The strong pound has hit profits at Bath-based specialist engineering group Rotork, taking the shine off a record half-year order intake and increased activity in many of its markets. First-half pre-tax profit at the group, which makes high-value valves controls and actuators for the global oil and gas industry, fell by 3.3% to £61.5m...
Four pioneering Bath firms have showcased their innovation to a large group of senior business and technology directors at Barclays’ global headquarters in London. The four fledgling businesses were among six chosen by SETsquared – the business hub supported by the University of Bath – to represent its groundbreaking innovation. The event was part...
By Colin Skellett, Chair, West of England LEP Since the Government announcement a couple of weeks ago of the local growth deals awarded to England’s 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), there have been a lot of big numbers bandied about. Unless you’re close to the deals, the figures and the fuss may seem a...
A strong performance by the West of England in attracting business investment from overseas has helped the UK achieve the highest number of inward investment projects since records began in the 1980s, new figures show. There were 27 new investment projects by overseas companies in 2013/14 across the area covered by West of England...
Specialist adhesives firm ALH Systems has been sold to expanding Swedish industrial giant Indutrade. ALH, based at Westbury, has annual sales of £6m and employs 37 staff. It supplies formulated polyurethane and epoxy encapsulants, adhesives, sealants and potting compounds to the gas, construction and electronics sectors. ALH will become part of Indutrade’s Special Products...
Bath law firm Withy King’s intellectual property and technology expert Jessica Bent has been selected to join the judging panel of a new Dragons’ Den-style competition aimed at aspiring female engineers in the South West. Jessica, pictured, a partner with the firm, will help judge the entries to the Women with Bright Ideas competition,...
The University of Bath is to open an innovative research centre that will play a leading role in developing low carbon construction materials for use in the buildings of the future. The £1m project, called HIVE, will be the first of its kind in the UK. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research...
Innovative appliance firm Dyson is to become Bath Rugby’s new title partner for the next two seasons, it was announced this morning. The partnership is the first of its kind for Malmesbury-based Dyson, best known for its pioneering bagless vacuum cleaners. The firm said the time was right to support a world-class local team...
Business West, the organisation that runs the Bath Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the allocation of £86.2m of Government investment to accelerate economic growth and create 5,000 jobs in the area. But it said the city’s business community still needed to make sure future funding was secured under the Local Growth Deal to secure long-term...
The Government has announced funding of £86.2m for the West of England under its Local Growth Deal. This money is for projects to start in 2015/16 and 2016/17. The key projects to benefit will be: Terabit West – £15m A world-first project to ensure that the West is positioned at the forefront of groundbreaking,...
