Unemployment has continued to fall in the South West, bucking the national trend and pointing to a brighter outlook for the region’s businesses. But Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, warned the national rise signalled a slowing economy and could impact on firms in the Bath area if the Government did not take...
Virtual reality will have a major impact on nearly all aspects of our lives – from working and resting to playing and learning, according to a new survey commissioned to ensure the West of England stays at the leading edge of the VR revolution. While three quarters of the 2,000 people taking part in...
A University of Bath researcher has been awarded a grant to develop an innovation with the potential to boost Britain’s crisis-hit steel industry. The ‘Shell-Thick’ project will assess a key stage of steel production, improving quality, safety, productivity, costs and – ultimately – competitiveness of the UK and EU steel industries at a time...
Bath firms interested in exporting can find out more at a number of special events this week as part of Exporting is GREAT Week. Hosted by UKTI South West, the events are aimed at those just starting out on their export journey as well as more experienced exporters. The Exporting is GREAT initiative was...
A new advisory board set up to increase collaboration between the global automotive industry and academia has appointed University of Bath professor Chris Brace as its UK representative. The board has been created by the international organisation for the automotive engineering profession FISITA (The International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies) and includes leading international...
International engineering consultancy BMT has changed the name of its Bath-based BMT Isis subsidiary to BMT Cadence as a result of “sensitivities” around the use of a word now linked to the Islamic State jihadist militant group. The company, which works with clients in ‘high-hazard’ industries such as defence, energy and transport sectors, is...
Speciality pharmaceutical firm Alliance Pharma has become a truly global business, its chairman said yesterday as it unveiled a 49% leap in annual profits and 11% increase in sales. The Chippenham-based firm completed the £132.2m acquisition of rival Sinclair IS Pharma’s range of skincare products in December last year – a move that effectively...
Firms are being urged to donate their old computers and help raise much-needed money for a locally based charity. The call has come from Trowbridge-based Priority IT, which is refurbishing second-hand computers for sale and giving the proceeds to its chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Support. The scheme is proving so successful that the specialist IT...
The South West and Thames Valley investment team of BGF (Business Growth Fund) has expanded with the appointment of Alex Snodgrass. Alex, pictured, is the latest addition to the 10-strong team, which is responsible for identifying investment opportunities and managing the deal process from origination through to completion. Alex has more than 10 years’...
Problems with a major fixed-price contract have pushed annual profits down by 80% at Chippenham-based specialist IT firm SciSys. The firm, which develops complex IT projects for clients in sectors such as space, defence and the media, was hit hard last year by the troublesome project for an unnamed client. Millions of pounds were...
