news


Key contract wraps up the honey market


Rapidly-growing food manufacturer Clarks UK Ltd has secured a key contract with distribution specialists Castell Howell Foods to capture a major share of the honey market in Wales. The agreement means


Newport-based Clarks honey and maple syrup products will now be supplied by Castell Howell to many of its 4,000-plus customers, including hospitals, schools, old people’s homes, hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants and leisure establishments across Wales. The new contract with


Wales’ biggest food distributor comes in a record-breaking year for Clarks, which has seen trade and profits rise significantly. According to latest food


industry figures, the maple syrup


market in the UK has grown by more than £2m in the last 12 months – with Clarks claiming £1.3m of that increase, supplying all the big four supermarket chains. Asda stores have added two


more of the Clarks lines to the shelves of 490 of their large stores across the UK. In fact, the UK retail market in maple syrup has risen in volume by 700,000 units since February 2011, with Clarks supplying 600,000 of those. Bob Clark, managing


director of Clarks, based on the Queensway Meadow Industrial Estate in Newport, said: “What this is showing is we are driving the rapid rise in maple syrup sales in the UK – and that people are clearly buying into our products in increasing numbers.”


Jon joins training firm


Midas People Management, the training division of Smart Solutions Recruitment, has appointed a new managing director to head-up operations and drive further growth. Jon Hayward (pictured) will be


leading the team at the company’s Newport headquarters and its network of experienced and skilful coaches to develop the strategy for Midas’ continued expansion. Jon Hayward previously worked for a


number of international clients including Panasonic and Sogefi Filtration. The 46-year-old, who formally ran


Hayward Consulting, has established a strong track-record working within the manufacturing industry. He previously worked for food


manufacturers Sun Valley Foods, RF Brooks and The Serious Food Co. He then moved to Panasonic UK


where he honed his LEAN skills, which help organisations identify and eliminate waste within their supply chain. In his career he has progressed from


assembly-line to senior management, and taken on full P&L accountability. Jon said: “Joining Midas as managing


director is an exciting opportunity as it is experiencing a growth period and I will be playing an integral role in ensuring that the company grows at a sustainable and


Kathryn Jones, Bob Clark and Chris Dennis Newport firm ensures ‘Safety


Matters’ at London 2012 While many of us are enjoying the Olympics this year, one Newport firm is busy behind the scenes ensuring public safety at many of the associated festivities planned in the capital. Rhiwderin-based EH Matters Ltd’s current clients include the


London Borough of Greenwich, host borough for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Company Director Kathryn Ashton said: “We are currently


providing licensing and health and safety advice to Greenwich for some of the major events taking place around the Olympics and Paralympic games. “Some of these events are very spectacular, with special effects


such as pyrotechnics and fireworks, and audiences of up to 10,000. Public safety is paramount.” With more than 30 thirty years’ experience in the environmental


health and licensing profession, and a collective membership of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Institute of Acoustics and the Institute of Licensing, EH Matters is well placed to provide this support. Kathryn has worked on major events such as the Ryder Cup and


the Welsh Open, but 2012 represents her biggest challenge to date. “I have worked with several London boroughs recently, and the sheer scale of the Olympics is overwhelming.”


6 THEbusiness QUARTER


Recycling firm’s £2m expansion completed


Work on a £2m contract in Newport for leading UK ‘green’ business Celtic Recycling has been completed by construction firm opco. Celtic, a heavy electrical equipment


and hazardous waste recycling firm, is creating more than 50 new high-skilled jobs with its expansion at its Queensway Meadows Industrial Estate operation in Newport. The firm, which has an existing


base at Pyle, Bridgend, chose opco to build its two new industrial units, a security gatehouse and weighbridge together with new mechanical and electrical engineering installations and with associated drainage and external works, at its four acre Newport site. The foundations


for the scheme, which has been completed to BREEAM very good standard, were piled to take the large span steel portal frames. A new access road from the public highway was also built. Celtic Recycling,


which operates at the


cutting edge of its industry, currently employs a workforce of 80 across its two sites in south Wales. The company provides a ‘total


package’ approach for the electricity utilities sector and other major blue chip companies managing health, safety and environmental matters associated with the decommissioning of end of life heavy electrical equipment. Opco Wales regional director Nigel


Coulter said: “We are proud to have worked with Celtic Recycling, who are recognised as leaders in their field, to deliver this important and significant contract.”


profitable rate. “Midas already works with clients


in many sectors including waste management, third-sector and public sector. My aim is to grow the client base and use my experience to secure contracts within the manufacturing industry.”


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