4 | Aycliffe Today Business
BUSINESS BRIEFS
SABRE RAIL CHANGES
Aycliffe-based rolling stock systems and component specialists Sabre Rail has appointed Brian Capeling as UK managing director , replacing Stephen Thompson who has become group chairman .
The firm is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2017 and says it ’ s now planning for the next 30 years .
Capeling has been employed at Sabre Rail for over 14 years , previously holding the position of operations manager .
“ I am thrilled to be given this opportunity and look forward to the exciting challenges ahead ,” he said .
EMPLOYEE AWARDS
Employees from around the region are to be celebrated at the second annual North East Employee of the Year Awards to be held at Wynyard Hall Hotel this summer .
Individuals are urged to nominate colleagues they feel make an invaluable contribution to their businesses for the range of awards including , the Leadership Award , Unsung Hero and Best Apprentice .
Nominations from managers , directors and board members are welcomed for employees who deserve special recognition , or who have already been awarded by the company .
The evening , on Friday July 14 , will culminate with the presentation of the coveted ‘ North East Employee of the Year ’ award , which is selected from all category winners .
More information can be found at www . northeastemployeeoftheyear . co . uk
WIN BUSINESS WITH COUNCIL
Workshops to help businesses find out how to provide products and services to Durham County Council are being held this month .
The free , full-day sessions will take place on Tuesday May 23 and Tuesday May 30 at Durham Leadership Centre , Spennymoor .
They are aimed at all potential and current suppliers and will cover information on the council ’ s procurement process , in addition to UK and European Union procurement regulations .
The workshops will run from 10am to 4pm and will include a buffet lunch .
For further details , or to register , call 03000 265 428 or email corporate . procurement @ durham . gov . uk
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Husqvarna celebrates one millionth robotic lawnmower
Husqvarna has celebrated a landmark occasion for British manufacturing as it marked the production of its one millionth robotic lawnmower at its UK headquarters on Aycliffe Business Park – said to be a first for the industry .
The day , which proves a milestone moment for the company , is a testament to Husqvarna Group ’ s devotion to innovation in lawn mowing , and to the 130,000sqm Aycliffe site which has been a manufacturing force for robotic mowing since 2006 .
Husqvarna Group is a pioneer in robotic grass cutting technology , and through the success of its range of products and solutions , is the global market leader in robotic lawn mowing .
In 1995 , the group created the robotic mower market by introducing the Solar Mower , the world ’ s first-ever robotic mower . Today the Husqvarna Group offers a range of robotic mowers in the Husqvarna , Gardena , McCulloch and Flymo brands .
Kai Wärn , CEO and president for Husqvarna , said : “ Celebrating 1,000,000 environmentally friendly robotic mowers is a milestone for the Group . More than 20 years ago , we created the robotic mower market and have developed the market ever since .
“ We naturally have a strong market leadership within this category while many of our competitors still are fairly new in the market .
“ We see that in many countries the market for robotic mowers remains small , while others have grown substantially – meaning sizeable growth opportunities in this exciting segment remains . Our aim is to maintain our leadership position by providing the most reliable , safe and efficient products and solutions .”
Production of robotic mowers has been ongoing for 22 years and in 2006 its Aycliffe factory began the manufacturing of its flagship product . In the height of the season it can see around 3,000 models produced per day .
It takes , on average , input from 72 staff to produce each robotic mower and the factory currently employs 1,154 people to produce machines which are exported worldwide .
The main market for robotic mowers is still Western Europe but is growing globally by at least 20 % each year .
Made in Taiwan – Aycliffe firm Tekmar expands into Asia
Newton Aycliffe-based Tekmar Energy has successfully supplied its market-leading patented Teklink cable protection system ( CPS ) to protect the underwater power cables as they enter the wind turbine foundations on the prestigious Formosa 1 phase one offshore windfarm project , the first offshore windfarm in Taiwan .
It ’ s the first phase of the Formosa 1 offshore windfarm project which consists of two 4MW Siemens turbines located in the Miaoli region of Taiwan .
They mark the first for the region which has ambitious plans to grow its offshore windfarm industry over the next 10 years .
Local installation contractor Woen Jinn
Harbour were appointed to carry out installation of the power cables and CPS which successfully took place in October 2016 .
Jack Simpson , Tekmar ’ s head of offshore wind sales , said : “ The Formosa 1 project , although small , is particularly significant for Tekmar as it marks our entry into the Asian Offshore Windfarm market .
“ Having supplied our systems for over 10 years into Europe on 47 wind farms , we hope to offer our valuable lessons learned and market leading experience to support the newer Asian market in the same way we have in Europe ”.