Wiltshire specialist manufacturer Avon Rubber has acquired a thermal imaging camera business for £3.5m to strengthen its protection and defence business. Melksham-based Avon said Argus, which it has bought from UK technology firm e2v, would “modestly” boost its earnings this year and lead to longer-term product development opportunities. Argus, based in Essex, designs and...
Firms will want assurances that the business rates reform announced by the Chancellor today will not more higher taxes. That’s the view of Business West, the region’s largest business organisation representing 16,000 firms and which runs the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative. George Osborne made the surprise announcement at today’s Conservative Party conference that by...
More than a third of the South West’s small and medium-sized manufacturers are having their growth plans jeopardised by skills shortages, according to a new survey. The annual Manufacturing Survey by MHA – an association of independent regional accountancy firms – reveals that recruitment issues are acting as a “significant barrier” to expansion for...
Shares in Vectura rose after the Chippenham-based specialist drug developer announced it would receive multi-million pound cash payments as two of its projects reach development milestones. The firm is to receive €5m (£3.6m) from the development of a treatment for serious lung disease by an unnamed partner firm. The VR876 programme uses one of...
Wiltshire manufacturer Avon Rubber has appointed Rob Rennie as its chief executive officer with effect from December 1. Rob, pictured, joins from UK engineering group Invensys, where he has held a number of senior positions and was part of the team that sold Invensys to French giant Schneider Electric for £3.4bn in 2013. He...
Confidence levels for firms in Swindon and Wiltshire have fallen on the back of lower sales, fewer new jobs and worsening cashflow, according to the results of Business West’s latest survey. The figures, released last week, were described as “tough reading” by Ian Larrard, director of the Swindon and Wiltshire Initiative, part of Business...
More than 80 of the South West’s top clinicians, academics and businesses attended the launch of a membership group tasked with stimulating the growth of the region’s life science industry. Medilink South West provides knowledge and support to businesses in the key sector, helping them grow and maximise opportunities within life sciences and healthcare....
Shares in Swindon-based international medical sterilisation group Synergy Health soared by more than 40% in a few hours last week after its £1.2bn takeover by a US medical technology giant overcame a major hurdle. A federal court in Ohio refused to halt the deal with Steris Corp despite attempts by US regulators to block...
SciSys, the Chippenham-based specialist IT firm, has plunged into a £1.1m half-year loss after being hit by problems with a large fixed-price project. Sterling’s strength against the euro also dragged down earnings at the firm, which has its roots in the European Space Agency and has operations in Germany. Revenues for the six months...
Business West, the organisation that runs the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative, has launched a project to help the local firms benefit from the development of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. Nuclear South West will bring together firms already operating in the sector with academics and other businesses to maximise opportunities linked to Hinkley...
