Email News November 2008
Foreword
In this issue find out more about how Marine South East Marenet events can help your company, as we review and look ahead at the Marenet programme this Autumn. There are also details of events and projects that can help companies in this tough economic climate. Read on to find out more...
Posted 2008-11-01 22:56:24
Southampton’s Maritime Centre of Excellence gets green light from planners
Southampton City Council has recently supported detailed plans for the first phase of the redevelopment of the Boldrewood campus as a Maritime Centre of Excellence.
The decision, which has been welcomed by the University of Southampton and Lloyd's Register, includes outline planning approval for the first phase of the scheme. This will deliver two high-quality buildings, an extension to an existing building, and landscaping of the site which respects the proximity of the campus to the Common. One of these buildings will be occupied by the marine professionals of Lloyd's Register together with the University's maritime engineers.
University Vice-Chancellor, Bill Wakeham, commented: "Our collaboration with Lloyd's Register is a vital element in the development of the Maritime Centre of Excellence and offers a unique opportunity to both the University and the City. With the potential to deliver significant economic benefit, as well as a prestigious long-term asset, building on and strengthening Southampton's maritime tradition, I am delighted that the City has recognised the significance of this development and taken the decision to support our Phase 1 plans. We look forward positively to engaging with Lloyd's Register to turn these plans into reality."
Commenting on the decision, David Moorhouse, Chairman, Lloyd's Register, said: "Achieving planning outcome so efficiently is a credit to all those that have been involved in the application over the past few years. We would like to thank all who have supported us.
"Over the next few months we will be entering a period of detailed contractual negotiation with the University of Southampton that is necessary to turn the scheme into a reality and to protect the investment that Lloyd's Register is making. We will be keeping everyone informed over progress of these negotiations over the coming weeks.
"The proposed move to Southampton is a ground breaking and unique opportunity to link business with academia and represents a significant strategic investment for Lloyd's Register. We will support the local maritime community and work in close cooperation with one of the world's leading marine academic and research universities. In return we will have direct access to an outstanding technology base and world-class R&D facilities, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with a wide range of leading professionals in our field."
To find out more about the scheme visit http://www.maritimecentre.info
Posted 2008-11-01 22:26:28
Marine South East MareNet Event - Strategic Waterfront Sites, Thursday 13th November 2008
Portchester
Always a highly topical and relevant subject, Strategic Waterfront Sites will be the topic for the November MareNet event. It is being partnered by SEEDA and will take place at the former VT Porchester site recently renamed Trafalgar Wharf at Hamilton Road in Portsmouth. The event will take place on Thursday 13th November and will start at 3.00pm with a full tour of the facilities at Trafalgar Wharf.
Trafalgar Wharf will be kindly hosting the event and providing refreshments as well as this unique opportunity to view this formerly restricted access site which is now being opened up for marine use.
The tour of the site will begin promptly at 3.00pm from the car park with registration for the MareNet event starting at 4.00pm and presentations starting promptly at 4.15pm; the event will conclude with a networking reception which will finish at 6.30pm.
Speakers at the event will include:
- Peter Cusdin, Developments Projects Director SEEDA talking about a number of strategic waterfront sites including Daedalus, Marchwood, East Cowes and Hythe Marine Park
- Andy Green, from Trafalgar Wharf will outline some of the past history of the site; their vision for the future of the site as well as opportunities for marine companies at Trafalgar Wharf. Andy will also talk about their experience of developing the Thornham Marina site in Emsworth.
- Jonathan Williams, CEO of Marine South East will lead a facilitated discussion on how strategic waterfront sites should best be identified, secured and made available to marine businesses in future.
- There will also be a case study on the benefits of co-locating with other marine companies at waterfront sites
This is likely to be a popular event and we therefore ask that only one delegate per company attend the event. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
To register for this free event please either click on the link below, register online at http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/marenet or email your details to admin@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2008-10-09 15:19:26
Seminar helps companies understand the value of CAD CAM technology
On the 23rd October, Intrinsys and Dassault Systèmes hosted a seminar in Southampton on the subject of CATIA for the Yacht Industry. The event proved to be an overwhelming success with 24 companies attending the seminar. Joining the team from Intrinsys and Dassault Systèmes UK was François Mathieu, Yacht Market Development Leader for Dassault Systèmes in France.
The event consisted of a demonstration of the core functionality of CATIA including solid modeling, surfacing, drafting, digital mock-up, rendering, systems engineering and data management. This was later followed by a demonstration of more specific areas of functionality such as composite design and manufacture, finite element analysis and N/C manufacture. The two demonstration phases were punctuated by a fantastic customer testimonial from Wayne Huntley, Head of Design at Southampton Yacht Services who outlined their experiences with CATIA, the benefits they were now experiencing and activities for the year ahead. Wayne commented "CATIA offers superior links management for example when updating designs with new geometry and when dealing with large assemblies CATIA is far more capable.
It has also proven to offer us significant cost and time savings. We have been using 3D CAD/CAM for new vessels as well as using it to help with the renovation and refurbishment of older vessels."
Wayne recently took part in subsidised training that Marine South East ran with the Regional Resource Centre. He commented that "it was vital to have good training to gain the most from CATIA. The training has been invaluable."
Another highlight of the day was the UK launch of the new CATIA Hydrostatics product. Fully integrated into CATIA, the product stimulated significant interest with all the Naval Architects and is a significant breakthrough within the industry. For the first time there is now a single "design toolset" that can be used, starting with the initial hydrostatic design through to styling design and detail design layout. More importantly the single toolset allows changes to be propagated in either direction due to the associativity of the data.
Intrinsys were pleased with the level of interest shown in the product and this was further displayed at the end of the day when the room remained full with people keen to see more of what the product had to offer the industry. Following on from the seminar there are a number of clients who have requested visits to demonstrate the software to a wider audience within their companies.
Intrinsys intend to run another event early next year for people that were not able to attend the last event and it is hoped that the growing exposure of the software within the domain will continue and CATIA will become the product of choice for yacht industry in the future.
For further information on CATIA please contact Angela on 01908 278650 or email acairns@intrinsys.co.uk
Posted 2008-11-01 21:59:43
October Marine South East Marenet events prove a success
Recent Marenet events held in October which focused on International Trade opportunities for the marine sector and, most recently, the new aircraft carrier orders for BVT and the implications for the local supply chain, have both proved very popular with South East marine companies and particularly the networking aspect of the events.
The international trade event included presentations from Jeff Grainger from the University of Portsmouth on the vast investment projects taking place in Dubai -in particular Maritime City and the Palm Island developments. Tom Chant from the British Marine Federation updated delegates on international activities and opportunities for the Leisure marine sector in the coming months including the Meet the Buyer event taking place in January.
Kee Uniacke from UKTI South East talked about the programmes they have available to help marine companies develop their overseas trade and Marine South East's Stephen Sharpe concluded the event with information on a global research project which will provide important research figures on the international marine market in the near future.
All the presentations from the event can be downloaded from www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/marenet - click on the 7th October MareNet event.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was the setting for the most recent MareNet event where key note speaker Alan Johnston CEO of BVT gave a very informative presentation on BVT's current projects including the carriers, the company's future challenges and supply chain requirements. Alan also answered a broad range of questions from the audience. Portsmouth City Council's leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson talked about the importance of the marine sector to Portsmouth and is surrounding area; the Portsmouth Dockyard campaign and the success of the Ferryport. The presentations were concluded by Professor Douglas Macbeth from the University of Southampton Business School sharing his knowledge on the management of supply chains and giving tips for companies to develop better supply chain relationships.
All the presentations from this free event can be downloaded from the website at http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/marenet - click on 28th October BVT MareNet event
Posted 2008-11-01 20:34:02
Kent marine jobs fair proves a huge success
1,500 young people attended a jobs fair in Dover, which was organised to show the diverse range of career opportunities in the marine sector.
The Duke of Gloucester and the former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord Michael Boyce, were on hand to help encourage students to consider a life at sea.
"There is a tendency in this country to suffer from what I call sea blindness," said Lord Boyce. "I think any initiative like this is really really important." Lord Boyce, who is now Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, added: "It is important to realise that so much of our lives depend on what comes by sea and there is also the recreational market to consider as well."
Over 95% of all Britain’s imports and exports go by sea. Fifty million people travel to, from and around the UK by ferry each year. We are technological leaders in offshore oil and gas extraction and strong in maritime manufacturing. The Royal Navy is the second strongest Navy in the world and London the world centre for maritime financial and legal services. Development of the oceans for their resources of fish, minerals, oil and renewable energies demands innovative solutions and careful management. Global warming and the need to understand the world’s ecosystems have made research and the study of the Maritime Environment a high priority
The aims of the Kent Marine Festival were to:
- Increase young people’s understanding of the wide variety of opportunities and the skills required by the marine and maritime sectors
- Provide them with an insight of the different roles available, in order for them to make informed choices from the training and qualification routes available to them
- To provide as many ‘hands-on’ activities as possible
- Provide them with clear information on opportunities and progression routes for entry into training in these careers
- Join a national initiative by the Maritime Industry to help raise awareness of opportunities available in the industry today
If you would like to find out more about this skills festival or to get involved with further work contact Anne McNulty on 01843 609 310
Posted 2008-11-01 20:49:11
Business Improvement MareNet Workshop, Tuesday 9th December 2008
Venue: The Port House, Port Solent, PO6 4TH
Marine South East is delighted to be partnering the Manufacturing Advisory Service South East to offer marine companies this highly relevant half-day Marine Business Improvement Workshop.
This workshop will enable your company to create its own Lean processes in order to achieve astonishing results.
Did you know that 95% of the time taken from order receipt to product despatch adds no value to your product or service, only cost? 'Lean manufacturing' is the name given to a range of simple yet effective techniques that aim to slash the amount of 'non-value adding' activity at little or no cost.
Lean principles are equally at home in the office as on the shop-floor and the Lean techniques can be applied through-out any business, from product design through to sales ordering, and from highly technical problem solving through to simple administrative tasks. Lean practices are highly suitable for both small enterprises as well as the world's largest businesses.
Typical benefits enjoyed by companies who adopt Lean techniques include:
- 25-50% increase in productivity
- 50% reduction in space
- 50% improvement in quality
- 50-90% reduction in lead time
- Improved cash flow
- Improved profitability
- Empowered and motivated workforce
- Improved customer service
This free introductory half-day workshop will introduce company's to the fundamentals of Lean thinking and the application of tools and techniques such as 5S, 7+1 Wastes, VA and NVA, Push vs Pull, Kanban, Flow and process mapping.
This free, interactive, marine specific workshop is ideally suited to MD's and senior managers or to those who can make changes to work processes. The methodologies of Lean are effective in every type of business from R&D through to logistics and service as well as manufacturing.
The workshop will be limited to 30 delegates so book early to avoid disappointment by either completing your details online at http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/marenet or emailing admin@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2008-11-01 22:44:05
Red Diesel duty changes are now live
The British Marine Federation has recently circulated guidance to help companies supplying fuel to private pleasure craft following the expiry of the UK derogations to the Energy Products Directive that allowed for a reduced rate of duty on fuel supplied to these craft.
The EU Energy Products Directive provides that from 1 November 2008:-
a) The full rate of duty is to be applied to fuel used for "the purposes of navigation" (which has been reflected in UK law as "fuel for propelling" of private pleasure craft;
b) Red diesel at the rebated rate of duty can continue to be used for domestic purposes aboard a boat such as heating, lighting electricity generation, refrigeration, air conditioning or hot water;
c) Customers purchasing fuel will be required to make a declaration about their fuel usage; and
d) Fuel suppliers will need to become Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils (RDCO's) and will return the duty collected to HMRC.
The full details of the guidance can be found on the BMF website or by emailing Claire Westbrook on cwestbrook@britishmarine.co.uk
The BMF is continuing to work with HMRC to provide guidance to the industry as these new policy measures bed in. The BMF is receiving many questions from member companies and will build a Frequently Asked Questions section on the BMF website at http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/reddiesel
Posted 2008-11-01 19:51:10
Tackling tough economic times with ICT
ICT can be a platform for better performance in tough economic times and an investment to help companies emerge stronger for the future.
As the Government this week urges businesses to contact their local Business Link service for a ‘health check’, SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, publishes a report which prompts businesses to seriously consider their use of technology.
The impact of ICT on SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the South East is the result of more than 3,500 interviews with businesses of up to 250 staff.
The primary objective of the research was to understand how ICT is being adopted and exploited across business sectors. “The most important finding is that while roughly two thirds of SMEs are ICT adopters, only 10% of these are advanced adopters,” explained Dr Peter Waller, Head of Broadband and ICT Strategy, SEEDA. “Given that the most significant benefits in productivity and performance are to be gained from the adoption of advanced as opposed to basic ICT applications and services, this indicates that ICT offers both adopters and non adopters alike a significant opportunity to improve their business performance.”
The report provides a wealth of evidence demonstrating the value of ICT. For example, 45% of adopters have used ICT in developing new or existing products and services. Of these, 66% state that these new products/services are new to the company, and 41% that they are new to the market.
Arthur Butterfield, regional ICT Development Manager, Global Competitive Directorate, SEEDA, said: “Without ICT, the economy would be less entrepreneurial and much less advanced. However, 34% of SMEs are still non adopters. Even micro businesses can use ICT to investigate markets and suppliers and increase their commercial activity. Clearly there is a perceived lack of relevance which needs to be addressed.”
The report highlights that SMEs could be more successful in the current economic climate if they sold more products online. More sophisticated ICT adoption has also been shown to have a direct correlation with success.
However, more than half of companies questioned did not know their broadband speed and a third reported on negative effects of losing connections.
More than 50 per cent of companies reported benefits from remote working such as more content staff and a smaller carbon footprint.
This SEEDA survey demonstrates the contribution that ICT can make to the success of an SME. Communications have made large strides forward in the last 20 years. As consumers turn more and more to the internet for all their needs, businesses need to embrace the opportunities and take advantage of the reality of the new technologies. The real potential of ICT is as a tool to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate.
The first dissemination event on this report will be on Wednesday 10th December at Millbrook Technology Campus, Southampton. There will be presentations from organisations such as e-Skills UK, BT, Business Links, FSB, O2 and IBM. It is hoped to maintain the current interest and momentum aimed at helping SMEs, with why and how they might make more productive and profitable use of ICT.
The event will run from late morning through the afternoon - at the Millbrook venue there will be free car parking, a meet and greet service, two servings of tea and coffee and a buffet networking lunch. Another event is hoped for elsewhere in the region, probably in Kent.
For further details and to reserve a place please contact mailto:sarahsalihi@seeda.co.uk
Posted 2008-11-01 21:51:26
New scheme replaces Selective Finance for Investment (SFIE) grants
The newly introduced Grant for Business Investment (GBI) scheme aims to assist businesses to increase productivity by funding capital investment in equipment and technology. It is for businesses looking to expand, modernise, rationalise, diversify and increase productivity in order to maintain or establish sustainable growth and provide skilled jobs.
Grants are awarded as a percentage of eligible project costs.
The costs covered are at the discretion of SEEDA, but could include:
- Equipment and machinery;
- Building refurbishment, fit-out and new build costs;
- New lease or mortgage interest costs for the project period + 3 years for SMEs or 5 years for large enterprises;
- Some intangible assets may also be eligible.
Or:
- 2 years wage costs of some key, skilled jobs created directly as a result of the project.
Visit http://www.seeda.co.uk/Global_Competitiveness/Funding_&_Advice/Grant_for_Business_Investment/index.asp for more information
Posted 2008-11-01 19:53:39
Education Business Partnerships are looking for marine companies across the South East
Education Business Partnerships (EBPs) run a variety of programmes to bring business and education together.
Through their many programmes, employers can help raise the aspirations of young people and are able to be directly involved in initiatives which encourage young people to develop key skills required for the world of work.
Recently Solent Skill Quest, the EBP for Southampton and South West Hampshire arranged for 45 teachers from the Southampton area to be welcomed to Associated British Ports to see the many different activities that take place there.
The teachers were from many different subject areas, but all were eager to gain first-hand knowledge about this important local facility and explore ways of incorporating their knowledge into the school curriculum.The teachers toured the port by boat to learn about the crucial role that it plays and the many employment opportunities it provides. They also explored the Vessel Traffic Services Harbour Control Room, from where all ship movements on the Solent are managed.
There are lots of different projects that EBPs run with local companies. These range from short and long-term pupil and teacher placements to mentoring schemes and interview and work experience programmes where businesses go into schools to offer held and advice.
Businesses can also get involved with enterprise activities where pupils learn about business concepts through active and experiential activities e.g. games, role-play, problem solving, challenges, and case studies.
If you would like to get involved with your local EBP or think you could help with one of these projects go the national EBP website where you can find details of your local EBP http://www.nebpn.org
Posted 2008-11-01 20:41:47
European Commission's 7th Framework Programme
There is a distinct marine flavour in the latest Security call from the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme (FP7) with both 'Main port area security system' and 'Sea border surveillance system' appearing as topics. To increase Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) participation in its Security activities the SecureSME initiative was set up by the European Commission to support SMEs in preparing and submitting proposals in response to the FP7 research and technology calls in the field of Security.
In the first stage the SecureSME project intends to identify each country's Security SME profile and encourage ideas for proposals the FP7 in the 'Security' theme. This will be done by a cost-free Capability Audit to identify the technological strengths and needs of participating SMEs. Alternatively a brief questionnaire can be completed which will ensure that companies are entered on the data base used by SecureSME partners when building project teams assembling projects.
If you would like to find out more about the SecureSME project go to http://www.securesme.eu or if you would like to participate in a free Capability Audit contact Sollerta Business Solutions at securesme@sollerta.com or call John Dering at 01305 854137 or James Brennan at 01428 641246
