Member News

SMS growth results in construction of larger manufacturing facilities Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS), a subsidiary of Alderley plc, officially announces today its plan to relocate to larger facilities to accommodate company growth. SMS are internationally renowned in the oil and gas industry as leading specialists for the supply of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems.

The £3 million state of the art building will be constructed on a 100,000 sq.ft. plot at the Beacon Park business park in Great Yarmouth, almost double in size to the existing base on the Harfreys Industrial Estate. In addition to the main plot SMS have purchased adjacent land for future expansion. The construction of the workshop and office facilities will commence at the end of November 2014.

The much needed increase in capacity will allow SMS to service the needs of its expanding client portfolio as well as strategically introducing new product lines ensuring SMS maintains it full growth ambitions.

The larger purpose built facility will feature two dedicated test bays for pressure testing and operational testing with modern observation zones for improved safety and the workshop will be equipped with a built-in overhead lifting crane. The move is expected to create at least 50 new jobs in engineering and manufacturing in the region.

Dave Howlett, Managing Director of SMS comments. “This investment by the Alderley Group underpins an ongoing support and commitment to the growth and development of SMS and will help strengthen SMS’s position and expand its offering to the oil and gas industry worldwide. We have a strong and talented pool of people that have helped us achieve our current success and, with larger production facilities, we as a team look forward to continuing our expansion in order to meet the rising global demand for our products and services.”

Cllr Trevor Wainwright, the leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “The fact that so many businesses in the energy sector supply chain are continuing to grow within and expand into the Great Yarmouth borough represents a huge vote of confidence in the local economy, the skills of the workforce, the port and business park facilities, and the Enterprise Zone status.

“The borough council is pleased to welcome the news that SMS Ltd have chosen Beacon Park for the development of their prestigious new office and production facility. The council looks forward to the doors opening for business and sees the news as support for its continued promotion of the park as the location of choice for businesses expanding in the borough.”

“Now is a particularly exciting time for Beacon Park, as construction on new units continues apace, new occupiers move in, and work starts on the new A12/A143 link road, thanks to both private and public investment, including a significant contribution from the borough council.”

2015 is forecast to be another busy summer for Thomson at Norwich International Airport with the introduction of a new weekly service to Menorca every Saturday May to October, bringing their total number of seats on sale to circa 36,000, an increase of 11% on prior year.

Norwich International Airport is delighted to be included within the new Thomson ‘discover your 2015 campaign which has recently been unveiled and tells the story of a well-loved bear called Miles who has been ground down by everyday life, before he is whisked away on a Thomson Holiday. From this week Miles is bringing a smile to Norwich International passengers and visitors alike with new artwork adorning the front of the main terminal entrance.

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International commented, “We are proud to be working closely with Thomson to promote their holidays from our airport. The addition of Menorca to Thomson Holidays product range from Norwich International such prominent branding is most welcome and further demonstrates the strength of the growth in charter flights. We are certain this popular destination which is already selling well and ‘Miles the bear’ will prove a hit with our customers. The image of Miles will make a great backdrop to family photographs depicting the start of a holiday from their local airport and we actively encourage our passengers to share these with us”.

Last week Wayne Rooney, the Captain of the England Football team, was given a special treat in preperation for his 100th England cap when he spent an afternoon with the guys from Lambda Films.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite like that…

On Wednesday 12th, Lambda Films headed down St George’s Park, the 330-acre English Football Association’s national football centre, in Burton-upon-Trent. There, the Lambda production team worked with the The FA, Vauxhall and YouTube football celebrity Steve Roberts of STR Skill School to produce an exclusive one-on-one interview with the England Captain about his upcoming 100th cap, and his top five goals.

The video was edited overnight and released the following morning to take advantage of Rooney’s impending 100th game. With the help of tweets and Facebook updates from the FA, the England Football team, Vauxhall and Rooney himself, the video garnered over 83,000 views in just a couple of days and continues to increase.

As well as the interview, the Lambda team worked with Steve Roberts and Wayne Rooney to produce a series of football tutorials for the STR Skillschool YouTube channel, one of the most successful football channels in the world.

Lambda Films is a video production company in Norwich. We produce online video content and video marketing services, so please get in touch for more information at hello@lambdafilms.co.uk or 01603 665527.

Norwich Sunblinds have been donating a £1.00 for each curtain, blind and roman fold sold to a charity each month.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance was the charity for the month of October 2014 and we managed to raise £1128.00.

Alan Smith received the cheque on behalf of The East Anglian Air Ambulance he gave the staff at Norwich Sunblinds a brief talk about the work the Air Ambulance and crew manage to do and the work that he as a volunteer does to get funding. Very worthwhile cause, we were very proud to be able to contribute to them and their work.

01603 615945www.sunblinds.co.uk

Norwich International Airport has become one of the first in the UK to transition to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) aerodrome regulatory regime, underlying its growing reputation as one of Britain’s most progressive airports. Only the fourth UK site to transfer to the system, which all European airports must adhere to by December 2017, Norwich is among a small group of pioneering aviation hubs setting the pace for the industry.

“Norwich has always worked hard at being one of the country’s most progressive airports, which is why we agreed early this year to become part of a pilot initiative mapping the approach required to transition to the new European wide system,” said Richard Pace, Operations Director at Norwich International Airport.

“While our existing procedures and approach to safety made the process relatively straightforward, taking the initiative not only kept us ahead of the game, but will also enable airports around the UK to learn from our experience and best practice.” EASA is the centrepiece of the European Union’s aviation safety system, working alongside the European Commission and the National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) to improve standards. The Agency develops common safety and environmental rules, monitors the implementation of standards through inspections and provides the necessary technical expertise and training to support the system.

All UK Aerodromes open to public use and which serve commercial air transport and where operations using instrument approach or departure procedures are provided fall within the scope of the EASA regulations, which came into force on 6 March 2014. Norwich participated in a pilot scheme designed to identify best practice for UK airports transferring to the scheme early this year, then became one of the first to formally make the switch a few weeks ago.

Richard Pace added: “I felt it was important for us to play a key role in the process. Despite their importance to local communities and economies regional airports are often drowned out by the noise generated by larger sites, and we wanted to ensure that our voice would be heard.” Norwich owner Regional & City Airports (RCA) – the airports division of Rigby Group PLC – believes that the announcement will also deliver benefits for its operations at Coventry and Exeter.

John Spooner, Director of Airport Management at Rigby Group’s airports division Regional & City Airports (RCA) said: “One of the key benefits RCA offers its airports is shared experience and expertise. With Norwich having so successfully completed its role as an industry pathfinder, the knowledge gained during the exercise will greatly ease the transition process at Coventry and Exeter Airports.”

Norse Commercial Services and Great Yarmouth Borough Council have formed a new Joint Venture Company to manage and maintain the council’s community housing stock.

GYN Asset Management Services took over the asset management and building maintenance of the Borough Council’s stock of 6,000 houses as of October 1st.

The 10-year agreement is initially worth around £6 million a year, and is expected to rise over the coming years. It extends Norse’s partnership with Great Yarmouth Borough Council – GYB Services, another joint venture between the two organisations, handles local services including refuse collection, cleaning, grounds maintenance, pest control, and other frontline services.

The new partnership will take over Strategic Asset Management, Responsive Repairs, Voids Maintenance (housing stock that becomes vacant), Major Works, Planned Improvements, Cyclical and Statutory Maintenance, Neighbourhood Plans and New Builds.

There will be significant investment in new vehicles, and in IT aimed at improving efficiency and responsive repairs timescales.

“We are really pleased to be building on our long-term relationship with Great Yarmouth Borough Council, which goes back to the formation of GYB Services in 2002,” commented Norse Managing Director Peter Hawes. “This new partnership takes the number of joint ventures Norse Group has with UK local authorities to twenty-three, with a combined annual turnover of more than £140 million.”

Cllr Penny Linden, the borough council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “This new joint venture company aims to make sure all maintenance and improvement work is done to the highest standards, in the most effective, efficient and economic way.

“By operating more efficiently, the borough council will be able to make savings, which will benefit tenants as the savings will be re-invested in council homes.

“And the new approach will also mean improved waiting times, a better quality of work, and overall better customer care, while providing a range of apprenticeships and increased opportunities for local businesses.”

This partnership follows the recent formation of Newport Norse, a joint venture in South Wales, and the company expects further significant growth over the next few months. Norse Sales Director Geoff Tucker said, “With these new partnerships, and a large number of contract awards across the UK, we have seen a 15% increase in turnover this year, and we expect this success to continue.”

18 additional staff TUPE transferred into the new company.

When the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) timescale was announced, Norfolk County Council appointed Norse Commercial services to project manage the implementation. Two months into the new service, the company has produced a summary of what it involved.

With less than 12 months to review, plan and deliver individual school needs that ranged from additional cutlery and supplies through to complete kitchen builds and refits in the county’s 373 primary and infant schools (including all those in the Broadland area), Norse Commercial Director Terrance Isaac-Griffiths (TIG) and his team recognised that they had their work cut out.

“We knew the only way was to conduct detailed site visits, and document the essential requirements needed to handle the increased number of meals each school was likely to be providing after September 2014,” he explains. “Having completed then initial audit, we had to ensure that we managed the Head Teachers’ expectations, and during the next phase regular updates and consultation were key to achieving this.”

Copies of the Needs Assessments were sent to Head Teachers after the initial visit so they had details of what equipment was to be ordered for their school and when delivery could be expected.

Norse has its own engineering division dedicated to supporting the educational catering operation and this team played a major role in fulfilling the installation programme. However the volume of work and the tight timescales meant that the company also used some outside contractors to assist with the refitting.

“Our main challenge was availability of the equipment from suppliers; Norfolk was not the only county placing orders,” said Sonya Smith, Service Engineering and Catering Equipment Supervisor at Norse.

The whole project generated considerable economic benefit in terms of work for local and regional suppliers and contractors.

Norse Account Managers also offered support to the Head Teachers with regard to the logistics of managing the increase in meal numbers. In addition, 150 new jobs have been created in school kitchens, and kitchen staff hours have been extended in nearly every school.

On the 4th September 2014, the first day of the new academic year in Norfolk, all of the county’s primary schools were serving children with hot meals.

There were a handful of schools that required power upgrades in their kitchens before Norse could install their required heavy equipment. For these schools, the company worked closely with the Head Teachers and kitchen staff, and where necessary, put contingency plans in place.

The feedback from Mrs Binks Neate-Evans Head Teacher at West Earlham Infant and Primary School, which had a complete new kitchen/server installed, is typical of the praise schools had for Norse.

“From a school perspective it went very, very smoothly, particularly given the timescales,” she says. “The contractors were well organised and the kitchen was ready to cook from on the first day of term. We have benefitted enormously from having an experienced chef who quickly adapted from essentially being a restaurant chef to being able to deliver up to 300 meals per day. He was supported by an experienced Norse member of staff to help induct him into cooking for schools.”

The task finally over, and six weeks into the new regime, looking back at the achievements TIG commented, “The team worked tirelessly over the preceding 12 months to achieve a near 100% completion. But even in the very few schools where we had to wait to have the 3-phase power connected, our contingency planning ensured all pupils could receive a free midday meal. It is a real credit to all parties involved that their co-operative approach and the jointly agreed goals delivered such a successful start to the introduction of UIFSM.”

Some Key facts:

• 373 schools visited and fully audited
• 170 site visits to assess gas and electrical supply for additional ovens, fridges etc
• New equipment installed/delivered
  • 95 x Fridges
  • 58 x Freezers
  • 92 x Ovens,
  • 67 x Hot Cupboards
  • 259 x sets of Cutlery
  • 59 x tables/chairs sets
• 25,200 service engineer team man-hours
• Meals uptake up from 34.3% to 57.6% with growth set to continue as winter months approach
• 150 additional staff to cover

Shield Health & Safety are now able to offer Abseil Escape from VNA/Man up/MEWPS

“Trucks that are designed to elevate the operator position more than 3000mm above ground level shall be provided with means by which the operator can reach the ground safely in the event of the operator position becoming fixed in the elevated position”

In an emergency situation it is important for your staff to have the correct knowledge & training to escape from working at height equipment as safely as possible.

Some of these machines are already equipped with a rope evacuation system, where this is the case, regular practical training is necessary on the correct use of the system.

Our courses cover an introduction to the specific equipment as fitted to your machine followed by controlled escapes and descents from increasing heights until your staff are happy and proficient in the use of the equipment.

All of our training is risk assessed, carried out to a safe system of work and uses back-up support systems where necessary.

All our training is conducted ‘on-site’ as this is the real environment that your employees will be using on a day-to-day basis. We can deliver training and assessment courses, including periodical re-assessment or re-training where necessary.

please visit https://www.shieldhealthandsafety.co.uk/ for more info

NORWICH, Tuesday 11th November 2014 – Norwich International supports local students. Norwich International Airport was delighted to provide a group of travel and tourism students with an insight in to the aviation industry during a visit to the airport on Friday.

The students currently attend The Open Academy which offers a course aimed at pursuing a career within the travel and tourism industry.

The visit was hosted by the airports customer services team who gave a presentation and introduction of their roles within the airport and escorted students on a passenger journey through the airport to enable them to experience the various elements involved and observe the importance of good customer service throughout.

Gary Blake, Customer Services Manager said: “We were delighted to facilitate the request from The Open Academy and deliver an informative visit to the airport which enabled the students to gain an insight into working within an airport environment. We hope the experiences shared with the group will inspire them to work hard and gain their associated qualifications, the first step towards working in the travel industry in the future”

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International said: “Everyone at the airport works extremely hard to maintain high levels of service with the aim of being the airport of choice for friendliness and great customer service. We were pleased to be able to share the experience and knowledge of our staff with The Open Academy students to better prepare them for their future careers”

Kim Stickland, Deputy Director of the Academic Faculty at the Open Academy commented: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Travel and Tourism students to see what goes on behind the scenes at an International Airport. The airport staff created a fictitious flight for us, and students were taken through all stages of departure and arrivals, including check-in and security checks, with a very informative tour of the airfield in-between.

As an Academy with International School status we are especially keen to ensure our students are fully aware of career opportunities in the wider world, and this visit gave them a real insight of possibilities in tourism and travel both here in Norwich, and further afield.”

-End-

So you have a new addition to your family. That’s fantastic news! But after spending the last few months settling into parenthood, your mind may now be turning to going back to work.

If returning to your job is something you’re excited about, well that’s great. But we wouldn’t blame you if you’re also feeling a little nervous about how you’re going to handle the change in lifestyle.

Becoming a mum is a huge responsibility, so the thought of adding another plate to the ones you’re already spinning may well be daunting! It’s completely natural to question your ability to manage motherhood while being a good employee. And it’s also normal to feel a little doubtful about going to work when your child is still young.

So if you’re a ‘returnee’, read through our advice about stepping back into the world of work. We hope it’ll help make the process less worrying.

1.Talk to your employer early Set a return date well in advance so everyone knows when you’re expected back and you can start planning child care. Why not go in for meetings to reintegrate into work? At Pure, we have ‘Keeping in Touch Days’ so ladies coming back from maternity leave start to integrate back into the business gradually with support of a mentor. Think about scheduling time with the person covering your job, and read meeting minutes and key emails. This should help reduce the pressure since you’ll already be up to speed.

2.Set up reviews When you return set up regular meetings with your line manager to track your progress. You can discuss any concerns and, at a later date, find solutions to obstacles that may be blocking your career development. Also, after you’ve settled into work, review your own goals. Have your ambitions changed? If so, what can you do about finding a new direction?

3.Arrange reliable child care Child care can be a source of concern for working parents. But, besides professional child care services, your relatives may also be willing to help out. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan in case your usual arrangement falls through. This will give you peace of mind; you’ll know that there will always be someone available to take care of your child so you can focus at work.

4.Have faith in your skills Trusting in your ability to juggle tasks effectively is important to your success. If you’re going back to your existing role, be it on a full-time or part-time basis, remember that you’re good at what you do. You may be feeling more tired these days, but you probably haven’t lost the skills that your employer really values. Be confident – you’ll do a fabulous job!

5.Negotiate flexibility It may help easing yourself gently back in your job. How about using any accrued annual leave to ‘buffer’ your return? You could perhaps start on two days and gradually increase your time over the coming weeks. Maybe your employer is open to flexible hours, so you can work around child care, school and other responsibilities.

6.Look after yourself The wellbeing of a mum is essential to the health of a young child. And this shouldn’t change when you return to work. Although you’re going to be very busy, finding some time to look after your mental, emotional and physical health is important. When possible, get a good night’s sleep. Don’t be tempted to snack on fast food or sugary snacks. And try to fit in some exercise – even if it’s a lunchtime speed walk around the local park.

7.Get organised If you’ve never been a big diary-keeper, now might be the ideal time to start! Making daily to-do lists will help you manage tasks. And by adding appointments as soon as they’re arranged, you should be able to keep track of which family members are doing what – and when. So, hopefully, there’ll be no surprises that’ll hinder your return to work.

Although returning to work is going to be a challenge, we really hope that our advice will support you in making that transition from full-time mum to working parent.

Emergency plans will be put to the test this November during an emergency exercise at Norwich International Airport. The exercise will start at 11.00am on Wednesday (Nov 12) and is expected to last until 15.00pm.

Norwich Airport Facilities Manager, Mel Gray said: “Norwich International Airport is required to undertake a large scale exercise every two years in order to satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). During the intervening year the airport undertakes a table top exercise, however this year we are undertaking a smaller scale exercise to test the response of staff working within the terminal building. This exercise, will test our response and exercise our arrangements with external emergency services.”

“It is essential that we have plans in place to deal with emergencies to ensure the best response possible. Such plans are best validated through emergency exercises and we are extremely fortunate that in Norfolk there is a commitment from the emergency services and other emergency responders to work together in this way.”

As well as the airport employees, the Norfolk Constabulary, British Red Cross and local authoritieses will be involved in the mini exercise. This ensures that multi-agency working can be practiced and evaluated during the exercise.

Any lessons that are identified through this exercise will be used to inform the plan review process and will be disseminated to other relevant organisations to ensure that best practice is shared.

• East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) members invited to take a guided tour of Dart Fisher at Great Yarmouth Base • Dart Fisher provides first-hand opportunity to view state-of-the-art capabilities to service energy providers in the Southern North Sea • Fendercare Marine’s operational base showcases its flexibility in providing a platform to mobilise operations into the Southern North Sea

James Fisher Marine Services Ltd (JFMS), and Fendercare Marine, both subsidiaries of James Fisher and Sons plc (JFS) – the UK’s leading marine services provider, held an open day to demonstrate the capability of their shoreside support base and the offshore support vessel, the Dart Fisher.

The Dart Fisher, which was berthed in the Fendercare Marine base in Great Yarmouth, is a state-of-the-art vessel which has been specifically designed to service the offshore energy industry, is a 26-metre catamaran with the capability to transfer up to 12 engineers, three 20ft containers with a total combined cargo weight of 30 tonnes.

The open day not only provided walk-on tours of the vessel, but gave the opportunity for guests to ask questions about the vessel to the skipper and the first mate.

The delegates were specially invited from EEEGR, which represented over 400 members from across the energy supply chain. Celia Anderson, director of Skills for Energy, EEEGR praised the initiative by saying: “Today, I have had a unique opportunity to take a guided tour of a very impressive vessel designed specifically to service marine offshore energy industry, which not many people have the chance to do. This provided a great experience for myself, but more importantly the wider members of the skills council who vary from work experience students to current employees such as Gareth, who is working with Skills for Energy for Job Centre Plus, and Loren who has just completed an MSc at the University of East Anglia on Meterology and Oceaography, specialising in offshore engineering. For these people, this opportunity is invaluable”.

John Best, head of sustainable energy at FFMS commented by saying: “I was delighted by the reaction we had from our guests, especially from those who are considering the industry for future careers. Much is said about ‘local content’, but I feel sure that by sharing our knowledge and experience in this way we will have no shortage of skilled, competent people looking to work in the offshore marine services industry”.