Our gardener is out today getting the gardens ready so it looks lovely for you all when you arrive next time you come and see us… we cannot wait until the new hanging baskets arrive, they make the entrance looking beautiful!
We will keep you posted with updates and photos so you can see what is “bloomin” in our gardens this Summer!
Melton Constable, North Norfolk: The Directors of Structure-flex Limited are delighted to confirm that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that Structure-flex be awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade this year.
The award was conferred on Her Majesty’s Birthday, Sunday 21st April 2013.
Established in 1970, Structure-flex Limited is a subsidiary of Resolute Corporate Holdings Limited, an independent family owned group of companies. It manufactures high frequency welded flexible bulk containers, commercial vehicle curtains, crane testing bags, and liquid tanks. A first time winner of this Award, Structure-flex has increased its export sales by over 250% in the last three financial years.
Whilst Structure-flex Limited has consistently secured a significant proportion of international business within its total trading activity, in recent years its strong links to the worldwide oil and gas sector in particular, have been a key factor in delivering Award winning performance. The main markets are North America, the Middle East and Europe.
The company’s focus continues to be on developing long life products for demanding applications, using sound design, quality and innovation to differentiate itself from its global competition. For example the recent development of 50 tonne and 100 tonne crane test bags has secured a market leading position in what is technically a very demanding world market. In addition the Company has developed business models for using these products which have enabled its trading partners in North America and the Middle East to build significant market share.
In confirming this announcement, Structure-flex’s Ian Doughty said: “It is a huge honour to be selected to receive this prestigious Award against strong competition, and it is a testament to the hard work and commitment put in by our loyal staff to deliver quality products and service to our worldwide customer base. We also appreciate the valued contribution our customers and suppliers have made to our success. At Structure-flex, our strategy has always been to focus on our proven strengths in solutions based product innovation and our continued investment in the latest manufacturing technologies in our core capabilities. This will continue to be the case.”
Ian Doughty went on to say: “In addition to our growth in traditional bulk packaging markets, demand for our digital print commercial vehicle curtains following our substantial investment in this technology last year, continues to increase.”
-ends-
Note to editors: Structure-flex Limited is one of the UK’s most successful providers of specialised packaging solutions to the world’s food, chemical and oil and gas industries, and a leading supplier of vehicle tension curtains.
For further information and enquiries contact:
Matthew Doughty Structure-flex Ltd Tel: 01263 863100
An awful lot of small businesses could be in for a nasty shock unless they start seriously planning for IT upgrades over the next 12 to 24 months. There are many small businesses out there that are still using Windows Small Business Server to run a single server in their organisation, and in many cases it’s quite possibly an aging server. It’s probably running something like Windows Small Business Server 2003. And in their office, they’re probably running Windows XP. According to figures, 35-37% of computers are still running Windows XP, and an awful lot of those are still in businesses.
To give you the facts, Windows Small Business Server 2003 support ends in July of 2015. So you’ve got two years to plan an upgrade. With Windows XP, support ends in a year’s time, in April 2014.
Now, what’s the significance of that? Well, if you’re running a Windows Small Business Server and you want to upgrade, the latest version of Microsoft Windows, that’s Windows Server 2012, there is no equivalent Small Business Server product to what you’re currently using. Windows Server 2012 is available in a couple of different versions. The small business version, if you like. Windows Server 2012 Essentials, is designed for businesses of up to 25 users, and it doesn’t contain an email product. Microsoft are expecting you to combine Windows Server 2012 Essentials with Office 365, which is their hosted email and office product
For businesses larger than 25 users, well you’re stuck with the full version of Windows Server 2012. Again, what Microsoft expects small businesses to do is to combine Windows Server 2012 with an Office 365 subscription.
If you’re a business that is currently using Small Business Server and you have your own onsite email server and you want to be able to do that in Windows Server 2012, you’re going to have to combine a Windows Server 2012 license with a full license for Microsoft Exchange Server with the appropriate user licenses as well. That works out far more expensive than buying a traditional small business server product. So what you’re going to find is there’s going to be an awful lot of businesses who are going to be enticed by the allure and pricing benefits of moving to Office 365.
What may not be immediately obvious is that moving to Office 365 has some hidden upgrade implications of its own – how so? Well Office 365 customers are currently going through an automated upgrade to the latest ‘2013’ versions of the software making up your chosen plan (e.g. Exchange 2013; Lync 2013 etc). For those businesses whose Office 365 plan includes desktop Office software, this means you have to upgrade Office ProPlus on each of your computers to the latest version (confusingly called Office 365 ProPlus – but basically Office 2013). Not so bad? Maybe, oh but did I mention that Office 365 ProPlus requires your computer to be running at least Windows 7? If that isn’t enough – as a final nudge from Microsoft to move you away from your old Windows XP machine – if you don’t upgrade to Office 365 ProPlus by April 8th 2014 your current subscription version of Office will go into a ‘reduced-functionality mode’, effectively preventing you from doing anything but looking at your documents.
Now, Office 2013 can’t be installed on a Windows XP Server or on a Windows XP desktop. So what you’re going to find is there’s an awful lot of businesses out there with old software that are going to have to go through a transition in the next 12 months, of upgrading desktop machines to either Windows 7 or Windows 8 and upgrading their small business server to a Windows Server 2012 product, probably with Office 365.
That’s a great deal of change for most businesses, and they really need to start planning for it now, both in terms of cost and impact. You may be using some applications that aren’t going to work with Office 365. If that’s the case, then you really need to plan for it now.
Contact Breakwater IT if we can help you in any way in relation to these changes. We offer IT Support in Nowich, Norfolk and beyond. Call us now 01603 709300
The Brook Hotel, Norwich has recently appointed a new management team to get the Hotel on the map as one of Norfolk’s finest! Gareth Stone and Sarah Jones join forces to make this happen…
Gareth Stone joined the Hotel at the end of 2012 as General Manager, Gareth has always worked in the Hotel industry and has a chain/branded hotel background offering a very structered way of working which is sure to see the Hotel’s already highly improved standards continuing to climb! Gareth has already seen great improvements in the bedrooms, restaurant and conferencing standards.
Sarah Jones joined this month as Sales Manager, Sarah has worked in the Hotel and Sales industries since school and has a background in smaller privately owned hotels with some corporate sales training from some time in Estate Agency. Sarah plans to get the hotel on the map and everyone talking about it.
“The Brook Hotel has some really great features with a beautifullounge bar andrestaurant, capability of up to 6 event suites or one large suite for up to 200 people, gardens and of course the bedrooms and not enough people know about themand take advantage of this lovely hotel which is ideally situated for the A47, city centre and Norwich International Airport”
The owners who purchased the hotel 3 years ago have already invested over £500’000 and there is still more being done… so watch this space!
Dear Chamber Members
Special Offer . . . sponsor a corporate duck in the Grand Norwich Duck Race in August for just £80. . . normal price£100.
This is a great opportuity to promote your organisation to over 1,00 people and other corporates. You can provide your banner for thebanks of the River Wensum, outside the Ribs of Beef Public House, and we hvae a strong presence on facebook and twitter where we will aslo promote your involvement.
We provide you with everything you need – you get a large duck to decorate as you wish and acrylic paints – but you just need imagination!
Please contact me on 07826 893368 or email sarah.bunn@break-charity.org for more information
If you are an SME with aspirations to save money through energy, water or waste efficiency measures or technologies then the Grants4Growth programme can help. A much wider range of interventions then you perhaps think can potentially be funded including;
If there is a more efficient alternative to what is currently in use then it is likely that funding can be made available to assist with the capital expenditure.
Equally if you are a Low Carbon and Environmental Products and Services SME company then a small revenue grants fund is available to assist with marketing and promotional activities.
Both ERDF funding streams are subject to eligibility criteria and approval of a Grants Panel. Grants of up to 28% for capital expenditure and up to 30% revenue expenditure are available. Typical grants range from £1,000 to anything up to £20,000 depending on the total cost and whether jobs are secured and created as result.
Specialist Business Brokers are employed by the programme to assist SME’s with checking their eligibility and suitability, and completing the application forms required.
Within the first 8 weeks of the programme businesses have already benefited and many others are in the process of applying for grants. The programme runs until 31st March 2015.
If you are not sure whether your proposed investment qualifies or just want to know what we can fund then please get in touch for an informal chat. If suitable then one of our Busines Brokers can come and see you and talk you through the simple application process.
Patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions in Norfolk are set to get more support following the opening of a new centre.
Officials and supporters from the Norwich and district branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society gathered yesterday for an open day at their new base, which will provide a range of support, treatment and therapy services. The official opening of the £250,000 centre, near Norwich International Airport, follows 12 years of fundraising by volunteers and an extensive search to find larger premises in the Norwich area. The facility replaces the branch’s cramped headquarters in Witard Road and was funded solely on local fundraising and donations. Officials from the MS Society branch hope to double their membership, which currently stands at 400 people from across Norfolk, with the opening of the centre at Iceni Court in Alkmaar Way, which has consulting and therapy rooms as well as educational facilities and a meeting place. Diane Proctor, head of service development at the MS Society branch, said the centre would make a huge difference to patients, particularly when a stair lift is installed and the first floor of the building is fully operational. “It has taken so long and I am absolutely thrilled. “We have built some strong relationships with colleagues at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and colleagues at social services so patients get the best deal,” she said. The venue was officially opened by Jeff Cochius, clinical director of neurology at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with Norwich’s Lord Mayor Ralph Gayton also attending. Dr Cochius said the last 12 years had been a “roller coaster” of emotions for the volunteers and it had been a “monumental task” to get the centre opened. The centre received the support of Norfolk adult social services, MS Society, Norfolk and Waveney NHS, and Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust. For more information, contact the centre on 01603 488561 or email mscentrenorwich@gmail.com.
Steeles Law is celebrating the launch of a brand new service. The firm has appointed human resources specialist Sarah Turner to head Education HR, an HR support service designed especially for schools. The service is the first of its kind to be delivered by a solicitors’ firm in Norfolk.
Education HR is a bespoke service aimed at schools, academies and other educational institutions. It builds on the success of Steeles Law’s commercial services which have assisted a growing number of local schools in the academy conversion process. The service includes unlimited telephone/email support; providing advice on topics such as redundancy, disciplinary procedures, grievance, discrimination complaints, maternity advice and absence management. Based on their needs, clients will pay a fixed fee each month.
Sarah Turner joins Steeles Law from a national legal firm, where she provided customer-focused HR consultancy services and advice on complex employment matters, mainly to schools and the not-for-profit sector. Sarah’s HR background spans the private, public and voluntary sectors, including experience within the NHS and education environment. “Our new service has been specifically designed to assist schools and, in the longer term, small to medium-sized businesses, helping them to address and resolve day-to-day HR issues”, Sarah explains. “As we are local, we can provide on-site support. Our aim is to initially meet with the client and conduct an audit of areas such as employment contracts and policies, or discuss any specific problem areas or concerns they may have. From there, we can agree a bespoke service agreement that perfectly suits their particular needs.”
Steeles Law will also be developing a similar service for small to medium-sized businesses to complement the work undertaken by the firm’s talented employment law team, which works with employers throughout the region and beyond.
Oliver Brabbins, head of the employment team at Steeles Law, said: “Workplace issues and administration can be hugely time-consuming and worrying for many businesses and educational establishments. We’re here to provide organisations that aren’t large enough to employ a full time HR professional with the peace of mind that comes with having an HR specialist on their team. If our clients face more complicated issues that require the input of a lawyer, we can provide a seamless approach by bringing in a member of our employment law team. The HR support services we are planning to offer really do reassure employers and allow them to get on with what they do best – running their business.”
The launch of Education HR coincides with the relocation of Steeles Law’s head office to Number 2, The Norwich Business Park. The firm is consolidating its two premises at The Norwich Business Park to create a single Norwich base.
“Because two of our private client teams have recently moved to our Diss Office we’re now in the position where all our Norwich staff can be under the same roof,” explains Managing Principal, Stephen Drake. “We’re excited about this move as it will enable us to bring people together more often; sharing ideas and best practice and ensuring we continue to provide our clients with exceptional customer service.”
For all enquiries, Steeles Law’s main phone number will continue to be 01603 598000. For further information on Education HR or Steeles Law’s HR support service for businesses, please contact Sarah Turner.
In the case of Prest v Prest the Husband a successful oil tycoon was estimated to be worth circa £37.5 million. The couple were married for 18 years and had 4 teenage children. They had lived a comfortable lifestyle throughout the marriage with the Husband drawing from his business what he needed as and when he needed it. Unsurprisingly, when it came to the divorce the husband was not very accommodating to the wife’s request for a settlement proportional to his wealth.
The husband was ordered to pay a settlement of £17.5 million to the wife . This was based upon 11 properties held by the companies being transferred to the wife. The judge ruled that he regarded the Husband as entitled to these properties as they fell within his control to be transferred in this way.
This outcome was appealed by the companies and two commercial judges held on the facts of the case the previous Judge had been wrong in concluding the husband was beneficially entitled to the properties. Company law makes it clear that a company is a legal entity is independent of the shareholders. Ownership of the company by the husband did not justify the piercing of the corporate veil to remove assets, even in Divorce! The Courts did recognise a distinction between an asset held by the company on trust or on behalf of a nominated third party .Such as in Prest case the former matrimonial home was held in a trust for the husband and this asset could be transferred to the wife.
The matter has now been further appealed by the wife and the judgement from the Supreme court is expected anytime now.
In the absence of a successful appeal there is a real issue here for wives whose husbands lock up their property assets within the companies they own and run. A company could be a safer vehicle to use for a husband than a pre or post nuptial agreement. The law appears to give a director/shareholder a wall behind to hide or preserve wealth and prevents access through the company wall by arguing that “fairness” shall apply.
Cynically wives need to be warned at the start of their union and husbands will make use of the potential protection a company can offer to them. We await seeing what the Supreme Court decides but this might herald a new age of divorce law. London may well lose it’s title as the wife’s divorce capital of the world if savvy director spouses start to place their property assets within the companies they run.
For more information please contact Ginny Colman a senior associate in the family and matrimonial team of leading East of England law firm Birketts based in Norwich atginny-colman@birketts.co.uk
Ginny undertakes all aspects of family work specialising in high net worth financial cases involving pension and company issues. She also advises on cohabitation disputes and children issues. Ginny has four years experience as a collaborative lawyer giving her clients the choice to resolve their difficulties in a non-contentious manner.
Last year saw the demise of the Business Link advisors, so in response to this the Business Shaper Group have introduced a voucher scheme to help businesses gain free impartial, practical advice to help them not only survive in this hard economic environment, but look to grow their organisation.
In the recent Budget the Chancellor mentioned that it is the SME companies that will be increasingly pivotal in the UK economy. With East Anglia being the largest concentration of these businesses. That is why the Business Shaper Group have chosen this part of the UK to trail this scheme.
Gary Douglas-Beet commented “the Business Shaper Group is passionate about helping companies make small changes that will affect there business in a big way – they just need a fresh perspective and that is where these vouchers can really help“.
We find that there is a drought of hands on practical advice for the small company, and we know that having to deal with not only trying to run their company, but to deal with finances, staff, sales and marketing, together with all the other challenges facing a small company. That is where the Business Shaper Group can help; we can work with individuals and small teams to implement steps that will show immediate results.
What is a Business Shaper Group Voucher? They are one hour sessions where you will have the opportunity to discuss issues, problems or opportunities you have in your business.
Why call us today to book in your first session? If you …
Call the Business Shaper Group now to find out how to obtain these vouchers 01953 605521 or voucher@businesss-shaper.co.uk
Great Yarmouth-based international energy services company Proserv has officially launched a global research and development (R&D) hub in Norway to design innovative subsea controls and communications technologies.
This new group strengthens Proserv’s rapidly evolving international infrastructure in support of its subsea production systems business which includes facilities in the UK providing subsea systems test and assembly in Aberdeenshire and subsea controls systems design & manufacture in Norfolk.
This state-of-the-art R&D facility at Trondheim, Norway, represents a significant investment for the company and features an advanced electronics workshop spanning 500 sq m², a technology showroom for demonstrations and 1100 sq m² of office space for 50 new offices.
Chief executive officer at Proserv, David Lamont, said: “The R&D facility represents another major milestone in Proserv’s exceptional growth story. The centre will serve as a global hub for all of our subsea communications & controls R&D activities, which are at the core of our business, and where we will develop fit-for-purpose systems and solutions that are reliable, efficient and delivered in an ingeniously simple way for clients around the world.
“As Norway’s capital of technology, Trondheim was a natural fit for our R&D hub. It is home to The Norwegian University of Science and Technology and SINTEF, the largest independent research institute in Scandinavia, plus there is a large presence of energy companies based in the city.
“New technology is the life-blood of Proserv and through the work of our talented engineering team in Trondheim, we aim to expand the Group’s R&D capabilities. Some of the most exciting developments we are currently involved with are in the subsea controls and communications market and we see demand for these products and services growing significantly.
“In line with Proserv’s R&D plans, we are continually recruiting talented people to support our order pipeline and expanding technology portfolio, further reinforcing our commitment to growth and prosperity globally.”
The County Mayor of Trondheim, Tore Sandvik, who joined representatives of Norway’s business and energy community to mark the launch of Proserv’s facility, said: “It is of immense value to the city of Trondheim that companies like Proserv choose to place their global research centre here. Large investments like this create new opportunities for our technical community here in Trondheim, and demonstrate that Norway really is at the forefront of new technological innovations globally.”
Proserv is recognised for its innovations. The Trondheim team developed Proserv’s Seahawk™ in-situ video surveillance system, a ground-breaking technology for environmental monitoring including retrofit on brownfield subsea installations.
The technology can be installed on a subsea Christmas tree or manifold to provide visual monitoring of potential leakages. High-quality video is taken by the camera which uses image analysis to detect gas leakages. It can provide an automatic warning through the customer’s SCADA system and alerts the operations team to use the Seahawk™ to focus in on the area of concern without the need of subsea intervention. The Seahawk™ was developed as a permanent alternative to the costly and time-consuming method of deploying remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) subsea for the monitoring of assets offshore.
Proserv, which is headquartered in Westhill, Aberdeenshire, is a leading global provider of production technology services to the energy industry. The company operates worldwide from 30 sites in six geographical regions namely North UK & Africa, South UK & Europe, Scandinavia, the Americas, Middle East & North Africa and the Far East & Australia and currently employs over 1,700 people globally.
Sarah Jones looks forward to looking after your corporate acccommodation and event requirements here at The Brook Hotel.
Sarah joined the hotel on Monday 8th April to help bring the hotel forward and make sure you are all thinking of the Brook Hotel for all of your accommodation and event requirements in the future.
If you would like any details or would like to speak to Sarah why not contact her today by email to sales@brookhotel.co.uk or on 07436162697.
Gareth Stone also joined the Hotel 6 months ago as General Manager, Gareth has already made lots of changes to bring the hotel standards to a high level and our event suites and bedrooms up too… Gareth looks forward to meeting you next time you use the hotel!