Monday 7 October 2013

Young unemployed took part in national campaign to get into work

Young people from across the UK were given the opportunity to gain the skills they need to help them into sustainable employment when they visited Gist as part of a nationwide campaign to tackle youth unemployment.

Following the success of a pilot project in 2012, the entire food and grocery industry has launched Feeding Britain's Future - Skills for Work Month 2013 and is helping youngsters across the country get into work.

Gist, based at Chineham Park is one of the few logistics companies taking part in the scheme, giving young people a different viewpoint of the foods industry. As well as farms, factories and retail stores participants can see the entire supply chain and the broad range of career opportunities available in the industry.

Feeding Britain's Future, led by research charity IGD, is the first initiative of its kind, giving young people firsthand knowledge of the skills needed for a career in the food industry or elsewhere. Participants received CV and interview sessions with members of Gist's management team to help them develop their employability skills and improve their chances of getting a job. As well as workshops to improve their soft skills, all participants had the chance to speak to other employees about their careers and experiences in the workplace and see practical operational skills carried out, such as using voice technology systems to pick orders for food retail stores. This enabled them to see how the business is run and the wide range of careers available in the industry.

"Last year four of our sites took part in the project and we felt like we made a real difference to the young people who attended. We offered participants interviews for seasonal work and some were given temporary jobs during our Christmas peak period. We were very keen to take part again this year and I'm delighted that so many of our sites got involved." Said Karen Harrington, Project Manager - Gist Foundation.

"Gist is proud to have been a part of this scheme for the second year running, it's not only a great opportunity for these young people to gain employability skills but it gives them an insight into the broad range of career opportunities there are in the foods industry. Through this scheme, together with our apprenticeship, industrial placement and graduate schemes, we hope to provide many young people with excellent career opportunities." Said Martin Gwynn, Chief Executive, Gist.

The food and grocery industry is the UK's biggest private sector employer providing 3.7m - or one in seven - jobs and there are a huge range of careers on offer. Young people got a chance to learn about supply chain in the food and grocery industry when they visited Gist in September. Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said: "The UK food and grocery industry employs 3.7 million people - making us Britain's biggest private sector employer. With that scale comes responsibility - we have a vital role to play in tackling youth unemployment by sharing our advice and experience."

Keeping cool is big business for Labcold

Labcold, leading specialist manufacturer of medical and laboratory refrigerators and freezers, is doubling the size of its premises thanks to increased sales across both product and service divisions here in the UK and across the globe.

Founded in 1932 and based in the area for the past 40 years, Labcold is moving to Chineham Park where an existing building is being extended to accommodate the company's growth. Robin Gregson, managing director of Labcold, explains," Labcold has experienced growth in turnover year on year. The additional space afforded by the move to Cherrywood cannot come quickly enough to meet our existing requirements to provide our products and services to the medical and scientific community and will allow the company to significantly increase it’s portfolio in the future. "

Labcold is a key supplier of medical refrigeration to the NHS and private hospital chains across the UK and beyond. Already accredited to ISO9001 standard, Labcold were the first UK manufacturer to gain medical device certification for their range of blood product storage cabinets. Labcold products can be found in la variety of laboratories, both public and private, and in diverse places such as RN submarines and the Antarctic, indeed anywhere where tight temperature tolerances and safety are paramount.

Rupert Batho, managing director of Chineham Park, adds, "Labcold's growth is another Basingstoke success story and we are proud to welcome this market leading company to Chineham Park. Their growth has meant that Chineham Park has also needed to grow and we are extending 1 and 2 Cherrywood by 10% to a total size of 35,000 sq ft to meet Labcold's requirements.


Deb’s beauty salon celebrates 10 years at Chineham Park

Deb’s beauty salon which is located upstairs in Fitness First, Spindlewood, is celebrating 10 years of business.

When Deb first started out, she was in just one treatment room. Since then, she has expanded her work space to two treatment rooms and has taken on three employees.

Deb said: “Over the last ten years I have notice how technology has improved treatments, such as gelfx nails which are more durable, dry immediately, have high shine and are chip free for at least two week as opposed to traditional nail polish. Also the science behind some of the treatments has improved, meaning that with treatments such as the dermalogica facials we all have to have the proper training which is dermalogica accredited.

“Being at Chineham Park for the last 10 years has allowed me to expand my business without having to move location, which makes things easier for me and my clients.”

Wendy Scott, customer manager at MEPC Chineham Park said: “Having a business such as Deb’s salon based on the Park helps create another amenity for other businesses on the Park to use. The location of her salon makes it really convenient for people to get a quick manicure during their lunch break. We are really pleased that Deb’s business has grown and continues to be successful.”


Monday 22 July 2013

Film the Chineham Park summer party together

Vyclone is a social video app that lets multiple users create movies out of their shared smartphone videos. It is free to download and is available via the app store for iPhone or GooglePlay for Android users.

We are encouraging everyone to capture their experiences at the Chineham Park summer party on the 30th of August, to share with friends and colleagues on the Park.

With the Vyclone app, it matches videos shot in the same location at the same time, and using an algorithm, synchs and edits them to create a movie with multiple angles.

After the summer party, we will be hosting the video via Facebook and Twitter.

To find out more about Vyclone, click here >>>>

Basingstoke's IT cluster

In an article by Richard Frost of the South East Insider News website, tech giant Fujitsu is urged to join Basingstoke's IT cluster.

In an article by Richard Frost of the South East Insider News website, tech giant Fujitsu is urged to join Basingstoke's IT cluster.

Fujitsu should join Basingstoke's growing cluster of IT businesses, a senior figure at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce has told the online publication. The company has announced plans to close its operations in Reading and Slough, and relocate staff to either Basingstoke or Bracknell.

Chris Quintana, North Hampshire business development manager at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, feels the company should pick Basingstoke because of its strong standing in IT circles. The town is already home to a number of prominent businesses in the sector, such as Accumuli and Voyager Software.

He said: "There are industry clusters around here. There are lots of IT businesses in the area so it's not like they're coming here on their own. This place is an extremely good town for business."

Rupert Batho, managing director of Chineham Park, added, "Basingstoke has a history of attracting innovative IT companies and at Chineham Park we have five Fortune 500 companies within our business community. Over 50% of our customers are involved in IT, ranging from app developers to IT equipment resellers."

Chineham Park has several major IT customers including: Computer 2000, Micro-P, Quark, Develop IQ, Voyager Software, Cirrus, Voiteq, Level 3 Communications and Google-owned Motorola.

See the full article here

MEPC sponsors new t-shirts for CPRC

The team at MEPC Chineham Park has sponsored the resident estate Chineham Park Running Club (CPRC) with new club t-shirts.

The sponsorship has bought 10 newly-designed t-shirts which have been produced through Chineham Park Running Club’s Club Captain, Jason Burke.

Jason Burke said: “The new t-shirts have gone down a storm as we take a lot of pride when putting on our club colours, but it’s very expensive getting new bespoke club team wear. As a new club, we have limited funds to purchase custom-made clothing. With Chineham Park's assistance we were able to go more upmarket to purchase a highly technical quality garment made to our exact design.”

“Our runners already had club running vests, but we needed a club t-shirt that was suitable for training, or for when the weathers a bit cooler. ”

As well as new t-shirts, CPRC also has a new area to train; MEPC Chineham Park has given the club permission to use the large grassed area in front of Central 40 building to carry out training.

Jason continued: “We train every Wednesday and usually meet outside Fitness First Gym in Spindlewood. As the club continues to grow, we found however that we needed a new training area to deliver our programme, we identified the larger grassy area by Central 40 being ideal and were delighted when MEPC kindly gave us permission to use it for training.”

Richard Hawkes, Estate Manager at Chineham Park said: “We are always keen to promote fitness and wellbeing at Chineham Park, so having a running club on the Park certainly brings that opportunity to our occupiers.”


Gist seals seafood deal with Macrae

Chineham Park headquartered Gist has extended the logistics services it provides to Macrae, part of Young's Chilled Division, and the UK's leading producer of chilled, private-label seafood products.

Gist will increase the volumes it manages to include a number of major food retailers across the UK.

Gist provides a supply chain solution for Macrae that includes collecting the chilled seafood products from the production facility in Fraserburgh and transporting these under strict temperature controlled conditions to the Regional Distribution Centres of a number of major food retailers across the UK.

Gary Paterson, Head of Supply Chain, Macrae said: "We produce a wide variety of quality chilled seafood lines in Fraserburgh. Gist's temperature controlled logistics network has a wide reach and their experience of delivering to all major UK retailers makes them a good fit with our requirements."

Martin Gwynn, Chief Executive, Gist, said: "Gist has a wealth of expertise and experience in providing time-sensitive, chilled product supply chains for manufacturers who sell to the large food retailers. Macrae's requirements for its seafood products logistics are a great match with what Gist has to offer."

Recruitment increasing in Basingstoke

Chineham Park based serviced office accommodation provider has just published its latest business confidence report which says 20% of local firms plan to increase their headcount by over 5% in the remainder of 2013.

Meanwhile, a quarter plan an increase of between two per cent and five per cent, while, just under half of local firms state that their recruitment drive will focus on sales and marketing staff, displaying a determination to sell their way out of the downturn. Forty-one per cent plan to take on more operations staff and 20 per cent are looking to recruit more admin staff, while just three per cent of firms polled are planning to take on more HR staff.

Regus managing director Steve Purdy, said: “Although it is highly positive that firms are turning their attention to hiring, this is an expensive phase for any business and they must be careful not to over-extend themselves in this fragile economy.

“This is especially true when it comes to property. In fact over two fifths of UK firms report that during previous downturns they had their fingers burnt by expensive and inflexible leases.

“This time round, companies are far better equipped due to the availability and acceptance in the business world of flexible working, especially in terms of the physical workplace. Judging from the way we see firms using our centres, many employers are turning away from full-time, permanent office space in favour of pay-for-what-you-use models. Keeping overheads low and remaining agile are vital to making recruitment plans affordable and achieving sustainable business growth.”


Monday 29 April 2013

The Dayers bread challenge

Lunch and Venue Hire Basingstoke

Today at Dayers, there will be a bread challenge to celebrate National bread week.

From 11.00am Dayers will have several different types of bread for people to try and to guess what type of bread they are. The winner will be picked at random at the end of the day, and will win a free lunch from Dayers.

The bread of the day today is a Sub sandwich. A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread split width wise either into two pieces or opened in a ‘V’ on one side, and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, seasonings and sauces. The sandwich has no standardized name, and many U.S regions have their own names for it. One study found 13 different names for the sandwich in the United States.

The terms submarine and sub are widespread and not assignable to any certain region, though many of the localised terms are clustered in the northeast United States, where most Italian Americans live.

If you fancy trying a sub sandwich today, then Dayers has a sub with pulled pork and slaw.


Neil Webster leaves Tridonic

Neil Webster has stepped down as the managing director, sales, of Tridonic UK. A company statement said Webster decided to leave the company with effect from 31 March to pursue his career elsewhere.

Shaun Dainton becomes the acting managing director sales UK and will take care of operations until a successor is appointed. The non-operative business will be handled by Peter Novak.

Webster joined Tridonic in December 2010 having previously worked in the process controls sector. He managed the company at a tricky time: in the most recent set of figures, revenues at the business, which is part of the Zumtobel Group, dropped by 7.3 per cent.

In a statement the company said: “We would like to take this opportunity and thank Neil for his contributions over the last 18 months and wish him every success in his future career.”

Infosec Cloud named finalists in the CRN Sales & Marketing Awards for Best New Website

Offices To Let Basingstoke

Chineham Park occupier, Infosec Cloud, has been successfully nominated as a finalist in channel publication, Computer Reseller News (CRN), Sales & Marketing Awards 2013 for the Best New Website within the Reseller Category.

The CRN Sales & Marketing Awards recognise and reward the achievements of the sales and marketing teams who sit at the heart of many successful channel businesses. The CRN Sales & Marketing Awards focus on innovation, evolution and development.

The new website was developed over three months with web design agency The Escape and went live in February 2013, to spearhead the launch of Infosec Cloud, a new pure-play cloud reseller.

The cloud market is full of hype and buzz words with a need for education and clarity. The Infosec Cloud website aims to help meet this need by presenting information which is relevant, timely and easy to find.

The shortlist was decided by a panel of independent sales and marketing experts, with the next stage being judged by a second panel of industry experts to decide the ultimate category winners.

The winners will be announced at an award gala dinner on the 19th June at the Lancaster Hotel, London.


KONE celebrates opening of KONE Park manufacturing and R&D site in China

KONE celebrated the official opening of its new KONE Park manufacturing site, engineering facility and research and development (R&D) centre in the Kunshan New and Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in Eastern China this week. At 240,000 square metres, the purpose-built KONE Park includes three elevator factories and an escalator factory, and is KONE's largest manufacturing unit in the world.

"We are proud of the Kunshan KONE Park, which enables us to better meet our customers' needs in China, the rest of Asia, and, indeed, the rest of the world," said Heikki Leppänen, Executive Vice President, KONE New Equipment Business. "While China is by far the single biggest market for new elevators and escalators, products from Kunshan are also exported to more than 90 countries."

The opening ceremony was attended by Finnish Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Stubb, Kunshan Mayor Lu Jun, as well as KONE Chairman Antti Herlin, and KONE President and CEO Matti Alahuhta.

KONE Park was planned according to KONE's global supply network needs and the lean manufacturing principle, aimed at maximizing efficiency and eliminating waste. Emphasis has also been on further reducing energy and water use as well as the unit's carbon footprint. KONE Park was constructed according to modern green building standards and aims to earn a LEED Gold green building certification.

The new site, which began operations in phases during 2012, is located close to the Suzhou-Shanghai Expressway, enabling good connections to both suppliers and customers. It replaces an older facility, which has also been located in Kunshan and has included both elevator and escalator production as well as research and development.

The three new Kunshan elevator module factories produce elevator cars, elevator electrification products and elevator motors. The escalator factory produces both commercial and heavy-duty escalators as well as horizontal and inclined autowalks. KONE Park also includes one of KONE's eight global R&D centers. A new high-rise test tower is under construction at the expanded Kunshan R&D site. The tower supports the development of KONE's People Flow® solutions for skyscrapers and will be opened in 2014.

KONE began operations in China in 1996, when it registered the KONE Elevators Co., Ltd. subsidiary. The first Kunshan factory was opened in 1998 at a site that is now in the midst of a residential area. KONE also operates through its majority-owned GiantKONE joint venture. KONE has a network of over 350 locations in China, employing some 8,900 people. Last year, KONE became the leading company in the Chinese market in terms of new elevator and escalator orders.


Wednesday 6 March 2013

Venue hire Basingstoke

Are you on the look out for a venue to hire in the Basingstoke area?

Situated in the heart of the bustling Chineham Business Park our modern restaurant is a welcome lunchtime retreat!
Enjoy food from out takeaway, delivery service or join us in our restaurant and select from our extensive menu. With seating for up to 60 people inside and an outside patio our friendly and professional service means you can relax and take time out of your busy day.

Private hire of this location is available for weddings, parties & private dining with ample parking and quiet surroundings.

Venue hire Basingstoke

Basingstoke Sports Awards 2013

Friday 1st March saw the Basingstoke Sports Awards take place at the Apollo Hotel. It was a fantastic night which celebrated North Hampshire's brightest sporting stars. In the running for three awards was Chineham Park Running Club who came away as a finalist in the Basingstoke Club of The Year category.

Chineham Park Running Club’s chairman, Jon Mathews, scooped the top accolade of Senior Sports Volunteer. This is an amazing achievement as CPRC are' the new kids on the block' and were up against stiff competition from long established clubs.

On the night Jon said: “I was very humbled by the nomination alone, but never in my life did I expect to win the ‘Senior Volunteer’ award amongst such strong and worthy candidates. I am so proud and honoured in being able to represent and see Chineham Park Running Club’s name alongside other established Basingstoke sports clubs at this prestigious event tonight.”

“We will work even harder in 2013 and be back at the Apollo Hotel next year to have another chance of winning ‘Club of the Year’".

After the amazing success at the awards, it was business as usual, with Chineham Park Runners doing what they do best.

Numerous members ran the Basingstoke Park Run (5kms), and whilst a group headed off to compete in the Spitfire 20 mile race, CPRC runners also competed in the Silverstone half marathon and finally a cross country team travelled to Havant for the last cross country race of the season.

In total the collective club mileage for this weekend is well over 250 miles.

If you are interested in joining the Chineham Park Running Club, who meet on Wednesdays from 6.30pm outside Fitness First, contact the club coordinator Jason Burke: 07787 299 699


Ashford & St.Peters NHS Foundation Trust award 3-year contract to DevelopIQ

Chineham Park occupier Develop IQ is proud to announce that Ashford and St. Peter's NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust have purchased the Maternity Pathway Tariff Module for the PaperIQ Digital Pen platform in order to efficiently and accurately record their PbR (Payment by Results) and Maternity Pathway Tariff data.

The team of 40 Community Midwives will be recording all Ante and Postnatal Episodes of Care, Antenatal attendance to support their CNST level 2 application and to collect much need information on the Maternity Pathways in time for the 1st April 2013 deadline.

One of the reason's DevelopIQ was selected by Ashford and St.Peters was because it has an "off the shelf" solution for Maternity PbR data capture that can be very rapidly delivered. From receipt of the contract award notification to installation of the software and testing will have taken only two weeks, so the solution will be comfortably delivered in time for the Department of Health deadline of April 1st.

Commenting on the contract award, Laura Ellis-Philip,Head of Informatics Programme Management at Ashford and St.Peters NHS Foundation Trust, said "The NHS mandatory maternity activity coding is changing in April 2013 and Ashford & St Peter's NHS Foundation Trust intends to meet this challenge by procuring a digital pen solution that will allow its midwives to capture risk assessment data for expectant mothers. Without this information the Trust would be paid at a lower tariff for high risk patients, leading to a substantial loss of income. Therefore, due to the importance of this project, it was decided to use DevelopIQ Ltd, as the company has a strong background in supplying digital pens to the NHS and has performed similar work before for other trusts. Right from the beginning of this project, DevelopIQ has been quick to respond to requests and queries, giving the Trust confidence that the system will be available in time for the deadline."

Claire Brookes-Daniels, a maternity specialist and Business Development Manager at DevelopIQ, said "our PaperIQ digital pen solution for PbR data capture is in high demand currently, it is fast and straightforward to implement and enables Maternity departments to ensure that they accurately capture and report on the booking of mothers into their care and maximise the revenue they receive from the Department of Health for their activities. Beyond the initial PbR investment driver, maternity teams can then use their pens to capture data from the handheld set of notes that mothers retain at home during their pregnancy and this use case has been proven very effectively by Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust".

Tridonic lights up the world from Chineham Park

Global lighting specialist, Tridonic has recently moved into two buildings at Chineham Park, one being a 4,000 sq ft office at 7 Lindenwood and the other being a 11,000 sq ft warehouse at 5 Cherrywood. Tridonic enjoys an international reputation as the epitome of excellence when it comes to light-related products and services, and is at the forefront of the development of energy-efficient lighting solutions.

Rupert Batho, managing director of Chineham Park, adds, "Tridonic is precisely the smart type of business which belongs at Chineham Park. We are proud to welcome such a successful business to our growing community which already includes several UK headquarters of well known international companies."

Tridonic has been engaged in the quest for perfect light for over 50 years. Started in 1956, Tridonic now employs 2000 people in 30 branch offices across the world, servicing a broad range of clients which include luminaire manufacturers, architects, electrical system designers, lighting planners, electricians and distributors. The company focuses on making a significant contribution towards better lighting results by providing constantly upgraded modern components and continuously improving the reliability and security of lighting. Tridonic manufacturers systems for both fluorescent and LED lights including transformers, emergency power supplies and dimmer controls.


Kofax Automates Accounts Payable Processes for Major Global Agricultural Products Manufacturer

Chineham Park occupier, Kofax plc, a leading provider of smart process applications for the business critical First Mile of customer interactions, announced that a major global agricultural products manufacturer invested approximately $1 million (£647,752) in Kofax software and services to automate its accounts payable processes.

The customer will use Kofax software to automate the processing of more than 300,000 invoices annually. A key requirement for the customer was the ability to integrate with both SAP and IBM Maximo ERP systems. Kofax was selected for a host of stand-out capabilities including: pre-built, real-time integration with SAP; out-of-the-box best practice workflows; industry leading document and data capture; advanced cash management analytics; and flexibility to accommodate multiple ERP integrations.

The Hackett Group, a global strategic business advisory and operations improvement consulting firm, stated in its white paper, The Case for Invoice Capture: Transform Accounts Payable with These 5 Simple Truths, “The recent development of enhanced invoice recognition and data capture solutions, such as invoice capture, is a breakthrough in purchase to pay automation. Supplying a 56 percent cost advantage over paper-based invoice processing, invoice capture enables organizations to raise productivity, improve invoice match rates, take more early-pay discounts and achieve greater spend visibility.”

“Hundreds of global companies have entrusted their invoice and AP automation needs to Kofax,” said Howard Dratler, executive vice president of Field Operations at Kofax. “Our solutions help customers streamline operations, increase productivity, and achieve best-in-class AP performance.”

Friday 25 January 2013

Give Blood at Chineham Park

The Give Blood team will be at Chineham Park on the 31st January.

The mobile blood bank will be in the Spindlewood car park, near to Kids Unlimited, starting at 9.30 till 12.00 and then again at 13.30 until 16.00.

Give Blood are in urgent need of O- and B- blood, if you know your blood type and would like to give blood, then now is your chance. If you do not know your blood type, then you can find out whilst helping save a life. T

o make an appointment contact Wendy Scott wscott@mepc.com / 01256 486680

To view the flyer click here>>>>

Visit blood.co.uk for more information.
 
 

Residents Happy in Basingstoke

A survey conducted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council found that 90 per cent of residents are happy living in Basingstoke.

The survey, which was conducted at the end of last year, showed that 59 per cent of those asked, were ‘very satisfied’ living in Basingstoke, a 30 per cent improvement from the last survey in 2008.

There was an 18 per cent increase of people stating they were ‘very satisfied’ with how Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council operates, up to 26 per cent. More than half of those interviewed gave the council a ‘fairly satisfied’ rating, which was just 1 per cent up compared to five years ago when 50 per cent said they were ‘fairly satisfied’.

This new data is fed into the borough’s Council Plan which outlines the council’s top priorities in the next four years.

Micro-P raise £25,000 for Naomi House

Chineham Park based IT firm Micro-P raised more than £25,000 for north Hampshire children’s hospice Naomi House.

The company’s 10 directors raised the cash with a 65-mile bike ride around the Isle of Wight. The final cheque of £25,934 was presented to the Sutton Scotney hospice last month.

Naomi House corporate fundraiser Tina Starbuck said: “We are delighted to receive such a fantastic amount of money just before Christmas.”

Micro-P, based at Chineham Park, distributes technology products to shops and businesses. It has supported the hospice since 2009 and to date has donated £47,000 to the good cause.


Peek Traffic Owner adds City Management to its Intelligent Transport portfolio

Imtech Traffic & Infra, the owner of Chineham Park occupier Peek Traffic, has extended its ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) portfolio by acquiring the Cutlas Common Database system from Envitia Ltd.

The addition of a centralized control and strategic management system enables Imtech to fully address cities’ needs for integration and optimal performance of traffic flows and transport networks.

Jan Casteleijn, Managing Director Imtech Traffic & Infra: "The acquisition of the Cutlas Common Database system from Envitia enables us to execute our strategy of providing solutions and value added services to cities worldwide. It is a key addition to our portfolio, providing seamless integration of our ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) solutions like ImFlow and SCOOT, and third party systems. ITS covers the application of information and communications technology and data management in traffic infrastructure and vehicles for making traffic safer, more efficient, more reliable and considerably more environmentally friendly. Imtech will continue to develop and expand the capabilities of the new Imtech system in line with the market requirements."

Increasingly cities require effective integration and management of data relating to the performance of the transport network and traffic flows. The City Management System / Cutlas Common Database completes the Imtech Traffic & Infra’s solutions to this requirement. The Imtech portfolio of intelligent traffic solutions enables services based on a city’s assets and traffic infrastructure including the provision of publicly distributed information.

At the moment Imtech is working on high-tech traffic management solutions in amongst others the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Croatia and in several non-European countries like Brazil and China.