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• Pioneering collaboration combines AI-enabled invention tech with engineering expertise
• Iprova supports creation of breakthrough inventions, Lotus Engineering adds proof of concept, design and engineering of products based on them
• Targeting the transportation sector in its widest sense – from e-scooters to autonomous truck

Hethel, UK and Lausanne, Switzerland – 1000 BST, Wednesday 27 July 2022

Lotus Engineering and Iprova have announced a partnership which, for the first time, combines the latest AI-enabled way of creating breakthrough inventions with the ability to develop proof of concept, design and engineering of products based on them.

Targeting the transportation sector in its widest sense – from e-scooters to autonomous trucks – the two companies will deploy their respective engineering expertise and data-driven invention technology. The pioneering joint venture will promote innovation at key points of industry disruption, then productionise the resulting inventions more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

The products we all use every day – from mobile devices through to domestic appliances – come to market using technologies drawn from a wide range of business fields. The same is increasingly true for transportation solutions, which now integrate components from the worlds of mobile tech, sustainability and many others.

Lotus has a wealth of experience in identifying and adapting ideas from other fields of industry. Most famously, inspiration for the invention of the now ubiquitous automotive adhesive bonding process pioneered on the Lotus Elise resulted from its development team looking at the non-stick coating used on cookware, then combining this concept with further insights from other domains.

By contrast, Iprova uses data and algorithms to inspire potential inventions and, because this is done in real-time, they are created much sooner and more reliably than using traditional methods.

Iprova’s Invention Studio platform leverages AI, data and automation to transform what can often be very manual and slow-moving invention processes. Its data-driven approach to invention brings a systematic and repeatable process to creating breakthrough inventions across the transportation sector.

Lotus Engineering has world-class prototyping, proof-of-concept and development expertise based on more than four decades of experience as a global consultancy.  It provides comprehensive consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking engineering and innovative vehicle development.

Together, Lotus Engineering and Iprova now offer a unique proposition which provides a comprehensive and integrated solution for companies that need to ‘invent big and implement fast’ in order to stay ahead of their competition.

Commenting on the partnership, Julian Nolan, CEO, Iprova, said: “Lotus leads the world in driving dynamics and engagement by enabling the driver to sense feedback from the road.  Our invention platform, Invention Studio, transforms the process of invention by enabling engineers and scientists to sense inventive signals as they occur, in real-time, even if they are very distant to the target invention area. This enables sector-defining inventions to be created with great speed and efficiency.  There are no prizes for coming second in the race to invent and implement and, for this reason, partnering with Lotus Engineering makes perfect sense.  Together we are able to invent and implement faster, minimising the time from opportunity identification through to product launch.”

Mark Stringer, Commercial Director, Lotus Engineering, added: “Our clients have told us that they want to make bold and breakthrough products at key points of disruption. It’s a process driven by creativity and therefore a need to invent.  Iprova’s technology delivers this efficiently at scale and so this collaboration adds a vital new element to our portfolio of consultancy services.”

He added: “Just as there is a need for invention, there is also a need for implementation – to develop proof-of-concept prototypes and then engineer products.  This is what Lotus Engineering provides.  Our own technical services range from design and concept engineering through to full-scale industrialisation, attribute development and even manufacturing.  This partnership with Iprova means we can better support our clients throughout the product development process, aiding collaboration and ingenuity right from the very start.”

Image provided by Lotus

A night of celebrating the success of north Norfolk businesses took place at Gresham’s School on Thursday 21st February. The North Norfolk Best Small Business Award, sponsored by MENTA the business support organisation was won by The Norfolk Brewhouse. Rachel and David Holliday own the business and David said, “Our small team were thrilled and proud to win the award, we were especially pleased for our brewer, Bruce Ash. “Where we are based is of particular importance to us, not only does north Norfolk provide us with the key ingredients for our beers, but its vibrant community of small businesses inspire us in so many ways. To be recognised for our small part in helping to promote north Norfolk and create jobs is fantastic.” Chair of MENTA Alistair Ponder who presented The Norfolk Brewhouse award commented, “Congratulations to Rachel and David who have grown their business with a dedicated and enthusiastic team of staff and have used their strong creative marketing skills to expand and grow. Their commitment and vision are to be commended.” The Norfolk Brewhouse are based near Fakenham and produce a range of hand-crafted beers and lagers. They often work collaboratively with other Norfolk businesses to produce special brews, for example Nelson and Norfolk Teas Company and Black Shuck Gin. MENTA helps established small businesses throughout Norfolk, providing affordable networking events, business conferences and advice sessions. It’s next marketing conference takes place on the 3rd April at Pensthorpe near Fakenham and costs just £10pp to attend. MENTA also provides free business skills training in North Walsham, Dereham and Norwich, supported by the European Regional Development Fund for anyone who is Norfolk based and is thinking of starting a business or has done so in the last 12 months. For more details regarding MENTA’s services visit www.menta.org.uk or email info@menta.org.uk

For more information and resources please visit our website at norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk

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It’s all very well for a business to have a marketing strategy, a financial strategy, and even a business development strategy, but there’s one kind of strategy that every business (large or small) should commit to – a unique Well-Being Strategy.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that if employee well-being is low, we risk reduced productivity or losing employees from their roles; let’s face it, employee turnover is incredibly expensive.
If you really want to aid recruitment, and retention, and breed a culture where staff feel valued and cared for, then a Well-Being Strategy is your absolute must.

Here’s what to consider:

• Know what it is that your staff want. Too many firms create wellbeing strategies without really understanding how employees feel and what might benefit them. Have discussions, create feedback, and truly commit to producing a strategy which speaks of the very issues which your staff face everyday.
• Consider what health and wellbeing benefits are in place already. Before you completely chuck the bath water out, look with brutal honesty at what is working and what is not. Assess any existing Employee Assistance Programmes. Make sure that what you have in place serves people better than simply at crisis stage.
• Share and compare. Don’t be afraid to chat to peers in the business community about what they do and don’t do. Rely on your established network for insight. Turn to other leaders you admire.
• Bring in external specialists if you feel it would be of longer term benefit to succeed at this task. Sometimes, our own PAYE employees may not have the specialist skills to create such strategies from scratch. External consultants can give you a healthy new perspective.
• Embed what you agree. Ensure that all staff understand that time and commitment will be put into bringing your strategy into play. Communicate those changes internally and allow staff to share their views at all stages of the process.
• Assess and amend as needed. Don’t make a strategy and think you’ve ticked the box. Continually reflect on whether it still works or whether elements need to change. You might even appoint ‘ambassadors’ or ‘champions’ to repeatedly report back on what is working well or less well.

Image and video provided by MAD-HR

From 1st February, Rebecca Vincent will be Foster Refrigerator and Gamko UK’s new Commercial Director, responsible for the UK Sales and Aftermarket departments.

Rebecca has worked at Foster for 12 years in both the UK regional sales teams and in export sales, where she became Director of Export in 2014.

“I am delighted to be returning to the UK market and heading up the sales, spares & service operations,” Rebecca said. “My time as Export Director has given me a great understanding of the wider Foster and Gamko business and international markets, and I will bring that knowledge with me into my new role.”

“Aligning the sales and aftermarket departments is an exciting new step for Foster and Gamko and will again move forward our brand in the market.”

Reporting to Rebecca will be Ewen Cairns (UK Sales Manager), Benny Esler (Commercial Business Manager), Scott Dackombe (National Accounts Commercial Manager), James Adams (Head of Service & Spares) and Andy Rasberry (Support Manager – Aftermarket Europe).

Is it possible to feel lonely, even when you’re interacting with dozens of colleagues every day?

Absolutely it is – particularly since Covid and the move for more employees to work from home.

According to data from the Department of Digital Culture, Media and Sport (2021), the cost of loneliness to UK employers is an eye-watering £2.5 billion every year.

Loneliness is just one of the wellbeing issues increasingly reported among employees who work remotely, and it is vital that businesses respect this reality and do all they can to ensure staff are supported.

As with so many things we suggest here at MAD-HR, it starts with ‘culture’.

Whatever your scale of business, you can set the tone for how staff feel and experience their daily lives.

Emphasising connection, relationship-building, collaborative working and frequent team engagement, can all prove a dramatic benefit in limiting the way in which loneliness is felt (if at all).

There are key points in an employee’s work cycle, where one could easily expect there to be more vulnerability to loneliness and low well-being. This might include at the point they join the firm, that they return from a period of sickness or maternity, or because of something entirely unrelated to work.

Leaders should work hard to ensure that person is mentored, supported, and has the opportunity to relay how they are feeling at all times.

Some businesses also address well-being issues with directly appointed ‘champions’ within the company. These champions might be trained mental health first aiders, and would be primed to support their peers with conversation wherever needed.

Other ways of enhancing well-being, might include regularly changing which staff are ‘teamed’ together for particular initiatives or projects. Tackling a task with different remote-working colleagues can spark new conversation and debate, and allow individuals to shine where they might not have felt it possible alongside other peers.

Remember that even where your staff are continuing to ‘work remotely’, there are many ways of using technology to ensure that person is frequently part of the daily worplace conversation, and that they can be involved in social activities.

Post-covid, do remember that it’s possible, and appropriate to add in ‘in person’ socialisation too. You could have frequent team days, walk and talk opportunities, or all attend key business networking events together.

Finally, always encourage your own staff to contribute on what they feel would aid the reduction of loneliness in your particular workplace.

They know its people, its culture and its routine. Their insight can help you develop a prevention policy which supports all your current and future employees, and aid you in providing a shining example to other business peers.

Image and video provided by MAD-HR

A public consultation on Norfolk County Council’s Norwich Western Link project will launch in August, with people being invited to give their views on proposals before the planning application is finalised and submitted.

The Norwich Western Link is a new 3.9 mile dual carriageway road that would connect the A1270 Broadland Northway to the A47 west of Norwich. As well as improving travel between these two major routes, the new road would tackle traffic congestion and delays on the local road network and in communities, and prevent them from worsening due to planned housing and job growth in Greater Norwich.

The Pre-Planning Application Public Consultation will launch on Monday 15 August and will close eight weeks later, at midnight on Sunday 9 October.

Cllr Martin Wilby, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure at Norfolk County Council, said: “This is our fourth public consultation on the Norwich Western Link and it will provide more details on the design of the route, including the viaduct over the River Wensum, as well as complementary measures being proposed as part of the project.

“This is a vital piece of infrastructure for Norfolk that will bring in national investment and make a huge positive difference to local residents, businesses, emergency services and visitors to our county. We want to submit the best possible planning application for this project and getting people’s feedback at this point will help us to do that. I hope anyone with any interest in the Norwich Western Link will look through the information contained in the consultation and give us their views so we can consider them as we finalise our proposals.”

Four consultation events will be held during the consultation period, with information on display and members of the project team available to discuss the proposals and answer questions. These events will be held at:

• Barnham Broom Village Hall on Friday 2 September (12-8pm)
• The Costessey Centre on Friday 9 September (1-8pm)
• Weston Longville Hall for All on Thursday 15 September (12-8pm)
• Felthorpe Village Hall on Thursday 22 September (12-8pm)

There will also be opportunities for people to speak to members of the project team about the proposals via bookable online and phone appointments. Once the consultation launches, people will be able to view information on the proposals via the Norfolk County Council website at www.norfolk.gov.uk/nwl, and fill in an online questionnaire. Email and postal responses will also be accepted.

The planning application for the project is due to be submitted next year. Subject to gaining necessary statutory approvals, construction of the Norwich Western Link is scheduled to get underway in late 2024 with the road open for use in late 2026.

Images provided by Norfolk County Council

A recent poll looking at Menopause in the Workplace (commissioned by Koru Kids), found that 18% of women in UK workplaces are currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause symptoms were considering leaving their job.

When you consider that women (within the menopausal age range) are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce – 4 million women aged 45-55 in work (ONS 2021), it is clear that unless businesses start to reflect on how they support their employees, they are at risk of losing a vital part of their workforce which could have been unavoidable.

Here’s five tips for a dedicated workplace approach to managing the menopause:

• Encourage Education. Move sharply away from the idea that only women of the menopausal age need to understand how menopause affects an individual. Look to feature resources on your intranet, in lunch and learn opportunities, or even as part of the induction and line management training process.
• Create Change Champions. Whether you label a small group of people as your dedicated team on the menopause or not, it can certainly help to have the reflections and insights of a number of professionals who may want to help you shape that workplace approach. Remember to include those who are partners of those experiencing the menopause, and those who are yet to reach this point in their life.
• Risk Assess and Identify Adjustments. Once you have greater knowledge about the symptoms and the likely impact on an individual of the menopause, it’s time to look at how you risk assess the implication on certain roles. Are there things which a person experiencing the menopause may now find more difficult to do? Equally, look at what reasonable adjustments could be applied for someone who is going through the menopause. What tasks could be tweaked or swapped out, without it causing that person embarrassment or frustration?
• Strengthen a Communication Culture. All employees should feel they have the ability to speak up about how they are treated or what they are feeling. Ensure that it is clear to your staff – at all ranks – that their views will be heard, respected, and treated confidentially. Let them know what options there are for having a conversation with a professional other than the immediate line manager or head-of-business.
• Reflect Menopause Experience in Performance Management. How you would normally evaluate a staff member’s performance or effectiveness may indeed change during a period in which they are experiencing the menopause. Consider this in your existing performance management activity, and ensure all line managers and leaders are aware of such factors.

For more information and to get key tools to help you go the MAD-HR Menopause toolkit.

Image provided by MAD-HR

Washroom management has the potential to be very time consuming and expensive. From general cleanliness to ordering and maintaining stock levels of consumables, it’s labour intensive and not the best use of your company’s resources, particularly if you have several bathrooms in your building. Here are our top five reasons for outsourcing washroom supplies:

Getting to the bottom of washroom supplies

Procurement isn’t going to thank you for adding bathroom essentials such as paper towels and toilet rolls to the list of items that they have to price research and purchase on a regular basis. When you add soap, moisturisers, alcohol gels, sanitary products and all the other restroom must-haves, it makes sense to outsource to a company you can rely on to provide quality products at reasonable prices.

Stay one step ahead of the germs

We all know that bathrooms are havens for germs and nasties, including MRSA, salmonella, and norovirus, so it’s imperative that you have a rigorous cleaning schedule in place. If you can keep these contaminants at bay, just think how much money you can save from avoided sick absences! It’s not just about cleaning though, ensuring there is always soap available and paper towels for hand drying, or better, still an automatic hand dryer will encourage better hygiene. By outsourcing the supply of these items, you will be free to get on with what you do best.

Keep it green

Outsourcing to a company which cares about the environment allows you to maintain your high CSR standards. At Monthind, we have specifically selected a range of paper and soap products which are user-friendly and give a quality image to your premises. Our carefully sourced paper products are made from at least 90% recycled fibre, and our soap products are fully water soluble and degradable.

Hand over the maintenance

If you have soap dispensers, sanitary product dispensers or similar equipment make sure you outsource the maintenance too. From checking stock levels and refilling to replacing broken items, you shouldn’t have to give it a moment’s thought.  Monthind can supply and fit product dispensers in your premises, as well as ensuring prompt replacement of any broken or damaged dispensers.  Our cleaning staff will replenish your dispensers as part of their cleaning duties and ensure regular stock supplies are ordered. Monthind is also able to supply all types of washroom paper products, hand-cleaners and soaps, alcohol gels, detergents, dishwashing products, refuse sacks, bin liners and vending cups.

Adding those special touches to give a good impression

You may be surprised how much weight people put on the cleanliness of a bathroom. From choosing a restaurant to eat at or a company to give your business to, dirty washrooms with poor facilities and supplies are often an instant turn-off. Whether it’s the latest paper towel dispenser, quality toilet paper, or the pleasant aroma from an automated air freshener, it doesn’t take much to give a good impression of your organisation.   

To find out more about our services and how we can help you, call us on 01206 215300.     

A Greater Anglia podcast series which takes people on an audible journey around East Anglia has won a top national award.

‘Lives On The Lines’ – developed by Greater Anglia and its community rail partnerships – received a Bronze Award for the Best Branded Podcast at the British Podcast Awards.

The series – which can be found at smarturl.it/livesonthelines – invites listeners to take an audible journey to discover majestic coastlines, the phenomenal wildlife of broads and fens, breathtaking cathedral cities and magical market towns of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk – and meet the people that make them such unique and special places to live, work and visit.

Special guests include Hugh Somerleyton, who discusses his ambition for rewilding a large area of the region through the WildEast movement, Laura Howarth, Archaeology and Engagement Manager at National Trust Sutton Hoo, who explains how the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial on the site revolutionised our understanding of early England, Dr David Waterhouse, Senior Curator of Natural History & Geology at Norfolk Museums Service who reveals the secrets of North Norfolk’s fossil-rich deep history coast, and Mark Bills, Director of Gainsborough’s House Museum, who sheds light on the life and work of one of England’s greatest landscape painters, Thomas Gainsborough.

They are joined by local tour guides, museum curators and some of Greater Anglia’s volunteer station adopters, who share their experiences of living and working in the region and help to tell the story of each county’s unique landscape, culture and history and divulge some of its secrets.

Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said, “We teamed up with our community rail partnerships to make this podcast because we wanted to showcase the amazing people and places that make this region so special.

We are delighted it has been recognised with an award and hope that it will inspire people to come aboard and discover the wonders of East Anglia for themselves sustainably by train and could even be used like a guided audio tour as the scenery rolls by.”

“On behalf of Greater Anglia and our community rail partnerships, I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make this series possible, especially all the guest collaborators who have helped to build a fascinating insight into our region.”

There are six episodes in total covering six of Greater Anglia’s branch lines that are supported by a community rail partnership.

They are the Hereward Line between Ely and Peterborough, the Bittern Line between Norwich and Sheringham, the Wherry Lines between Norwich and Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft, the East Suffolk Lines between Ipswich and Lowestoft / Felixstowe, the Gainsborough Line between Marks Tey and Sudbury and the Mayflower Line between Manningtree and Harwich.

The podcasts were created by Fresh Air Production and are produced and narrated by Katherine Kerr.

Greater Anglia has another podcast series, Life on Rails, which gives listeners a behind the scenes look at the company with interviews with members of staff and a special guest in every episode who is sent on a rail journey in East Anglia.

Life on Rails, also produced by Fresh Air Productions, can be found on all podcast platforms and at greateranglia.co.uk/podcast.

Photo credit Greater Anglia