Business News Investment for
mailing house Leading mailing house Bakergoodchild has invested more than £2m in cutting edge technology and equipment. The investment comes hot
on the heels of Bakergoodchild’s second site expansion and acquisition of direct mail provider, Send DM. Bakergoodchild, also a
leading customer communications provider based in central Birmingham, has invested in a wide range of leading-edge technologies and equipment, which will allow them to offer faster turnaround times, flexible and bespoke secure mailings and robust complex multi-channel solutions. Some of the latest equipment purchases include two owe Systec fusion cross inserters with read and print capabilities, two Ricoh IP5000 Continuous Inkjet presses, Duplo booklet makers and a Criterion letter sorter. Paul Brough, managing
director of Bakergoodchild, said: “These ambitious investments are a big step forward for “We are committed to being
the single source for all our client’s communication requirements, so we need to always have a competitive edge within our industry.”
Investment: Norton Motorcycles will establish its new headquarters in Solihull
Historic motorcycle firm to open Solihull base
Norton Motorcycle Company has announced that it is moving from Castle Donnington to a new state-of-the- art headquarters in Solihull. The production site on Solar Park will open following
a multi-million pound investment by Norton’s Indian parent company, TVS Motor Company. The firm says its new Solihull base will be the most
advanced manufacturing facility in the 122-year-old motorcycle brand’s history. The premises will be the central hub for all of Norton
operations, providing a permanent base for all staff. The new headquarters will be home to design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing, and support teams as well as the skilled production team that is resuming manufacture of motorcycles. Some of the specialist tooling and equipment
previously used by Norton has been carried over to the new site in Solihull. Norton will resume production of the Commando Classic model at the Solihull site, building a limited quality to honour customers that had ordered and paid for a deposit on these bikes.
New funding for training
Grants of up to £18,000 are available for businesses looking to upskill and develop their workforce, via distance learning experts Open Study College. As a selected supplier, Open
Study College is working in partnership with Birmingham City Council on its Supplier Skills Programme, which offers funding from £500 to a maximum of £18,000 per SME, of which 50 per cent will be funded by the SME and 50 per cent by the European Social Fund grant. Head of Education and
Development at the college, Robbie Bryant, said: “We’re really proud to have been selected as one of the providers who have access to the funding to support local SMEs to upskill their staff, which can only have a positive impact on economic growth within the region. “We know every business wants
to invest in staff training, but the cost is often a barrier, particularly during the current pandemic when purse
24 CHAMBERLINK February 2021
strings are naturally even tighter. “We will provide full assistance
with the application process and as a long-established distance learning college, we are able to provide learners with the skills and qualifications they need without the impact on their working day of requiring to attend a physical college. The flexibility that our courses offer allows learners to complete their studies at their own pace and in line with Covid guidelines.” Small to medium sized
enterprises which have been trading for six months, are based in Birmingham, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Solihull and the Wyre Forest, and are able to match fund the training costs are eligible to apply for the grant cash.
To register your interest and to find out more visit
www.openstudycollege.com/suppl ier-skills-programme
Production of the V4SS will commence soon and the full opening of the facility is expected in Q1 2021. Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director of TVS
Motors, said: “The opening of the new headquarters represents a significant step forward for Norton Motorcycles. The opening of this state-of-the art facility will create the foundations for a sustainable
long-term future of Norton. The new bikes will meet the world class standards our customers expect. “2020 has been a tough year for the world but we
are excited to be moving into our new home and we are delighted this has been created by the Norton and TVS teams in just 9 months. “This new facility underpinned by strong quality
processes will produce bikes truly worthy of the illustrious Norton brand and take it into the future. “We are setting out to create a future for the
company, our employees, our customers and our partners that lives up to the highest expectations and enable Norton to once again become the real force its history deserves.”
UK-EU deal could boost car parts industry
The new UK-EU trade deal could encourage car makers to use more British-made parts providing a major boost to industry in the region according to West Midlands mayor Andy Street (pictured). Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands
Combined Authority, says new Rules of Origin included in the agreement mean products built in the UK will have to have a minimum amount of their parts made in the country or in the EU - to count as British when it comes to exporting. He believes that offers a huge opportunity toexpand the local
supply chain. Mr Street said: “As in many manufacturing sectors, in recent decades much of our automotive supply chain has, regrettably, moved from the West Midlands to Asia and the rest of the world, taking with it quality jobs. “Now, as a result of the EU trade deal, the automotive industry and
others has a driving imperative to source more parts and components from the UK – or face tariffs that will make its exports uncompetitive in our biggest trading partner. “This amounts to a big opportunity for the West Midlands in the small print of the EU trade deal. “The threshold for British-made parts starts at 40 per cent but will
rapidly reach 55 per cent as a minimum – creating huge scope and opportunity to rebuild and expand our automotive supply chain.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
