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WORKFLO SOLUTIONS EXPANDS OVER THE BORDER BY OPENING GREATER MANCHESTER HUB

Sam Whitear
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Workflo Solutions, one of the UK’s fastest growing outsourced managed services providers which has its headquarters in Livingston near Edinburgh, has opened its first facility outside Scotland.

The company is extending its reach south of the border by developing a new hub in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, as part of a national roll-out plan for its range of outsourced business support service technologies including IT Support, print and documentation management.

Workflo’s new regional headquarters will start with a core staff of sales, account management and service engineering, headed by Regional Territory Sales Manager Alan O’Connor. Further appointments across sales, account management, customer service support and field engineering are expected to more than double the size of the team by early next year.

The company, established in 2007, is renowned as one of Scotland’s fastest growing IT businesses and recently announced an expansion into the north east of Scotland by opening a facility in Aberdeen.  It has quickly turned its attention to the Manchester area, joining a number of leading technology companies inspired by the potential and ambition of Manchester’s role as the heartbeat of the Northern Powerhouse initiative, as Michael Field, managing director of Workflo Solutions explains;

“I am thrilled to announce our expansion into Greater Manchester, It’s a really exciting time for Workflo Solutions as the business continues its exponential growth and builds on its home-grown success. Having a foothold in the Manchester area has been on our radar for some time. The area is pulsating with a vibrancy that underpins a genuine ambition and ‘can-do’ attitude which we need to be part of. This is a very dynamic region of the UK.

For Alan and his team, this first phase will be about building operational excellence, listening and reacting to customer demand which will allow us to respond to their needs across the range of managed print services, Cloud and IT support, sales and installation and bespoke document management services we offer.”

Alan O’Connor, who as Regional Territory Sales Manager, will oversee the development of the Saddleworth operation, has spent 10 years working across the managed print supply business.

He comments;

“Workflo Solutions is looking to extend the company’s foothold in the UK by building on our reputation across the M62 corridor and beyond. Manchester is a natural hub for us in this region because of the easy motorway access for both Leeds, Liverpool and beyond.

Our portfolio of clients extends across Schools, Colleges, SME’s, Corporate and the NHS. They can be assured of us providing them with the most complete sales and after-sales available. Furthermore, we aim to make a big impact with some early wins to heighten our profile with a dynamic marketing strategy.”

Workflo Solution’s new office is located at Upper Mill, Saddleworth, Greater Manchester.

Social Republic Chosen For Ohcul Jobs Social Media Campaigns

Sam Whitear
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Bias free recruitment site, Ohcul Jobs, has chosen Social Republic to deliver its social media campaigns.

The social media agency, based in Manchester, will focus on promoting the site’s unique ‘Hidden Application’ feature across Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.

Ohcul Jobs was created to allow candidates to conceal any information that may give away their race, background, gender, age or physical ability, ensuring only information relevant to the position – such as experience, skills, training and education – are visible to employers.

CEO at Social Republic, Rob Illidge, commented:

“It’s an honour for us to be working on social strategy and planning for Ohcul Jobs.

We are looking forward to working alongside a company that also promotes equality, diversity and universal quality of opportunity.”

Omar Javaid, founder of Ohcul Jobs added:

“Social media is a key marketing focus and immediately turned to Social Republic.

Having seen the results of their campaigns during our time on the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme, they were our first choice.

Our aim is to utilise Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to engage with users that feel they want a fair route to interview.”

Social Republic has established itself as a leading agency for recruitment agencies, having established a client base in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

A study by experts based at the Centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, found applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds had to send 80% more applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white person of British origin.

Rosebud fund makes two senior appointments

Sam Whitear
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GC Business Finance has made two senior appointments to manage the £11.25m Rosebud fund created by Lancashire County Developments Ltd, with Matthew Robinson joining as Fund Manager and Jonathan Nelson taking the role of Senior Loan Account Manager.

As Fund Manager, Matthew will be managing an existing portfolio of around 30 companies based in Lancashire. As well as business development, he will be overseeing funds on a strategic level and reporting this to Lancashire County Developments Ltd, providing updates on how investee businesses are performing. Matthew’s previous roles include business development at Bibby Financial Services and relationship management at RBS.

Jonathan Nelson’s role will be similar to the Fund Manager – overseeing funds and supporting investee businesses. His background includes over 20 years-experience as a relationship manager for RBS in Lancashire, while more recently working with Access to Finance as a finance specialist, identifying and supporting businesses that were seeking funding.

GC Business Finance was appointed by Lancashire County Developments Ltd to the £11.25m Rosebud Fund in July 2019. The aim of the fund is to create 150 jobs per year across 12 local authority areas in Lancashire, with the fund providing finance solutions ranging from £10,000 to £300,000. The fund will be invested in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, digital and creative, and professional services.

GC Business Finance was established in 2002, providing alternative finance options for growing businesses that have been unable to obtain funding through a mainstream lender.

 

Chris Hutchinson, Head of Lending at GC Business Finance said: “We are excited to be welcoming both Jonathan and Matthew on board to manage the Rosebud fund and are confident that they will deliver the funding to support business growth across Lancashire, aided by their combined 50 years of experience in the banking sector.

“The Rosebud fund aims to make a positive difference to the county – helping SMEs in their growth, creating jobs and strengthening the local economy. We look forward to seeing Rosebud’s investments and the effect that this will have throughout Lancashire.”

Amin Vepari, Business Finance & Scale Up Lead at Lancashire County Council, said: “The Rosebud fund plays a key role in boosting the Lancashire economy with a strong focus on creating high calibre employment by supporting the growth ambitions of some of our most innovative businesses. Both Jonathan and Matt have significant experience of working in the business finance arena and understand the unique challenges that businesses face when it comes to finding accessible and appropriate investment.

“This will enable them to provide the funding that will unlock Lancashire’s business growth potential, and I look forward to working with them closely over the coming months.”

NORTH WEST MANUFACTURERS TO PROFIT FROM SUPPORT OF GLOBAL BRANDS

Sam Whitear
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Following the announcement by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) that investment designed to help generate thousands of local jobs, has topped £600 million since the funds launched, manufacturers in the North West are set to profit from a new innovative programme, IN4.0 ACCESS. 

 

The accelerator is supported by global businesses including BAE Systems, Vodafone, Amazon Web Services and NatWest.

According to figures from Accenture, Industry 4.0, hailed as the 4th industrial revolution, could boost the UK economy by £350billion by 2030. In the North West, new research released by Make UK and BDO LLP suggest the manufacturing sector was worth £28.5billion over the past year – and that figure would be accelerated by upskilling employees and implementing Industry 4.0 techniques.

The new programme has been running in Lancashire and Manchester for the past month, where 40 future leaders from local businesses including Hyde Aero Products, Poppies Europe and Kaman, form part of the first cohort.

IN4.0 ACCESS delivers a groundbreaking disruptive innovation accelerator programme, aimed at supporting pioneering manufacturers, helping to develop their businesses through digital and technological transformation and allowing them to scale and succeed at pace.

Paul Mellor, a delegate on the programme and Technical Director at Hyde Aero Products, said; “I’ve joined the course because I want to fully understand the Industry 4.0 concept so we can inform our business strategy. I want to roadmap our IN4.0 strategy in line with the very best industry experts.

“We plan to introduce new skills into the business, via training and upskilling our existing people, as well as drawing in new talent to the business.”

Commenting on the programme, IN4.0 Group CEO, Mo Isap, said; “This is a unique accelerator programme delivered to manufacturers across the North West. Through our partners in large, innovative businesses and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) we are helping manufacturers understand the opportunities that digital transformation brings.

“More importantly our programme empowers future leaders, with the skills to drive businesses forward. The vision is for IN4.0 Group to become global leaders and pioneers in Industry 4.0, and to future proof jobs for our emerging talent, so they’re equipped to thrive and succeed in every region of the UK.

“We’ve already started in Manchester and Lancashire and we plan to expand into regions across the country, establishing the ACCESS programme, working collaboratively with partners to bring new opportunities to each region.”

IN4.0 ACCESS launched in September 2019 and is already training delegates from 40 companies in Lancashire and Manchester. The programme can be funded through the Degree Apprenticeship Levy and enables companies to up-skill their technical staff to UCLan Postgraduate Diploma Engineering Competence Level and MSc Engineering (Design & Development) level. It is a joint venture between IN4.0 Group and the University of Central Lancashire, supported by industry change experts and business owners.

The IN4.0 Group also runs IN4.0 TALENT, bridging the gap between industry and education. The TALENT team match highly skilled technology postgraduates with employers in the manufacturing and engineering industry, seeking digital and IN4.0 know-how. They’ve quickly created exciting new opportunities for both employers and students, growing a digital workforce that is fit for the future.

For more information on the course, including eligibility criteria or TALENT, visit www.in40.co.uk

FORMER POLICE SUPERINTENDANT NADEEM BUTT LEADS RAFT OF SENIOR APPOINTMENTS AT RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST URBANBUBBLE

Sam Whitear
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Former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) superintendent Nadeem Butt has joined residential property management specialist urbanbubble as Head of Build To Rent (BtR) Operations.

Nadeem is one of six new senior appointments made by urbanbubble, as it continues to grow its presence around the UK.

The Manchester-based business celebrates its 10th anniversary by expanding from its North West origins thanks to a partnership with institutional investor Legal & General to manage Legal & General’s BtR residential schemes in Manchester, Salford, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London.

Nadeem was a manager at Bradford-based student accommodation provider Malik Halls Ltd following numerous senior roles in the police service including being a superintendent at GMP headquarters, force liaison head for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies, Fire and Rescue and Peer Review Lead at the College of Policing in London.

Joining Nadeem at urbanbubble are:

Gavin Carson as general manager of Spring Wharf, Bath;

Leo Glass, general manager, Blackhorse Mills, Walthamstow, London;

Samantha Richardson as general manager of West Tower, Deansgate Square, Manchester;

Sofie Haig-Smith as general manager of Anco & Co, Ancoats, Manchester;

and Rebecca Whitehead, general manager, The Whitmore Collection, Birmingham.

Steve Austin has also been promoted internally to general manager at the LOCAL Blackfriars scheme developed by Salboy in Salford.

Gavin was recruited from a role as regional business development manager (South West) with Liberty Living and previously held two senior operations roles at Unite Students.

Leo Glass joined from being head of operations at Fusion Students and Samantha Richardson was formerly head of relationship management at Get Living, Stratford, where she was responsible for more than 1,000 homes for rent on the site of the former London Olympics athletes’ village.

Sofie Haig-Smith arrived at urbanbubble from her role as general manager, Sir Charles Groves for Liberty Living, Manchester, while Rebecca Whitehead was previously property manager at Mainstay Group.

They join a workforce of about 180, a headcount forecast by urbanbubble to increase to around 300 by Q3 2020 to accommodate the growth of the business.

Michael Howard, founder and managing director of urbanbubble, said: “Nadeem, Leo, Gavin, Samantha, Sofie and Rebecca bring with them a wealth of experience in property management and other sectors such as Nadeem’s time at GMP and will prove to be invaluable additions to the urbanbubble team at an exciting time as we grow our business outside of our North West heartland. We’re a values-led business and that runs through everything we do, especially when recruiting new colleagues to deliver our vision of making our cities better places to live.”

Based at Sevendale House in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, urbanbubble recently expanded its property management activities outside the North West by securing further nationwide BtR schemes with Legal & General.

Following the success of the partnership’s inaugural BtR scheme at multi-award winning The Slate Yard in Salford, urbanbubble secured the management of Legal & General’s latest BtR scheme at West Tower, Deansgate Square, Manchester and others in Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London.

In a separate partnership with a leading property investor, urbanbubble manages Anco & Co in Ancoats, Manchester on behalf of DTZ Investors.

The firm also manages residential schemes in Manchester and Liverpool for developers Salboy, Elliot Group, PAG, Capital and Centric and Mulbury.

With a sector-leading focus on customer care and service, urbanbubble has a total of more than 8,000 residential units under management across 80 UK sites – including 4,500 units in Manchester – and forecasts that figure to rise to more than 15,000 by 2021.

Ramsbottom business crowned Greater Manchester Tuition Group of the Year

Sam Whitear
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A Ramsbottom-based business is celebrating after scooping the top accolade in a prestigious award. A Star Tuition Group, founded by Helen Wilson (BSc, PGCE), has been crowned ‘Tuition Group of The Year’ for Greater Manchester in The Corporate Livewire Manchester Prestige Awards, beating off stiff competition from across the region.

 

A Star Tuition Group is a child-centred service that enables five to sixteen-year olds to gain results that truly reflect their academic abilities. The business offers tailored learning programmes that suit every child’s unique requirements in a fun, welcoming and highly motivational environment. With an impressive pass rate for SATs and GCSE exams, the group boasts outstanding pass rate for the entrance exams to Bury and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Bury Grammar and Bolton School.

 

The Corporate Livewire Manchester Prestige Awards celebrate small and medium-sized enterprises consisting of localised businesses and sole traders that have thrived in their highly competitive community and have proven their success. A Star Tuition group impressed the judges unanimously with their “personal approach and high levels of experience which ensures that every child benefits from a solid platform for academic success”.

 

Helen Wilson said:

 

“We’re absolutely delighted to win this award and are thrilled with our achievement. Over the past ten years we’ve helped hundreds of children achieve their true academic potential, coaching them to gain excellent marks in SATs and GCSEs or secure places at our outstanding, local grammar and independent schools.”

 

Over the past year, 2145 nominations were sent to the awards team at Corporate Livewire by industry experts, readers and satisfied customers. Winners were selected based on a range of criteria including marketing and branding, business growth methods, customer experience and approach to new ideas.

 

Awards Director, Benjamin Pugh, commented, “All winners in the Manchester Prestige Guide have shown an exemplary commitment towards their business with personal commitment to expanding the horizons of the private sector side by side with the image of the city.”

RECORD ORDER FROM MAINLAND CHINA FOR STATIFLO

Sam Whitear
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Engineering company Statiflo has supplied its biggest-ever order to mainland China.

The company, which has its headquarters in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and subsidiaries in the US and Germany, is a world leader in the design and distribution of static mixers and other process equipment.

Statiflo shipped three giant channel mixers to the Bailonggang wastewater treatment plant in Shanghai, where a major expansion project is under way.

The expansion will enable Bailonggang to process more than half of Shanghai’s wastewater. The plant will be the largest of its kind in Asia.

The bespoke Series 900 STMC channel mixers supplied by Statiflo are 5.8 metres high and 4.35 metres wide, and are being used for mixing sodium hypochlorite into wastewater for disinfection. The disinfection process is a key part of the wastewater treatment process, and it is essential that the chemical is thoroughly mixed.

The order was worth a six-figure sum to Statiflo and the mixers were among the biggest designed by the company in its history.

Bailonggang, which is near Pudong International Airport, is owned by the Shanghai Municipal Sewerage Company.

Statiflo worked with its Chinese business partner ATAL Engineering to fulfil the order.

Paul Buck, general sales manager at Statiflo, said: “A delegation from Shanghai Municipal Sewerage Company visited Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong, where we have an installation of channel mixers for the same application.

“They were impressed by the technology and wanted to use the Statiflo Series 900 channel mixers in the expansion of the Bailonggang wastewater treatment plant.

“The equipment will efficiently mix the sodium hypochlorite through the wastewater, achieving the process requirements while also saving chemicals in comparison to dosing without the use of a channel mixer.”

Asia-Pacific is a fast-growing market for Statiflo, largely due to the vast amount of investment being made to improve the region’s water infrastructure.

Recently Statiflo has expanded its presence in Asia-Pacific with the appointment of new business partners in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Statiflo’s business partners distribute the company’s products and provide advice and support to customers in key markets across a variety of industries.

MANCHESTER AIRPORT WELCOMES RECORD NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Sam Whitear
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Manchester Airport has welcomed a record number of international students through its terminals this summer, underlining the world class reputation of universities across the North.

There are 43 universities within the airport’s two-hour catchment area, all of which are increasingly attracting students from as far afield as China, India and Japan.

Offering world-renowned undergraduate and postgraduate courses and research placements, they have long been a draw for overseas students seeking a British education.

But, as Manchester Airport’s long-haul route network has grown in recent years, applications from all four corners of the globe have increased in tandem.

The UK’s third largest airport has seen an 18% increase in the number of long-haul seats between 2015 and 2018, which in some cases has contributed to a 25% increase in international student numbers at Northern universities.

In the last month, thousands of international students have flown into Manchester Airport as they begin their studies or return for another year at university. Representatives from the universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Sheffield, Bangor and Bradford were amongst the many providing an arrivals service.

The University of Manchester collected more than 800 students, while the University of Liverpool had more than 500 students, with the University of Bradford picking up more than 350. The figures do not include those making their own way to the universities.

As the airport has continued to grow and add more destinations it has made it easier for the universities in the airport’s catchment area to attract new international students.

Alex Carter, International Centre, The University of Chester, said: “The University of Chester is expecting to welcome a record number of international students for this academic intake with the vast majority arriving at Manchester Airport. These new starters will become part of our diverse and vibrant community with 20,000 students from 130 different countries currently studying at the University.

“Our most popular markets for international student recruitment include China, Nigeria, India, USA and countries in the South East Asia region. These new students will be studying a wide range of programmes across all levels with Business, Clinical Sciences, Medicine and Engineering among the most popular subject areas.

“Good connectivity plays an important part of our international recruitment efforts. We know students prefer to choose destinations which are easily accessible and mentioning our close proximity to Manchester Airport, a hub for international arrivals, is an effective marketing tool.

“An international student’s journey in the UK begins at the airport and their first steps are made simple and comfortable thanks to the ease of access between Manchester Airport and Chester.”

It comes as the University of Liverpool is reporting a record intake of international students this year. This follows a trend that has been seen over recent years. Between academic year 2014/15 and 20117/18 international students from outside of Europe grew by +4% in the North West, ahead of the UK average of +3%.

Daniel Stephenson, Associate Director, International Recruitment, Relations & Study Abroad Team at the University of Liverpool, said: “Liverpool is a truly global university offering a distinctive international experience. Throughout the University of Liverpool’s 139 year history we have welcomed scholars from all over the world and are therefore highly experienced in meeting the needs of international students. We currently have over 8,000 international and EU students from over 130 countries. During the September 2019 intake, we are expecting to receive our largest ever new intake of international students, studying programmes from Accounting to Zoology and everything in between!”

Arriving into a new country for the first time as an international student can be daunting which is why large number of universities offer an arrivals service to welcome their students and ensure they get to the campus easily.

Marcel Clusa, International Student Support Office, Bangor University “Airport pick up day is, by far, one of my favourite days in the academic calendar. Seeing all the students arriving, and those smiley faces as they see the Bangor banners: it’s priceless! We have staff and current students coming to the Manchester Airport to meet and greet the new international students, and to make sure they feel welcome to the Bangor Community from the first minute.”

The news comes as student visa rules were changed earlier this year to make it easier for international students in some countries to come and study in the UK. India in particular has been a focus for two North West universities.

During a recent trade mission to the country, The University of Bolton signed a memorandum of understanding with Apollo Healthcare whilst the University of Salford signed one with the State of Karnataka with the aim of developing an education capacity building.

Andrew Cowan, CEO at Manchester Airport, said: “As the gateway to the North we take great pride in welcoming thousands of international students as they arrive in the UK. We know universities value the global connectivity that the airport offers as it makes them an attractive proposition to prospective students and researchers.

“In addition, we know students themselves really value being able to access direct services to and from their homelands, while this connectivity also makes it easier for friends and family members to visit them during their studies.

“This, in turn, delivers a significant boost to the visitor economy each year, as well as creating a cohort of advocates who return home to share their positive experiences of spending time in the North.”

GC Business Growth Hub mentoring having positive impact on region’s SME businesses

Sam Whitear
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Greater Manchester-based businesses are being given the chance to work with some of the region’s leading names in business thanks to mentoring services provided by GC Business Growth Hub.

To celebrate National Mentoring Day on Sunday 27 October, GC Business Growth Hub is highlighting the positive impacts its mentoring programmes are having on businesses, The Hub is also inviting Greater Manchester SMEs who haven’t yet explored the potential benefits of mentoring to get in touch to find out more about the fully-funded services on offer.

GC Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is hoping the day will inspire more people to become a mentee and highlight the benefits and rewards of having a business mentor.

Dawn Duggan, People, Skills and Talent Lead at GC Business Growth Hub, said: “Having a mentor can make a huge difference to entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders. The most successful people surround themselves with those they learn from, so it’s no surprise that many of our aspirational clients ask for a mentor.

“Mentors can make a huge difference to a mentee through the insights they share from their own personal experience, helping them to navigate the everyday challenges faced when running a business. Everyone has their own individual challenges and no two people are the same. Therefore, we match mentors with a person rather than a business.”

On average GC Business Growth Hub match 10 new mentoring relationships each month, with mentors meeting with their mentees for between 10 to 20 hours for one-to-one mentoring sessions.

Over the last seven years, more than 800 mentoring relationships have been formed, with more than 8,000 hours of voluntary support provided by the 400 mentors GC Business Growth Hub is able to call upon.

The mentors are all volunteers are drawn from a wide cross section of businesses across the Greater Manchester area.

Dr Somayeh Taheri, CEO and owner of Manchester-based Urban Chain, a company pioneering the use of Blockchain and AI to reduce household energy bills, highlights how mentoring has helped her company to treble its growth.

The 2018 Venturefest finalist approached GC Business Growth Hub for mentoring support when she was at a crossroads with her business. She was matched with business mentor Naomi Timperley, co-founder of Tech North Advocates, who has been her mentor for the last 12 months.

Following mentoring support Urban Chain’s valuation has increased from €2M to €6M, has gained 10 new customers, and recruited two new members of staff, with a further 20 jobs predicted by the end of 2019.

Dr Taheri said: “I turned to GC Business Growth Hub’s mentoring programme because I had some big business decisions that I needed to make, including how to approach investment in my business and attract new customers.

“Naomi asks challenging questions, speaks her mind and I trust and value her opinion greatly. Having a business mentor has helped me accelerate in making important decisions and has definitely opened up new opportunities for me.

“If you’re a business owner grappling with big decisions or need a confidential sounding board to share ideas with, I would highly recommend enlisting the support of a business mentor. They understand the challenges faced as they have been through similar experiences themselves in their own working lives.”

GC Business Growth Hub is part of The Growth Company, which is responsible for identifying SMEs which could benefit from Mentoring for Growth, a flagship programme run by Be the Business, which connects SMEs with big names in business. Mentors available include senior figures from the UK’s leading businesses including GSK, Amazon and The John Lewis Partnership.

Should an SME not qualify for the Be the Business programme it can still benefit from GC Business Growth Hub’s own mentoring services, meaning a mentoring service is available to all small businesses.

Be the Business, which oversees Mentoring for Growth programme, is the business-led organisation created to drive up UK productivity and competitiveness.

If your business would benefit from mentoring, or you would like further information, please contact GC Business Growth Hub at businessgrowthhub.com for more information.

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.

MANCHESTER-BASED OFR EXPANDS INTERNATIONAL PORTFOLIO WITH EXCITING ANTARCTIC PROJECT

Sam Whitear
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The Manchester office of national fire engineering consultancy, OFR Consultants has been appointed to undertake work on the largest British Antarctic Survey (BAS) facility, the Rothera Research Station.

Working with global engineering firm Ramboll, the UK-based OFR team has been asked to join the Ramboll Engineering team working on the project which is based at the southern tip of the Wormald Ice Piedmont, on Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

BAS delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Its skilled science and support staff work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. BAS is an institute of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a new organisation that brings together the UK’s seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England.

The largest BAS research facility; Rothera Research Station supports a wide range of BAS, UK and international collaborative science programmes. There are two projects underway at Rothera Research Station including a new wharf and masterplan, that includes a new science and operations building and site wide services to reduce operating costs and keep Rothera fit-for-purpose to facilitate world leading research for at least the next 25 years.

OFR, led by Director Simon Lay and Alex Williams is looking at how a robust fire strategy can be developed for this unique project, with a special emphasis on protecting the main storage areas for the facility as re-supply is naturally a major challenge.

Speaking about the exciting project, Simon Lay, who co-founded OFR Consultants in 2016 said: “In just over three years we have established a global reputation for delivering the highest quality, technically led fire safety solutions across a huge variety of projects and markets. We are thrilled to be appointed by Ramboll on this project, and to be working together as part of the innovative team to deliver greater value and outcomes on this internationally renowned scheme.

“Our team of 60, who each operate from our offices across the UK, have specialist fire engineering experience – giving us the ability to work with our clients to advise from project conception, design and construction and then on to operation and legacy.

“This project is a great example of how our business is working with world-leading consultancies to provide our team with the most exciting and progressive opportunities – what is more exciting than contributing professionally to the sustainable future of Antarctica!”

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