Peerless Plastics and Coatings are one of the leading lights in applying protective hard coatings to plastics.
This brand new video gives a short and concise overview to what Peerless are able to achieve for their customers, producing a tailor-made solution to our clients problems.
Aftermarket protective and anti-glare hard coats that can be applied to nearly all types of plastic and plastic components.
Abate Pest Management, based in Morley St Botolph near Wymondham has recently been supported by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, which is partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Abate who predominately works with commercial businesses, has been growing throughout the Eastern region with advanced service work and specific projects such as the bird proofing of buildings.
A grant was awarded to support the purchase of a new trailer for a 9 metre scaffolding tower which has resulted in a better service being offered to customers. Managing Director Jon Blake said: “Getting equipment to a job at the right time is vital so it doesn’t hold up the schedule and cause client disruption. Now we have a trailer with the tower, we are totally in control.” In addition, following the expansion of the Head Office last year, a new CCTV system has also been purchased and installed thanks to the scheme.
Jon continued, “It was really nice to receive expert advice from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership. The grant has helped us with the continued growth of the business.”
According to Ibis World, Pest Control is valued at over £320m per year in the UK. More and more companies are being proactive in the prevention of pests due to the issues rodents, insects and birds cause.
Abate Pest Management offer free surveys and can be contacted on 0800 980 9767 or via their website.
Flagship Group Chief Executive David McQuade has said goodbye to his beard in aid of The Helping Harry Trust. After one year of growth, the impressive facial hair has been replaced with a “almost” clean-shaven face. The action was live streamed from the @_FlagshipGroup twitter account and will also be available via www.flagship-group.co.uk. Although many people liked David’s hairy look, equally as many are pleased to see his face once again – especially his wife and family. The Helping Harry Trust was set up to support two year old Harry Charlesworth. Harry suffered strokes prior to being born which left him with severe brain damage. As a result, Harry has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, breathing difficulties and is tube fed. David said: “I’m delighted to be able to do something for such a worthy cause. Harry is a brave boy indeed. Any money raised will help Harry get the essential equipment, treatment and care he needs to have the best future possible.” Harry’s mum Hayley said: “We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received for Harry and delighted David has decided to raise money for our cause. Despite the challenges Harry faces, he is such a happy little boy and as a family we are still coming to terms with this new reality but we are growing stronger and more resilient each day.” To sponsor David and support The Helping Harry Trust please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/2ptcczw including the reference: DAVID-BEARD. The “beard off” has also marked the start of Flagship Group’s 2018 Charity League where teams across the business will raise money carrying out various activities for their chosen charity throughout the year.
Award-winning PR agency Lexia Media,which hasoffices in both Norfolk and Suffolk, is celebrating a very successful summer which has seen the team win six new clients.
The agency was chosen after a competitive tender process to run the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ event this October.
It has also been selected by New Anglia LEP to handle the event management and PR for their upcoming conference and Top 100 event, taking place at Wherstead Park on 22nd October.
The team has been taken on a retained contract by UKTI (East) to handle all PR and case study writing.
Other client wins include national recruitment agency Jark, the Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre, and local GP surgery Stowhealth, which has commissioned the Lexia team to provide a library of patient information videos.
Deborah Watson, of Lexia Media, said: “We are delighted to have been taken on to provide PR and event management services for both New Anglia and the new Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust which strengthens our position as a pan-county agency. The work with Stowhealth also adds to our growing portfolio of health clients. The team are looking forward to a busy autumn and winter period.”
AFI KLM E&M subsidiary is delighted to announce the signing of airframe maintenance contract for 2018 with West Atlantic UK Limited.
A European leader in the regional jets & narrow body aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the Boeing 737, Embraer 170/190, BAe146/Avro RJ, Fokker 70/100 & Airbus A320 Family, KLM UK Engineering is delighted to confirm its contract with West Atlantic UK Limited.
KLM UK Engineering will commence airframe maintenance checks with West Atlantic UK Limited on their Boeing 737 Freighter fleet in January 2018.
Ian Bartholomew, Director Business Development & Sales commented “We are deligthed to have been selected by West Atlantic UK Limited to carryout their heavy maintenance checks in 2018. We have been supporting West Atlantic UK Limited for a number of years and look forward to further developing our relationship”.
Philip Law, Technical Director West Atlantic UK Ltd – “Having been a customer of KLM UK Engineering’s for a number of years, we are very pleased to reach an agreement regarding our forthcoming heavy maintenance programme. We look forward to this being the start of a long-term relationship with respect to the on-going heavy maintenance support of our expanding fleet of Boeing aircraft”.
About West Atlantic UK Ltd
West Atlantic UK Ltd is part of the West Atlantic group which is one of the largest European cargo operators with customers throughout EU. The UK airline operates a fleet of 18 x 737-300 & 400 freighter aircraft and is the launch customer for the 737-800BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter) with the first of four aircraft arriving early in 2018.
About KLM UK Engineering
KLM UK Engineering Limited is a leading regional aircraft and narrow body MRO, wholly owned by KLM and member of the AFI KLM E&M Network. Services include base maintenance, line maintenance, technical training and disassembly/recycling of Boeing 737’s, Airbus A320’s, Fokker 70/100, BAe146/Avro RJ’s and Embraer E170/190. KLM UK Engineering has been based at Norwich International Airport for 40 years and employs 380 people, plus has a complete network of UK line stations. KLM UK Engineering prides itself on having an experienced and skilled work force, delivering a superior service and high quality product at a competitive price whilst being enhanced with the deployment of Lean Six Sigma throughout.
The technical training college has been in operation for over 30 years, and in this time has directly trained staff and successfully run an in-house apprenticeship scheme. It is currently offering a virtual learning environment product for EASA licenses as well as several Airworthiness courses. KLMUKE is promoting these to the market, both for commercial and military operations. The college has been working with universities & colleges to deliver a foundation course in aircraft engineering & BSc Hons Aircraft Engineering and is part of the new International Aviation Academy – Norwich, which opened in April 2017.
At Tudor Lodge Consultants, we are hugely proud to announce that we are now working with the brand new, regulated lending platform Stepstone Credit. Stepstone is an innovative way of using short term credit via online and mobile application use. Unlike traditional and existing payday and short-term credit options, Stepstone is a credit facility as opposed to a loan. This means that users of their service apply for a credit facility of up to £500 and are only required to pay back what is actually used.
Additionally, because they use bank scrape technology that, with the borrower’s permission lets Stepstone view 3 months of bank transactions, one’s financial past doesn’t dictate their future. Borrowers who are financially sound, but may have a CCJ or small grey area on their credit history are not automatically rejected as with other lenders, as Stepstone looks at overall affordability rather than rudimentary credit pasts.
Also, due to its nature, Stepstone can be used to improve credit ratings by demonstrating responsible borrowing; something looked upon very favourably by credit providers. However, Stepstone have previously had no online presence and have therefore not been found online at all.
What We Are Doing
Unique to Stepstone as a credit provider, is their use of ‘bank scrape’ technology, making for more accurate lending decisions. For example, someone may take out a facility of £500, yet only spend £200. In such cases, the borrower would only repay the £200 plus interest, with the remaining £300 there for as and when they need it. We have been working with the development team at Stepstone Credit to create a website that is fit for purpose and fully functional and discoverable by potential users online.
Initially, we carried out the ‘discovery’ phase of the project, researching what other short term lenders are around in the UK and which search terms are being targeted through Google Search. Having compiled a comprehensive list of terms and targets for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) targeting, our content team set about planning a range of landing pages; rich with content and engaging information for users and online customers.
Further to the landing pages produced, we have created and implemented a number of additional content pages; fully SEO-compliant to help increase Stepstone’s online rankings.
We have also updated the website code, including that of their Schema mark up to allow for efficient and accurate crawling of the Stepstone website by search engines. Fully optimised and Google friendly meta data has also been implemented throughout the website on all pages. We are also beginning a focused link building and online PR strategy to push out Stepstone’s product and brand to increased numbers of users.
We also continue to work very closely with Stepstone Credit’s development and online design teams to ensure the website in all areas is kept up to date and fully optimised for online and search engines alike.
What We Have Achieved
In the short time since commencing our work with Stepstone, we have seen them climb online for many terms including some highly competitive terms such as ‘short term loans’ and ‘payday loan alternative’ amongst other, hugely competitive terms. We are also seeing increased in brand related terms for Stepstone, allowing returning users to find and engage with this exciting product and brand.
We look forward to progressing further into 2018 with the team at Stepstone Credit.
The Eastern region’s only world-class commercial data centre has been chosen as one of the 50 most exciting and promising businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk to watch over coming years.
Norwich-based MIGSOLV have joined the Future50 list of bold and bright businesses chosen by local publishers Archant and sponsors including Barclays, the UEA and Lovewell Blake.
“This is great recognition for our whole team” says David Manning, MIGSOLV’s Managing Director. “They’ve worked hard to deliver a first-class service, allowing our customers to achieve their own goals, whilst we protect their data. It’s a well-deserve accolade for everyone.”
MIGSOLV’s Gatehouse data centre in Norwich is the region’s only purpose-built commercial data centre, providing space, power, cooling and physical security for organisation’s computer servers and IT equipment. Renovated at a cost of £12 million in 2012, it helps businesses increase their resilience by protecting their data against threats including terrorism, power failure and extreme weather.
The Future50 list details companies large and small who stand out as the most innovative and ambitious in the region. Those on the list will gain access to business support and become part of an exclusive group of businesses aiming to help each other succeed. MIGSOLV joins a number of digital and creative businesses demonstrating the growing technology sector in Norwich and Norfolk.
“As well as technology businesses, our region is home to companies of all types simply using IT to do what they do better” adds David. “We give their data the safest and most flexible home whilst they get on with being successful and contributing to the local economy.”
Primarily used for colocation, the data centre is home to computer servers and hardware owned by businesses themselves. As part of MIGSOLV’s 2018 plans, they are looking to launch a range of managed services providing ‘pay-as-you-go’ data storage so smaller businesses can protect and grow their data with ease.
“Future50 is a great opportunity to gain exposure and showcase what businesses in the East can do” concludes David. “As our role is to protect business’s critical data, we’re looking forward to helping ambitious businesses both on and outside Future50 to realise their own goals with peace-of-mind.”
All of the team at Tudor Lodge Consultants including our content, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), design and development teams are pleased to announce our partnership and work with the exciting team at Secured Loans and their website. We are working across their website, lead generation and digital marketing, with a large emphasis being placed upon their SEO and organic search results; targeting new and existing audiences and search traffic for this established website and brand.
Established and set up online in 2001, Secured Loans provides applicants the chance to acquire secured loans against property and other higher value assets at rates starting from as little as 5.25% APR. With hefty amounts of experience in the finance world and offline marketing, Secured Loans saw an opportunity to move into the online space and has been working with our various teams at Tudor Lodge Consultants for the last 6 months.
The Online Challenges Faced
Although the Secured Loans website has been live for over 15 years, having gone live and remained so since 2001, there has been very little work performed on the site and there has been no digital marketing around the brand or its products. Although over the years Google has given increased credence to domains that demonstrate a greater degree of establishment and permanency, algorithms have shifted from being purely technical to focusing on the user journey and experience.
This has left an otherwise successful and exciting brand languishing much lower down Google than it ought to be; with Secured Loans starting from around page 10 for the key term ‘secured loans.’
Lying lowly on Google, we identified a number of issues and outstanding factors that needed addressing for the website and this has included taking into account numerous important SEO ranking factors such as:
· How the site is crawled [read] by Google and other search engines
· How users interact with the site
· The application processes
· Link profiles; both internal and external
· Content opportunities to address effectively
What we Have Done So Far
In the short time we have been working with the team at Secured Loans, we have carried out various crucial SEO actions to be able to ensure the site can rank properly and effectively. Firstly, we attended to the design and layout o f the site, using our talented design and development teams. We overhauled the homepage, landing page templates and contact forms. This has allowed Secured Loans to boast a much-improved look and feel. We have also overhauled and improved the branding on the site, making it much clearer who the brand is, what exactly it does and the brand message required.
We have also paid specific attention to the meta data which is one of the first factors that Google assesses when analysing a site. Through thorough keyword and competitor research, we identified the areas within the secured loans and finance industry where Secured Loans are best suited and where their core services lie. This has lead to their main terms of ‘secured loans’ climbing 4 to 5 pages in the first 6 months alone, which it is continuing to do on a weekly and monthly basis.
Further to the research and competitor analyses, we have also created the templates, designs and content for landing pages for the site. These pages are specifically designed to rank highly on Google and other search engines to capture more relevant users. Upon ‘landing’ on the pages, users are then taken through the ‘funnel’ and their journey, being guided to the end-point; the contact point.
We have also been undertaking a strong, targeted and focused approach with regards to the link profile and online PR of the brand and website, being featured in various well-known online publications and websites to the benefit of the Secured Loans website.
With great progress already made and with many more exciting developments and pieces of content and work to come, we are very excited for the future of Secured Loans and we cant wait to see what 2018 holds in store for this promising and exciting brand and website.
Warehouses can be very busy places, especially if they operate a cross dock operation where goods are coming in throughout the day and sorted for outgoing distribution or for future storage. With this type of logistics operation, doors are generally open and closed throughout the day. This is when warehouses are likely to see the introduction of birds leading to harbouring and nesting. You need a solution to prevent this happening, especially if you are dealing with product within the food chain.
Over the Christmas period, Abate Pest Management sent a team of technicians to Bretts Transport near Wisbech to proof a warehouse that is used for cross docking to help reduce the risk of the sparrows looking to harbour and nest up close to stored foodstuffs.
The team installed sparrow netting using a framework of steel wire fixings, strainers, clips and guide brackets to hold approximately 2400 square metres of netting. Sparrows can often live within the buildings where they may contaminate products with faecal and nest materials.
The new installed bird solution will help Bretts Transport comply to BRC standards and demonstrate that they are showing a pro-active approach to pest control to prevent the risk of encountering any problems before they arise.
Bretts Transport near Wisbech is a certified in BRC Global standards for storage and distribution. The company is now a nationally recognised name specialising in ambient deliveries to the retail, food service and food manufacturing sectors, typically delivering in excess of 4000 tons of canned food and other grocery products along with 5000 pallets of food grade packaging each week.
If you require any help with bird proofing give Abate a call on 0800 980 9767 or visit their pest control website at https://www.abateltd.co.uk
INSURANCE. A word that excites so few, yet residing on unassuming street in the centre of Norwich sits a team of nearly 70 insurance professionals, all passionate about their industry. This is a business that has existed in the city since 1906, when a young entrepreneur named Hugh Boswell began trading from a small office in London Street. Over a century later, the business remains independently owned, and thanks to decades of organic growth, one of the top 100 brokers in the UK.
“The years have been kind to us,” states Hugh J Boswell Managing Director Peter Foster. “When the existing board bought the business through a management buyout in 2013, it was in a great place. The Directors are dedicated to the idea of creating something special, whilst upholding the foundations on which the business was founded.”
So, what has helped make Hugh J Boswell?
The Culture
One of the factors Peter attributes to the business’ success is the united culture. A quick glimpse at the website, or walk around the office shows how important values are to the people at Hugh J Boswell.
“We identified very early on the importance of culture within a growing organisation. We have taken the philosophies that made our business successful, and placed them into a dynamic framework, to help us develop as a unified team. We now have a mission, and set of values that run through the veins of the entire company”
Training
It sounds like a service sector cliché to say ‘the people are the business’, but within Hugh J Boswell, there’s a feeling this is exactly the case. The commitment to training and development was acknowledged in 2015, when Hugh J Boswell were awarded Chartered Insurance Broker status; an accolade only a handful of brokers in the region can boast.
“Investing in training has meant our clients receive quality service and our people are given career opportunities. Last year, we proudly launched the ‘Hugh J Boswell Academy. Our Academy encompasses everything development-based, including an apprenticeship programme, sponsored professional qualifications and regular soft skills training for all staff”.
Clients
Hugh J Boswell has a vast number of long-standing clients but none that can match RH Matthews. The Holt-based family-run firm have placed their insurance programme with Hugh J Boswell for over 60 years.
“I believe it’s a testament to how we conduct business that a client that has trusted us to protect their business for so long. Our independence and emphasis on ‘people’ ensures we really do place our clients’ needs first.”
Forward Vision
Whilst the company is rightly proud of its history and heritage Hugh J Boswell has a clear vision and solid plans for continued growth. Peter says “We are never ones for standing still and believe that our future is bright indeed. Through commitment to our clients and investment in staff we are delighted that we continue to grow and have confidence in the years ahead.”
Attleborough based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has been shortlisted for two top national awards for its district heating installation for housing association Flagship Group.
The Heating & Ventilation News (HVN) Awards 2018 celebrate excellence, forward thinking and the highest achievements across the building services industry. The awards cover the UK’s entire Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and building services supply chain, and is open to companies including installers and consultants as well as building owners themselves.
Finn Geotherm’s installation for Flagship Group has been shortlisted for both the District Heating Project of the Year Award and the Renewable Project of the Year Award. The ground source heat pump system is delivering domestic heating and hot water for 30 flats at Orchard Close in Watton, Norfolk. The first domestic heating scheme for communal use in the East of England, it will cut Flagship customers’ heating bills by two thirds, creating annual savings of hundreds of pounds. In addition, it enables Flagship to dramatically reduce its maintenance costs and CO2 emissions. The project is expected to be the first of many for the housing association, with Flagship hoping to roll out other ground source heat pump systems to other customers as part of its plan to create more affordable and environmentally friendly homes.
Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for two awards in the prestigious HVN Awards scheme, which recognise the country’s most significant heating products and projects. Being placed as a finalist in two categories is both a testament to the forward-thinking strategic approach of Flagship and the hard work and skill of the team at Finn Geotherm in delivering the best possible solution for the organisation and its tenants. We thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project and hope we can soon be celebrating its success together too!”
Matt Smith, Compliance Manager at Flagship, said: “To be shortlisted for these two awards is fantastic news. We have worked hard to get the scheme up and running, so to be recognised in this way is a great achievement for everyone involved. We are continually trying to improve the service we offer our customers while at the same time reduce our carbon footprint, and the system in Watton has allowed us to do both.”
Winners of the HVN Awards will be announced on 19th April 2018 at a black tie event in London.
For more details on the Flagship installation, read the case study here, or click here for information on ground and air source heat pumps and Finn Geotherm.
Employment law is one of the most complex and fast moving areas of law and keeping up to date with these changes can prove vital to protecting and advancing your commercial interests.
Leading east of England law firm Birketts are holding half day seminars followed by lunch and networking in Norwich, Cambridge, Ipswich, Chelmsford, Norwich, Kings Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Huntingdon across September to bring you up to date on the key legislative and case law developments of the last year and those we can expect to see in 2013.
Topics to be discussed include:
• Changes relating to holidays redundancies and conduct dismissal • Polices and procedures – are you up to date and complying with recent developments? • What can we expect to happen in employment law in the next 12 months?
Tom Wagstaff a Partner in Birketts’ employment team commented”. In the last seven years we’ve seen big changes which have significant practical implications for HR Teams. Our focus in these seminars will be on developments affecting your day to day management of staff ”
To book a place at one of our seminars please email bookings@birketts.co.uk and specify the place of the event you would like to attend in the subject heading.