A round-up of latest local news-in-brief...
Prime Minister opens UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Warwickshire recently to officially opened the UK Battery industrialisation Centre. The £130 million UK centre (UKBIC) is a pioneering 18,500 square metre state-of-the-art national facility, which has been developed to support UK industry with development of battery technologies for future electrification. Located in Baginton on the Warwickshire/ Coventry border, UKBIC can be accessed by any organisation working on batteries for electric vehicles, rail, aerospace, industrial and domestic equipment and static energy storage, who can benefit from finding out whether their advanced technologies can be scaled up successfully before committing to the huge investment required for mass production. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/prime-minister-officially-opens-uk-battery-industrialisation-centre-in-coventry/
Plans submitted for West Midlands ‘Gigafactory’ in Warwickshire
A planning application for a Gigafactory at Coventry Airport has been submitted by joint venture partners, Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport Ltd. The proposals are set to be determined by Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council later in 2021. The Joint Venture Partnership was formed earlier this to ensure the site is ready for investment and can become operational quickly – making it significantly more attractive to potential investors.
The proposals would deliver 5.7m sq ft of space for both battery production and recycling, would add £434m in GVA to the regional economy each year, as well as create 6,000 new jobs and tens of thousands more in the supply chain. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/plans-submitted-for-west-midlands-gigafactory-in-coventry/
Alcester Med-tech firm secures funding boost
Med-tech company Quanta Dialysis Technologies Ltd, based in Alcester, offers portable dialysis careech and has raised raised £175 million in the largest private funding round for a dialysis device company in history. John Milad, CEO of Quanta, said: “Everybody knows that dialysis care must improve. For this to happen, providers and physicians need products that allow greater flexibility to bring dialysis directly to the patient, while simplifying complexity and reducing the overall cost of care. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/largest-private-funding-round-in-history-for-warwickshire-portable-dialysis-device-company/
Arrk Europe Joins National Composites Centre
Engineering, Prototyping, Tooling and Low Volume Product Development Specialist ARRK Europe, which has bases in Gloucester and Nuneaton, has joined the National Composites Centre (NCC), in Bristol, as an Affiliate Member. ARRK’s Technical Centre in Nuneaton, has a long and established history providing a wide range of Engineering, Tooling and Composite solutions to some of the country’s leading Aerospace, Automotive, F1 and Defence related companies. Arrk is part of the Japanese Mistui Chemicals company, and was formerly NPL Technologies, before a takeover in 2004. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/gloucester-and-nuneaton-based-prototyping-company-joins-bristols-national-composites-centre/
BAXI Heating Wins industry award for hydrogen boiler innovation
Home boiler manufactuer Baxi Heating’s development of a boiler fuelled by hydrogen has won the innovation category at the Gas Industry Awards. Karen Boswell OBE, Managing Director of the Warwick based company, said: “As a leading player in the British heating and hot water industry we are determined to play our part in achieving the goal of being a net-zero economy. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/baxi-heating-scoops-industry-award-for-hydrogen-boiler-innovation/
Nuneaton’s Triton Showers aims to achieve Net Zero by 2025
Triton Showers aims to achieve carbon net zero by 2025, as part of its wider commitment to ‘move the dial’ on sustainability. The manufacturer is continuing to reduce its impact on the natural environment, and is planning to reach its net zero goal in what will be its 50th anniversary year. https://www.installeronline.co.uk/triton-showers-aims-to-achieve-carbon-net-zero-by-2025/
New scheme to support local SMEs with Digital and Wireless Technologies
‘Uxplore’ is a £3.8m project led by Coventry University, in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. It has been set up to increase the demand for new digital products and services enabled by broadband, 4G, Wi-Fi and 5G, and it will also allow small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to benefit from wireless communications and provide space to test and explore new applications of 5G. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/more-than-200-coventry-and-warwickshire-businesses-supported-by-3-8-million-project/
Leamington Spa classical e-commerce site sees record year
Presto Music, a leading eCommerce site for classical music and jazz recordings, sheet music, music books and musical instruments, has reported business growth of 18 per cent during the 2020-2021 financial year, making it Presto’s most successful to date. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/leamington-spa-ecommerce-site-for-classical-and-jazz-music-sheet-music-and-instructions-reports-record-year/
Create Central TV Production Bootcamp is back to help West Midlands creative talent into jobs
The region’s independent TV sector is calling on creative talent from across the West Midlands to join an innovative skills bootcamp that has already proved itself to be a great way to kickstart a career in TV. Create Central – the West Midlands trade body set up to turbo-charge the region’s film, TV and games industries – is working with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which is funding the training, to help the region’s screen industry discover new talent, or to encourage people from other careers to switch to the TV industry. https://www.cwlep.com/news/create-central-tv-production-bootcamp-back-help-west-midlands-creative-talent-jobs
https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/new-digital-high-streets-programme-to-boost-local-shopping-launches-in-warwickshire/
New Creative Business Hub a step closer in Leamington Spa
Ambitious plans to turn Leamington’s Spencer Yard into a hub for creative businesses have been approved by Warwick District Council, breathing new life into the Old Town area and boosting the town centre economy. Regeneration experts Complex Development Projects (CDP) have put forward the exciting plans to restore and convert three largely unused buildings to provide attractive workspace for the digital creative sector. https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/leamington-spa-to-get-new-creative-business-hub/
Freehold sale for Southam 40 industrial unit
A packing supplier is expanding its operations with a £3.4m investment in Southam. Invopak has acquired a 40,000sq ft warehouse on Kineton Road Industrial Estate in Southam from The Wigley Group as part of a diversification strategy that will see it provide storage and fulfilment services for other companies. Southam40 was marketed by joint agents Bromwich Hardy and MWRE. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/2053831-packaging-supplier-wraps-up-multimillion-pound-warehouse-acquisition
Warwickshire County Council launches Property Development Company
Warwickshire County Council has set up a new property development group to provide affordable and market-priced homes and a range of commercial, mixed use and renewable energy opportunities across the county. Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG), which will re-invest profits back into the council’s priority activities, aims to help the county’s economic recovery and create jobs in the region. https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/warwickshire-county-council-launches-property-development-group