INDUSTRYNEWS
SPONSORED BY DAVENPORT BURGESS
Ministers pledge further backing for small businesses
At an event at 10 Downing Street held in June to celebrate the massive contribution that small businesses make to the economy, the Prime Minister announced that all the recommendations made in a recent report by his Enterprise Advisor Lord Young will be accepted – including lifting the cap on Start Up Loans so that over 30s who aspire to set up their own business will be able to access funds and get on in life. It will also be made easier for these people - and other small businesses owners - to access the right advice and support to succeed in the global race. This is part of the government’s GREAT campaign and celebrated the important contribution that small businesses make to the UK economy - with small firms accounting for 99.9 per cent of all businesses in the UK. The recommendations from Lord Young’s report will also inform the work BIS is leading with the small business community to refresh the 2011 small and medium sized business strategy ‘Bigger, Better Business’ The . publication, expected in the autumn, will look at making it easier for small and medium sized businesses to access the right support, and to improve the way government communicates with firms. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Half of all jobs in this country come from small and medium sized business. So if we’re to get our economy going again, we must do all we can to support them.” Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon said: “We all want faster growth. As Britain recovers, small firms are leading the generation of ideas, creating new jobs and driving enterprise. Whether by encouraging more firms to export or opening up procurement opportunities, government is backing ambitious businesses by giving them the support they need to grow.
‘99.9 per cent of all businesses in the UK’
Lord Young’s report ‘Growing your business: a report on growing micro business’ looked at the barriers small business face when they want to move to the next stage, and how government can better target its support to ensure firms can get off the ground.
‘Part of the government’s GREAT campaign and celebrated the important contribution that small businesses make to the UK economy’
ARGE SETS SUSTAINABLE CONFERENCE AGENDA
The European Federation of Association of Locks & Builders Hardware Manufacturers (ARGE) has announced the agenda for its annual conference, with sustainability set to take centre stage. To take place in Budapest on 5th and 6th September, the conference will be ARGE’s platform to present its plans for creating a series of generic Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). All its members and their manufacturing members will have access to these EPDs, which look set to become a mandatory requirement for the construction market. CPR MARKET CHANGES The introduction of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) across Europe this summer is set to change the market. The new regulation now addresses sustainability and the sustainable use of natural resources (under Basic Works Requirement 7 – BRCW7) together with the reduction of life cycle impacts of greenhouse gases (BRCW3). In the context of the CPR EPD’s can be used to assess a construction product’s environmental impact. In providing EPDs for its members, therefore, ARGE is enabling them to remain competitive in the construction market. Speaking on the forthcoming conference, ARGE General Secretary, Joachim Kieker, said: “At last year’s conference we set the scene for the changing landscape within the construction market, in the advent of the CPR. This year, we are very excited, as we will be presenting the tangible measures for ensuring all our members have access to this increasingly restrictive market. The journey to creating EPDs for all our members is an area of sustainability they should and can all engage with. COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE “ARGE is working to ensure that all members are best able to meet with the forthcoming sustainability agenda – to provide real commercial advantage. ARGE will use the conference to present its plans for delivering this to its members.” In addition to networking opportunities and social highlights, the Chairman of the CEN TC350 will also be presenting on sustainability in construction works, and the impact this will have on the marketplace.
‘Access to this increasingly restrictive market’
To find out more or register for the conference, visit www.arge.org
To read more, visit www.locksmithjournal.co.uk
THE JUL/AUG 2013 ISSUE SPONSORED BY ALDRIDGE
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