Front End I News
Space centre receives £2 million boost to initiate satellite launch programme
S
hetland Space Centre’s (SSC) plan to build and operate the UK’s only satellite launch site has been given a major boost by a £2,050,000 investment from Leonne International, an international private equity firm.
The cash injection, which gives Leonne a 20 per cent stake in the business, will be used for future growth of the company, such as the development of the launch site and ground station at the most northerly tip of Britain – the island of Unst in Shetland. This was identified in the Sceptre Report, an independent report commissioned for the UK Space Agency, as the optimal location in the UK for launching small satellites into space, a rapidly growing sector of the international economy.
SSC’s integrated business model creates
revenues from launch, ground and tourism. Shetland’s space economy should be seen as a unique and very valuable asset to the UK where it can support the work done by the other sector initiatives and clusters in the rapidly growing ”New Space“ economy.
SSC also has support from within the Unst and broader Shetland communities, as well as a proactive and supportive relationship with the local authority, Shetland Islands Council. Critically, the landowner and crofting community have recognised the benefits both locally, and to Scotland and the UK, and have agreed to lease the required land to the project and SSC does not anticipate any major environmental issues.
For the last two-and-a-half years SSC has been developing its plans and collaborating with space industry giants such as Lockheed Martin, Aecom and ArianeGroup and also working closely with legitimate industry newcomers such as Rocket Factory Augsburg and Skyrora, as well as universities and other organisations.
SSC says it intends to create an
international exemplar by developing a green space centre and showcasing that space and its numerous applications are a “force for good” as well as creating employment and attracting new business opportunities to Shetland in particular.
Amsterdam set to knock London off its tech hub pedestal H
ome to the world’s first futures market, Amsterdam is once again taking its place centre stage in the
world’s economy by becoming a successful and rapidly growing tech hub. Already ranked number four in the world by Savills in its 2019 Best Tech Cities report, the ecosystem is continuing to grow and the sky is the limit according to Tom Brookshaw, principal consultant for data, technology and analytics recruiter, KDR Recruitment. “There are huge opportunities for
creative and intelligent people to quickly carve a great career in data science in Amsterdam,” he said. “Jobs in the tech sector in Amsterdam are increasing at a rate of 12 per cent each year, which is hugely exciting.” It isn’t just start-ups that are flourishing in the capital of The Netherlands. Huge global names, such as Netflix, Uber and Google have recently moved into the city.
“Brexit is definitely having an impact with these large organisations considering the need for a European base outside the UK,” explained Tom. “But other factors are important too, such as the ease of relocating to Amsterdam, fantastic transport links and a population that has an almost universal ability to speak English.” Salaries in Amsterdam are also attractive. The average annual salary for a data scientist in Amsterdam is around €69,000, which in Europe is second only to Switzerland. KDR Recruitment has also announced plans to expand into the Netherlands to offset potential issues that could be caused by Brexit. CEO of KDR Recruitment, Mark
Dexter, commented: “The data, technology and analytics fields are booming in the Netherlands and there are an increasing number of appealing opportunities for us in this market. With the UK no longer being a part of the EU
it is important that we secure our ability to serve European markets and our clients who are based or have operations there. Amsterdam has the potential to
take over from London as the major centre for data, technology and analytics recruitment and we are ready to be a part of that success.”
Impact of coronavirus on distributors of electronic components T
here has been great media coverage all around the world on the coronavirus (COVID-19). The spectrum of information varies from raw numbers to crude conspiracy theories. It is undeniable that coronavirus will have a huge influence on economic growth figures all around the world. Corona is expected to be much more expensive than SARS, affecting every industry branch. The electronics industry is not making an exception here. In the last week, nearly every manufacturer has given out statements on how the coronavirus and the partial lockdown of China’s cities and infrastructure is affecting lead times. In addition, many companies have declined their participation in important trade fairs, such as Embedded World. Organisers of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona even cancelled the event completely.
6 March 2020
Discussing priority issues in the wake of the outbreak, Teri Ivaniszyn, vice president, operational excellence, Digi- Key Electronics said, “The health and safety of our team members, customers and business partners is of primary importance. We fully support any workplace accommodations that reduce potential risk and encourage compliance with government guidelines dealing with the issue.”
Commenting on how the virus
outbreak and subsequent Chinese restrictions may affect its line card, Geoff Breed, vice president of European marketing at TTI said, “We know that suppliers who have manufacturing in the area have delayed resuming production and we are working on a daily basis with our supplier partners to understand any further restrictions.”
Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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
