PMG e-Newsletter Edition #38 3

rd December 2012

Summary of Contents –

I News Page

PMG publishes its annual health check survey 2 Supply chain directory for the Offshore Wind and Marine Energy sector 2 £40m fund launched for high-growth businesses 2 Local government chief slams Heseltine report 2 Fire/police charity scam 3 Cornwall & I of S LEP – Non Executive Director Vacancy – Application deadline 5th December 3 Plymouth University and Western Morning News’ 3rd round Regional Growth Fund success 3 New style PMG website – make sure your firm is included! 3 Other News in Brief 4 Awards open for entry 4

II Business to Business including grants & funding 0% Landfill arrives in Plymouth! 4 Manufacturing growth through funding for online shops 4 Document Management - Archiving/Scanning on demand 5 Government to postpone 2015 Business Rate Revaluation until 2017 5 Company Profiles of Potential Overseas Partners 5

III Events, Training Courses & Other Information

Supporting Manufacturing in the South West - Plymouth University – slides available 6 The RWE Offshore Energy Supply Chain event 5 Dec 2012 Exeter 09:00-16.00 Sandy Park. 6 Nuclear New Build at Hinkley C - Contract Opportunities - Thursday 6th December 6 The Great British Supply Chain - 11th Dec - 7.30am breakfast & registration at BAWA Bristol 6 MAS Skills Workshop - Process Mapping 09:30am 11th 2012 at Petroc College, Barnstaple 7 Semta Siemens Magnet Technology Factory Tour 10:00- 15:30 12th Dec Eynsham, Oxfordshire 7 The R&D Cashback Roadshow – Thursday 13th Dec 09:30am – 3:30pm, FREE event Exeter Racecourse. 7 MAS Lean Leader Programme. Venue: Fairford Electronics, Lee Mill Industrial Estate, Ivybridge 7 H&S NEBOSH Diploma with Cornwall College Business (CCB), Mon 28th Jan 2013, Plymouth 8 Photonics West 2013 - Tue 05 Feb 2013 until Thu 07 Feb 2013 - The Moscone Centre, California 8 Get Hired - The Plymouth Herald exhibition – Wed 6th Feb 2013 – 10am – 8pm at the Plymouth Guildhall 8 Meet the Funders FREE seminar for South West businesses in The Innovation Centre, University of Exeter 9.45am-3.20pm Thursday, 7th February 2013

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BAE Systems Maritime Science and Technology Conference - 7th February 2013 8 City College Plymouth, Technology, Engineering and Construction Open Day - Saturday 9 February 2013 - 10.00am - 1.00pm at Kings Road.

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Leadership and Business Management - University College Marjon Plymouth 9 Other Courses/Events 9

IV Requests for Assistance & Corporate Social Responsibility Matters Update on last month’s plea from Lipson School - we have a result! 9 Vacancy for a Trustee at the University of Plymouth Students’ Union 9 DDRC (Diving Diseases Research Centre) Fundraising - Christmas Tea & Tour - Tuesday 18th December, 2.30pm-4.00pm Chamber tours from 3.00pm

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V Consultations, Surveys & Calls for Evidence No consultations this month 10 Other surveys Executive Education Centre, Plymouth Business School Survey - £50 prize! – Still Open 10

VI Economic News; Newsletters, Briefings & Articles 10 Other sites of interest to manufacturers 11 Disclaimer 12

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"Business confidence continues to be undermined by uncertainty over events in Europe and the fast-approaching US fiscal cliff. However, we expect UK growth to pick-up somewhat in 2013 as this uncertainty gradually subsides and global growth increases." Anna Leach, head of economic analysis at the CBI.

I News

PMG publishes its annual health check survey

1. The PMG published its latest annual health check survey at its recent meeting with the Bank of England. For a copy – click here .The survey results are based on responses from over fifty per cent of the membership. The results quoted are weighted (by turnover) to reflect the size of member – e.g. a firm that is twice the size of another carries twice the weighting (unless indicated otherwise). The overall situation this year is ‘mixed’ with more downside than last year. The following summary is a statement of the ‘typical’ position of a member firm this year. As such, it almost certainly doesn’t apply in totality to any single firm but all will recognise many of its features: • Although an increase in turnover is the norm, a quarter saw a decrease. • Sales prices have risen. • Output has risen. • The current order book position is mixed with less than half showing an increase in absolute

terms (down from two-thirds last year). • Export orders are up but not as buoyant as last year. • Capital utilisation is stable. Virtually everyone has spare capacity averaging 20%. • Raw material prices are up for the majority, but falling or are stable for some. • Margins are either increasing or stable. • Cuts in headcount are as common as increases. • Pay rates have risen by an average of just over 2% with the most common award being 3%. • The headcount forecast has slightly improved on its position last year. • The capex position has weakened this year. • Capex forecasts for next year show a mixed picture. Once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey.

Supply chain directory for the Offshore Wind and Marine Energy sector 2. Regen SW, the renewable energy experts, have published the 6th edition of their pocket sized supply

chain directory for the Offshore Wind and Marine Energy sector. The guide features over 350 south west companies from manufacturing (including many PMG members) through to professional services who have expertise and capability which will be needed to support the growing offshore sector. The directory, which also highlights the test and research facilities available across the region, will be widely distributed to technology developers, investors, international businesses and offshore energy developers to promote the south west. Click - here

£40m fund launched for high-growth businesses 3. A new £40m fund has been launched for small and medium-sized businesses in the science,

technology and engineering industries. The new fund, Longwall Ventures ECF, is the 12th Enterprise Capital Fund and comprises £25m of government investment and £15m from private investors. The fund will invest in funding rounds of up to £2m to support high growth businesses in the science, technology and engineering sectors. The government's investment is to be managed by Capital for Enterprise Ltd, the government's investment company. Business minister Michael Fallon has announced details of the fund during a speech at the Investing for Success: The SEIS briefing, at the London Stock Exchange, where entrepreneurs discussed the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) which aims to encourage investors to put their money into new businesses by offering tax breaks. Fallon said: "The new £40m Enterprise Capital Fund will address a gap in the market and help our small businesses find the finance they need to realise their potential."

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Local government chief slams Heseltine report 4. A local government chief has criticised Lord Heseltine's report, published last month, into growth

policy for wanting to place too much power in the hands of businesses at the expense of democratically-elected councils. Lord Heseltine's report, called for business-led local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to be given control of the equivalent of £12 billion each year of central government funding and also for directly-elected city region mayors. Box said: "When he [Heseltine] talks about strong local leadership, the subtext is - what he wants is business running things, not strong local democratic leadership which is why we still have the obsession with mayors. Now he's saying people don't understand so we should impose it. And this is from somebody talking about devolved decisions." Box warned about LEPs taking on powers to deliver services and said they should be strategic vehicles.

Fire/police charity scam 5. A timely reminder from John Hawkin of Invensys to all members of the PMG.

‘It’s that time of year again! I’ve received the annual scam phone call from a company purporting to support Fire & Police service charities by placing an advert on our behalf in a security magazine. They usually open with ‘thanks for supporting the services last year, can I count upon your support this year also?’ This will be followed by an email with an advert (usually a straight copy from a trade publication) and an invoice – likely to be as high as £2k if they think they can get away with it! I usually ask them to provide company details so I can forward them to Trading Standards – the contact stops at that point!! Would you be able to warn the members to be aware of this?’ Thanks, Regards, John Hawkin, Plant Controller, Plymouth & Nuremberg, Invensys Controls

Cornwall & IofS LEP – Non Executive Director Vacancy – Application deadline 5th December *this week*

6. ‘Please find below details of a vacancy on the Cornwall Local Enterprise Partnership Board which I would be grateful if you could circulate to any colleagues that you feel may be interested. We are looking for another Board Director from the private or voluntary sector to join our 12 strong Board, currently comprising 7 private/voluntary sector Directors and 5 public sector directors. During the summer, one of the original private sector Board Directors, Joe Keohane resigned from the Board after being appointed as the Financial Director of CORMAC Solutions Ltd, an arm’s length company of Cornwall Council. We wish to thank Joe for his contribution to the Board and wish him luck for the future’. For more details click - here

Plymouth University and Western Morning News’ 3rd round Regional Growth Fund success – Head’s Up - Watch this Space! 7. ‘As you may be aware the University and Western Morning News’ bid to the 3rd round of RGF was

successful and we have a conditional offer of grant for £3.9M. Short summary: it’s a delegated grant scheme making awards of between £25k and £125k in individual SMEs from within the 2 peninsula LEP areas (Cornwall, Devon & Somerset) for capital or revenue projects that will directly and verifiably create jobs. It will run to 31 Mar 2015, with the final awards being made Mar / Apr 2014. There’s a way to go yet before we get our final offer letter and we’re working with BIS on that, but, at present, I would like to have the Fund open for Expressions of Interest before Christmas, with a target of making the first awards in late March / early April. Part of what made the predecessor scheme successful was our ability to generate a lot of demand so we had a certain ‘competitive pressure’ in the applicant pipeline. We’re keen to repeat that and I’m planning to run a series of workshop and briefing type sessions for businesses across the patch, starting in Jan / Feb (by which time we will hopefully have sorted out our offer conditions with BIS)’. Simon Mallett, Research Manager – Innovation.

New style PMG website – make sure your firm is included! www.plymouthmanufacturers.co.uk 8. Did you know the PMG website is visited over two and a half thousand times every month? Thanks to

Martin Hosking of Kawasaki Precision Machinery we are using a new scrolled design which shows visitors who our members are – why not take a look? To be included, please send me your logo and an image of your choice and I’ll ask Martin to add your firm to the opening sequence.

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Other News in Brief • The 2012 Best of the Best KTP Awards took place last week - with the best Knowledge Transfer

Partnership going to Devon-based manufacturer Helitune, the University of Bristol and associates Steve Pollard and Richard Hunt. Click - here

• Green Investment Bank opens for business- The government's flagship £3bn Green Investment Bank (GIB) has made its first investment since its inception, providing cash to an energy-from-waste project. Its first investment is £8m to a Teesside scheme through fund manager Greensphere Capital, with the government stating this is part of an £80m spending programme for small waste projects. Click - here

• Nationwide to start SME lending in 2014 - Swindon-headquartered building society Nationwide has revealed it is to start lending to small and medium-sized businesses in 2014. Nationwide, which is the UK's largest mutual building society, hinted at its plans to enter the small business lending market earlier this year and it has now confirmed these plans are "progressing well".

• Devon councils to pool rates - Eleven councils in Devon are to pool the rates paid by businesses in their areas which is set to keep more than £20m in the county. Devon County Council is working with authorities in the county after signing up to the government's new business rates retention scheme which enables councils to keep up to 50 per cent of the rates they collect from their own areas. If the pool system had not been agreed, the money would have gone directly to the government for distribution around the country. It is estimated that £23m would have been lost to the county if the scheme had not been passed. The 11 councils which have signed up to the pool include Devon County Council, South Hams, Teignbridge, West Devon and Torbay and Plymouth.

• Semta conference reveals one in four school leavers needed for engineering careers - With 2.2 million new engineering employees needed over the next 10 years or so to fuel industry growth and replace people retiring, one in four school leavers will need to take up engineering careers.

• City College Plymouth is celebrating after being awarded its best grade for a decade – click here • Tate & Lyle to launch £30m start-up fund - Sugar and sweetener maker Tate & Lyle is set to

launch a £30m venture capital fund to invest in food science startups and expansion-stage companies. The eight-year fund is aimed at developed and emerging markets and builds on the business' existing venture fund activities. The new fund will be formally launched on 1 January 2013 and will be independently led and managed by Simon Barnes and David Atkinson.

• Cameron announces reform of judicial review process - Objectors' rights to mount legal challenges to projects they oppose are to be restricted in an effort to speed up development and boost economic growth, the Prime Minister announced in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). He also pledged to reduce the time taken by government to consult on policies and to streamline European legislation with the aim of getting new railways and roads built quicker.

Awards open for entry • None this month

II Business to Business – including grants & funding

0% Landfill arrives in Plymouth! 9. (Message from Steve Whiteway) ‘Devon Contract Waste, Devon's largest and longest established

independent environmental solutions provider is very pleased to announce that after a £4 million investment, now have the first zero landfill waste processing centre in Devon. This will mean zero landfill tax and we are able to fix your prices from 1-3 years. This is now open to all Plymouth and surrounding businesses who are fed up with ever rising prices and using contractors who bury their waste.....there is now a cost effective environmental alternative and our staff are waiting to take your enquiries. Please contact me on steve.whiteway@dcw.co.uk and please visit our website which is www.dcw.co.uk or give me a call on 07581735806’. Steve Whiteway, Environmental Services Manager, Plymouth Area New Business Direct and Broker Division.

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Manufacturing growth through funding for online shops

10. Daneswood, an Exeter-based web development company, recently helped a Devon manufacturer make the successful transition to an eCommerce website. The site received part-funding for eCommerce from SWMAS, who currently have funding available specifically for online shops as a route to business growth. The funding is due to continue into 2013. The manufacturer was an established family business who realised that their website was not reflecting the pedigree of their company. More importantly they were losing out to a rival company that consisted of a few men in a warehouse, who had a website that made them look bigger and more able to service clients than they were. The business focus for investing in a redesign and development of their website was to convey the heritage of their business and sell their products (marine valves) online. They wanted to attract new customers without alienating old ones, and make all the valve data easily available online so buyers could decide which products to buy and why, for bespoke orders as well as direct sales. Therefore the site needed to function as a marketing tool and an online product brochure. Daneswood helped the client with consideration on what is needed to make the transition to online selling and the benefits they can derive from it. Daneswood is 9 years old and has developed over 220 sites, working with many manufacturers including Centrax. For further information/advice on making the transition to eCommerce call Clare at Daneswood on 01392 248 365, clare@daneswood.co.uk or www.daneswood.co.uk

Document Management - Archiving/Scanning on demand

11. (Message from Julie Mazzoni - Centre Manager - QuickStore Saltash). ‘Quickstore was established in 1989 and now has over 1,200 customers renting space from us; we also manage documents and services for numerous large clients including many from the legal industry. We are members of the Self-Storage Association, Data Protection compliant, all our staff are CRB checked and we have attained ISO 9001. (Our centre in Cornwall has only recently opened and is currently applying for ISO 9001.) Staffed by a small and enthusiastic team we focus on tailoring our service to our client’s needs, we like to get things right and efficiently deliver a service which is value for money. Archiving - why not let us collect your documents, free up that valuable office space, from as little as 10p per box, per week. We can even come to your office and box it all up for you! Need access to your file, no problem, give us 24 hrs notice and it will be back on your desk. Your own personal, searchable database will be provided, free of charge. Scan on demand - any file will be scanned within 24 hrs of request and sent to a secure site for your electronic retrieval. Please give us call if you would like more information or, just send a message by return’. Tel: 0845 1300 994

Government to postpone 2015 Business Rate Revaluation until 2017

12. Message Sent by Paul Stevens. ‘Following our previous discussions on rates. You will recently have seen in the press articles on the proposal by Government to postpone the 2015 Revaluation until 2017. A cynic may see this as a totally political move to avoid a Revaluation coming into effect immediately prior to an election. There are, however, other issues, not least the lack of resources in the Valuation Office and the difficulty of securing rental evidence in the current market. I attach – click - here - a note setting out our initial reaction to this proposal. The full implications will only be known once full details are announced in Parliament. It does, however, appear that any reductions in assessment under the 2010 List will now result in savings in bills to 31 March 2017 rather than just 2015. This potentially makes appeals more financially justifiable. The note also confirms the RPI figure which will be applied to rates bills next year. This may be of assistance to your members for budgeting. We will let you have more details of the implications of the postponed revaluation as details become available. If, in the meantime, you or your members have any questions or wish to discuss appeals’. Regards, Paul Stevens, Director, Lambert Smith Hampton, Whiteladies House, 51/55 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2LY Tel - 0117 926 6666 DDI - 0117 914 2014

Company Profiles of Potential Overseas Partners

• For the Latest Co-operation profiles from Enterprise Europe Network South West – click - here

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III Events, Training Courses & Other Information:

13. Supporting Manufacturing in the South West - Plymouth University, held 8th Nov 2012. For copies of the PowerPoint slide presentations – click here

The RWE Offshore Energy Supply Chain event 5 December 2012 Exeter 09:00-16.00 Sandy Park (Exeter Rugby Club), Sandy Park Way, Exeter EX2 7NN ***this week** 14. At over 2 GW’s the UK’s current installed offshore wind capacity is greater than the rest of the

worlds combined, with a growing pipeline of projects now in construction or planning, the UK offshore sector is set for unprecedented growth. With the advent of the Round 3 projects offshore wind is coming to the south west, this combined with the exciting opportunities in the wave and tidal sector, means that there are unprecedented opportunities for south west based companies to become part of the offshore energy revolution. The RWE Offshore Energy Supply Chain event is an excellent opportunity for businesses to engage with a major offshore wind developer and tier one suppliers, to understand how they can expand their presence or break into this growing industry. The event is also an opportunity to understand how the south west is positioned to exploit the opportunities in offshore wind and the related marine energy sector, where we have a fantastic strategic position, as the UK’s first designated Marine Energy Park. The event, run in association with Regen SW, the South West Marine Energy Park, the Heart of the South West LEP, North Devon and Torridge District Council, will explore the emerging opportunities created by the Atlantic Array as well as get a better understanding of the business opportunities associated with the Atlantic Array and other offshore wind projects in the UK and the wider offshore marine renewable sector. To register please click here via our online booking system.

Nuclear New Build at Hinkley C - Contract Opportunities - Thursday 6th December at a venue to be announced in Clevedon from 7.30 am until 10.00am. *******this week********** 15. Have you registered on the Hinkley Supply Chain portal? To find out more about how to access the

opportunities that may arise, join the Somerset Chamber’s Hinkley Supply Chain team for a business breakfast to be held on Thursday 6th December at a venue to be announced in Clevedon from 7.30 am until 10.00am. This free event is for businesses in the North Somerset area and is for limited numbers. Click - here and here

The Great British Supply Chain - Tuesday, 11th December - 7.30am breakfast & registration, 8.00am meeting, 9.00am close and Networking at BAWA Bristol, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG with Insider Media Limited 16. ‘We’ve established now that British manufacturing is very much alive and kicking, but what are the

stories behind the headlines? This Insider breakfast will look at how a supply chain comes together, how regional manufacturers are looking to local suppliers of materials and services to make it possible that every link in the chain is a local business creating wealth in the South West economy. What are the strengths that the South West has? What are the weak points where British companies still need to look further afield more often than is ideal? Is there anything the government can do here in the form of tax breaks or other incentives? Are companies aware of the chances there are to work with local businesses – is there a communication issue? This event will feature leading South West manufacturers talking us through the intricacies of supply chain management. It promises to be a must-attend event’. To register click - here

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MAS Skills Workshop - Process Mapping 09:30 AM to 12:30 PM Dec 11th 2012 at Petroc College, Brannams Campus, Barnstaple EX31 3NJ 17. Overview Mapping is a critical initial step in lean conversions. Process Flow Mapping: A structured

approach to process flow analysis and the identification of the five activities of a process (operation, inspection, transport, storage and delay) Value Stream Mapping: Uses a pictogram to depict the flow of material downstream and also the flow of information. AIM OF THE WORKSHOP Process Flow Mapping identifies the opportunities for improvement to the process. Value Stream Mapping permits you to identify all elements in the value stream. This allows you to understand constraints within the system. For more details click - here

Semta Siemens Magnet Technology Factory Tour 10:00- 15:30 12th December 2012 Siemens Magnet Technology, Eynsham, Oxfordshire. £300 + VAT per person 18. Manufacturing and engineering skills council Semta offers you the

opportunity to visit an award winning plant to find out how kaizen has saved 7,500 production hours since 2009, boosted magnet production by 100% per employee and made sweeping reductions in inventory value. Winner of Best Factory Awards 2012 Best Engineering Plant, Supply Chain Award, Innovation Award. Click - here for more details.

The R&D Cashback Roadshow – Thursday 13th December 09:30am – 3:30pm, FREE event Racecourse, Kennford, Exeter 19. We are pleased to announce the re-scheduled date for the R&D Cashback Roadshow event in Exeter.

In addition to the 'Patent Box', we will explore what implications the forthcoming Autumn Statement will have on the R&D Tax Credit limits affecting SMEs. Programme: - An introduction to iNET and free pre-pack offer - An introduction to research and design tax credits - 'We want to give you money' by HMRC - 'Patent Box' by HMRC - Question Time - 1 to 1 meetings with senior tax partners / HMRC / R&D support specialists and networking Organised by four major accountancy firms, HMRC and the iNets this event is dedicated to helping you with information and direct support to navigate the hurdles to claiming R&D Tax relief and potentially a R&D tax Credit. For further info -click - here and here Uni of the West of England, John Bradford, Tel: 0117 328 6695 email: john.bradford@uwe.ac.uk WEAF Angela Weids Tel: 01275 872 353 email: angela@weaf.co.uk

MAS Lean Leader Programme. Venue: Fairford Electronics, Lee Mill Industrial Estate, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 9GG - 7 training sessions. Start date: January 22nd 2013 20. This programme provides key skills to first line managers and

supervisors which will increase their ability to lead in an effective, efficient manner whilst developing and delivering improvement projects within your business. As part of the programme, delegates will complete an in company improvement project to assist with the learning process. Delegates are also asked to complete an online assessment of their management styles before the start of the programme. This assessment will be used throughout the programme to enable delegates to understand how they can use their own style to help them become a more effective leader. Full programme cost is £2,000 + VAT per person. Eligible SME manufacturing companies may be able to receive up to 50% funding against this cost. Jon Hurrell CEng, Manufacturing Advisor, Manufacturing Advisory Service M: 07966 827 924 E: jon.hurrell@mymas.org

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Health and Safety NEBOSH Diploma with Cornwall College Business (CCB), Monday 28th January 2013, The Business Space, Plymouth 21. The prestigious and demanding NEBOSH National Diploma course is available on your doorstep, with

spaces still available! Average pass rate with CCB is 75% (national average is 57%) Delivered in the heart of Plymouth – a central location with no need to go to London or Bristol Small group sizes to maximise learning Experienced trainer Jim Phelpstead, who has over 20 years of Health and Safety experience As part of a college we don’t charge VAT, so the course is competitively priced Where: The Business Space, 69-71 Mayflower Street, Plymouth, PL1 1QW (opposite the Armada Centre). Duration: 37 days over 12 months (includes 4 day block release, 2 revision days and exam days). Cost: £4,900 (not subject to VAT). To book your place or to find out more about our Health and Safety training please email nichola@ccbtraining.co.uk or call 0800 731 7594 or click - here

Photonics West 2013 - Tue 05 Feb 2013 until Thu 07 Feb 2013 - The Moscone Centre, California 22. ESP KTN are pleased to announce that UK Trade & Investment through TAP (Tradeshow Access

Programme) have agreed to support a British Joint Venture group to PHOTONICS WEST 2013 in San Francisco. Click - here for further details including funding.

Get Hired - The Plymouth Herald is excited to announce a new exhibition for 2013 - Wednesday 6th February 2013 – 10am – 8pm at the Plymouth Guildhall 23. ‘Due to the success of its weekly platform in The Workplace

(Business & Jobs pages) every Wednesday – Get Hired is going to be an event! • The number of people out of work and claiming jobseekers allowance in Plymouth has risen

above 7000 • At the same time as this the number of unfilled job vacancies has increased • Clearly there is a need to match people to jobs

We can help…! By bringing together the cities Employers, Training Providers, Education Services, Recruitment Agencies, Business Start-up support etc all under one roof & then inviting the people of Plymouth to attend this FREE expo we will be matching those who need guidance with those who can provide it. Please contact Gemma for an information pack including a booking form to find out how you can be part of this great opportunity’. Gemma Mulcahy, Business Development, Sponsorship & Events, South West Media Group Direct line | 01752 765589 Mobile | 07725 499685

Meet the Funders FREE seminar for South West businesses in The Innovation Centre, University of Exeter 9.45am-3.20pm Thursday, 7th February 2013 24. ‘The Environmental iNet is organising two ‘Meet the Funders’ events with the Technology Strategy

Board and Enterprise Europe Network. I thought they might be of interest to Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group members and hoped you might be able to highlight/promote the event to them’. An e-invitation can be viewed on the web via this link: here

BAE Systems Maritime Science and Technology Conference - 7th February 2013 25. ‘Pushing the boundaries of capability in Royal Navy Ships and Submarines to meet the challenges of

the future’- BAE Systems Maritime Science and Technology Conference. BAE Systems is looking for new partners to work with. This event opens the UK’s only Ships and Submarine producer’s doors to all those interested in communication, interaction and business opportunities with one of the largest manufacturers in the UK. The focus of the event is on Maritime Technologies aiming to enhance the capability of the naval platform; many different areas will be considered: new sensor systems for a wide range of applications such as object detection in and above water, navigation, communications (including underwater communications), data processing and presentation, weapon support, novel battery technologies. Click - here

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City College Plymouth, Technology, Engineering and Construction Open Day - Saturday 9 February 2013 - 10.00am - 1.00pm at Kings Road. 27. FACT: 509 young people attended the open day in 2012.

Engage with young people and potential, future apprentices! Promote your business! Fill current vacancies! Now in its twelfth year, this highly successful event aims to promote opportunities within this fast growing sector and promote Apprenticeships to young people. Would you like to sponsor this event? Would you like to exhibit and promote your business? Starting at just £250, this is an effective way to raise the profile of your business and to engage with the workforce of the future. If you would like to find out more, or book an exhibition space, please click – here or contact the Corporate Relations team on 01752 305026 or e-mail employers@cityplym.ac.uk

Leadership and Business Management - University College Marjon Plymouth 28. From 2012 entry University College Marjon Plymouth are developing a new 2 year accelerated

degree programme to fast-track your career. Click - here or contact: David Ward, Manager - Centre for Leadership, Management and Sport Development Office - KCB Room 522, University College Plymouth St Mark and St John, Derriford Rd, Plymouth, PL6 8BH Direct dial: 01752 636883 dward@marjon.ac.uk

Other Information/Courses/Events • MAS events – click - here • UKTI events horizon (Dec) – click - here • WEAF events – click - here • City College Plymouth Training, Business & Commercial Services – click here • City College Plymouth EmployerLink Newsletter - Autumn - click here • Innovate UK - 11-13 March 2013, Business Design Centre, London. A date for your diary!

IV Requests for Assistance & Corporate Social Responsibility Matters

Update on last month’s plea from Lipson School - we have a result!

29. You will recall … (Note from Phil Neilens, teacher at Lipson Community College) “We're desperate to form a more sustainable partnership with at least one local engineering firm to support our Greenpower venture. A group of students have built and raced an electric car this year in an event called Formula 24, run by a charitable organisation called Greenpower. This request was picked up after last month’s article by PMG member Source, who are based at Langage Industrial Estate. Many thanks to Andy Dunkerley MD and his fellow Director Ian Matthews.

Vacancy for a Trustee at the University of Plymouth Students’ Union 30. The University of Plymouth Students’ Union are looking for a new trustee. UPSU is a substantial

membership organisation, which sets out to transform the lives of over 30,000 students at Plymouth University, through enhancing their experience during their time here. We have developed a strong relationship with the University and we are able to use this, in a constructive way, to deliver a better deal for students. The Union is run by students for students. In addition to our core representation function we also provide other key services, from a free, independent and professional advice centre to facilitating student-led sports clubs and societies. Our student officers also run campaigns highlighting issues which students consider important and encouraging positive behavioural change. We generate income through our social enterprises, including shops, bars and entertainments. This is an exciting and busy period for our commercial development, having recently developed two catering outlets, set up a lettings agency and taken over responsibility for the campus sports centre from the University. Whilst we will always rely on receiving significant grant funding from the University, we are keen to continue developing and diversifying our income streams. UPSU

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is an award winning students’ union. Through the hard work of students and staff we have recently added the SUEI Bronze award, two ‘Best Bar None’ gold awards, including national winner, silver ‘Investors in People’ and gold ‘Green Impact’ award to our accolades. We were pleased to make the top thirty of UK students’ unions, in the recently published National Student Survey and will continue to strive to do even better. We are currently undertaking a strategic review, to develop a new strategic plan that will drive both the vision and reality of our students’ union forward. Thank you again for your interest in UPSU, I really hope that you find all you need to know in this pack - click here - and that it will enthuse and inspire you to join us as a trustee!

DDRC (Diving Diseases Research Centre) Fundraising - Christmas Tea & Tour - Tuesday 18th December, 2.30pm-4.00pm Chamber tours from 3.00pm 31. A rare chance to see the fascinating Hyperbaric Chambers. What do DDRC do? We:

• Undertake innovative research into diving and hyperbaric environments • Provide high quality medical services to the NHS (i.e. patients with blood circulation problems) • Provide comprehensive support and training for the diving, maritime and offshore communities I hope you will register to attend this fundraising event in support of the great work that is undertaken at DDRC. Donations please for yummy festive refreshments; cakes, mince pies and lots more! Christmas Songs by members of the Devonport Park Community Choir We need to know numbers for the tour so to book your place please call us on 01752 209999 or email info@ddrc.org The Hyperbaric Medical Centre, Research Way, Tamar Science Park, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU

V Consultations, Surveys & Calls for Evidence

No consultations this month

Other Surveys

Executive Education Centre, Plymouth Business School Survey - £50 prize! – Still Open 32. The Executive Education Centre in Plymouth Business School aims to add value to businesses in the

local community and nationally. We do this through the provision of high quality, high impact and high value training, education and development services which include workshops, programmes and consultancy. We'd like to know more about what you need, so for a few moments of your time we are offering the opportunity to win a £50 Amazon voucher in a prize draw, our only rule in order for you to be entered is: please answer all of the questions. To access the survey – click - here

VI Economic News; Newsletters, Briefings & Articles:

BIS Bulletins

• BIS Bulletins – 26th Nov – click - here • BIS Enterprise update – Nov 12 – click - here

Economic news

• Bank of England agents’ summary of business conditions (Nov) - click – here • HM Treasury pocket databank (21/11) – click - here • House of Commons Financial Indicators (30/11) – click - here

Other newsletters:

• Technology Strategy Board newsletter (Nov) – click - here • UKTI Events Horizon (Dec) – click - here • Semta employer news – click - here • MAS Manufacturing barometer SW – click - here • Barclays Bank Manufacturing Weekly (9/11) – click - here • SW Skills newsletter #106 – click - here and #107 – click - here • Electronics, Sensors. Photonics KTN newsletter including events calendar - click - here • Microelectronics iNet newsletter – click - here • Plymouth University Evolve newsletter (Nov) – click – here

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• Beers employment law bulletin (Nov) – click – here • McKinsey Monthly newsletter (Nov) – click - here • Enterprise Europe Network newsletter (Nov) – click - here • Architects Design Group newsletter (Nov) – click - here • Plymouth Drake Foundation newsletter (Nov) – click - here • Working4Talent newsletter (Nov) – click - here • SW Councils newsletter – click - here • Tamar Science Park – Parklife newsletter – click – here • Superfast broadband - Connecting Devon & Somerset Autumn newsletter – click - here

Blogs:

• UTC Plymouth blog – ‘Brian’s blog’ – click - here Other articles and reports of interest:

• Proposals for Key Structural Changes to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme – Bond Pearce article - – click - here

• UKTI Export Insight Visits - here The Export Insight Visits aim to introduce novice and non-exporters to the principles of international trade so that they can go on to grow internationally. These are “rapid immersion” visits that will give SMEs a first-hand understanding of the benefits of exporting and the support available.

• Tom Hitchings, business development director at the National Composites Centre, explains the role, remit and mission of the organisation – click – here – courtesy of insidermedia.com

• Survey Reveals 40% of Workers 'Will Never Retire' – click - here • Leadership and the Art of Plate Spinning. McKinsey article Nov 2012 - click - here • The challenges of Stem provision for further education colleges – click - here • A strategy for economic growth: a modern industrial policy - click - here

Other sites of interest to manufacturers:

• http://www.worksmanagement.co.uk/ • http://source.theengineer.co.uk/ • http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industrial-manufacturing/index.jhtml

Credits: The Editor of this newsletter is grateful to various news sources for the stories contained herein, including insidermedia.com http://www.insidermedia.com/southwest Image credits: Lipson College – This is Plymouth website here ; offshore windfarm – origin unknown.

NB: Some weblinks are only accessible temporarily until the release of the next edition of this newsletter. Pl. contact the editor if you cannot access the link you require. stevegerry@dsl.pipex.com If you want to read what some people are saying about this newsletter please click here and scroll down towards the bottom of the screen. All comments were unsolicited.

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Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by the PMG and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained here for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will the PMG be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of products or services referred to within this newsletter. Throughout this newsletter you are able to link to websites which are not under the control of the PMG. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Editor’s contact details are as follows

Steve Gerry MBA PGDip ACIS MIED Secretary to Plymouth Manufacturers' Group and the PMG Network 23 Nursery Close, Tamerton Foliot, Plymouth PL5 4QG

: 01752 795034

: 07585 445 346

: stevegerry@dsl.pipex.com : www.plymouthmanufacturers.co.uk

: http://stevegerryconsulting.co.uk/