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 Autumn 2010 | ||
| Welcome | ||
| Welcome to the first e-bulletin from the Isle of Wight Council. It includes information and news that reflect the variety of opportunities available for businesses locating on the Island. Contributions are made by key business experts, political representatives and business people currently investing in the Isle of Wight. This newsletter will be published on a quarterly basis and will keep you updated on the critical issues affecting businesses on the Island and will feature more in depth insight into different sectors and issues for each edition. If you would like further information about investment opportunities or would like to contribute to this newsletter then please email us at [email protected]  | In this e-bulletin Visit us at: www.iwight.com | |
| The Isle of Wight offers businesses a range of benefits that enable them to thrive. There are already a number of well established sectors including marine, composites renewable energy, aerospace & defence and advanced engineering. Some high profile businesses have been attracted by the opportunities offered on the Island, including Vestas, BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace and Gurit. The Island’s location is ideal, less than 5 kilometres from the South Coast of England and with excellent transport links via high speed ferry, hovercraft, car ferry and rail (at terminals). It is also just 15 miles from Southampton International Airport and 2 hours travel from London. As an area of outstanding beauty the Island is an excellent base for a range of outdoor and marine activities, offering your employees a high quality of life. | ||
| In 2009 Vestas Technology announced its plans to build a Research and Development facility on the Isle of Wight. The facility will focus on developing new wind energy products for the global market, which is expected to be led by the UK and Europe over the next decade. Work on the facility continues apace at the new Technology Centre at Stag Lane, Newport. Rob Sauven VP, Managing Director of Vestas Technology R&D recently commented that the new technology facility was on schedule. Passing observers can now see that the core and shell of the building are nearing completion. |  Vestas R&D site, Newport | |
| Vestas Technology UK remains a considerable employer and investor in the Isle of Wight economy. The new Technology R&D Centre is expected to safeguard 100 jobs whilst creating over 150 new high-skilled engineering jobs and other ancillary positions. It will also allow Vestas to test the world’s largest wind turbines. It means the Isle of Wight will become a major innovation hub in Vestas' global R&D business, placing it as one of the company’s top five technology centres, alongside Denmark, Singapore, India and the USA. The emphasis on R&D will be particularly important for the future, not only for Vestas in the push to develop new offshore wind blade technologies but also in terms of spin-offs for the wider Island economy. The Isle of Wight is already host to a number of companies with strengths in composite technology and boasts a highly skilled workforce. The Vestas R&D facility will help provide the critical mass in the sector to create a cluster of composite companies, allowing expertise in composite engineering techniques to be further developed on the Island. On recently announcing the Q2 results Vestas’ CEO Ditlev Engel stated that the international wind turbine market was rebounding, with more orders received during the second quarter than for the whole of 2009. Encouragingly for those engaged in the company’s technology operations, he also emphasised that the technology growth, globally, remained firmly on track. On a recent visit to London, he cited the new Isle of Wight facility as an example of the new investments the company are making. In addition to the £80m investment by Vestas, the facility has benefited from grant funding of £6m. £3m was made available from The Department for Energy and Climate Change, as part of the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) scheme, and a further £3m from SEEDA. | ||
| The Isle of Wight Council is working with industry and academic partners to develop a marine energy park for developers of Marine Current Energy Converters (MCECs) in and around the Island’s coast and wider Solent region. The proposed Solent Ocean Energy Centre (SOEC) is a collaborative South East England initiative focused on advancing the UK marine renewables sector to help support economic growth and meet energy targets. SOEC is specifically designed to address two key areas for development within the current provision of test facilities. These are:
The design of SOEC is already well advanced, and will provide:
The onshore cluster will combine: a Technology Centre for RD&D, procedural planning, testing preparation and analysis; a large facility for MCEC construction, assembly and pre / post test analysis; and regional support infrastructure for supply chain access and development. It will also create the opportunity to: link to, exploit and develop the offshore wind supply chain; bolster long-term regional support infrastructure for the development of offshore renewables; and help to create the opportunity for future marine current energy commercial leasing rounds. Both grid connected in-water test sites will be supported by a shore-side facility for data, monitoring and control. SOEC will provide full test capacity for technologies and procedures, as well as a comprehensive instrumentation suite to provide MCEC developers with useful test data. |  | |
| The Solent region is an ideal location for these test sites due to its strong tidal flows, physically protected waters, easy access and established maritime/offshore skills and knowledge. The local composites manufacturing infrastructure is also complimented by the rich combination of existing assets, including the test facilities maintained by QinetiQ and the University of Southampton. Initial estimates suggest the total power capacity of the St. Catherine’s Race offshore test site to be greater than 250MW. This scale of potential energy production combined with a comprehensive support infrastructure, regional supply chain, and grid connection element (for developers wishing to benefit from MRDF funding), will attract developers worldwide. Preliminary work is well advanced and the project has completed all pre-planning work. Current activity is now focused on planning and initial stakeholder engagement – including EMEC, Crown Estate, MCEC developers and statutory consultees. Two key studies, financed by the Isle of Wight Council and University of Southampton, will be finalised by the end of this year. The first study is a detailed tidal flow analysis at the two chosen sites. The second study is concerned with the grid connection and strengthening, for up to 100MW capacity. SOEC has received a strong level of support from industry, local authorities and higher education institutions. The Steering Group currently includes the Isle of Wight Council (political lead), Envirobusiness (project managers), BAE Systems, Gifford, Marine South East, Qinetiq, Ricardo, Renewable Energy Association, SEEDA and University of Southampton. All Steering Group Members are fully committed and providing considerable technical and administrative support. The Group is in discussion with DECC about the potential for future funding. Early discussions have also taken place with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). EMEC are supportive of the development of SOEC and see it as a complementary, powerful addition to the UK’s marine renewables development portfolio. The Crown Estate has also been consulted. Further discussions are taking place and an initial proposal with location plan is due to be submitted. In order to reduce the learning curve and minimise risks, the SOEC Steering Group will continue to liaise closely with EMEC, NaREC and Wave Hub for ongoing feedback and consultancy. | ||
| Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) The new coalition government has announced far-reaching changes to regional governance and economic development including supporting the creation of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to replace Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), including SEEDA. The Isle of Wight Council has joined a Solent bid including three upper tier authorities (Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton) and eight district councils (East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest, Test Valley and Winchester). The partners have submitted a proposal to Government for a business-led Local Enterprise Partnership. The Solent LEP will be driven by the business community, supported by four university partners. The LEP is determined to put business at the heart of economic growth in the Solent area, enabling this globally recognised competitive area to realise its full potential. The Solent LEP will improve the coordination of private and public investment in transport, housing, skills, regeneration and other areas of economic development, and is focused on:
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| Plugged In Places: Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles Earlier in the year the Isle of Wight (together with consortia partners: Hampshire County Council; Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council) submitted an expression of interest to Government to install charging points for electric vehicles, as part of the ‘Plugged-In-Places’ initiative. The consortia have now been invited to submit a full application and partners are now looking to assess the level of interest amongst employers, in both the private and public sector, to join this bid. If successful this initiative will help subsidise the cost of installing charging points on the Island. The bid contains a number of key themes:
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| Isle Work Launched The Isle of Wight Council has launched Isle Work, an information portal for Island employers and prospective employers to see what recruitment companies operate on the Island and what they specialise in. Go to www.iwight.com/islework |  | |
| Waitrose looks to open first biomass-powered store in Isle of Wight Waitrose is planning to make its new food store on the Isle of Wight the first of its retail outlets to be fully powered by biomass. The retailer has submitted a planning application to the Council to turn an electricity substation into a biomass plant. This will provide all the electricity, heating and cooling needs for the 18,000 square foot store, currently under construction in East Cowes. If it is approved, the scheme will mean the new Waitrose will be able to operate 'off-grid' and have a 'carbon negative' footprint. More information is being requested from the developers before this scheme is put to public consultation. The East Cowes Waitrose is set to open in October. |   | |
| Gurit UK receives National Training Award Gurit UK has been honoured with a prestigious National Training Award in recognition of their outstanding contribution and commitment to training, learning and development in the workplace. The NTA South East Regional Large Employee Award is for their outstanding NVQ level 2 and 3 Polymer Processing and Related Operations programme which Gurit have successfully implemented into their UK manufacturing processes. This has been achieved with a relatively modest investment and thanks to collaboration with the Isle of Wight College and Train to Gain represents great value for money in the current economic climate. The major factor in winning this award was how Gurit integrated the generic PAAVQ-SET Polymer Processing and Related Operations units into processes along with under pinning knowledge in the form of training with Health & Safety, IT & SAP Management System Skills, Mechanical Handling Equipment, Lean Manufacturing Tools, Industry Awareness and Quality Testing Procedures. All this has been integrated into a framework to complete a very comprehensive learning journey. | ||
| Business Survey Results The Isle of Wight Council conducts a quarterly business survey. The latest was conducted in July/August 2010 and consulted with some 600 Island businesses. Overall, in the last three months Island businesses have continued to recover from the recession. Orders and sales are up, with the summer season providing an important boost across a number of sectors. Importantly, cash flow is slowly improving, although this has still been a concern in the manufacturing sector. Price pressures remain difficult, particularly in construction. Island businesses are generally cautious around recruiting new staff, but manufacturing firms are actively looking for skilled staff. | ||
| Business Support With the demise of the RDAs, there are also repercussions for the regional Business Link contracts managed by them. The new coalition government has been influenced by the 2008 Richard Report which challenged the rationale for, and the monies spent, on publicly-funded business support. The new Business and Enterprise Minister, Mark Prisk, advocates a two-pronged approach with a state-funded web-based advice service and greater use of private sector advice agencies. These would include services offered through local enterprise agencies and organisations such as the Chambers of Commerce. Inward investment The Government has released a new publication outlining the way inward investment can be sourced in the future. UK Inward Investment 2009/10: report by UKTI - The UK. at the heart of global business also demonstrates how the UK is one of the world's leading locations for global investment in various sectors. Sustainability A Strategy for Sustainable Growth has recently been developed by the Government which emphasises that striking the right balance between making savings to public spending and promoting sustainable growth is crucial. It also explains how reductions in public spending can also contribute to an environment that enables businesses to invest with confidence, thereby putting the recovery onto a sustainable footing moving forward. Finance The Government has produced a Green Paper: Financing a private sector recovery. This discussion document looks at several alternative means of obtaining finance to ensure businesses are able to grow and boost recovery. It aims at starting a dialogue to develop and start alternative measures of funding businesses. Consultation closed on 20 September and Minister Mark Prisk is now working with heads of businesses and financial organisations to discuss alternative approaches, including supply chain finance. | ||
| The Isle of Wight Council is undertaking a renewal of its approach to businesses locating on the Island – ensuring it offers adequate support and incentives as well as providing information. Isle of Wight business services are tailored to your needs, providing:
Helpful Links:
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| 4th International Tidal Energy Summit The Isle of Wight Council will be exhibiting at the 4th International Tidal Energy Summit, 23 - 24 November 2010, Park Plaza Victoria, London. We hope that we will have an opportunity to meet with you and discuss opportunities. Please do look for our stand, Stall No. 9 on the floor plan! | |  |
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Page last updated on: 20/10/2010
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