The largest fully refurbished industrial/warehouse building in Chippenham – the former DTR VMS building on the Bumpers Farm industrial estate – has come onto the market. The 90,000 sq ft building, pictured below, now rebranded as The Hub, has been empty since the automotive components manufacturer relocated to a larger site in Trowbridge. Owner...
Manufacturing group Avon Rubber has taken over one of its US suppliers in a $5.1m (£3.2m) deal. Melksham-headquartered Avon said the acquisition of Hudstar Systems would “modestly” boost earnings in its next full financial year. Florida-based Hudstar designs and makes electronic control systems used in powered and supplied air respiratory protection systems – largely...
Accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson has launched a free tax calculator to enable businesses to work out how much tax they could be saving on their research and development (R&D) costs. The online tool has been set up in the light of research suggesting that thousands of businesses could be missing...
A pioneer of bomb disposal technology and two stalwarts of the University of Bath have received awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours Sidney Alford, pictured, the founder of Chippenham-based Alford Technologies – which has developed innovative bomb disposals techniques – gets the OBE for services to explosive ordnance disposal technology. University pro-chancellor Peter Troughton...
Clinical trials of a new treatment for asthma that uses an innovative inhaler system developed by Chippenham-based specialist pharma group Vectura have started. The move follows successful pre-clinical tests for the product, known at this stage as VR942, which has been developed with Belgian biopharma giant UCB. The two firms have been collaborating on...
Millions of pounds have been wiped off the value of SciSys, the specialist IT firm, after it warned of a major collapse in its profits this year. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, the Chippenham firm – which counts governments, the BBC and space agencies among its customers – blamed difficulties in...
The chief executive of Bath-based management consultancy Nine Feet Tall is among eight business leaders who have today been appointed to the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership’s board to help drive its growth ambitions. Esther McMorris is one of five new representatives who join three reappointed members on the newly formed LEP board,...
Bath firms are being encouraged to establish closer trading partnerships with their counterparts in the South West’s sister region in China following the signing of a major new agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Bristol & West of England China Bureau is aimed at overcoming the difficulties...
Actual Experience, the Bath-based digital supply chain management firm, has increased sales by 21% to nearly £330,000 as it continues to win new clients. But pre-tax losses at the firm, which aims to become a global player in its market, nearly trebled to £1m in the six months to March 31. The firm believes...
Bath can take advantage of the promise by Chancellor George Osborne to devolve more powers from London to regional cities – but only by working closer with other West of England authorities. The view has come from regional business leaders who fear that unless the four West councils collaborate better the region will be...
