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News & Views


UK is Europe’s top destination for Foreign Direct Inward Investment


The World Investment Report, published by the United Nations Conference on Trade


and Development (UNCTAD) shows that the UK is the most favoured destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Europe and third worldwide. According to the UNCTAD, the stock of FDI in the UK is $US 1,086 billion of FDI stock, an increase on the previous year. Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Green said: “This report reinforces the UK’s position as one of the most attractive places to do business in the world. The Coalition Government has put attracting and retaining investment at the


heart of its plans for sustainable economic growth and today’s figures show that we are on the right path.” Susan Haird, acting Chief Executive Officer of UK Trade & Investment added; "The report reinforces the UK's attractiveness to Foreign Direct Investment. UK Trade & Investment has played an important role in encouraging overseas investors to come to the UK.” The World Investment Report shows that, the UK has outperformed a declining European market, the UK’s share of FDI stock increased while the overall stock of FDI in Europe declined to $7,614 billion (from $7,951 billion in 2009) and that in the EU fell to $6,890 (from $7,296 in 2009). The UK has benefited from increased levels of investment in manufacturing, electronics and IT. These investments are increasing being made from cash reserves rather than by borrowing. As such they are more sustainable and less reliant on the world’s global stock markets.


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East of England forum highlights Opportunities in China


SME’s in the East of England eager to export to the fast-growing Chinese market heard about the prospects of joining a UKTI trade mission to China later this year at a business forum held last month in Cambridge. At the event, organised by the China-Britain Business Council along with UKTI, keynote speaked and top Chinese diplomat Zhou Xiaoming spelled out prospects for British companies in sectors including biomedicine, renewable energy and IT. He told more than 60 business leaders that the two countries should look at ways to work together "as partners and collaborators, not competitors". The trade mission, scheduled for early December, follows a successful one to China last year. It is expected to include a visit to the huge inland city of Chongqing, with 33 million people, and to look at a range of industries. There will be opportunities to meet officials from the British Embassy and CCPIT, China's international trade organisation, and hold individual meetings as well as attending briefings and other events. International trade adviser Steve Toogood leads UKTI's work to


help firms from the East succeed in China, now the world's second largest economy. In 2010 exports of goods from the East of England to China topped half a billion pounds. "It really is essential for companies who want to break into the Chinese market to visit the country to experience at first-hand their culture and ways of doing business. This is a market that just cannot be ignored. But it needs to be understood properly, to manage risks and identify the best opportunities to sell British products and services. This trade mission will be another great opportunity to pick up know-how, ideas, contacts and ultimately, we hope, contracts." Talks by representatives from CBBC, UKTI, the UK's Intellectual Property Office and private companies dealt with issues like making an impact in China's less well-known cities beyond Beijing and Shanghai, new high-value opportunities for smaller companies, and protecting ideas and inventions. The Forum in Cambridge followed similar events in London and Leeds with a fourth to be held in Manchester.


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Business News


Plenty of cash rich to rescue the needy


One in seven companies in the UK Scientific & Laboratory Equipment industry could change ownership as a result of the current economic climate, claims a new study by leading financial analysts Plimsoll. With a surprising number of “cash rich” competitors waiting in the wings, the market could be set for a prolonged period of consolidation.


David Pattison, author of the new Plimsoll Industry Analysis – Scientific & Laboratory Equipment, explains, “I am sure any director worth his salt would agree that, in the current climate, there are simply too many companies chasing too little market. With many directors eyeing the exit doors and highly leveraged buyouts consigned to history for the time being, it really is a buyers market out there for cash rich companies” Pattison continues, “In the Plimsoll Industry Analysis we have identified 175 companies that have a sizeable cash reserve sat on their balance sheets that, due to record low interest rates, is generating nothing. One company has a £91 million cash pot.. These companies are now in the position to buy up large chunks of market share at rock bottom prices and make that money work for them.


They must be like kids in a sweet shop at the moment – all those distressed competitors available at a fraction of their true value”.


“The UK Scientific & Laboratory Equipment market is still widely regarded as one of the UK’s most fragmented sectors. In our report we analysed 449 companies with a turnover of over £1 million per annum and have picked out 94 that are primed to be taken over. Buying one of these businesses represents a massive opportunity for someone to enhance their share of the market. Either way, the market is set for a wave of takeovers in the next months”. The new Plimsoll Industry Analysis – Scientific & Laboratory Equipment will tell you which companies are set to be buying and who will be selling. Readers of International Labmate and Labmate UK & Ireland are entitled to a £50 discount of this new special edition of the Plimsoll Industry Analysis – Scientific & Laboratory Equipment. Call 01642 626400 for further details and quote reference PR/PC40.


The Forum of Private Business and Business Scene have joined forces to create a new kind of event bringing together networking opportunities and a range of support services to help small


businesses develop and grow. As part of the not-for-profit Forum’s Development Director business support solution paying members are being given free, unlimited access to Business Scene’s regional ‘Connections’ events with access to high-profile speakers from the business world. At each event the Forum, will provide support and guidance over changes to enterprise policies and small business legislation, and also offer a unique toolkit of business support solutions that can be tailored to a firm’s individual needs. “As well as opportunities to build valuable, lasting contacts entrepreneurs are now being given access to a one stop shop with the support, protection and reassurance they need for success in business,” said the Forum’s Chief Executive, Phil Orford. “We are coming together to provide something new and dynamic that does more than networking alone. The business support services of today simply can’t be prescribed as standard – every business owner's needs are different and it's important that f the furniture of Business Scene. This partnership is about the two organisations working together to lift networking events into the business support space, maximising contact opportunities for attendees and at the same time providing them with comprehensive guidance, representation


and, of course, ways to save money.”


The Nanotechnology Mini-Innovation and Growth Team (Mini-IGT) has issued a report following the ‘UK Manufacturing needs nanotechnology – Closing the Skills Gap’ event that was held in May. A copy was sent to Rt Hon David Willetts MP. The report provides supporting information and detailed proposals based on the evidence from an industry survey and conclusions from the event. It identifies a number of key issues including recommendations on how to tackle the current gap in the provision of appropriate skills and the responsible departments for ensuring these skills are available One key recommendation from the report is that the Department for Business Innovation and Skills supports vocational training which is seen as vital to the provision of hands on technicians and operators without whom the UK’s manufacturing industries would find it difficult to deliver competitive products.Members of the Mini-IGT will work with the other responsible departments to ensure that the recommendations in this report are addressed to close the skills gap. A copy of the report and further information can be found at www.nanoktn.com or www.materialsktn.net.


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