SEPTEMBER 2023£3.50 YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk VOLUME 38 ISSUE 09 Driving business success Automation driving adaptionOvercoming barriers to organisational learningCONVENTIONAL NDT •X-Radiography & Gamma Radiography •Computed and Digital Radiography •Close Proximity Radiography •Ultrasonic Inspection •Magnetic Particle Inspection •Dye Penetrant Inspection •Eddy Current & Eddy Current Array •Positive Material Identification (PMI) •Hardness Testing •Ferrite Testing •ACFM Inspection •Vacuum Box Testing ADDITIONAL SERVICES •Rope Access •Heat Treatment •Pressure Testing •Welding Inspection •Materials Laboratory (ISO 17025) •Welder Training •Failure Investigations INSPECTION AND TESTING SERVICES ISO/IEC 17020 / ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / OHSAS 18001 For all enquiries please TELEPHONE: 01469 575728 | Email: ukinfo@irisndt.com | www.irisndt.co.uk CHATHAM | DERBY | DEESIDE | HULL | IMMINGHAM | PEMBROKE DOCK | STOCKTON-ON-TEES ADVANCED NDT •Remote Robotic Inspections – Visual & UT •Drone Surveys – Internal and External •Laser Scanning •Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing •Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) •AUT & PAUT Corrosion Mapping •Tube Inspection (IRIS, ECT, RFT, NFA) •Guided Wave Testing – Long Range UT •QSR1 – Corrosion Under Pipe Supports •MFL – Tank Floors and Pipelines •HTHA Inspections (TOFD, TFM, PAUT & TULA) ASSET INTEGRITY ENGINEERING •Pressure System Inspections •Storage Tank Inspections •Pipeline Inspections •Out of Service and In-Service Inspections •Category 1, 2 & 3 Inspectors •Written Schemes of Examination (WSE’s) •Fitness for Service (FFS) Assessments •Engineering Calculations •Maxi-Trak Field Services (Customized Software) •Bund Surveys IRISNDT is a leading provider of Asset Integrity Engineering, Non-Destructive Testing, Heat Treatment and Laboratory services. This is achieved through investment in training local personnel, continuous development of our facilities and refreshing our equipment to offer the latest in technology and innovations. This is supported by a strong commitment to safety, quality, and the environment. IRISNDT are closely supported by our colleagues in Canada, the USA and Australia. Q A & ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS SERVICES DMU’s programmes can empower employees to develop confidence, capability, key skills and independence. We integrate academic learning with on- the-job practical training, and have a strong track record in developing work-based vocational education for all industry sectors. Get in touch: E: apprenticeships@dmu.ac.uk W: dmu.ac.uk/apprenticeships T: 0116 207 8455From the Editor The month marks a series of flip-flopping remarks from government and economic figures with those on both sides claiming that a recession will and won’t happen, and unhelpful individuals chiming in to accuse others of wokeism or left- leaning bias. It goes without saying that economics don’t care for bias or political leaning, and it’s a poor sign that those in charge of the country are trying to push a culture war rather than offer any meaningful improvements to business in our region. Those working in residential property may have seen good news in the form of Gove’s weakening of environmental protections due to the low number of new builds (a failed former pledge from said government), but the reputational damage that companies taking advantage of the changes will experience may make it a double-edged sword, at least in the long term. These changes, among others, cast doubt on the government’s claims of Net Zero 2050, but given that the current government looks set to fail more pledges than they meet, it may not come as a great surprise to anyone. Businesses in our region thrive on stability, and it appears we’ve come a long way since Theresa May lost her leadership battle on the promise of “strong and stable” leadership to a man who found himself “ambushed by cake”. Let us hope that businesses in our region can weather the storm as they have been doing, and not end up with cake on their faces. Good reading, as always Michael Fisher Editor Smarter, cleaner, greener. We keep world trade moving Clarksons is at the heart of global shipping Integrated service offering, powered by intelligence Tel: +44 1469 574649 enquiries.customs@clarksons.com www.clarksons.comSEPTEMBER 2023 6 News The latest business news and success stories from around our region. 10 LCS IT Solutions Q&A We speak with LCS IT Solutions, who have worked in one of the fastest changing industries for 21 years now, to find out what challenges the IT industry faces and how the threats toward businesses have been adapting. 12 Commercial property Business Link highlights some of the biggest Yorkshire property stories from the last month. 16 Food and drink industry spotlight As the food industry strives to keep pace with evolving consumer demands and sustainability goals, innovations in production technology have become a driving force for change. 20 Education and training Business Link shares the barriers to regular training in a business and how to overcome them. 24 Finance Global interest rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, and the prospect of recession is looming on the horizon, so thoughts are turning to the economic outlook for the latter half of 2023. 28 Office solutions Collaboration and document management tools can be used to drive positive results in any business setting, as we explore. 32 AutoLink Soon to be available motors are exploring new possibilities and bringing some much-needed excitement to an otherwise stale board. 36 Net zero Reducing emissions has become an important goal as part of global efforts to address climate change. We explore solutions that can also help businesses grow while they push for net zero. 39 Corporate hospitality The cost of recruitment is through the roof, and companies are finding it hard to find good staff, which means it’s all the more important to keep hold of the ones you have. We look at ways to accomplish this, and why the idea of “entitled employees” might be less of a curse and more of a blessing. If you play your cards right. 42 Events We take a look at business events happening around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. 46 And finally… Yorkshire-Lincolnshire- Business-Link @blmforum blmforum.net CONNECT WITH US 16 20 28Group Editor Steve Fisher (s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Editor Michael Fisher (m.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk) Journalist Tess Egginton (t.egginton@blmgroup.co.uk) Editorial contact newsdesk@blmgroup.co.uk Tel: (01472) 310305 Fax: (01472) 310317 Sales Director Angela Cooper (a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk) Vicky Hunt (v.hunt@blmgroup.co.uk) Kerry Randerson (k.randerson@blmgroup.co.uk) Tel: (01472) 310301 Fax: (01472) 310311 Tel: (01472) 310304 Fax: (01472) 310314 Haychart Ltd, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N.E. Lincs., DN31 2QE. reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without express permission of the copyright holder, for which application should be addressed first to the publisher. While every reasonable care is taken, neither the publisher nor its prints, colour transparencies, negatives or other material of whatever nature submitted to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of COVER PHOTOS: STOCK.ADOBE.COM - ZLIKOVEC • DEEMERWHA STUDIO • ROMANA • PROSTOCK-STUDIO • MIKE MAREEN 36Plans approved for £12.5m Hull facility to drive low carbon technologies Ideal Heating has received the green light to establish a new £12.5m research and development facility to support low carbon technologies including heat pumps. Hull City Council has granted full planning permission for the UK Technology Centre at Ideal Heating’s headquarters site in the city. The R&D facility will create a testbed for product development and advancements in the heating solutions to help decarbonise UK homes and business premises. The state-of-the-art facility, at Ideal Heating’s site at National Avenue in Hull, will see the company expand its R&D team. It represents a significant investment from Ideal Heating and will play key role in the company’s transition to low carbon heating solutions including heat pumps. Construction of the UK Technology Centre is expected to begin this October and is due be completed in late 2024. The R&D centre is set to be operational in early 2025. 6 Business Link www.blmforum.net NEWS Yorkshire food group acquires first non-food business Regal Food Products Group Plc, the food group owners behind household brands, Regal Foods and Yorkshire Baking Company, have acquired Packaging ‘R’ Us for an undisclosed sum – their first non-food and drink business. The acquisition comes in response to the group’s long-term vision of expanding and strengthening their wholesale and food service offering, whilst providing a diverse product range within their brand portfolio. Since the recent challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit, the Regal group have identified the importance of becoming a one-stop solution for their customers, delivering services including finished goods, ingredients, and now packaging. Packaging ‘R’ Us is a well-established catering supplier, manufacturing and specialising in a wide range of disposable food packaging solutions, including foil containers, catering foil, disposable utensils, and plastic containers. Younis Chaudhry, CEO of Regal Food Products Group Plc, adds: “Following on from our Just Desserts Yorkshire acquisition 18 months ago, we are delighted to be bringing our first non-food and drink business into the Regal group. “Acquiring Packaging ‘R’ Us will allow to develop our wholesale arm of the business, whilst offering our customers an eclectic range that will naturally sit alongside our existing products and brands.” Reward expands Leeds headquarters in major office move Following 12 years of continuous growth and in preparation to support future expansion plans, alternative finance lender Reward Finance Group has moved its national headquarters to new Grade A office space in the heart of Leeds’ business district. Previously housed in Central House, Reward has relocated to the recently refurbished 12 King Street, where the team in Leeds now occupies 4,000 sq ft on the 1st floor. The landmark building underwent an £11m investment last year, to introduce a futuristic workspace with enhanced features such as a cycle spa, roof terraces and a sky lounge. Reward’s Group Managing Director, Nick Smith said: “We had a tremendous journey in our latest Leeds office for more than eight years. At Reward, we’re always looking towards the future, so this move is a major milestone in our expansion plans. The transition into state-of-the-art offices represents 12 years of continuous growth in Leeds and it sets the stage for our plans to further expand the team in the coming months.” © GGP Consultwww.blmforum.net Business Link 7 NEWS Yorkshire business confidence dips but remains upbeat Business confidence in Yorkshire fell six points during August to 32%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Yorkshire reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down four points at 32%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down seven points to 32%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 32%. Yorkshire businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in sustainability (35%), investing in their teams (32%) and introducing new technology (25%) A net balance of 21% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, the same reading as last month. Steve Harris, regional director for Yorkshire at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Despite a small dip in confidence this month, it is encouraging to see that businesses remain resilient in their efforts to grow. It’s especially positive that sustainability is a big priority as this is not only critical to support the transition to Net Zero but we also know it can present significant financial opportunities for businesses.” Work starts on mixed use refurbishment project in Wakefield Main construction contractor, Priestley Construction, has started work on a £2.5 million mixed use refurbishment project on Marygate in the heart of Wakefield city centre. The design and build project will see Marygate House, which was originally built as an office building in the 1970s, transformed into 26 apartments over three floors. In addition, the existing ground-floor retail units will be upgraded with new shop fronts and canopies, to create an impressive and rejuvenated streetscape, on behalf of developer, IP Marygate House. The development will offer a selection of smart studio apartments, as well as one and two bedroom homes. The scheme has been designed by Leeds-based PDG Architects and Bingley-based Holdgate Consulting Engineers is providing structural engineering services. Nathan Priestley, CEO of the Priestley Group, said: “We are thrilled to start work giving Marygate House a new lease of life, as well as significantly enhancing the local street scene in a sought-after part of the city centre, within the main retail centre and close to the historic Civic Quarter.” Law firm’s sustainability initiatives – steps towards a greener future? Sills & Betteridge LLP have introduced a range of energy saving, carbon emission reducing initiatives. Its largest undertaking is the recent installation of 79 solar panels to its central Lincoln Head Office with the aim of generating 1/3 of the site’s total energy usage – for four months of the year, solar energy will fully power the four floor office. Another investment has been the purchase of a new MG ZS Electric Hatchback car, replacing one of the firm’s diesel vehicles. The firm aspires to have a fully electric fleet by 2025, while remote working and online video meetings are encouraged to help reduce avoidable travel. Digital and paper-light file management and document storage are another efficiency the firm is embracing, to cut down paper consumption and the cost of print and archiving. Even the firm’s website www.sillslegal.co.uk is green, as verified by The Green Web Foundation. CEO of Sills & Betteridge, Martyn Hall said: “Like many law firms, we are working hard to understand the impact of our operations and working methods on the environment and are actively seeking to reduce our overall carbon footprint.” Steve Harris TOWER FIELD SERVICES Cat Tech Tower Field Services offers bespoke mechanical services to oil refinery and petrochemical plants all around the world. Our team has vast experience in overseeing and undertaking the installation of all types of Tower internals. Our Tower tray, packing and other internals installation services has deep roots, with several of the senior team at Cat Tech being involved in the founding of the Cana-Tex organisation. Since 1971, Cana-Tex had been the premier global Tower speciality contractor; performing Tower maintenance and plant turnaround projects around the world. These origins, with the addition of new team members, make Cat Tech Tower Field services a global operation which is both cost effective and technically experienced. We strive to create new ways to make your Tower work safer, faster and more productive and that can make very good things happen for your business. We thrive on exceeding our clients expectations and understand the need for upfront communication in relation to timescales and costs. No-one likes surprises in this industry and we ensure that everything is done, from pre-job planning, on site activities to post job reporting in a manner which allows our customers to concentrate on their core business. Let us show you what we can do. We work hard to maintain an industry reputation for safety, speed and dependability. Ours crews have been trained by us, this allows us to staff a project with the proven skills necessary to produce customer satisfaction. It is our intention to demonstrate the benefit of utilising Cat Tech for all of your Tower work. The benefits of engaging Cat Tech are: l Experienced Tower specialists. l Proven track record. l Ability to supply spares and replacements. l Spade to Spade service. l Revamps or modifications to Towers / Internals. l Inspection of Tower internals. l Supervision of external/client labour force. l Detailed inspection reports. l Cleaning of tower internals. l Reactor tray field services. l Turnkey reactor tray field services. At Cat Tech, we continue to create new ways to make Tower work safer, faster and more productive. And that can make very good things happen for your business. Contact us for further information. Our well established sales team have a wealth of experience. We take pride on ensuring all enquires are dealt with quickly and efficiently. China: Cat Tech Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Room 1230 No.1, 58 Nong Huachi Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 20061 CN Phone: +(86) 2152 9175 08 Fax: +(86) 2152 9175 05 Singapore: Cat Tech Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., 17 Fan Yoong Road, Singapore 629794 Phone: +(65) 6264 6261 Fax: +(65) 6264 6401 South America: Please contact the UK office on +44 1724 871 747 Thailand: Cat Tech Services (Thailand) Ltd., 2/1 Soi Banbon Nuenpayom Road, Maptaphut Sub District, Muang Rayong District, Rayong Province 21150 TH Phone: +(66) 894 064 100 Fax: +(66) 638 692 382 MAKING YOUR PLANT WORK… SMARTER www.cat-tech.com PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/KAWINNINGSwww.blmforum.net Business Link 9 NEWS Yorkshire logistics company expands operations in the Southeast with acquisition Yorkshire-based logistics company Expect Distribution has acquired Pallet Plus, an established transport company based in the Essex area. It comes as Expect seeks to enhance its national presence. Expect Distribution purchased the £10m turnover business, based in Colchester, to strengthen the group’s offering, expanding operations in the Southeast and solidifying its capabilities as a UK- wide logistics and warehousing company. Established since 2005, Pallet Plus is a family-run business providing national final mile distribution of palletised freight to and from the Essex region. Primarily a pallet network operator and a member of TPN, UPN and Palletways, Pallet Plus has a strong customer base in their immediate area which provides Expect with the opportunity to grow volume over the medium term and exploit existing synergies with current volume. The acquisition of Pallet Plus will see Expect Distribution’s turnover exceed £60m. Normanton tool firm secures six figure funding boost CMS Tools is geared for growth after receiving a six figure investment to strengthen the firm’s position in the Yorkshire market and beyond. The funding received is from NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance which is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. It is supporting plans to invest in infrastructure, create new jobs and the bulk buy of products to improve CMS Tools’ margins and increase profitability. Headquartered in Normanton, West Yorkshire, CMS Tools was established in 1981 and has a turnover of £3m. The firm is a distributor of specialist roofing tools and accessories to customers across the UK working in the building trade and construction sector. It has a nationwide network of stockists, with a range that includes sustainable wood-based products delivered from re-planted and sustainable sources. Simon French, Managing Director at CMS Tools, said: “The investment from FW Capital is enabling us to access working capital and bring new product categories into our portfolio. We’re also investing in infrastructure and increasing our workforce so we can continue to provide high levels of service our customers have come to expect.” © stock.adobe.com/Ondra DIRECT GASKETS LIMITED For over 30 years we have been market leaders in the manufacture of Gaskets. Here at Direct Gaskets we aim to be versatile in our company. We supply gaskets – bespoke and standard – to all types of businesses. Contact us today on 01482 219655 or visit our website www.direct‐gaskets.co.uk Units 26 ‐ 36 | Dansom Lane South Hull | HU8 7LA Email: info@direct‐gaskets.co.uk Leeds catering group gobbles up Nottingham firm Nottingham-based Walker Catering has been acquired by Leeds-headquartered catering group, Northern Catering Equipment Group. Walker Catering was established in 1990, offering catering supply services to customers in Nottingham, the East Midlands and across the UK. Hilton Smythe advised Walker Catering on their successful sale. Prior to acquisition, it had 250 active clients, a 90% repeat business record, and approximately £240k cash in the business. In addition to Walker Catering, NCE Group operates three other businesses in Leeds and Swansea and has been shortlisted for several industry awards. Mo Romanowicz, Managing Director of NCE Group, said: “We’re delighted to have invested in Walker Catering. It has not only brought additional revenue, but also experienced and capable staff who will help us go from strength to strength. “The team at Hilton Smythe has been invaluable in terms of providing a clear action plan and supporting us every step of the way with clear communication. We’re already discussing further opportunities for growth through acquisition for our next stage of development.” © stock.adobe.com/ zphoto83 © stock.adobe.com/kamui29Next >