Glasgow Business . 15
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com Discover what great
Glasgow Chamber events are on the horizon 16
Business restructure
Technology firm embraces employee ownership
Technology firm Voice Technologies has become employee-owned in a bid to harness the talents of the business. Founded in 1996 by Heather
Wylie, the firm employs 24 people in Paisley and Sheffield, returning annual profits in excess of £250,000 and is a specialist provider of speech recognition, digital dictation and automated correspondence technology for the healthcare, legal and government sectors. Voice Technologies has
returned consistent growth since its formation, and is looking to exploit further opportunities in the
Acquisition Two insurers join forces to transform turnover
Boyd & Company Ltd and George Semple & Company Ltd are combining forces to strengthen their position in the local insurance market. Boyd & Company Managing Director
Eric Richardson said: “We are delighted to announce the acquisition of George Semple & Company. This is an excellent strategic fit for our existing business and will further enhance our ability to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of insurance and risk management
services to personal and commercial clients. We have seen growth over the last five years and are confident the addition of George Semple & Company will help us achieve annual premium revenue in excess of £10 million in the forthcoming financial year.” George Semple & Company staff will move into the Boyd & Company offices in Paisley to bring together 25 experienced insurance practitioners.
Glasgow Caledonian University Campus plans on drawing board
Glasgow Caledonian University has unveiled ambitious plans for a £30 million redevelopment of its city centre campus. A planning application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council for the Heart of the Campus project which will transform the look and feel of the university estate. Heart of the Campus, part of the
Glasgow Caledonian University campus is set for major redevelopment
University’s Campus Futures project, will provide state-of-the-art academic
teaching and learning spaces and social areas. Major works include a striking
new glass reception and atrium, the creation of a 500-seat teaching and conference facility and a stylish eating mall. Two buildings, the George Moore and Hamish Wood, will be renovated and will be better connected to the campus centrepiece, the award- winning Saltire Centre. Construction
work, due to start on site in June 2014, is expected to be completed by January 2016. The ground level of the George
Moore building will be home to a new restaurant with a galleria façade overlooking one of three courtyard gardens. A dedicated area for student support services will be located on the first floor of the George Moore building.
Employee-owned Voice
Technologies’ staff with Chief Executive Officer
Alistair Graham and Founder Heather Wylie (centre)
Waste
Shanks to help cut collections
growing technology sector – as organisations seek to drive efficiencies through the application of timesaving new technology. Founder Heather Wylie said that
offering her team the opportunity to acquire a controlling-stake in
the business was the best route to take Voice Technologies forward. Heather and the senior management team had been considering the traditional route of acquisitions, while continuing to make significant investment in new technology to deliver growth.
International sustainable waste management business, Shanks Group plc, has signed a five year contract with Glasgow Airport to reduce waste collections with EcoCassette compactors, proprietary Shanks technology. Shanks will replace Glasgow
Airport’s existing waste containers with EcoCassette’ smart drum compactors, each of which can hold the equivalent of 15 large mobile bins. The compactors are swipe card operated to enable shared access. Fitted with GPRS enabled sensors to monitor fill-rate, the transport depot is automatically notified when the compactors are full. The traditional bin lorry will
(L-R): Eric Richardson, Managing Director, Boyd & Co; Aileen Semple, George Semple & Co and Gary Kidd, Director, Boyd & Co
be replaced with a modern crane- mounted vehicle which can collect four EcoCassettes per visit, each with a different source-segregated waste stream. The increase in the number of waste streams per visit, coupled with the fact that only full compactors are collected, will mean that airport collections are reduced by up to 75 per cent. Glasgow Airport will be the first
customer in the UK to deploy this innovative waste technology.
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