Efforts to get more South West firms to export are being stepped up after new figures showed the first fall in overseas sales from the region for more than a year. Exports by value dropped by 3.3% in the third quarter to £3.32bn, sparked by a fall-off in h a fall in trade within...
Bath’s most famous visitor attraction and one of the area’s most innovative businesses are benefitting from the Prime Minister’s high-profile visit to China as head of the UK’s largest trade delegation to the fast-growing country. The city’s Roman Baths have signed up as a founding member of VisitBritain’s China Welcome Charter which could put...
The West of England’s strength in the automotive and aerospace sectors is creating strong conditions for smaller firms in their supply chains with most expecting to increase staffing and investment over the next three months. According to the latest Manufacturing Outlook survey published today by manufacturers’ organisation EEF and accountancy and business advisory firm...
The University of Bath is to become a major UK research base for sustainable solar power technology, adding to its world-class academic credentials and boosting the West of England’s reputation as the country’s leading hub for green technologies. The university will house one of two national centres for doctoral training geared towards investigating solar...
Sales have increased for more than half the West’s small to medium-sized West manufacturers over the past six months, with just over a third also experiencing an increase in inquiries and orders. The upbeat picture emerges from the Manufacturing Advisory Service’s latest Barometer, which also reveals a slight rise in the number of companies...
An ambitious plan is being drawn up to harness Bath and the West of England’s creativity and innovation to potentially create more than 100,000 jobs over the next 17 years. The emphasis will be on five key sectors spanning digital to aerospace, and in which the area is already strong, to drive growth and...
Bosses at Wiltshire manufacturer Avon Rubber today said their strategy to accelerate investment in new products, technologies, systems and people was paying off as they unveiled significant increases in revenues, operating margins and profits. Annual pre-tax profits at the Melksham-based group, best known for its respirators, increased to £14m from £11m on revenues up...
Bath area firms are being advised to check whether they qualify for valuable tax credits under the Government’s research and development (R&D) scheme. West accountancy firm Milsted Langdon, which has an office in Bath, says many firms are unaware they are eligible for the scheme which increases tax relief against taxable profits. To qualify,...
Bath-based BMT Defence Services has expanded into a second office in the city as it continues to win work in international markets. The firm, part of the BMT group, works primarily on major naval projects. Its success in securing a prestigious design contract for the Norwegian LSV (Logistics and Support Vessel) project has resulted...
One of the UK car industry’s most respected figures, former General Motors UK chairman Bill Parfitt, has joined accountants Grant Thornton’s automotive advisory team as a consultant. Mr Parfitt, pictured, is now working with team members including director and automotive manufacturing specialist Neil Barrell, who is based in the firm’s regional office in Bristol. The...
