

Bank of England

Agent for the South West

@BoESouthWest

UK Manufacturing PMI at decade high as growth of output, new orders and employment gather pace (April 1st 2021).

The upturn in the UK manufacturing sector gained further momentum at the end of the third quarter. March saw the fastest output growth since late-2020, as inflows of new business from both domestic and overseas markets strengthened. The sector remained beset by severe supply chain and logistic issues, however, leading to delivery delays from suppliers and disruption to production and distribution schedules.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to a decade-high of 58.9 in March, its best outcome since February 2011. The PMI level was supported by improved growth of output, new orders and employment along with increased supplier lead times. A slower decrease in stocks of purchases also had a positive impact on the latest reading compared to one month ago. Manufacturing output increased for the tenth successive month and at the quickest pace since last November. Solid and accelerated growth was signalled in both the intermediate and investment goods industries. Consumer goods production returned to expansion following back-to-back contractions.

Full article can be read – here

UK Manufacturing PMI surges to record high in May

Conditions in the manufacturing sector improved at an unprecedented rate in May, as output growth strengthened and new orders rose at the quickest pace in the near three-decade survey history. Looser pandemic restrictions and high levels of pent-up demand meant that the rapid revival in labour market conditions continued, with staffing levels also rising at a record pace.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to 65.6 in May, up from 60.9 in April, above July 1994’s previous record high of 61.0. The PMI has signalled improvement in each of the past 12 months.

Manufacturing production rose at one of the quickest rates in the series history, bettered only by those registered in August 2013 and July 1994. Underpinning the latest increase were record gains in new business, as domestic and overseas demand continued to revive. Companies linked new order growth to rising business confidence, the further re-opening of the UK economy and reduced issues relating to COVID-19.

New export orders also rose at a survey-record pace in May, amid reports of stronger demand from the EU, the US and China. That said, there were continued signs that while large companies were seeing record gains in new export work, the rate of increase at small firms was comparatively mild.

The corollary of the strong upswing in the performance of the manufacturing sector was pressure building on capacity, with backlogs of work rising to the greatest extent in the survey history. This was a major factor encouraging firms UK Manufacturing PMI at 65.6 in May Production growth strengthens as new work intakes rise at record rate Output prices and input costs rise at unprecedented rates Data were collected 12-25 May 2021. to reinvigorate their recruitment plans, leading to a record increase in staffing levels at manufacturers.

Pressure also built on suppliers, with the average time taken to deliver inputs to manufacturers lengthening to one of the greatest extents in the survey history. This was linked to input shortages (especially electronics, plastics and metals), transport delays and higher demand for raw materials.

Shortages of raw materials and supply-chain disruption fed through to input costs during May, leading to the sharpest rise in purchasing costs since the survey began in January 1992. This led manufacturers to increase selling prices, with the rate of inflation hitting a survey record.

Read the full article by IHS Markit / CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI® – here

UK manufacturing sees input costs and selling prices rise at record rates in June

Manufacturing remained in a strong growth phase in June, with rates of expansion in output, new orders and employment among the best seen during the near 30-year survey history. Industry was still beset by supply-chain and distribution difficulties, however, leading to longer vendor lead times and disruption to production schedules.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) dipped slightly to 63.9 in June, down from May’s record high of 65.6. The PMI has signalled an improvement for 13 successive months.

Manufacturing production increased at marked rates across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods industries during June. Growth was supported by strong intakes of new business, which rose at a rate close to May’s record high.

Improved demand was linked to the ongoing easing of COVID-19 restrictions, re-opening of the economy from lockdown and improving global market conditions. New export orders increased again, reflecting inflows of new work from mainland Europe, the US and Asia.

The strong upswing in global market conditions combined with constraints introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic continued to result in considerable supply-chain and price inflationary pressures in June.

Average input costs rose at the fastest pace in the survey history, with over three-quarters (77%) of manufacturers reporting an increase. A wide range of raw materials were up in price, including chemicals, electronics, energy, food UK Manufacturing PMI at 63.9 in June Supply-chain stresses lead to record price increases Robust growth of output, new orders and employment continues Data were collected 11-25 June 2021. products, metals, plastics and timber. Cost pressures were exacerbated by demand outstripping supply, logistic delays and raw material shortages.

The pass-through of higher input costs led to the fastest increase in selling prices since charges data were first collected in November 1999. Record increases were seen at consumer, intermediate and investment goods producers.

Vendor lead times meanwhile lengthened to an extent only surpassed by that seen during the first COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020. Part of the lengthening reflected increased demand for raw materials, as purchasing activity rose at a rate close to May’s record high. Companies linked increased input buying to rising demand and efforts to protect against supply-chain delays and input shortages.

The building up of buffer stocks meant that raw material inventories rose at the quickest pace during the year-so-far and to one of the greatest extents in the survey history. Stocks of finished goods declined sharply as manufacturers settled sales from inventories due to the disruption to production schedules caused by supply-chain delays.

Employment rose at a rate close to May’s record high during June. Jobs growth reflected capacity issues – highlighted by near-record accumulation of work backlogs – and optimism among manufacturers. Almost 63% of companies expect production to rise over the coming year, reflecting reduced uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and Brexit and improving global market conditions.

The full original press release is accessible – here

University of Plymouth – Manufacturing Engineer Degree Apprenticeship. Employer Open Day – Thursday 10th June at 1.00pm

The University of Plymouth is very happy to announce the launch of our NEW Manufacturing Engineer Degree Apprenticeship.

Our new ‘Fast Track’ programme is delivered over 3 years, via day release (with an option to complete in two years).  Learning is personalised and will apply directly to your business, putting you at the heart of the program.  This has been instigated by our employer partners and we have responded with a flexible alternative to traditional university study.

As part of this launch we would like to extend an invitation to our Employer Open Day hosted by Programme Manager, Dr Jasper Graham-Jones.

At the session we will be exploring the challenges that businesses may have experienced over the last year, discussing some shared experiences and how others have overcome and found solutions.  This will lead to an information session on the Manufacturing Degree Apprenticeship.

To register please contact heather.platt@plymouth.ac.uk

More information is available – here and here

University of Plymouth – Celebrating expertise and collaboration at Research Festival 2021 – 28th June – 2nd July – Booking now open

Returning for the fourth year, the Research Festival invites you to understand more of our world and those living in it, from marine sciences to engineering, cybersecurity to global health challenges, architecture to education.

The week welcomes academics, businesses, partners, students and the public to sample a diverse programme of fascinating research projects, many of which offer the opportunity to collaborate or participate in future research.

Hear from top experts, including world-leading researchers from University of Plymouth, COP26 Climate Champion Nigel Topping and BBC Rural Affairs Correspondent Tom Heap, in events that will explore questions like:

• How does our research respond to global challenges facing our healthcare and our environment, both on land and sea?
• Can cob building techniques be revitalised to meet modern needs?
• What knowledge do learners need to face future challenges?
• Are parents supported enough in accessing healthcare for seriously ill children?

Open to all and free to attend, we are delighted to welcome contributors and attendees from around the world to join us in the first ever virtual Research Festival.

Explore the programme  – here

University of Plymouth Engineering Projects Showcase – 20th May onwards

I’m pleased to invite all PMG members to see some of the Individual Projects (Dissertations) that our students have completed this year. Over the coming weeks, our students will be uploading details of their projects to our Projects Showcase Website which will be available for you to view from 20^th May onwards.  For each participating student, you will be able to see a project summary, poster and/or a short video about what they have done.  This is not just restricted to our own Mechanical, Marine and Composites programmes – you can also look at work from students across the entire School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.

You can access the Project Showcase Website at http://web.socem.plymouth.ac.uk/secam

In addition, you are very welcome to join us in an informal Zoom chat on 20^th May from 14.15 to 15.45. using this link: https://plymouth.zoom.us/j/92446549761

In this session, you can chat with students and staff about the projects, and those of you with possible graduate employment opportunities might find this an especially useful way to get to know some of the students.  Please note, the above link shows the meeting running 09.00-16.00.  This is because students are being interviewed on their work throughout the day, please only attend from 14.15 onwards.

If you do intend to join us in the Zoom session, please reply to this mail.  Also please feel free to extend the invite to any other industrial contacts, either within your own company or beyond.

Adam Kyte CEng MIMechE

Lecturer in Mechanical and Marine Engineering Design

Upcoming events for your diary

Here are a number of events that the PMG office have been made aware of recently.

They include:

University of Plymouth Engineering Projects Showcase 20th May onwards

Plymouth and South Devon Freezone (Freeport) Stakeholder consultation – save the date 25th June

SailGP’s Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, Plymouth on 17 and 18 July 2021

You can download them – here

Welcome to the BEIS Bulletin from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Here’s the latest news from BEIS issued 1st June 2021

Download it – here

Book your own copy for the future – here

Welcome to the BEIS Bulletin from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Here’s the latest news from BEIS issued 12th May 2021

Download it – here

Book your own copy for the future – here

What is the PMI?

We quote the PMI Index on the PMG website at the beginning of every month. This article explains why its so important and how it works.

A purchasing managers’ index (PMI) can be a valuable and accurate economic indicator. Learn more about what it is, how it’s derived and how you can use it when trading.

A purchasing managers’ index (PMI) produced by a company like IHS Markit is an economic indicator representing the rate of expansion or contraction of a specific sector – such as manufacturing, services or construction. Published monthly, PMIs are derived from surveys completed by managers from a range of differently sized companies within a chosen sector.

Ideally, PMIs aim at quickly identifying market trends and turning points. Economists, analysts and managers look to PMIs as near-real time measures of the state of an industry. Moreover, given the importance of the manufacturing, service and construction sectors, economists and managers also use it to gauge the performance of the economy as a whole.

In this regard, the advantage that the PMI enjoys over gross domestic product (GDP) data is that whereas official, government-published data may lag behind the economy by three months, the PMI can be used to anticipate these later statistics and to make timely and essential decisions about planned business expenditure. The indices may even inform monetary policy – specifically, interest rates.

The selection of survey respondents is designed to model the economic sector as closely as possible to produce accurate, truly representative results. A primary benefit of a PMI is that each month’s results are published within the first working week of the following month – putting PMIs amongst the first reliable indicators of prevailing market conditions.

The full article can be read – here

Womble Bond Dickinson’s Freeports business sentiment survey

Please consider taking part in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Freeports business sentiment survey, have your say and help them understand how businesses and regions feel about Freeports.

There’s been a lot of excitement and noise in the market following the Chancellor’s Budget announcement, which confirmed the locations of UK Freeports – here in Plymouth (plus also East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich, Humber Region, Liverpool City Region, Solent, Thames, and Teesside). The aim is to collect survey responses from across the UK as an ‘industry pulse’ to better gauge how business owners and leaders feel about Freeports at a regional and national level. Once the survey has concluded, Womble Bond Dickinson will publish a report outlining their findings.

The survey should take no more than seven minutes to complete and your data will be used on an anonymous basis. There will be a question towards the end where you will able to submit your details if you’d like to receive the report.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WLC6SX3

Dale Gorley
Marketing and Events Manager
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP