Business News


Awards Shortlist


Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce annual awards 2019


Seventy-nine businesses are in the running for 10 sector awards at the Chamber’s annual dinner and awards on Thursday 11 April. Philip Parkin takes a snapshot look at the companies who are chasing glory at the glittering awards ceremony.


Excellence in International Business


Sponsors: Aston University


AFL Architects: This architect’s practice employs 83 staff and works across many sectors, including health, residential, education and sport and leisure. Its current main project is the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which will be used during the 2022 World Cup. AFL’s value engineering team cut the £1bn construction cost of the 80,000 stadium by 35 per cent.


Celsium, powered by Brunel: Employee relocation business Celsium was launched by two entrepreneurs in 2015, and two years ago was bought out by Dutch-based Brunel, with 104 offices across six continents. The company specialises in supporting people who relocate to a new city or country, and this extends to helping graduates settle into a new role.


KMB Shipping: Worldwide freight forwarder KMB has been in business for three decades, and for the last 10 has made a year-on-year profit. It employs 16 people and has three directors is under the age of 40, each having started as trainees with the company. The company has invested £30,000 in new IT systems.


PECS Data Services: This document scanning and data capture business which works for exam boards, universities, retailers and NHS. It provides automated software solutions, used in projects such as the processing of examination papers in the Western Cape in South Africa. The project involved scanning and marking some 600,000 papers.


Prescient Business Consulting Ltd: Prescient began trading last year and provides expert consultancy advice to multi-national and tech companies. The company says it


6 CHAMBERLINK April 2019


was born out of “corporate world frustrations” and has already built up a sizeable client base, including companies based in the US, Austria, Poland – and even Lebanon.


Team Telemarketing: This telemarketing company was established in 2000 is working towards raising its turnover by around 50 per cent between 2018 and 2021. During that period, the company hopes to grow its international client-based – at present, it has five international clients, and wants this to be 15 by 2021.


Uniq Tech Ltd: Uniq Tech is an engineering sales company whose customers are typically factory and business owners. The firm’s main market place is Russia, where it works with a number of partners. It currently has two start-up projects in Russia.


Excellence in Manufacturing Sponsors: Birmingham Airport


Andel Plastics: Andel is an injection moulding business which began trading in 1975. Following the most turbulent period in its history, which resulted resulting in the departure of its joint managing director, the business has made a spectacular recovery. It has invested heavily in new machinery and is on course for a 10 per cent rise in staff during 2019.


Bromford Industries: This specialist manufacturer of precision machined components for aero engines and landing gear has experienced significant growth in the past three years under new ownership. The business has had significant investment, particularly in new machinery and new software.


Evac+Chair International: Safety products is Evac+Chair’s main business – and that includes an evacuation chair used in high-rise


buildings. The firm was bought out by its management in 2017 and has experienced a steady rise in both turnover and employees, including apprentices, two of whom were taken on last year.


KEP Print Group: This print company counts major retailers, marketing agencies and print companies among its customers. It has been in business for 40 years and now has 118 employees. Despite the high-turnover the print industry is known for, KEP’s skilled workers have an average service length of 12 years.


Power Minerals: Specialists in the re-use of millions of tonnes of ash by-product from power stations. The ash is turned into a number of products for the construction sector, including the piles that underpin large buildings and motorway bridges, thus recycling what was originally hazardous waste.


Rotospa: Family-owned manufacturer of hot tubs whose customers include holiday parks, hot tub dealers and hire companies. The company claims to be the only UK manufacturer of spas, and has doubled its workforce to 22 since it began trading 16 years ago. It is a keen supporter of sourcing materials from UK-based suppliers.


Summit Patternmaking Co Ltd: Summit makes foundry equipment and other tooling used in pattern making, which is then used in the aerospace and automotive sector. Summit’s customers include tier one suppliers making parts for a number of top car firms, including Porsche, Bentley and Aston Martin. Turnover at the firm has increased steadily since 2010.


Excellence in People Development


Sponsors: Wesleyan


Birmingham CIPD: The CIPD is the body representing people


development professionals, including human resources, and works with around 2,600 such people in the Birmingham area. The Birmingham branch organises more than 30 events each year for its members. These are used for a variety of purposes, including informing and delivering national and local policy.


Crown Highways: Burntwood- based specialists in highways infrastructure, including drainage, lighting, signs and technology. The company has increased its turnover year-on-year technology and has increased its workforce to 130 employees, with a further 40 contractors. Among its key projects is electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the company has also designed a system which warns truckers if their wheels are about to fall off.


Curium Solutions Limited: In its own words, Curium is a “business transformation company” and it adds: “Our goal is to empower our customers to become change experts – helping them to develop the skills and confidence so that they do not need external support.” The Chamber’s 2018 Business of the Year aims to make organisations “better skilled, better equipped and better prepared to achieve their potential.”


Digital Glue: A marketing, design and web agency which has been trading for six years. In 2015, it had just four members of staff, but by last year this had increased to 14. Among projects that the company has won is a four-year magazine production deal with the Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District.


National Express: The operator of Birmingham’s biggest bus company, which has introduced new ways of helping its drivers to become better at their trade. This includes its Master Driver initiative, which is a


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