Year: 2018

Member News – Angus 3D Solutions will help deliver up to £1bn circular economy benefits by bringing F1 tech to Scotland with £175k Zero Waste Scotland grant

Yvonne McAulay
Andy Simpson with his certificate showing Zero Waste Scotland is funding his work on the circular economy.

Sector-leading Scots 3D printing start-up and St Andrews Business Club member, Angus 3D Solutions Ltd, is set to help deliver up to £1 billion of benefits to the economy of Scotland by bringing cutting-edge F1 technology to Scotland for the first time thanks to a £175,000 grant from Zero Waste Scotland.

Last year global manufacturing veteran Andy Simpson was invited to make a presentation to Zero Waste Scotland and CEED on how additive manufacturing can aid the circular economy. He explained this can be done by reducing waste in the design process and extending the lifespan of machinery by allowing obsolete parts to be manufactured from 3D scans – cheaper, faster and using less input materials than traditional manufacturing.

Zero Waste Scotland was so impressed it invited Andy to apply for a grant from its Circular Economy Investment Fund – part of the Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, supported by the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund – to buy the world’s most advanced metal printing machine, the Markforged Metal X. The fund provides funding and support for SMEs in Scotland to be more resource-efficient and create a more circular economy.

The machine uses the latest Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) technology – where metal powders are encased in plastic binders which are then melted off – to create objects with unprecedented levels of detail as well as faster than ever. It’s believed the only machines in the UK to date are owned by a Formula One team and universities. None are available for external commercial use.

Circular economy

The machine, expected to arrive at the Brechin start-up in December, will be used to make new components for industries as diverse as oil and gas, medical and satellites and in the reverse engineering of obsolete parts. It’s expected to help the business gain new clients as well as aid the growth of the circular economy in Scottish manufacturing.

A circular economy is a greener alternative to the traditional linear economy – where we make, use and dispose of items – in which we keep precious resources in use for as long as possible. The benefits include: creating opportunities for growth; reducing manufacturing waste; higher resource productivity; a more competitive economy; reducing the environmental impacts of production and consumption and positioning Scotland better to address emerging global resource security and scarcity.

Angus 3D Solutions’ grant is one of three cited by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon this morning as being part of a programme which could unlock up to £1 billion potential value in the economies of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Tayside by boosting the circular economy according to reports commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland written by independent consultants with the help of the local chambers of commerce.

Speaking at the Zero Waste Scotland Circular Economy Hotspot Scotland event, Ms Sturgeon said: “These reports show the exciting potential of a circular economy where reducing waste and investing in keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible can release an estimated £1 billion of economic opportunities for Tayside, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. This demonstrates the overall scale of the opportunity for Scotland.

“It’s great to see projects like Total Homes, Revive Eco and Angus 3D embracing our circular economy and getting maximum value from resources. This £700,000 investment will help these businesses re-use and repurpose products which will benefit communities by creating jobs and reducing emissions.

Leading the way

“Scotland is already leading the way with its ambitious and challenging targets for recycling which are above and beyond the EU targets. However, we want the narrative to move beyond recycling to re-use, repair and remanufacturing of items. In this light, we are currently considering next steps for introducing a deposit return scheme which will help us achieve our ambitions.”

Speaking about the grant win and its consequences, Andy Simpson said: “I’m naturally delighted we’ve received this funding award from Zero Waste Scotland, because it will help our clients and the Scottish manufacturing industry develop their circular economy.

“Scotland has an impressive manufacturing history. To maintain and further develop this we must embrace the latest additive manufacturing technology and making it accessible, and therefore encourage the next generation to look at manufacturing as a career choice.”

“We can do this by bringing the latest additive manufacturing technology to Scotland and making it accessible to all industries and individuals. This grant will enable that.

“We’re already excited about how this machine will enable us to better support inventors, designers, SMEs and manufacturers in Scotland and beyond.”

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic the work that’s being done in Scotland to kickstart the circular economy. Businesses like Angus 3D Solutions are already doing great things, and I hope our event will be an impetus for even more ambition.

“Our Circular Economy Investment Fund is helping to bring exciting new ideas to market and we are seeing ever greater interest from private backers, who recognise that the future is circular. The challenges in building a circular economy are big but they are only matched by the potential benefits to businesses, which could be up to £1 billion in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and Tayside alone.”

For more information about the circular economy and Angus 3D Solutions, go to its website at www.angus3dsolutions.co.uk

Ask The Minister – Lord Ian Duncan

Yvonne McAulay
Lord Ian Duncan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, talked about and took questions on policies affecting business, including Brexit and the Tay Cities Deal, at the joint event held by Fife Chamber of Commerce and St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel.

Lord Ian Duncan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, talked candidly and entertainingly about and took questions on policies affecting business, including Brexit, Trade, the Tay Cities Deal, and Industrial Policy in a joint event with Fife Chamber of Commerce.

 

Thanks to Lord Duncan for sharing his time and views with our Members in this very useful and enjoyable event.

Thanks to Members who attended.

Report & Pictures by ASM Media & PR

For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is a Business Breakfast on November 7, when respected international negotiator Andrew B. Brown, will run a workshop on negotiation skills. This will be a joint event with Fife Women in Business.

Internationally-renowned negotiator to give St Andrews workshop

Yvonne McAulay
Internationally-renowned negotiator Andrew B. Brown is giving a workshop on effective negotiation to St Andrews Business Club.

An internationally-renowned negotiator who teaches advanced negotiation tactics to law enforcement agencies including the NYPD and the FBI will give a breakfast workshop in St Andrews on November 7.

In the fourth event of St Andrews Business Club’s season, to be held at the Old Course Hotel from 7.30am, retired police negotiator Chief Inspector Andrew B. Brown will deconstruct the negotiation process to allow participants to understand active listening skills and how, when they are skilfully applied empathically, they can give strength to persuasion that ultimately influences behavioural change and successful negotiation.

A negotiator with specialist knowledge and experience in dealing with kidnap for ransom and hostage/crisis incidents, Andrew has been an expert witness to judicial inquiries on the response to hostage taking, including the Lindt Café siege in Sydney in 2014.

Advanced negotiation

A Fellow of the Chartered Management and Security Institutes, he’s developed advanced negotiation and crisis leadership skills for major corporations, public policy and world-class sports coaches.

A Fulbright Alumnus, Andrew continues to teach advanced negotiation tactics to many law enforcement agencies including the NYPD, USMS and the FBI. He is currently the Chief Security Officer of an International NGO specialising in advocacy, accompaniment and education of refugees.

Anyone wanting to learn about this important business topic for business, as well as network, is asked to book via Eventbrite.

A full list of this season’s events can be found at http://bit.ly/StABCEvents.

Full details of all the club’s events, most of which are now open to non-members, go here .

2018 St Andrews Enterprise Week Keynote Event

Yvonne McAulay

In the 2018 University of St Andrews Enterprise Week Keynote Event, Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman & Co-Founder of 4JStudios and digital entrepreneur, Lizzie Brough, Co-Founder & CXO, Kindaba, Jen Munro, Founder & Managing Director, ISSOS International, and Sam Trett, Founder & Owner, LoCa Bev – Minus 33 shared their entrepreneurial journeys, lessons learned and advice for anyone considering their own venture.

Thanks to them, the Enterprise Week Committee and everyone who attended for making this such a great event.

For photos of the night, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is October 25 – ‘Ask the Minister’, when Lord Ian Duncan will talk about and answer questions on policies affecting business.

Business people to hear & question Scotland Office Minister at St Andrews event

Yvonne McAulay
Lord Ian Duncan.

Businesses  from Fife and Tayside will have a chance to hear and question Scotland Office minister Lord Ian Duncan on Brexit and other prominent business issues at an evening event in St Andrews on October 25.

In the ‘Meet the Minister’ event, organised by Fife Chamber of Commerce and St Andrews Business Club, Lord Ian Duncan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, will talk about his role – which involves engaging with Scottish stakeholders on a wide range of matters relating to the UK Parliament on a total of 22 Cabinet committees and sub-committees – and reflect on current issues.

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the UK Government’s role in Scotland, its priorities and policies at the event, to be held at the Old Course Hotel, six days after a potentially pivotal discussion on Brexit by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.

St Andrews graduate

Lord Duncan was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales between June and October 2017 and was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in October 2017. The Queen conferred a life peerage on him in 2017.

A St Andrews Geology graduate, Lord Duncan’s professional background is as a public affairs and media relations professional working for organisations as diverse as BP, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, the Scottish Refugee Council and the Scottish Parliament. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2014.

Anyone wanting to attend the event can book their place on Eventbrite.

Alan Mitchell, Chief Executive of Fife Chamber of Commerce, said: “Fife Chamber is really pleased to have this opportunity to work with St Andrews Business Club to give our members and other local businesses an opportunity to discuss critically important issues with a senior member of the UK Government.”

Alan S. Morrison, President of St Andrews Business Club, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Fife Chamber of Commerce on this event, which will enable all members of the business community in North-East Fife and beyond to hear about the latest plans for issues which affect them as well as ask questions of a UK Government minister about them.”

Business people invited to hear inspiring entrepreneurs

Yvonne McAulay

People doing business in North-East Fife are invited to join members of St Andrews Business Club and students from the university on October 8 to learn from the stories of four inspiring entrepreneurs.

As part of this year’s university Enterprise Week, the free Keynote Event at Parliament Hall on South Street on October 8 will hear successful entrepreneurs Chris van der Kuyl, Sam Trett, Lizzie Brough and Jen Munro speak about their experiences and approach.

While Chris van der Kuyl is well-known as a digital entrepreneur, Sam Trett founded low-calorie spirits company LoCaBev, Lizzie Brough created and runs family private social network Kindaba and Jen Munro is Managing Director of international summer schools firm ISSOS International, which she founded.

St Andrews Business Club has partnered with the Enterprise Week student committee for a second year to help organise the event as part of its commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship.

Networking

The event will begin at 5.30pm with networking with students and university staff over drinks, before the presentations begin at 7pm. After each of the presenters has spoken, the audience will get a chance to ask them questions.

Speaking about the event, St Andrews Business Club President, Alan S. Morrison, said: “We’re delighted to have been asked to contribute to this event for a second year to help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and business people. The Club welcomes them to any of our own events and we look forward to hearing stories which will doubtless inspire our members too.”

Bonnie Hacking, Enterprise & Employability Adviser at the University of St Andrews, says: “We’d like to thank St Andrews Business Club for its continued contribution to this event to promote entrepreneurship in our students and in the local community.”

Free tickets for the event can be booked via Eventbrite or the St Andrews Enterprise Week Facebook page for the link as well as full details of this event and the rest of the week

Business Visit – Eden Campus, Guardbridge

Yvonne McAulay
Geoff Morris, Director of Special Projects and Community Engagement, gave Members and their Guests a guided tour of the Eden Campus site, including inside the Energy Centre.

In the first event of the Club’s new Season, Geoff Morris, Director of Special Projects and Community Engagement at the University of St Andrews, gave Members and their Guests a guided tour of the Eden Campus site at Guardbridge.

 

The completely automated Energy Centre on the campus, which won the Sustainable Development Award at the 2016 Scottish Green Energy Awards, is central to the university’s strategic drive to become the UK’s first energy carbon neutral university and pumps hot water four miles to St Andrews to heat 41 University buildings including 2,600 student rooms.

The water is at 95 Celsius when it leaves and arrives at 94C. The university aims to have more of the heat used via improved heat exchangers as well as increase the number of buildings heated.

This facility alone has already reduced the university’s carbon footprint by 20%.

The Energy Centre is the first phase of a plan for the site which aims to create 500 new jobs as part of the Tay Cities Deal. The funding could unlock up to £75m of other inward investment within the first five years from a mixture of industry and private sector investors and would see the redevelopment of an extra 5,500 square metres of derelict buildings, allowing space for start-ups and other external companies to base themselves.

More than 400 University staff will relocate from St Andrews to Eden Campus this year.

For more and the latest information about this project, go to the University’s news page. 

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is October 8: University of St Andrews Enterprise Week 2018 – Keynote Event

St Andrews Business Club 2018-19 Season – delivering what you want

Yvonne McAulay

 

By Alan S. Morrison, President

How do you follow the most successful season in the Club’s history – in which it ended with a record 128 Members and broke the record for attendance at a Club event (the North–East Fife 2018 event on January 24)?

We reckon the answer is to find out what the Key Success Factors were and plan another season that features both them and new events which our Members asked for via a survey. By doing that we’re showing the Club’s continued commitment to finding out what our Members want and delivering it to them.

Today we’re delighted to be announcing an exciting programme of events based on that principle. As with last season, the key elements in them are: expert insights, business learning, privileged access, inspiration and networking.

Expert insights

The following events will provide Members and other event attendees with expert insights on key issues:

  • November 21 – William Dowson, Agent for Scotland, Bank of England – this will be your chance to hear from the Bank of England’s Agent for Scotland on topics including how the Bank of England views the current economic climate, interest rates and the business environment and ask him questions about them.
  • January 16 – North-East Fife 2019 – after the runaway success of this year’s event, we’re delighted Gordon Mole, Senior Manager, Business and Employability at Fife Council and Professor Brad MacKay, Vice-Principal, International Strategy and External Relations at the University of St Andrews, have agreed to reprise this event looking at the factors which will influence the business environment in the area in 2019. They will include Brexit and the Tay Cities Deal.

Business learning

Our learning event topics are ones our Members said they wanted in the Member Survey and we’ve found expert speakers for them:

Another learning event may be added later.

Privileged access

Business visits have always been a popular and well-attended part of the Club’s programme. The following Members & Guests-only events will provide Members and their Guests with privileged access to places and people – always a valuable part of Club membership:

  • September 12 – Eden Campus Business Visit – Members & Guests will receive a VIP tour of the site led by project director, Geoff Morris, in this event free to Members & Guests.
  • December 5 – Business Visit & Festive Social. We will announce the venue in due course, but Members will gain a special insight into it.
  • June 26 – Business Visit & Summer Social. We will announce the venue in due course for this event, free for Club members to attend.

Inspiration

We know how much hearing high-achieving people share their stories and lessons can inspire and educate you. The following events will provide plenty of both:

  • October 8 – We’re delighted to say the panel of entrepreneurs sharing their stories and advice at this year’s University of St Andrews Enterprise Week Keynote Event, which the club is co-hosting with the student committee, will include digital entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl; Lizzie Brough, Co-Founder & CXO of Kindaba and Sam Trett, Founder & Owner of LoCaBev. Club Members will have access to a priority allocation of tickets for this event.
  • March 6 – Our inaugural ‘Inspiring Women’ event this year was a huge success, so it will be repeated next year. Speakers will be announced later.
  • May 2019 – Once again we plan to have a high-profile business leader share their inspirational story at our AGM Evening. Date and speaker will be announced later.
  • June 5 – Your successes can inspire and educate other Members, as we found in our Members’ Presentations Night on May 9. So we’re giving you the opportunity to share them in a Members’ Success Stories night. Only Club Members will be eligible to speak.

Networking

As with the last two seasons, all our events will include scheduled time for networking, with most open to Non-Members – so you and your guests can meet them.

For full details of these and the other events, go to our Events page. More will be added later when details are confirmed. Bookings for all the above events are now open.

Membership benefits

The right to present at our Members’ Success stories event is one of several membership benefits. But why else should you join the Club?

Here are the range of benefits Members enjoy:

  • High-quality North-East Fife networking and business learning
  • Access to Members & Guests-only events
  • Attendee list for events you attend
  • Copy of speaker’s presentation (if they agree to share it) for events you attend
  • £5 less ticket price than Non-Members for paid events
  • Free entrance to Summer Social event and Eden Campus Business Visit
  • Opportunity to have social posts shared on Club channels – Twitter and Facebook
  • Company feature post on Club social media channels
  • Opportunity to write a guest blog post on the Club website once a year
  • Opportunity to be expert speaker at a Club event
  • Access to Club allocation of tickets for external events
  • Free display of flyers at events
  • Opportunity to host a Club ‘Business visit’ event
  • Member company profile, logo, contact info and link listing on Club website (Coming soon)

Membership still only £50 a year

That’s a fantastic range of benefits for just £50 annual individual membershipn.

Still not convinced? You can read here why some members joined, what they’ve gained and enjoyed since.

Want to join the Club? Find out how to do that here. Existing members will receive their renewal reminder next month.

Corporate Membership option

If you think some of your colleagues would also want to join or renew their membership, you should consider the corporate membership option. It’s just £165 for five named members of an organisation – saving your organisation £85 on the equivalent individual memberships. Go here for full details.

Whether you’re already a member, a past one or someone new to the Club, we’d be delighted to see you at our events this season. And hear what you think – so we can keep making the Club better.

  • Details of the full season’s topics, dates, speakers are here
  • Details of membership benefits and how to join the Club are here
  • For latest news from the Club, its members and the North-East Fife business community, follow the Club here on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

Member News – Opportunity to improve your efficiency with free LEAN consultancy

Yvonne McAulay

Are you interested in improving the efficiency of your company by being a Case Study for a Master thesis on Lean Management?

 

New Club Member Lena-Lynn Naraschkewitz is writing her Master thesis on Lean Management and how to implement it in SMEs through a simple guide and needs to find a manufacturing company to take part in her Case Study.

The company must have more than 10 employees and some kind of manufacturing process, even if it’s just packing a product.

The manufacturing process will be filmed and in the video will be shown to the employees as a group and analysed together for what could be improved using Lean Management methods. The process will be timed before and after the methods are applied. The project shouldn’t take more than a few days,

If you’d like to take part, please contact Lena-Lynn directly via ll.naraschkewitz@gmail.com.

Member News – Vertical Motives sales workshop is 1st in UK to be university-recognised

Yvonne McAulay
Russell Williams, Director of the Graduate Business School at the University of Aberdeen, (left) congratulates Executive Fellow Peter Waggott, of Vertical Motives, on his sales workshop achieving the academic standard required to have successful completion enable entry to the Sales & Marketing module of the University of Aberdeen Online MBA. Pic: ASM Media & PR

Experienced sales professionals without degrees now have a new asset they can gain to bolster their sales effectiveness and aid their application to a degree course thanks to Club member Peter Waggott.

 

The two-day practice-based sales workshop has been developed by Peter, who is an experienced sales coach and executive from Carnoustie who’s worked in B2B sales for blue chip companies in the UK, Europe and North America.

It gives candidates a competitive advantage in the job market by enabling them to make a better connection with customers, profit more from their interactions with them and learn from experienced people who can help them put theory into practice.

It teaches sales strategy, the need to collaborate with internal colleagues to make a smoother and better experience for the customer, how you need to understand better who customers are, what their business is and why they buy from you. It also enables students to understand internal customers, themselves and their job description. It’s followed by 1-1 coaching to embed the learning.

Achieved standard

The workshop has been continuously assessed by the university for academic rigour and has now achieved the standard required to demonstrate Recognised Prior Learning (RPL). This means non-graduate sales professionals can use successful completion of it to gain access to a five-day Sales and Marketing workshop delivered by the University of Aberdeen Business School, as well as use it as part of a portfolio of training and achievement for consideration for entry to the University’s part-time, blended-learning MBA programme.

It’s believed to be the first post-experience sales training in the UK to be quality-‘recognised’ by a university.

The workshop is based on Peter’s experiences and has been designed, developed and tested over 18 months, with both clients and university students. It’s been delivered to a number of organisations and to more than 270 postgraduate and undergraduate students at the University of Aberdeen to date.

It came about because Peter believes there’s a lack of understanding about the sales process in businesses and organisations. “They think it’s about selling a product, but it’s not – they need to understand their customer’s business,” he says.

“In the current climate there’s a fundamental difference between how an organisation thinks their customers do business and how they’re customers really operate, so traditional B2B sales processes are ineffective. Investor groups see a lack of sales knowledge when engaging with start-ups and scale-ups- organisations with aspirations to grow don’t have the necessary sales knowledge to deliver the growth required.

“Organisations have forgotten or lost the concept of asking at a base level ‘Why do they buy from us?’

Communication

“Sales is about communication – a sales person is the conduit between their company and their customer. Taking time to understand an organisation’s processes and structure will be more successful.

“Organisations now want to learn and be challenged, so this workshop focuses on this. It also helps develop the creative people they need to grow and flourish.”

The workshop also seeks to address the negative perception of sales as a career. “Sales is not seen as a career because there’s no global quality benchmark for it, so no perceived value in it by organisations,” says Peter.

“Sales is a great career – delivered correctly it can support companies to grow, both in revenue and with their customers. So sales needs to be taken seriously.

“This workshop allows me an opportunity to give candidates an understanding of what a sales role really is.”

Peter Waggott is making the workshop available to other universities who see the benefits to their students and non-graduates seeking to take up postgraduate study with them.

Training academy

It will also be the first course of a forthcoming training academy to be set up in Dundee by his company Vertical Motives Consultancy Ltd, which will also offer high-quality training in interim and new management, coaching, mentoring and customer experience, all of which he hopes to gain university accreditation for. Towards that goal, Peter is working closely with academics to embed and share industry experience and practice with other universities.

For Peter, a key element of the development process has come from his role as an Executive Fellow at the University of Aberdeen Business School: “As an Executive Fellow I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside talented students and showcase sales and sales process training. Most importantly, I’ve been able to develop, test and refine the materials.”

Russell Williams, Director of the Business School’s postgraduate programmes, said: “We’re delighted to have Peter share his expertise and insight with our postgraduates through his workshops. This part of their studies helps the students make the connection between theory and practice and, importantly, gives them practical employability skills.”

“Having worked with Peter and seen the sales workshop firsthand, we are happy to recognise those completing the workshop include it as a part of their record of achievement when applying to our MBA.”

For more information about Peter and Vertical Motives, go to its website.