Tuesday, October 14, 2014


Business Argus


Fall in Welsh exports ‘certainly a concern’


By Jo Barnes 01633 777240 jba@gwent-wales.co.uk Twitter @SWABusiness


BUSINESSES in Newport are seeing a fall in their exports, according to the South Wales Chamber of Commerce’s latest quarterly economic survey. The survey,which is jointly pub- lished with the MidWales and the West Cheshire and NorthWales chambers of commerce, acts as a barometer for the strength of the Welsh economy.. It has found the number of busi- nesseswhere export sales have recently decreased, or remained at the same level, has risen com- pared with the previous quarter (63.7 per cent in Q2 2014 – 52.9 per cent in Q3 2014). Graham Morgan, director of the SouthWales Chamber of Commerce, said: “Over the last year or so, we have seen steady progress in the amount thatWales is exporting overseas, both in our quarterly economic survey and official government figures, so this latest survey,which indicates a decrease in export figures for businesses in Newport, is certain- ly a concern. “We work with a wide range of


organisations to encourageWelsh businesses to consider exporting as companies that export are gen- erally more dynamic, able to get more out of their products and are more resilient to changes in the economy. “We have consistently called for additional support forWelsh busi- nesses to help them access mar- kets overseas, and this is clearly required nowmore than ever. “There are lots of businesses


delivering outstanding services or producing great products that would do well in overseas mar- kets, but perhaps these companies lack the knowledge of howto pen- etrate overseas markets.” Nearly half of Newport-based businesses enjoyed consistent lev- els of UKsales and orders (44.4 per cent), but more businesses reported they had not increased their workforce during the last three months (up 9.1 per cent on the previous quarter). This is possibly a result of com- panies continuing to report they are experiencing difficulties in recruiting (63 per cent). MrMorgan said: “Looking at some of the other key statistics is the survey, the positivity we have been seeing over the last few quar- ters acrossWales as awhole seems to be continuing, but the pace of improvement is slowing down. “Across the board, more and more businesses are telling us that they have ‘remained con- stant’ over the last quarter. “This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and is certainly better than a decrease, but it does pose us with a challenge to ensure that


From the director’s mouth


3


By Robert Lloyd Griffiths, the IoDWales director


THEInstitute of Directors’ annual convention is a fantastic opportunity for like-minded business leaders from acrossWales and thewhole of theUKto get together. The majestic Royal Albert Hall is


CONCERNED: Graham Morgan, director of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce


improvement is seen in the future. “Over the next three years we


will see three key elections – the UKelection inMay 2015, theWelsh election inMay 2016 and council elections the following year. “All these bodies have a signifi-


cant impact on theWelsh economy and it’s therefore crucial that the business community works to ensure that the policies of the administrations inWestminster, Cardiff Bay and local councils


acrossWales are focused on grow- ing our economy. “TheWelsh economy is under- performing compared with the majority of theUKon a number of key indicators. “Our members are telling us that significant change is needed to overcome this. “We need to build the transport infrastructure for the future, improve the skills of the current and future workforce and encour-


age business ambition amongst Wales’ people, as well as making sure that today’s businesses thrive. “It is vital that these issues are addressed by politicians in their election manifestos if we are to truly build a strong sustainable economy in bothWales and across the UK, and is something that will certainly formthe focus of our own manifestowhich will be released a little later this year.”


Award nomination for irm


MONMOUTH-BASED Siltbuster, a leading recy- cling equipment specialist, has been shortlisted for CIWM’s prestigiousUK Sustainability and Resource IndustryAwards. The company’s Gritbuster MRFGlass Separator is a finalist in the fiercely com- petitive “Award for Innovation (SME)” category. Using this technology, material recovery facilities can nowrecover virtually all the glass from their waste streams and process it to a standard suitable for re-use, reducing by 90-95 per cent the amount of glass potentially going to landfill. This saves a typical MRF£800,000 in landfill tax per annum and also allows the mate- rial to be traded on thePRN(pack- aging waste recycling note) mar- ket.


FINALIST: The Gritbuster


The Gritbuster Glass Separator ingeniously addresses this, by using water as a means to sepa- rate the light and dense constitu- ents withinMRFwaste,whilst also removing very fine particles that discolour the surface of the glass, andmake further down- stream processing using optical


sorters unreliable. Dirty glass and water are fed into the top of an inclined revolv- ing barrel, here the glass particles rub against each other creating a natural washing/scrubbing action. As the barrel revolves the lighter fraction containing the plastic, wood, paper and card separate from the glass and becomes suspended in the water stream or floats to the top. The denser glass sinks to the bottom and is carried out of the end of the barrel. Dr Richard Coulton,CEO


of Siltbuster, said: “To have such a respected organisation asCIWM put us through to the next stage of their prestigious environmental awards is a real endorsement.” The winners will be announced


in November at the Grosvenor Square Marriott Hotel, London.


Follow us on Twitter: @SWABusiness


an inspiring venue and the conven- tion provides a fantastic opportunity for like-minded business leaders from acrossWales and thewhole of theUKto get together. It never disap- points, and this year was no differ- ent. Wehad plenty of representation


from our ownWelsh members, including members from theGwent area and, once again, we enjoyed inspiring speeches and, equally importantly, had the opportunity to mix and mingle and share thoughts and opinion on business in Britain with IoD colleagues around the coun- try. Interestingly, frommyconversa- tions, I found that confidence among members was upbeat and more posi- tive than in recent years. This confi- dent and optimistic atmosphere mir- rorswhat I have been experiencing as I travel acrossWales. As always, the IoD had lined up for


us a range of excellent speakers which included chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, chair- manof Walt Disney International Andy Bird and founder of Wikipedia JimmyWales, to name but three. There was a little disappointment


on the day, however,when we learned that Alex Salmond had to withdraw earlier in the week. The theme for the conference was


“game changers” and as we look at the future prosperity of Wales and the widerUKeconomy, it will be the political and business leaderswho will play a major part in creating the opportunities to enable us to improve economic performance, generate opportunities and create a better society. Overall, it was an exceptional day,


once again having the privilege to meet colleagues from across the country. I came away a little happier, reassured by the positive outlook we share for Britain. Longmay it contin- ue.


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