Tees Business | Page 44

Serving the Teesside Business Community | 45 / REDCAR & CLEVELAND NEWS MAJOR DEAL FOR WILTONBASED GRAPHENE PRODUCER Give your Tees business an unfair advantage Dave Allan & DNA can transform the profile of your business Press Releases / Marketing / Websites / Social Media / Award Entries / Sponsorship M: 07711 025009 E: dave@dnapr.co.uk W: www.dnapr.co.uk Boho 4 Gibson House, Cleveland Street, Middlesbrough, TS2 1AY @DNA_PR DNA PR & Publicity A Teesside graphene materials producer has signed a joint development agreement with a private equity-backed manufacturer in Greater Manchester. Wilton Centre-based Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) says it has developed an improved graphene material that has been demonstrated to deliver a six-fold improvement in barrier and anti-corrosion properties at low loading levels. It has subsequently signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Oldhamheadquartered aerosol and consumer chemicals manufacturer James Briggs, a large European consumer chemicals business which formulates and supplies aerosol paints and high performance materials to well-known industry brands from BIOFORCE NE LIMITED Merry Christmas Celebrate Christmas with us at Café Lilli HARDWOOD LOGS LARGE BAG £60 SOFTWOOD LOGS LARGE BAG £45 2-bag orders £10 discount KINDLING LARGE NETTED BAG £4 or 3 for £10 All our firewood is locally processed from our own woodland. Free delivery service to your door. Contact our team on 01642 310471 or 07926 046166 Please visit our website @ www.bioforce-ne.co.uk Mine approval to give jobs boost Government approval for a new potash mine, with shipping facilities to be built in the borough, will see a major jobs boost for Redcar and Cleveland. The mine, run by Sirius Minerals, will be based in Whitby and potash will be transported via conveyor through the borough to a processing facility at Teesport where it will be delivered around the world. With consent already secured from Redcar & Cleveland Council and other authorities, the last major hurdle the mine’s owners had to overcome was the approval of a Development Consent Order (DCO) from central Government. Sirius Minerals aim to see at least 80% of the eventual workforce come from the local area, and would aim to increase this percentage in the future. WILTON INTERNATIONAL ENQUIRIES ON THE UP SEASONED FIREWOOD LOGS BE PREPARED THIS WINTER across numerous markets. AGM and James Briggs have already started an accelerated product development programme with a view to early market exploitation of graphene. Under the JDA, James Briggs will incorporate graphene material into its existing paint formulations to deliver higher-performing primers with improved corrosion protection. The expectation is that a new range of primers will be launched in early 2017. Alongside this, the two businesses will be cooperating on potential applications for lubrication products given the improved friction properties offered by the application of graphene. Earlier this year, AGM revealed its pre-tax deficit had risen to £2.3m in the six months to January 31, with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization suffering a £2.1m reversal. However, bosses said the shortfall was representative of the business’ expansion, as it increases staff levels to secure greater production orders. They added strong demand, which saw the firm despatch more than 70 tests samples in the period, allied to existing deals, was creating a platform for long-term growth. Live music every Wednesday in December Additional openings Monday December 12 & 19 with Live Music BOOK NOW! www.lillicafe.co.uk | 01642 554422 Café Lilli, 83 High Street, Norton-on-Tees, TS20 1AE Lively atmosphere, first class service, creative cooking New health and safety training academy A Teesside college has announced it will open the North East’s first health and safety training academy this summer to unlock the aspirations of employers and students in the region. Redcar and Cleveland College was due to launch the academy in September to deliver high-quality training and relevant hands-on experience for people who aspire to work in the health and safety industry. Colin Willis (pictured), lead tutor in health and safety, along with a dedicated team of practitioners, will provide an extensive range of accredited courses, including the NEBOSH Level 3 International General Certificate and the flagship NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma. Enquiries from potential investors about land and buildings at the Wilton International site are on the rise. This year has already seen a significant increase in calls to Sembcorp Utilities UK, which owns much of the land available for development on the 2,000-acre site near Redcar. The interest shown has varied from firms looking at sites across Europe for large scale industrial investment to smaller Teesside and UK companies looking to utilise the office and compound space available. The Wilton Supplier Village – a section of the site specially set aside for contractor firms serving the process industries – is proving particularly popular. In total, Wilton International has around 700 acres of prime development land available to investors, including around 300 acres of Greenfield land much of which is suitable for light industrial operations. LIZZY SADDLES UP FOR SUCCESS A move into new premises has given a Tees equestrian business the office and storage space it needs to specialise in the growth area of saddle fitting. Priory Saddlery, owned by Lizzy Bunting with her business partner and fiancé Paul Freeman, has now taken over a workshop, as well as office space, at the UK Steel Enterprise’s Innovation Centre on the Kirkleatham Business Park in Redcar. The couple, from Redcar but now living in Saltburn, decided to focus their business on the supply and fitting of a whole range of saddles – for children with their first ponies right up to professional riders. Priory Saddlery stocks a wide range of saddles and associated tack, provides an on-going back-up service with regular fitting checks and a local repair service.