Car giant Honda today announced it is to axe nearly 500 jobs and close one of its two production lines at its Swindon plant as sales in Europe continue to struggle. The move, which will also reduce its three shifts to two, is the latest blow to workers at the plant. Last year nearly...
Swindon may be best known for its railway heritage, Honda and the Magic Roundabout, but thanks to one innovative firm, the town’s name could soon be linked across the world with cutting-edge engine technology used in motor racing. Swindon Engines, which produces high-performance engines and components at its headquarters in Greenbridge, has opened a...
Swindon’s manufacturers and tech firms were given help on a number of fronts to build on the recovery in today’s Budget. Business West, the organisation behind the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative, said the Chancellor had delivered on many items on its wish-list. Ian Larrard, director of Business West in Swindon & Wiltshire, pictured, said:...
National business groups welcomed today’s Budget, particularly the measures aimed at boosting manufacturing and lower energy costs. The CBI, which had called it a “make-or-break” Budget, said it “will put wind in the sails of business investment, especially for manufacturers”. Director-general John Cridland, pictured, said it had come at a critical time in the...
The area's drinks industry cheered the Chancellor’s decision to lower the duty on beer by 10p and to freeze it on cider in this year’s Budget along with his decision to scrap the duty escalator which aims to automatically increase the tax on alcohol. National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) chair Paul Bartlett said:...
Chancellor George Osborne delivered a major boost to the region’s exporters in his Budget today by announcing the amount of lending available to the UK firms doing business overseas will be doubled to £3bn. Interest rates charged on that lending will also be cut by a third, he said. And he gave some help...
Staff from Swindon-based fibre optic and cable manufacturer AFL have helped improve the area around a restored stretch of the town’s historic canal. AFL partnered with the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust to plant more than 150 native British trees and hedgerows alongside the canal at Mouldon Hill. The project was part of AFL’s...
Business West has called on Chancellor George Osborne to use today’s Budget to focus on youth employment, training and enterprise – all crucial to securing future growth and avoiding a ‘lost generation’ as the UK economy continues to recover, it says. In its 2014 Budget submission, the business support organisation, which runs the Swindon...
Four Wiltshire businesses have become the first to receive grants to support further growth, thanks to funding secured by the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The funding, worth a total of £127,191, has gone to Calne-based 1st Choice Stairlifts, Devizes-based Country Candle Company, interior design company Procol, based in Melksham, and Power...
Directors in firms across Swindon and Wiltshire have less than two weeks to enter the region’s top business awards that recognise boardroom excellence and enterprise. The South West Institute of Directors (IoD) Awards 2014 are open to anyone working at director level in any type of business or organisation – they do not have...
