DECEMBER 2023 £3.50 YORKSHIRE & LINCOLNSHIRE’S LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE www.blmgroup.co.uk VOLUME 38 ISSUE 12 The biggest killers at work The Freeport revolution More haste, less speedCONVENTIONAL 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. TEL: 07496 315038 | FUNDING@HEYLEP.COM | WWW.HEYLEP.COM *Grants of between £5,000 and £250,000 and/or loans of between £75,000 and £250,000 ARE YOU… AN SME WHO IS LOOKING TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS? BASED IN HULL OR EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE? LOOKING FOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT? 3 3 3 GRANTS & LOANS AVAILABLE*The magazine that cares We care because we want to leave our world a better place than we found it Business Link believes that being socially and environmentally responsible is the key to maintaining a flourishing business that our customers will be pleased to use and our staff will be proud to be part of. Community - From a very local point of view, we strive to be a ‘good neighbour’. We also extend that into the much broader local community, through financial support of local causes and charities. Environment - Our actions extend to: conservation of energy and natural resources, minimisation of waste and ensuring our trading partners do likewise. From the Editor As we approach the end of 2023, many of us will be turning our gazes to 2024 and wondering what is to come in the future. Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement was intended to address some of that, or so the government will claim, but reactions across the business world in the UK have not been particularly appreciative of it. While the measures may look good on paper, most are seeing the statement as a rather half-hearted attempt by the Conservative party to boast of tax cuts – which flies in the face of the fact that taxes have reached their highest levels in 70 years under them. The cuts to NI won’t even mean much with fresh increases in energy bills. In this issue, we look at the state of the economy and the region through 2023, and what we may be looking forward to in the future. As the country continues to tiptoe around its economic issues, and with HS2 now scrapped, it’s hard to say what there is to look forward to at all, but at least inflation has begun to decrease, and at least the country hasn’t fallen into a recession yet. For smaller businesses, however, the increase to the national living wage may be a difficult pill to swallow, while even for the average consumer, calling it a “living wage” with the current cost of living may make it feel like it isn’t high enough. I doubt anyone envies Hunt’s job in having to make a spectacle out of a bad economic situation, but if the Conservatives were looking for an explosive reinvigoration to their current polling problems, then this wasn’t it. Good reading, as always Michael Fisher EditorDECEMBER 2023 6 News The latest business news and success stories from around our region. 10 Commercial property With myriad new developments springing up across the Steel City, Business Link reflects on recent milestones. 14 End of year round-up 2023 has been a year with plenty of doom and gloom for our region and its businesses, but there have also been bright spots. 18 Invoice and finance solutions Late payments, a universal issue plaguing all businesses, have further-reaching consequences than it would appear to the inexperienced. 22 Health and safety New research for workplace health and safety in 2023 is out, and the biggest cause of injury is unlikely to be what you think. This year, the definition of “injury” within a workplace context has been re-calibrated to include mental health problems. It is in fact our mental, not our physical wellbeing that we put most at risk on a daily basis. 26 Ports and logistics The freeport status is set to reshape the landscape of freight logistics across our region and more. We explore their transformative effect on economic revival, job growth, and sustainability. 30 Engineering The engineering industry is undergoing a metamorphosis that only moves faster as new developments are sought out and discovered. 34 Corporate hospitality With the 2023 year coming to an end, you may be looking toward hosting conferences or events in 2024. Here’s how to get started. 38 AutoLink As 2023 comes to an end, we take a look at what’s coming in 2024. 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 26 30 38Group 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 - KATYNN • MALP • NORDRODEN • LADANIFER • SIPPAPAS 18Yorkshire property company purchases landmark Leeds city centre office building Yorkshire-based property company Rushbond PLC has acquired the landmark Bank House circa 90,000 sq ft office building in Leeds City Centre – once the regional headquarters of the Bank of England. The building presents a major short-term redevelopment opportunity for Rushbond, which has built a reputation for transforming significant and cherished locations and developments throughout Yorkshire. Bank House is one of the most striking buildings in the commercial district of the city. Located on the corner of King Street and Park Place, the building – which was purpose built for the Bank of England between 1969-1971 by Building Design Partnership, one of the largest practices operating in the 1960s – features an ambitious, European Brutalist-style design, clad in Cornish granite. Rushbond has plans to substantially restore the iconic exterior, whilst redeveloping and upgrading the interior to transform this significant building into a major sustainable, accessible, best in class office scheme. 6 Business Link www.blmforum.net NEWS Coastal music studio amplifies ambition with move to new facility Beckview Studios, an independent Yorkshire-based centre for recording and music production, has undergone expansion of its offering with a move into a new characteristic studio on the Yorkshire Coast. Located in the village of Scalby, North Scarborough, the significant six figure investment in the new studio by co-founders Chris and Kristina Jones, has transformed a historical 1937 detached office building. The open-plan layout and ‘grand design’ style renovation involved knocking down 11 supporting walls and excavating down, in order to reconstruct a fully soundproofed, fit for purpose large and versatile space for every musical need. The studio was installed using ‘room within a room’ concrete block construction, and the integrated air conditioning and extensive ventilation was especially designed to minimise sound transmission to the outside world. In addition to the studio expansion, Beckview Studios has also renovated the first floor of the studio building to create a living space, Beckview Apartments, for musicians and artists on the go, work professionals and visitors to Scarborough and its surrounding areas. APSS eyes further growth following office furniture business buyout Lincolnshire-based APSS Group has acquired furniture supply and installation business TPS Office Furniture Ltd, significantly expanding its furniture offering and expertise. For over 25 years, APSS, as part of the APSS Group, has been at the forefront of designing and creating dynamic spaces for office, retail, healthcare, educational and industrial environments. Following the acquisition, TPS Office Furniture Ltd, which will maintain its distinctive identity, will join the group and operate from the APSS Group’s headquarters on Kingsley Road, Lincoln. Founder Ted Sidebottom will stay on as a consultant and Rob Coomber as installations manager to ensure a seamless transition. Laurence Barrass, APSS Managing Director, expressed his enthusiasm, emphasising that integrating Ted and his team’s knowledge will strengthen APSS Group’s comprehensive range of services. “This acquisition aligns perfectly with the APSS Group’s growth trajectory. Over the past 25 years we have evolved from providing office partitions to offering a complete design and fit-out service,” explained Laurence. “With TPS Office Furniture now on board, a dedicated service for standalone furniture will be available to our customers across the East Midlands and throughout the UK.” www.blmforum.net Business Link 7 NEWS Leeds wins bid to keep UKREiiF in the city Following an exploration of potential host cities, the organisers behind The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum have announced that it will remain in Leeds for the foreseeable future. UKREiiF is set to gather 10,000-12,000 delegates in 2024 and raise £20m for the local economy through visitor spend – and due to this growth UKREiiF’s team had explored potential options including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. But following this exploratory process the organisers have announced Leeds will host the event into the future. Chief Executive of UKREiiF, Keith Griffiths said: “I must firstly thank all of the shortlisted cities for their interest in hosting UKREiiF – we saw some excellent venues and potential sites for UKREiiF and any of them could have successfully hosted UKREiiF, especially with the support of the fantastic teams we met along the way showing how important public and private sector collaboration is. “But overall we felt Leeds, with some really exciting propositions for growth, was the right city to host UKREiiF building on what we expect to be an excellent event in 2024.” Harworth to develop UK head office for global steel business at Advanced Manufacturing Park Global steel business Danieli & C has committed to a major investment in the UK with the development of a new headquarters in South Yorkshire. The Italian-based group – which has annual revenues of £3.6bn and designs, builds and installs low emission plants for the steel industry worldwide as well as producing quality special steels – is to build a 47,000 sq ft head office, research and distribution facility in Rotherham. Harworth Group plc will develop the new Danieli headquarters at its flagship Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) site, which is already home to some of the world’s biggest manufacturers including Boeing, Rolls-Royce and the UK Atomic Energy Authority. The new facility will occupy a prime location within the AMP next to the McLaren Automotive Composites Technology Centre, with frontage onto the Sheffield Parkway, which connects Junction 33 of the M1 to Sheffield city centre. Work on the project will be completed before the end of 2024. The new headquarters will support the further growth of Danieli in the UK with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and will increase its distribution capabilities five-fold. Contracts exchanged with Siemens for 94,841 sq ft unit in Goole Trebor Developments and Hillwood have exchanged contracts with Siemens to pre let a 94,841 sq ft unit in Goole. The scheme had been marketed as ‘Point 36 Goole’ and Trebor secured detailed planning consent for the proposed unit before entering into discussions with Siemens. The unit is located adjacent to Junction 36 of the M62 Motorway and opposite Siemens’ state-of-the- art rail facility that finished construction earlier in 2023. Point 36 is part of a huge investment in Goole in recent years, including Siemens’ £200m Rail Village and more recently Metsa Tissues’ new facility on 200 acres that benefits from Freeport Tax Site Status. GMI Construction have been appointed as Main Contractor and started on site in November, targeting practical completion in summer 2024. Sambit Banerjee, European CEO for Siemens, said: “This is a further expansion and investment into our Rail Village at Goole. Our partnership with Trebor and GMI Construction continues to embed our commitment to a local supply chain and supporting the economy.” © Leeds City Council © stock.adobe.com/ kerkezzTOWER 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 Leeds private equity house invests in facilities management provider Leeds-based private equity house Key Capital Partners has completed a significant minority investment in Smarter Services Limited. Smarter provides facilities management services to local housing authorities, corporate landlords and regulated medical clients. Based in Walton-on- Thames, Smarter was established in 2006 with a focus on commercial cleaning services. Over the past few years, the business has built an enviable reputation in the Facilities Management sector by expanding its breadth of services into fire doors and grounds maintenance. Through its acquisition of Low Cost Cleaning in April 2023, Smarter has further diversified its offering into the regulated medical sector. Investment manager, Sandeep Banga said: “We are delighted to partner with Smarter Services. Jason and his team have embedded an unparalleled culture of delivering a high-quality and environmentally focused service offering to Smarter’s client base. “The recent acquisition has demonstrated Smarter’s ability as a platform for further acquisitions within Facilities Management, a sector that possesses a credible buy-and-build opportunity. The potential for future M&A and the organic growth plan were key considerations for our investment.” Fintech and support services business makes third and fourth acquisitions of the year Fintel, the Huddersfield provider of fintech and support services to the UK retail financial services sector, has acquired of VouchedFor, a review site for professional advisers. VouchedFor provides reviews on a wide range of services, including financial advisers, mortgage advisers, solicitors, and accountants and currently has over 5,000 paying members and over 350,000 client reviews. Following the acquisition, its leadership and team will remain in place and work alongside the Fintel management team to play a crucial role in significantly expanding the reach and services of VouchedFor. Fintel, the parent company of SimplyBiz and Defaqto, will acquire VouchedFor for £7.5m through Fintel IQ, the business’s technology and knowledge platform. The news comes as Fintel’s subsidiary Defaqto acquires ratings provider AKG. The addition of VouchedFor and AKG mark the third and fourth acquisitions by Fintel this year, following the acquisitions of learning and development provider, Competent Adviser, and tax efficient investing specialists, Micap completed in July 2023. Grimsby energy infrastructure firm secures £250,000 to take on bigger projects A Grimsby-based engineering company that supports energy infrastructure has secured a £250,000 loan from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, to help it continue taking on bigger projects. Technica serves all the major gas distributors including National Gas Transmission, SGN, NGN, Wales and West Utilities, Centrica and Gassco. It works on upgrades to existing plants and the installation of new infrastructure to provide security of energy supply, as well as assisting in the drive to net zero. The company, which was founded in 2007, has increased turnover by over 300 per cent in the past two years as a result of a number of major contract wins and has also increased staff numbers from 40 to almost 60. The funding will enable Technica to increase capacity at its existing premises and provide additional working capital. © stock.adobe.com/ Stockfotos-MG © stock.adobe.com/ vichie81Next >