Business

From canvas to canvas for St Mary’s students’ winning tent design

Two Year 10 students from St Mary’s School have finally seen their winning tent design brought to life by Staveley-based outdoor products designer FieldCandy.

Students Rhys Rossello (15) and Louis Rafferty (14), both studying Graphics Products at St Mary’s, took part in the tent design competition organised by Destination Chesterfield as part of the Made in Chesterfield festival last year. Made in Chesterfield brought together the town’s thriving manufacturing sector and schools to highlight to career opportunities within it.

The winning design, which features Chesterfield’s crooked spire, the Proact Stadium roof, the train station, Town Hall and Growth Sculpture, was selected by Crush Design and Derbyshire Education Business Project.

Dominic Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented: “The judges felt that Rhys and Louis’ design reflected Chesterfield and it was a good modern adaptation for a tent.”

Rhys and Louis worked at Crush Design’s studio on Marsden Street in Chesterfield to transform their design into a format ready for printing on the FieldCandy tent.

Headteacher of St Mary’s Sean McClafferty added: “Both Rhys and Louis are a credit to St Mary’s. They have excelled themselves and I am sure this success will encourage them to consider careers in the area of design as they are both clearly gifted students.”

The design was reproduced on a stunning two-man tent by FieldCandy. John Harris, Director of FieldCandy, said: “We were delighted to be able to participate in Made in Chesterfield. We’re even more thrilled with the wonderful design that Rhys and Louis have produced. It’s translated excellently into a tent and we’re very proud of it.

“Taking part in Made in Chesterfield was a great opportunity for FieldCandy to give something back to the Borough. The Council has been exceptionally supportive of the business and has helped us access grant funding to grow and create jobs here.”

Since launching in 2011 FieldCandy has taken the camping world by storm with its unique eye-catching luxury designs which are all made at the company’s headquarters on Colliery Close in Staveley.  The designer tents, which feature offbeat graphics such as leopard print, a block of cheese and floral motifs, have developed a celebrity following and are seen at festivals over the world. Some of the designs have even been showcased at the 54th Grammy Awards in the US.

FieldCandy and Crush Design were just two of a number of companies that took part in Made in Chesterfield 2014. The manufacturing festival will return later this year in November for a full month of events. It is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and is designed to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s thriving manufacturing sector and its associated industries to students, raising awareness of the employment opportunities within it as well as the number of varied and exciting roles.

To keep up to date with events and developments in Chesterfield, as well as plans for Made in Chesterfield 2015 visit www.chesterfield.co.uk

Made in Chesterfield Tent

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield

Solar farms in Derbyshire Move a Step Closer

Plans for solar farms in Derbyshire are moving a step closer following consultation on the project.

Derbyshire County Council Councillors will next week (Tuesday 5 May 2015) hear that there is overall support for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels − better known as solar farms – at five proposed sites in the North East and Amber Valley areas of the county.

Following a six week consultation, which included drop in sessions close to the sites, local residents indicated they generally agreed with proposals to put solar farms on underused land we own.

This includes former colliery or underused agricultural land unsuitable for growing crops.

Planning permission will now be sought next month (May) to develop sites at:

  • agricultural land at Mansfield Road, Temple Normanton
  • former Williamthorpe Colliery, Holmewood.
  • Westthorpe Hills, former Westthorpe Colliery, Killamarsh
  • land at Pye Bridge, Alfreton
  • former Swanwick Colliery reclamation land, Swanwick

Proposals to develop agricultural land at Swathwick Lane, Swathwick, Wingerworth have been dropped following concerns by local residents that it would be too intrusive.

If planning permission is granted solar panels would be installed in the ground to generate electricity from the sun. An energy supplier then pays us for each unit of electricity produced with extra payments if the electricity is then exported to the National Grid.

If any of the sites get the go-ahead they could be up and running by March 2016.

Service Director for Transport and Environment, Allison Thomas, said:

“These sites are not currently being put to their best use so if we get planning approval it offers great potential to generate a good income for the council and so help protect services.

“Generally these locations tend not to be of much environmental interest so developing them could also provide a good opportunity to improve the local conservation.

“We have made a public commitment in our Climate Change Charter to invest in renewable energy technologies to help reduce our negative impact on climate change and provide local, green sources of energy, and it is pleasing to know that, in principle, we have the support of local residents.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Children to Become Market Traders at Chesterfield Market

Chesterfield’s youngsters are being given the opportunity to learn about life as a market trader at the children’s market event on Saturday 23 May 2015 from 10 am-4 pm

Open to three to 14-year-olds, budding traders are invited to sell their unwanted toys, clothes and books around the town pump in the market place. There will also be entertainment and a disco on the day.

Stalls are free but availability is limited.

To book a stall at the children’s market, visit www.visitchesterfield.info/childrensmarketbookingform.aspx or call Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre on 01246 345777 or 01246 345778.

Childrens market Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Calling New Market Traders for Chesterfield

Chesterfield Borough Council is giving new market traders the opportunity to take stalls for only £10 as part of the annual Love Your Local Market week.

The offer is open to people who have not previously been market traders to stand at the general market on Friday 15, Saturday 16, Monday 18, Friday 22 or Saturday 23 May.

For more information or to pre-book a stall, call the council’s markets team on 01246 345999

Arts and Crafts Fair

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Matrix Energy Systems Wins Renewable Project of the Year

Chesterfield Champion Matrix Energy Systems has received national recognition after scooping Renewable Project of the Year (Private Category) in the highly-acclaimed Heating and Ventilation Awards held in London this month.

The energy experts were commended for a home heating installation, which not only provided reliable heat and hot water for a family and the 24 hour care needs of their son, but also involved making the property as carbon neutral as possible and proofing against future fuel price increases.

Working alongside Viessmann Ltd, a leading international manufacturer of heating, cooling and air-conditioning technology, Matrix Energy Systems provided a renewable heating system which monitors and calculates which energy source is best used at any time. Energy gathered from solar thermal tube collectors, located on the property’s roof now feeds into a hot water cylinder during the day, whilst an air source heat pump provides continuous hot water for underfloor heating.

Paul Leedham, Managing Director at Matrix Energy Systems says:-

“This project demonstrates superb integration between technologies which has led to savings of over £5,700 a year compared to an alternative oil boiler solution. In addition to this, the family has been able to pursue additional funding via the Feed-In-Tariff scheme and the Renewable Heat Incentive, totalling over £3,600 per year.

“We are pleased to have won this award and would like to thank Viessmann for the company’s support and for putting us forward.”

 

Matrix Energy Systems Wins Renewable Project of the Year

 

Posted in Business

Cathelco Acquires French Firm to Become Leader in Water Treatment Systems

Cathelco in Chesterfield, the world-leading manufacturer of equipment for ships, has acquired Hydro-Electrique Marine (HEM), the French specialists in desalinators and water treatment systems.

The acquisition will make Cathelco one of the largest producers of ship-board water treatment systems in Europe and the premier supplier to the super yacht industry.

Justin Salisbury, Managing Director of Cathelco Ltd said:-

“The new venture will operate under the name of Cathelco HEM emphasising the strength of two well-known brand names and creating a stronger presence in the water treatment market.”

Cathelco already has experience of the desalinator market having purchased Seafresh Desalinators in 2010, a small company serving the UK market which it transformed into an international exporter of watermakers.

Manufacture of the HEM equipment will continue at the company’s premises near Antibes in the south of France. This will also provide Cathelco with a technical support and stockholding hub in the Mediterranean.

Currently, Cathelco Seafresh desalinators have a maximum output of 35 tonnes per day, whereas the HEM range have outputs of up to 150 tonnes making them suitable for use on large commercial vessels and naval craft.

Justin Salisbury explains:-

“The HEM range greatly increases the scope for desalinator sales and provides a good fit with our existing range.

“It will enable us to provide a complete equipment package for commercial vessels and super yachts which we can support through our combined network of agent/installers.”

Cathelco is now in a position where it can provide treatment systems for virtually all types of seawater used on vessels.

Founded in 1956, Cathelco has grown to be one of the UK’s most dynamic manufacturers of marine equipment through product innovation and diversification and its seawater pipework anti-fouling systems have now been fitted to more than 40,000 vessels around the world.

The company also produces ICCP hull corrosion protection systems for ships and offshore platform applications.

 

Cathelco Chesterfield

 

 

 

 

Posted in Business, Made in Chesterfield

East Midlands Businesses Buck National Trend

Businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire outperformed their national counterparts in the first three months of the year, according to the results of a new survey.

East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) has released the results of its latest Q1 Quarterly Economic Review 2015, which found that business growth remained robust in the early part of the year, giving an increasing number of firms optimism for the year ahead.

The findings were in sharp contrast to the national survey released by the British Chambers of Commerce earlier this month, which saw firms reporting weaker results in most areas – including domestic sales, exports and business investment.

The Chamber tracks business performance across a range of key economic indicators – including sales and orders, staffing levels, price expectations, investment intentions and business confidence – to produce a quarterly ‘State of the Economy Index’.

After falling in two consecutive quarters at the end of 2014, the index increased from a year-ending 377 to 386 in Q1, bolstered by firms’ strengthening confidence in their profits and turnover in 2015, which is resulting in rising staffing levels and investment plans.

In terms of activity, 51% of firms reported an increase in UK sales in Q1, which mirrored the previous quarter, and there was a slight fall in the number of firms reporting a decrease in domestic sales. However, this was offset by a fall (from 33% to 29%) in the number of firms which reported an increase in their export sales in Q1.

Firms’ confidence in both future turnover and profitability increased over the quarter, as 67% (up from 64% in Q4) said they expected their profitability to increase over the next 12 months, while 76% (up from 71%) expected an increase in turnover.

This strengthening confidence has led to business investment plans being revised upwards. Almost four-in-ten businesses said they planned to increase their investment in training and plant/machinery this year, while almost eight-in-ten businesses indicated they will award a general staff pay rise, at or above inflation, in 2015.

Chamber Chief Executive George Cowcher said: “Despite the build up to the General Election, it was encouraging to see such a resilient performance from East Midlands businesses in the first three months of the year, with many indicators of business success seeing improvements.

“Over the past year, the Chamber’s message to politicians and decision-makers has been that the East Midlands has moved from being a ‘bellwether’ of the UK economy to a national leader, so it is equally encouraging to see this message borne out in these findings, with the figures in this report exceeding their national equivalents.

“There are a number of factors contributing to this success, including the broad spread of business sectors present across this region and the drive and commitment that exists within East Midlands businesses and their employees.

“These characteristics will continue to stand the region in good stead post-election.

“Regardless of the political make-up of the next Government, if business had one overarching message to give, it would be to focus on delivering long-term policy and avoid the kind of political short-termism that acts only to complicate the planning and running of a successful business.”

East Midlands Chamber logo

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield Meets Spain in Mi Casa Cook book

A tantalising new cookbook has been launched by local entrepreneur and Chesterfield’s four star Casa Hotel owner, Steve Perez.

The mi Casa Cook book, follows hot on the heels of Casa Hotel being voted 5th best hotel in the UK, in Trip Advisors 2015 Travellers Choice Awards. It draws on influences from Steve’s Spanish roots, and his passion for high quality local produce. Mi Casa, offers insights into dishes inspired by his Derbyshire upbringing as well as showcasing the skills of the two AA rosette kitchen team and Head Chef Andrew Wilson.

Featuring over 30 dishes ranging from simple Tapas dishes to ‘Something Special’ Cocina restaurant inspired recipes, Mi Casa has been written to suit the skills of the novice and adventurous home cooks alike with easy to follow recipes.

For Steve Perez, this book marks the latest venture into the food, drink and hospitality industry. Speaking of the book launch, he said: “I’m delighted to have a platform to celebrate my love of food in ‘Mi Casa’. Not only is it a great way to recognise some of the fantastic local food produce available in Chesterfield and surrounding areas, it’s also an opportunity to inspire readers to add a taste of Spain to their dishes too.”

“My late Father Santiago, originally from Barcelona, inspired me throughout my career. I grew up in the Derbyshire countryside with him cooking Spanish dishes in the home. When it came to building Casa Hotel, I wanted something which would reflect my Mediterranean roots and the same is true about the Mi Casa cook book.”

Central to Casa Hotel’s achievements are the quality of the ingredients and produce used in its menus.  Walton Lodge Farm, which is part of Steve’s Walton Lodge Estate, provides meat and eggs to Casa Hotel. Mi Casa features a behind the scenes look at the workings of the farm and its unique connection to the hotel. It also introduces other local key Derbyshire suppliers, Highfield House Farm and John Hattersley Wines, as well Yorkshire-based Grey’s Fine Foods, which brings the authentic Spanish tastes and ingredients to Casa.

Throughout the last 40 years Steve has successfully carved a career for himself in the hospitality industry. From Steve’s humble beginnings working in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant, moving from managing pubs to developing the hugely successful international drinks business Global Brands.

‘Mi Casa: Spanish-Inspired Recipes from the Heart of Derbyshire’ is available to purchase directly from Casa Hotel or through Amazon and is priced at £14.95.

Mi Casa Cook Book Steve Perez

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Visiting

New Destination Chesterfield Board Member Appointed for Manufacturing Sector

Ivan Fomin, Managing Director of the leading supplier of centrifuges to the water and food industries, MSE Hiller, is the newest addition to the Destination Chesterfield board.

Ivan replaces James Brand of United Cast Bar as the board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering in the Borough. James has stepped down from the board due to increasing work commitments however will continue in his role as the chair of the popular Manufacturing Forum.

Ivan and the company have taken an active role in manufacturing initiatives organised by Destination Chesterfield, including last year’s successful Made in Chesterfield Week where schools were invited to tour the firm’s Markham Vale £3million purpose-built premises.

Ivan brings more than 35 years’ experience to his board member role.  Delighted to join the board, he said: “Destination Chesterfield is a conduit for joining together the many companies and organisations in Chesterfield’s manufacturing and engineering sector, be they employers, training providers, or young people still at school and looking for direction. It is by joining these groups together successfully that we can help further improve the manufacturing sector in the town.”

He is particularly passionate about apprenticeships within the sector, explaining: “For me manufacturing is the lifeblood of the economy, feeding other sectors such as retail and leisure. It is vitally important that we maintain Chesterfield’s manufacturing tradition and capability, and that will be my broad focus in my role on the Destination Chesterfield Board.

“I have been an employer in Chesterfield for 25 years and I have always made a point of offering apprenticeships. To this day many of my early apprentices are still working with me after two decades.”

MSE Hiller, which has been based in Chesterfield since 2001, supplies and rents centrifuges and environmental engineering products to the water, food and other industries throughout the UK. Currently no other company offers the service and products which they do and, as a result, is very much in demand.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Ivan to the board although sad that James Brand has left. We thank him for all he has done and will continue to do as both a Chesterfield Champion and a thriving manufacturing business in the town.

“MSE Hiller is a great example of a local company that is establishing the town as an engineering specialist. Ivan brings much personal experience in the sector as both an employee and an employer and is very clear about how he wants it and Chesterfield to develop. We are all very much looking forward to working with him.”

Ivan Fomin joins the existing members of the Board, which include:

Destination Chesterfield is helping to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield.  This approach to promoting the town sees the local business community playing a central role in its success by leading an independent board of Directors for Destination Chesterfield, and businesses pledging their support to become Chesterfield Champions.

MSE Hiller will be taking part in Made in Chesterfield throughout November 2015. Made in Chesterfield is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and is designed to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s thriving manufacturing sector and its associated industries to students, raising awareness of the employment opportunities within it as well as the number of varied and exciting roles.

To find out more about Destination Chesterfield visit www.chesterfield.co.uk. Or if you are interested in becoming involved in Made in Chesterfield, please contact Dom Stevens on 01246 207207 or email dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk

Ivan Fomin

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Made in Chesterfield

Ground-Breaking Markham Deal Set to Bring 400 Jobs

Up to 400 new jobs are set to be created at a Chesterfield regeneration site with the opening of a new distribution centre at Markham Vale.

Chester-based firm Great Bear Distribution will move into a purpose-built warehouse and offices − Markham’s biggest development to date bringing the largest number of jobs in a single development.

Established in 1994, Great Bear Distribution operates in 30 locations nationwide providing warehousing and distribution for clients such as Sainsbury’s, BMW, and Unilever.

Glenn Lindfield, CEO of Great Bear Distribution said:

“Bringing our business to Markham Vale is a positive step forward for our company.

“The site is exactly what we’ve been looking for with tailor-made facilities in a prime location just off Junction 29A of the M1 motorway, providing easy access to our customers and other bases across the UK.

“We look forward to becoming part of Markham’s growing network of companies.”

Work to build the 479,285 square feet development is expected to start in autumn this year, and reach completion in spring 2016.

The premises are situated next to Markham Vale’s Environment Centre and will be built by our private sector property partner, Henry Boot Developments on the site off Junction 29A of the M1 motorway.

Peter Storey, head of Markham Vale said:

“Great Bear Distribution will be a real feather in Markham’s cap bringing 400 jobs which is great news for the Derbyshire economy.

“Markham’s fantastic transport links next to the M1 make the perfect choice for a wide range of businesses and we look forward to welcoming even more companies to the site this year and in the future.”

Existing occupiers at Markham Vale include, AW Repair Group, MSE Hiller, Squadron Medical, Industrial Ancillaries, Andrew Page, Holdsworth Foods and Ready Egg Products.

Ben Ward at Henry Boot Developments said:

“We are delighted to secure such a ground-breaking deal with Great Bear Distribution.

“This last year has been exceptional for Markham Vale with six major deals and a huge amount of development activity.

“We have worked very closely with Great Bear Distribution in designing this bespoke facility to meet their exact requirements and many of the features are at the forefront of technology.”

The regeneration site is one of the UK’s biggest Enterprise Zone Developments with the final phase, which is a further 100 acres currently being prepared for development using a £14.2m Government grant awarded through the Sheffield City Region’s Enterprise Zone.

Markham Vale

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

t-mac technologies Acquired by Utilitywise PLC

Chesterfield based t-mac Technologies has been acquired for £10m by Utilitywise PLC, a leading independent utility cost management consultancy.

t-mac Technologies is a family-run business which began in 1978. The sale will see current directors Jonathan Wilkinson and Lisa Gingell remain at the helm while owners Alan and Irene Wilkinson retire.

t-mac allows clients to monitor and reduce their energy consumption, making savings and helping them comply with government legislation. It provides real-time energy and environmental metering and monitoring as well as building controls and equipment performance management. The interactive, cloud based central software platform means that users can analyse, manage and operate one or many buildings through a single software interface from anywhere in the world.

The sale, which was advised by BRM Solicitors, enhances t-mac’s existing customer relationships, whilst providing an opportunity for Utilitywise’s current customer base to benefit from t-mac’s cutting edge technology.

Lisa Gingell, co-founder and Director at t-mac Technologies, commented:-

“This is an exciting time for our business. We have truly valued the advice and support we received from the team at BRM who helped make this sale as seamless as possible.

“Working with the Utilitywise group we will continue to build business across UK, Europe and Asia Pacific and develop the t-mac brand of products and software as a service.”

Sarah Rowland, Head of the Company Commercial Team at BRM Solicitors, said:-

“t-mac and its directors are high quality and long-standing clients of BRM and we always enjoy working with them. We have seen t-mac grow from its incorporation and we are very proud to have been able to assist in this important evolution.

“My colleagues and I wish Irene and Alan well in their deserved retirement and Jonathan and Lisa every success in playing a key role in the future development of the t-mac brand and new products.  We look forward to seeing the continued growth of the t-mac brand”.

The initial consideration payable is £10m, £6.25m in cash and  1,782,319 new ordinary shares in Utilitywise.  Up to a further GBP £12 million will become payable once earn out accounts have been finalised, in cash (70%) and new Utilitywise shares.  The initial cash consideration is being funded by a new £25 million revolving credit facility with Royal Bank of Scotland plc.

Utilitywise CEO, Geoff Thompson commented:

“The market for BeMS is growing and modern cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, such as t-mac, provide significant cost advantages over traditional solutions which require intensive capital investment and offer long term ROIs.

“We know that our customers are increasingly looking for rapid impact, cost-effective services that provide them with more control over their electricity, gas and water usage, to help drive their business efficiency agenda as well as mitigate against future price volatility. This acquisition continues to expand our broad range of services that address the breadth of our customers’ energy needs.

“The acquisition of t-mac Technologies will play a major role in helping us to deliver significant added-value services and develop closer, more profitable relationships with existing customers, as well as supporting our new customer acquisition strategy”.

Chesterfield News

Posted in Business