Author Archives: admin
M.A. Polishing, a family run business in Hockley
M.A Polishing established in 1994, specialises in metal polishing & bronze patination.
Regarded as a leader within the architectural hardware finishing industry, M.A. Polishing’s 4000sq ft factory is based in Hatchett Street, Hockley in the heart of Birmingham, with good access and handling capacities.
The company has invested in an excellent extraction system and is committed to ongoing improvements in providing a safe environment for its employees. Investing in the next generation of its workers ensures they will have the skill sets to deliver for many years to come.
Above: a repolished frontage
M.A . Polishing`s bronzing service is suitable for ironmongery companies, interior designers, architectures, art works, fixtures & fittings and statues. An excellent website describes its capabilities in detail in its services and blog sections.
M.A.Polishing has two Directors, Paul Subhan and his son Antony. After years of polishing for others, Paul decided to do what many told him was impossible: he set up his own factory.
It was set up with the help of his father. brother Mark and close friend and colleague Dennis Hillier. His father and Dennis first learned the art of metal polishing at Walter Rowleys, an old Birmingham based company specialising in manufacturing architectural hardware in 1959 and they passed on the skills that they had mastered over a life time.
Often admired by travellers on New Street railway station
Note that M.A. Polishing contributed to the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension and the final section of the track was welded into place in Digbeth in January this year (WMCA)
o
o
o
o
H&J Speake of Willenhall
Yet another West Midlands family owned business prospers – recruiting office, warehouse and engineering staff.
H&J Speake of Willenhall is now in its 4th generation, with a wealth of knowledge and experience passed down over time.
It provides aluminium and zinc cast products, investing in the latest machinery and equipment, working with a fully automated manufacturing system which can reduce production costs and times. Secondary services offered are drilling, tapping, polishing, powder coating & plating.
Its reliable zinc and aluminium components are supplied to building, leisure, automotive, medical, industrial and aerospace industries. Clients are supported throughout the design, manufacturing, and delivery of die cast products – the result is total customer satisfaction.
o
o
o
o
The Aston Reinvestment Trust now has more funds to support West Midland’s businesses
Walsall’s Midlands Components was established in 2013 by a group of partners who had previously worked together in different capacities, each with experience with complementary engineering and business expertise.
They offer services, five machining processes and products for a large number of sectors including aerospace, automotive, dental, marine, motorcycle, orthopaedic, surgical and veterinary.
Pre Covid, partner Sean Butler reported an investment in their business:
We reached a position last year where we had to make a decision about staying as we were or going for growth. Ours is a challenging and competitive marketplace, but we decided to expand. We are confident about the quality and reduced lead times we can offer and know that we have the knowledge and expertise to produce complex parts that others can’t.
We were able to go ahead with our plans to expand, thanks to ART. The key part was someone coming out and sitting down with us, taking an interest in our business and offering their help and advice as well as the loan.”
Sean said the banks did everything but help, so he started trawling the internet for potential funders and discovered that most were basing their lending decisions on automated scoring systems. “It was simply a matter of ‘the computer says no’. No-one was interested in sitting down and discussing our specific circumstances,” says Sean, “until I phoned ART Business Loans”. That loan has now been fully repaid
ART, a Birmingham-based Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), was founded in 1997 to help alleviate poverty through enterprise. ART lends between £10,000 and £150,000 to businesses in underserved and disadvantaged communities which are unable to obtain their full requirements from traditional Banks.
In March this year ART reported that businesses in the West Midlands that struggle to access finance from high street lenders are to benefit from a £4m funding package thanks to a partnership between three socially-minded organisations.
Block Inc has a $100m social impact investment fund, established in 2020 to support minority and underserved communities, allocating $10 million for social impact investments in markets outside the US.
It is making its first social impact investment in the UK, providing £2m capital to ART Business Loans (ART), which is being matched by well-established ethical lender Unity Trust Bank.
Dr Steve Walker, ART’s Chief Executive, said: “This deal is a real game-changer for us and a great vote of confidence from such well-established institutions as Block and Unity Trust Bank.
Unity Trust Bank, a thriving commercial bank headquartered in Birmingham city centre, has been using banking to improve the lives of UK communities for nearly 40 years. It is a long-standing supporter of CDFIs and has provided ART with £20.4m funding since 2005. Deborah Hazell, CEO at Unity Trust Bank, said:
“Financial inclusion is a key focus for us include a wide variety of enterprises from manufacturers and tech companies to service providers and restaurateurs, including 2022 Queen’s Award for innovation winner KPM Marine, what is now Michelin-starred Purnell’s restaurant and Chelmunds Fish and Chips, the UK’s first community-owned chip shop’.
Steve Walker celebrates this support, “We now have more funds to support Midland’s businesses than ever in our 26 year history”.
o
o
o
Are West Midlands companies finding onshoring profitable?
Heap & Partners Ltd (Birkenhead), founded in 1866 by William Heap, manufacture and supply process and instrumentation valves and ancillary equipment to over 60 countries. Like so many of our West Midlands companies, they have long-established family links. In 2017, following an independent carbon assessment and receipt of a Woodland Trust certificate, the company became officially carbon neutral.
David Millar, Heap’s managing director (below right) recently wrote:
“This summer, Make UK revealed that manufacturing employment is growing in 75% of English regions and the whole of Wales. Yorkshire and the Humber has seen the biggest jump (Make UK/BDO Annual Manufacturing Outlook Report).
“Manufacturing companies are moving more production back to this country and British customers are now expressing a preference for British-made products.
“By carefully selecting which products to onshore, using the latest techniques and designing for manufacture, we can make products more cheaply in Britain, improve quality, offer more features and radically reduce lead times – all while lowering the carbon footprint of production”.
David Millar ends by saying that manufacturers and consumers also need to think about the ethical implications of buying from countries that don’t have the same values and standards as our own.
o
o
o
A Business Impact survey appeals for evidence: assessing the impact of Brexit
Colin McDougall writes: I run a small business located near Manchester Airport, ECL Chemicals Ltd, and we have been impacted by Brexit. I have been here for 17 years, and since Brexit, doing business is more expensive. We import most of our raw materials from Italy.
I know I’m not alone. Whether it’s higher costs, struggling with new red tape, being unable to recruit, operations moving abroad or dealing with lower turnover, thousands of other small businesses up and down the country are facing their own Brexit challenges. European Movement’s Business Impact survey is collecting hundreds of stories like mine, to make sure the impact of Brexit on business is seen and heard. If you’re involved in business and have your own experience to share, please complete the survey now:
Or, if you know anyone in business who is finding it harder to operate in Brexit Britain, please encourage them to take part and:
Thank you, Colin McDougall ECL Chemicals Ltd, Manchester
|
Aceleron’s new venture: a residential and commercial storage battery
Birmingham-based Aceleron, a pioneering provider of sustainable energy solutions, has secured funding under the Green Home Finance Accelerator programme as part of the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
The core innovation is Aceleron’s fully maintainable energy storage product for residential and commercial application, which offers a far greater lifespan and enables the battery to become an asset rather than a consumable item.
By retaining ownership of the batteries and introducing a subscription and servicing model, Aceleron will increase the accessibility of renewable energy and sustainable battery storage systems for consumers. (Read more here)
Aceleron’s batteries can be repaired, reused and upgraded, rather than replaced, unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries supplied to the automotive industry. Aceleron battery packs are held together by compression so they can be easily disassembled and reused, enabling 99% recyclability.
Most lithium-ion batteries are not designed to be reused or recycled at the end of their average 8-10 year lifespan.
Aceleron’s ‘world first’ approach to energy storage designs wastage out of the battery manufacturing process. Based on the circular economy principles, the batteries can be maintained, serviced, scaled and upgraded over time without the unnecessary landfill disposal, as all components can be used, repaired or easily recycled.
o
Aceleron, a West Midlands success story
Adrian Hallmark, chief executive of luxury-car maker Bentley, recently expressed concern over the government’s failure to offer incentives to attract battery manufacturing plants (FT)
Aceleron Energy, now an award-winning clean technology company. started when co-founders Amrit Chandan & Carlton Cummins dismantled and tested hundreds of battery packs and realised that batteries are not designed to be maintained. Anticipating a future with tonnes of unnecessary battery waste they designed a battery pack which is built with sustainability in mind.
On video: the story of Aceleron’s repairable, reusable, upgradable batteries
Birmingham-based battery technology firm, Aceleron then received funding from the Government’s Innovate UK and UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge in 2016.
A ‘clean tech’ SME, with 25 staff based at its office in Gas Street, Digbeth, Aceleron has a ‘world first’ circular economy approach to energy storage which designs wastage out of the battery manufacturing process.
Most lithium-ion batteries supplied to the automotive industry are welded or glued together and components are difficult to replace, so if one fails, the whole battery stops working and is usually thrown away. Aceleron battery packs are held together by compression so they can be easily disassembled and reused, enabling 99% recyclability. They are easier to service and keep working.
In 2018, Aceleron’s batteries went into mass production at Teconnex’ ultra-modern plant in Keighley.
Power Engineering reported that, in 2019, Aceleron took 4000 of its unique alternative lithium-ion batteries to Kenya in sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 573m people lack access to electricity, in a bid to power people’s homes with cheap and clean energy.
A further £2m of investment was secured in 2020 to meet growing international demand and enable the company to double its team over the next year (The Business Desk). It is now supplying Ecocharger, which manufactures all-terrain electric vehicles (Newsroom)
In 2021 a fresh round of funding came from existing investors BGF, the Midlands Engine Investment Fund’s Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund and Mercia’s EIS funds.
From left: Sandy Reid of Mercia, Aceleron’s co-founders Carlton Cummins and Amrit Chandan and Grant Peggie of British Business Bank
Aceleron’s Amrit Chandan & Carlton did not sit back, waiting for incentives, they designed better batteries for renewable energy, electric vehicles and other clean technologies and the funding came to them.
0
Bank of England’s threat to loans for SMEs
“Limiting risk to the UK economy makes sense but the danger does not sit in the thriving banking sector for smaller firms”, Veitch
The Financial Times has reported that part of a broader proposal by the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) risks cutting lending to SMEs by 25%.
The Conservative chair of the House of Commons Treasury select committee, Harriett Baldwin, said the committee has written to business groups — including the CBI, Federation of Small Businesses and British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to get their feedback on the proposals.
Alex Veitch, director of policy at the BCC, said: “Limiting risk to the UK economy makes sense but the danger does not sit in the thriving banking sector for smaller firms. It would be a mistake to remove the SME supporting factor as it will have a very real impact on those businesses which will then find it more difficult to access finance.”
The “SME supporting factor” – a favourable treatment for SME loans – was introduced across the EU in 2014, when the UK was still a member of the bloc. The new proposals include removing it in favour of what regulators call a more “risk-based” approach.
Banks’ total lending to SMEs, excluding the government’s coronavirus pandemic-inspired bounceback loan scheme, is about £165bn. Oxera, economics and finance consultants, have estimated that the changes could result in a £44bn drop in lending to small businesses.
The BoE proposals also include an element that would make lending backed by property to small companies more expensive than an unsecured loan — because the capital charges on property-backed loans are high.
The PRA declined to comment.
A government report notes that Britain’s 5 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES 0-249 workers) with 99.2% of the business population are the backbone of the UK economy and play a vital role in enhancing the employment and economic growth in the UK. They deserve every assistance. Well-connected readers might feel moved to forward their reactions to the PRA’s proposals to their MP, FSB, CBI or the BCC
o
Late payments: will ministers breathe new life into this or kick the can down the road to the election?
Payment delays are compounding the problems facing the UK’s 5.5mn small businesses as they attempt to recover from the pandemic while facing rising costs, labour shortages and supply chain disruption.
There have been fine words but little or no progress on this issue, covered on this site in 2014, 2018 and 2019.
In May last year, Martin McTague (left), the new chair of the Federation of Small Businesses talked to government about how to tackle the problem of late payments from large companies to small UK suppliers, which is holding back growth.
He wants the government to hold its own large suppliers to account to make sure they pay all businesses on time, while also ensuring that the government’s long-delayed audit reforms should include a requirement for a board-level role with responsibility for payments.
Late payments acted as a big drag on economic growth, he added, “About 60% of small businesses say that late payment is an issue. Every one of those businesses has to have extra working capital to cover those delays, which means that they don’t have money for training or to invest in new equipment.”
Daniel Thomas reported in December that government is to look at longstanding issue of big companies failing to pay invoices promptly. UK ministers have launched a review into the longstanding problem of small businesses struggling with late payments by large companies as the government seeks to help corporate Britain through the economic downturn.
Snapshot from government website
Kevin Hollinrake, the new small business minister, who was chair of the all-party parliamentary group on fair business banking, said there was “market failure in certain areas” for small businesses. He told the Financial Times it was essential to help small companies to secure prompt payments after they have provided goods or services to large businesses. He also said the government would look at a contentious recent decision by ministers to cut back the research and development tax credits available to small businesses.
The chief of external affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses, Craig Beaumont (right), said that “public policy change to tackle late payments has been stuck for years now. If new ministers can breathe new life into this, and not just kick the can down the road to the election under cover of more consultations, then there is some cause for hope.”
o
Expand the gig economy or deliver worthwhile jobs with viable pay packets?
Expanding Britain’s manufacturing base would deliver worthwhile jobs and viable pay packets for those who are precariously surviving in the gig economy.
Torsten Bell (right), the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, an independent think-tank, has written an article extolling Britain’s ‘broad-based services economy’, which includes musicians and those working in information and communications technology and marketing:
“No one celebrates it, but the UK is the second largest exporter of services in the world. And our service specialism does not lie behind our recent underperformance: on average, services-led economies are richer than manufacturing ones”.
The foundation’s aim of improving the living standards of those on low-to-middle incomes is at odds with Bell’s list of peripheral services which cater for wants, not needs
The service sector does not directly feed, clothe and transport us, manufacture the goods we need, care for the sick, repair our gas, water and electricity services or insulate/heat/cool our homes. Yet those essential services are carried out by the target beneficiaries of the Resolution Foundation.
The onlooker would expect this foundation to be focussing on the pay levels and conditions of work of ‘those on low-to-middle incomes’ – instead of directing them towards inessential occupations.
Barrington Carpenter is worried that Bell seems to rule out the wider development of the manufacturing sector largely “outsourced” to China and Asia. Carpenter recommends that entrepreneurs prepared to set up small factories, assisted by tax breaks and financial support to recruit and train a new labour force, opening up technical apprenticeships for young people rather than sending all to college or university.
Most important of all – but ignored in this exchange – are the opportunities for a manufacturing renaissance provided by implementing the Green New Deal’s programme.
Scottish Greens are calling for a Scottish Green New Deal that uses every lever available to the Scottish Government to deliver massive reductions in our emissions and refocus our economy so that it works for people and planet. The transition to a zero-carbon economy is a major opportunity to re-energise manufacturing in Scotland, creating thousands of well-paid, lasting and unionised jobs. This paper by Patrick Harvie MSP puts forward a series of policy proposals to ensure Scotland takes this takes this opportunity
This will build a sustainable society based on a green manufacturing foundation.
o
West Midlands Producers 