Siemens Digital Industries together with Atos and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Hartree Centre has launched a ground-breaking Industrial Digitalisation Accelerator (IDA) to offer businesses a practical, collaborative space to explore Industry 4.0 technologies.

The Industry 4.0 collaboration space will be based at the Hartree Centre at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, at Sci-Tech Daresbury.

It is the first time that three distinct and yet complementary experts in the field of computing (STFC Hartree Centre), analytics (Atos Codex) and IoT solutions (MindSphere) have come together and combined their expertise to offer industry the opportunity to discover new pathways to growth.

The accelerator program is offering businesses of all sizes the chance to produce proof of concepts, mentorship to help them acquire Industry 4.0 technologies like big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), modelling, simulation and sensor technology through the Made Smarter programme, and the opportunity to develop end-to-end digital solutions.

The IDA will also sign-post firms to external funding programmes such as Innovate and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Brian Holliday, Executive Management Board of Siemens plc and Managing Director for Siemens Digital Industries, said: “Staying competitive in the evolving technology landscape isn’t easy, yet the opportunity to drive productivity has never been greater.

“By harnessing the combined power of these three partners the IDA has a mandate to do just this; increase industrial productivity providing new pathways to growth.

“Combining the unique capabilities of Siemens, Atos and the STFC Hartree Centre in one accelerated environment, we aim to cut through the noise to help businesses overcome their own digitalisation challenges and realise the opportunities presented within Industry 4.0.”

Adrian Gregory, Senior Executive Vice president and CEO, Atos UK and Ireland: “This facility will deliver new levels of data-driven insight and opportunity in direct alignment with the challenges set out in the Made Smarter Review. Through our continued partnership we are pleased to support the Hartree Centre as a beacon of innovation, where the enormous potential of digital technologies can be harnessed and applied, helping businesses to remain fit for Britain’s digital future.”

Alison Kennedy, Director of the STFC Hartree Centre, said: “At the Hartree Centre we work with companies in a wide range of industries to help them benefit from advanced digital technologies like supercomputing, big data analytics and AI. We’re thrilled to be able to offer our expertise in this exciting and unique partnership which will offer UK companies a practical, collaborative space to accelerate the exploration and integration of Industry 4.0 technologies and improve productivity.”

Global fast-food chain, Wok to Walk, has launched a new restaurant in Manchester with support from a seven-funding package from HSBC UK.

The popular Asian restaurant group opened its new 950 sq. ft. Barton Arcade Deansgate restaurant to the public this week. The eatery gives diners the opportunity to choose from a three-step menu, with the fresh, affordable meal stir-fried in front of them in minutes and served in its instantly recognisable orange takeaway boxes. Customers are given the choice of sitting in its 44 seat restaurant or buying a meal to takeaway.

The new restaurant will create up to 15 new jobs and an anticipated £800,000 of sales in the next 12 months.

Ismail Adam, Co-Director of the Leeds and Manchester Wok to Walks, said: “This is the North West’s second Wok to Walk, and it is a privilege to bring it to the heart of Manchester. The reason why the restaurant is so popular right around the world is simple, we give our customers tasty, healthy and affordable food. The franchise offers the ability to create our own stamp on the business and we see great potential for further expansion across the North West with the support of HSBC UK.”

Andrew Holgate, Relationship Manager for Greater Manchester, HSBC UK, added: “With the help of our funding package, we’re proud help bring Wok to Walk to Manchester. The brand has increasingly become synonymous with delicious and unpretentious food, for both a working lunch and a weekend treat for the family. Matched with the experience of Ismail and his team, we believe that the new restaurant will be a roaring success.”

Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers have achieved an almost perfect 50-50 split in pay balance for male and female colleagues.

Research undertaken by the firm across its offices in Manchester, Blackburn and London showed there was a near equal 50-50 division in pay between male and female staff within each quartile of the gender pay gap report.

Employing a total of 81 men and 72 women for gender pay gap reporting criteria across its office network, the firm’s calculations showed the female mean hourly pay rate for 2019 was minus 2.1 per cent lower than that of men. So, when comparing mean hourly rates, women earned £1.02 for every £1 earned by men.

In terms of the median hourly rate, the hourly rate for women was 1.4 per cent lower than that of their male counterparts, equating to women earning £0.98p for each £1 earned by males.

The conclusions for 2019 showed an improvement on the same calculations for 2018 when the mean hourly rate for women was minus 5.5 per cent lower for women than their male counterparts, with the median hourly rate for women being minus 1 per cent lower than that for men.

Jo Rigby, HR director at Beever and Struthers said: “Our split of female to male pay has improved from the previous 12 months to an almost perfect 50-50 split in each quartile

“Whilst Beever and Struthers is not legally required to report on the gender pay gap because we employ less than 250 people, the firm places a strong focus on equality and found the pay gap report to be a helpful way of understanding why there is a gap and how to make changes to ensure that equality is present across the firm.

“We are a progressive and modern employer and while we’re very proud of these results, our fundamental aim continues to be to recruit the right person for the right role regardless of gender or any other characteristic under the Equality Act and to provide equal opportunity for all.”

Manchester-based Siemens Digital Industries has announced a new academic teaching programme called Connected Curriculum, 18 months after launching its MindSphere Innovation Network (MINe), in partnership with higher education providers,

The University of Sheffield, Liverpool John Moores, Middlesex University, Newcastle University and Manchester Metropolitan Universityhave all already signed-up to the initiative. As a result, each institution will work closely with Siemens to bring advanced industrial tools, data and approaches into their respective apprenticeship, undergraduate and masters courses.   Festo, the global supplier of automation technology and provider of industrial training and education programs is a key delivery partner for the new curriculum.

At the heart of the Connected Curriculum is Siemens Digital Industries world-leading industrial software portfolio and cloud-based IoT platform MindSphere. MindSphere is a highly secure operating system which connects industrial machines and devices via IoT protocols. It allows data from multiple sources to be captured and analysed simultaneously, creating a real-time picture of the whole production process via a single, powerful and intuitive interface.

The Connected Curriculum announcement was made by Brian Holliday, Managing Director of Siemens Digital Industries, at the 2019 MindSphere Innovation Network (MINe) Symposium last week. Hosted at the University of Sheffield, the two-day event saw 15 academic institutions explore the potential for collaborating with Siemens, each other, and other companies, across Industry 4.0 projects and technologies including Industrial IoT.

Brian Holliday, Siemens Digital Industries Managing Director, said: “Collaboration is central to delivering successful, robust and secure industrial IoT projects. Universities can be key partners in this process, often having expertise industry doesn’t such as data science, visualisation and insights into human behaviour including how people engage with technology.

“This is why Siemens developed the MindSphere Innovation Network in partnership with several universities two years ago, which in turn has informed the Connected Curriculum we have announced this week. I am now looking forward to working with Sheffield, John Moores, Middlesex and Manchester Metropolitan universities to help explore the full potential of Industrial IoT with our MindSphere platform at the heart of the process.”

Manchester Metropolitan University will be the partner university in the Connected Curriculum that will focus on delivery to postgraduate students, embedding the programme in its new Industry 4.0 Masters courses in the Faculty of Science and Engineering that are launching in September to bridge the Industry 4.0 skills gap.

Professor Andy Gibson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “Manchester Metropolitan is focused on bridging the Industry 4.0 skills gap by equipping students with the skills for the new digital economy.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Siemens on the Connected Curriculum as our students and academic colleagues will benefit immensely from working with such a pioneering and transformational technology company.  Our partnership will ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of the digital revolution and continue to lead the way in innovation in postgraduate education, such as with the suite of six new Industry 4.0 masters degree courses launching in September.”

One of the world’s leading providers of airline catering services is expanding its UK operations with a move to a new state-of-the-art 102,500 sq ft industrial/warehouse unit at Manchester Airport.

Alpha LSG, which is jointly owned by dnata and LSG Sky Chefs, has agreed a lease at Unit 4 of the £100 million Icon Manchester Airport development, securing its future in the region.

Icon Industrial, a strategic joint venture by Stoford Developments and TPG Real Estate, will deliver a single highly specified 95,000 sq ft industrial/warehouse building and 7,500 sq ft of integrated office accommodation, with 141 car parking spaces.

Alpha LSG provides in-flight catering, onboard retail and logistics services to more than 80 of the industry’s biggest operators. The new development will be home to Alpha LSG’s bonded warehouse and is almost double the size of its existing facility at Manchester Airport, representing its step towards innovative and exciting technological initiatives.

It is the latest major occupier to be unveiled by Icon Industrial at the rapidly growing logistics area of Airport City, following the announcement of a new logistics and global content creation studio for online beauty retailer, The Hut Group. The site is also home to DHL, Amazon, a BP Petrol Filling Station, Costa Coffee and M&S Simply Food.

Dan Gallagher, Joint Managing Director of Stoford Developments, said: “We are delighted to announce an occupier for Unit 4 of Icon Manchester Airport, which was secured before work has even begun on the development. Alpha LSG is the latest in a strong list of occupiers to have chosen this exciting scheme as a key strategic location for its future business growth and we look forward to delivering the facility.

“Icon Manchester Airport is a 45-acre build to suit logistics/warehouse development that will continue the fulfillment of the Airport City masterplan, expanding and enhancing the logistical facilities on site. The scheme offers excellent road, air and rail connections with immediate access to junction 6 of the M56 motorway and Greater Manchester.”

Alex Forbes, Chief Executive Officer of Alpha LSG, said: “This new building is a significant investment in our future in Manchester and beyond. We see this as an opportunity to launch lots of new improved initiatives across our entire network such as continued environmental agenda, the reduction in single use plastics, agile working, wellbeing in the workplace and interactive communications to name but a few.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Airport City is proving an incredibly attractive location for some of the biggest names in global business. It’s great to see investor confidence remains high as yet another international organisation chooses Manchester, helping Airport City go from strength to strength.”

The refurbishment of a listed eight-storey building in Manchester’s Northern Quarter has won a top award.

Designed by Manchester-based architects Atelier MB and SpaceInvader Design, the £8m scheme at 35 Dale Street was named best refurbishment/regeneration outside central London at the Office Agents Society Development Awards.

It was shortlisted alongside projects in Birmingham, Woking and Hammersmith for the accolade. The awards ceremony, recognising excellence in office development and transactions across the UK, was held at the Tower of London.

Atelier MB designed the refurbishment for client Helical, which owns 35 Dale Street, a grade II listed building constructed in 1903 for the cotton trade.

The building was overhauled inside and out to create 54,000 sq ft of modern office space over six floors.

In their summary the judges said they were impressed by the utilisation of space throughout the building.

They added: “This cotton factory has been expertly transformed to provide a contemporary workplace whilst both retaining and highlighting the existing features.”

Andrew Burns, managing director of Atelier MB, which specialises in heritage refurbishment projects, said: “It was a delightful project to work on. The building has been transformed into fully-let office space of high quality which is full of character and respects its history.

“The design reveals the raw industrial beauty of the building for the first time in many years.

“Extensive communication with the city council and conservation officer ensured a smooth delivery and an outcome that was welcomed by all stakeholders.

“We’re thrilled that the project has been recognised with this prestigious industry award.”

North West-focused Praetura Ventures has annoucned it is backing fertility startup Dr Fertility in a £1m seed round. The first investment of Praetura’s maiden EIS Fund will be used to develop Dr Fertility into a full-service digital health platform.

Founded by Dr Lucy Buckley, PhD and Kobi McCardle in June 2018, Dr Fertility was created to address the problem of conflicting, unreliable information about fertility. With patients having to wait up to two years between GP advice and the first outpatient appointment, and no central, official platform for fertility advice, Lucy and Kobi saw the need to support the 1 in 7 couples in the UK that are affected by infertility.

Dr Fertility is designed to help couples navigate the enormous complexity of fertility, not least the substantial emotional aspect, with the view of becoming a one-stop-shop for everything people might need throughout their fertility journey. The investment will enable Dr Fertility to achieve this goal through technological upgrades and key hires. Knowing that fertility requires a combination of approaches, Dr Fertility is developing a digital platform to provide much-needed authoritative and personalised advice through products, services and consultancy.

As the business undergoes rapid growth, with revenue expected to double year-on-year, Praetura Ventures will be a key partner in Dr Fertility’s development. As well providing 90% of the seed investment through its recently announced £15m EIS fund, Praetura Ventures will help the startup manage its financial, cash and recruitment strategy as it quickly grows its goods and services. Praetura Ventures will also contribute its experience in implementing tech roadmaps as Dr Fertility develops its digital platform, alongside board-level digital marketing support.

National law firm Gateley PLC advised Praetura on the investment, providing legal support and guidance. Legal support for Dr Fertility was provided by Simon Wallwork (Partner) and Janet Robinson (Associate), from Manchester-based law firm Slater Heelis.

Dr Lucy Buckley, PhD, co-founder of Dr Fertility, said: “At Dr Fertility we are passionate about using our backgrounds in, healthcare, ecommerce and marketing to provide a one stop destination to support people on their fertility journey. We work with leading experts to develop fertility education and offer quality products to help people to better understand their own fertility and educate them on the positive steps they can take. Our vision is to build the world leading digital health platform for fertility, offering an end-to-end solution to help support people wherever they are on their journey. With the backing of Praetura Ventures and our Angel investor, we’re looking forward to making our platform scalable so we can reach as many people around the world as possible.””

Guy Weaver, Director at Praetura Ventures, said: “Dr Fertility’s ambition has impressed us since day one. They’ve already grown so much in the short time they’ve been operating, which shows us they’re gaining a lot of momentum. With their unique proposition in a growing market we’re confident we’re going to see great things from Lucy, Kobi and their growing team.”