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Kx, a division of Newry based First Derivatives has been selected as an Innovation Partner to Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, following the success of its existing relationship with the leading F1 team.
The extended partnership reflects the desire of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing to apply Kx technology’s unmatched performance for ingesting and analyzing sensor data to a wider range of applications, based on the competitive advantage their use of Kx has delivered to date.
Brian Conlon, CEO of Kx, commented: “We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing. We are both driven by precision and performance and we share many similar philosophies around the importance of continual innovation. We look forward to deepening our relationship across a spectrum of opportunities where our combined efforts have the potential to deliver significant benefits for both our companies.”
Kx will be deployed to enhance areas such as aerodynamic testing and high-performance analytics across the organization. This results from the success generated by Kx’s initial deployment to analyze sensor data for wind tunnel analysis, where performance was improved by orders of magnitude.
As an Innovation Partner, Kx’s logo will be prominently displayed on the latest version of the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1 car, which is being formally unveiled today (13 February 2019).
Kx joins other leading technology companies, including IBM, AT&T, Siemens and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Innovation Partners.
Matt Cadieux, CIO of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, commented: “The analysis of sensor data, particularly time-series, is critical to the success of a modern F1 team. Working with Kx we have seen how its lightning-fast performance provides us with an edge and we look forward to extending it across our operations.”
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Hundreds of business people turned out for this mornings 'Brexit: What's Next' Breakfast briefing in the Canal Court Hotel.
Visitors to the event organised by Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade in partnership with Eversheds Sutherland heard Peter Curran, Commercial Partner, Eversheds Sutherland speaking.
Mr Curran spoke of the challenges for local companies and how potentially the law will not help if you get into difficulties. "The law may well not assist anyone who's caught out by Brexit and that is why you need to assess the potential impact of Brexit on your contractural relationships now and see if you can take any steps to protect against these. There may be need for some urgent contract re-negotiation"
While the conversation was mostly negative Mr Curran added "There will undoubtedly be opportunities created by the UK leaving the EU and a good deal would place Northern Irish companies in a great position to trade with both the UK and the EU and the rest of the world. Newry has a long tradition dealing with economic pressures associated with its proximity to the border. It's trading relationship with the republic has been constantly evolving over the years and no doubt that the entreupenarial spirit that is the hallmark of Newry for many years will enable it to adapt again."
"But the challenges this time could be significant. Brexit is the greatest change to the economy, the constitution and the legal system of the United Kingdom in half a century. It will have significant consequences on all of our working lives for the foreseeable future."
Other panel members at the event were Clare Guinness, Chief Executive, Warrenpoint Port; Liam Hannaway, CEO, Newry, Mourne and Down Council; Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive, Manufacturing NI and Lisa Bryson, Employment & Immigration Partner, Eversheds Sutherland.
Liam Hannaway, CEO, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said "I think lack of knowledge is the biggest concern. If somebody tells us what the scenario is we can deal with it."
Speaking on how the council is also a business, Mr Hannaway spoke of some of the potential issues including bin collections "If you're collecting bins around Forkhill or Culloville you are actually crossing the border. Thats an issue for me, how I mitigate against that."
The council CEO added "Dublin's going to benefit out of Brexit irrespective of what happens and I think there is a potential for places like Newry to benefit out of that. We have seen the benefits from exchange rates. We are seeing big numbers of tourists. Tourism spend in this district has increased by 45% in the last three years"
Clare Guinness, Chief Executive, Warrenpoint Port spoke of the port's preparations. "What we have been doing since Christmas is sitting down with the council and Department for Infrastructure, PSNI etc and ramping up the no deal plans"
On the potential of a No Deal Ms Guinness added "It is a nightmare scenario. It is everybody's nightmare scenario. I can't see how any aspect of no deal would be positive. It's hard to be negative but at the end of the day the reality is, I really do still hope that something will get sorted out before the 29th of March but we have to plan for the fact that it won't now and every day that goes on that risk increases."
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Our team is the best in the world- we don’t just say that, our customers do. This comes down to our company Values which include having a ‘can-do’ attitude. We work together as a team to deliver and to make things happen.”
These were just some of the thoughts towards achieving success shared with business leaders by MJM Group Chair, Brian McConville, as keynote speaker at the PKF-FPM Annual Leadership Talk.
The event was part of the 2019 MJM Management Month initiative, in association with Ulster University Business School held at the Belfast campus.
Brian set up his joinery business in Rathfriland 35 years ago. He has gone on to create of the world’s leading marine outfitting business’s MJM Marine with offices in Newry, Southampton and Poland. He then acquired world renowned interior and marine fitout business, Mivan and recently purchased specialist glass company Topglass- a long standing supplier to MJM Marine and Mivan. The businesses now employ more than 600 across the Group.
MJM Marine based in Newry, is one of the world’s leading cruise line refit companies and works in partnership with the largest cruise line operators in the world on their rolling refurbishment programmes. The company recently completed the fit-out of the Azamara Pursuit for Royal Caribbean at Harland & Wolff, the largest project of its kind in Belfast for many years.
In 2014, Brian acquired the assets of construction company Mivan, followed by further expansion four years later with the purchase of specialist glass supplier Topglass.
The McConville family also own an extensive property portfolio which includes Damolly Retail Park in Newry; Galwally House and Drumkeen Retail Park in Belfast; Clarence Chambers and Pearl Assurance House in Belfast city centre and a range of other commercial, retail and residential properties.
During the one-hour conversation with broadcaster Gerry Kelly, Brian gave a detailed overview of his career and talked about his charity work and love of horses.
Speaking at the event, which attracted a capacity audience, PKF-FPM Accountant’s Managing Director, Feargal McCormack, stated that Brian’s entrepreneurial journey should be an inspiration to everyone in business. “Brian has shared his business experience most generously and demonstrated how perseverance and sheer determination are the sure routes to success. The evolution of his company over 35 years has been remarkable and testament to his personal commitment to deliver both quality of service and value for money to his customers large and small across four continents.”
Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of the Ulster University Business School, said, “We were delighted to work with Professor Feargal McCormack and his team at PKF-FPM in organising the now very well established Annual Leadership Talk. As a business school that is committed to stimulating entrepreneurial thinking and driving innovative approaches to doing business, it is invaluable to hear from leaders who have practical and real experience. Brian demonstrated that entrepreneurial flair in his talk and it was an honour to welcome such a successful business figure to share with us his thoughts on leadership.”
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Global marine outfitter, MJM Marine has been appointed as the main outfitting contractor by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to undertake a complete refurbishment of Norwegian Joy as the company repositions the ship to the West Coast of the United States.
It's the largest contract to date for the Newry based firm and will involve a team of 1400 people completing works in over 40 spaces throughout the ship.
The multi-million dollar project will see MJM Marine play the lead role in the design, manufacture, installation and project management of the interior refit of the cruise liner.
Work will begin onboard Norwegian Joy on 11th March in China with completion on 21st April in Seattle.
“This is a truly global project which will take MJM Marine around the world in 42 days,” said Gary Annett, CEO MJM Marine.
“The design, planning, manufacturing and logistics for the project started at our headquarters in Newry, Northern Ireland. Our team will join the ship in China and sail to Singapore where the drydock will take place before making its way to Japan. Works will continue at sea as the ship makes its way to Seattle in the Unites States, where we will hand over the new look vessel before our team returns to Northern Ireland.
"The global footprint on this project is particularly unique but is an indication of the global nature of our business.”
Mr Annett added "Planning, design and manufacturing has been underway for many months in preparation for installation start date. We are exceptionally proud to be awarded this contract, which we see as a reflection of the strength of the partnership which we have built with NCL.
"It is confirmation that MJM Marine is respected as a world leading global marine outfitter who can and will deliver on projects of this size and scale.”
Following the refit, Norwegian Joy will embark on a series of cruises to Alaska before repositioning to Los Angeles.
“Norwegian Joy will be very similar to sister ships Norwegian Bliss, which launched just last year, and Norwegian Encore, which will make her debut this November,” added Mr. Colin Gant, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Vice President of Vessel Refurbishment.
“It is a challenging and complex project which is large in scale and short in time, requiring meticulous planning and execution by a top tier outfitter to see it through. We are delighted to join forces with MJM Marine who has been a reliable partner of ours since 2015.
"MJM Marine bring scale, experience, skill and ability to think outside the box to pull off a project of this magnitude. We are looking towards an exceptionally busy few weeks, at the end of which we will deliver a stunning ship of new build quality to our cruise guests.”
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Warrenpoint Port saw the highest annual level of cargo recorded in the harbour’s history during 2018 with 3.6 million tonnes of cargo handled.
The total value of goods moving through the port also surpassed £6.5 billion for the first time. The port employs 70 staff directly with more than 200 working there every day.
Warrenpoint is the second largest port in Northern Ireland handling 12 per cent of all seaborne trade in the region.
Clare Guinness, CEO, Warrenpoint Port, commented “2018 was another record year for Warrenpoint Port following four successive years of growth.
“Much of the increase can be attributed to the success of our core roll-on roll-off freight service while we have also diversified the range of bulk goods that we handle as we look towards further growth in 2019 and beyond.”
The port handles a range of goods including timber, steel, animal feed, and cement and deals with imports to and exports from countries and regions across the world including Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine, and the Americas.
The overall number of units that passed through the port in 2018 rose to more than 126,000, boosted by a 4.8 per cent increase in freight units.
This followed the deployment by Seatruck Ferries of two larger freight vessels on the key Warrenpoint to Heysham route in direct response to growing demand for unaccompanied trailer space.
The move will enable the operator to carry 30,000 additional trailers annually on the crossing as it forecasts continued growth in the service beyond Brexit.
The port also made several major investments during the year including more than £3m on the purchase of a new crane and the refurbishment of two others.
Clare added “As we look towards further growth in 2019 and beyond, we have plans to continue our investment programme over the coming months as we aim to improve port infrastructure, plant and equipment.
“This will allow us to be more flexible, more efficient and open up more space, enabling trade to grow in line with expectations and widen the scope of goods we can handle.
“Last year saw the commencement of wood chip exports from Warrenpoint for the first time while we also handled our largest consignment of wind turbines.”
Clare added “Warrenpoint Port exists for the benefit of our economy and community. Trade is the lifeblood of the economy and the port activities support thousands of jobs which are vital for the prosperity of the region.
“As a trust port, we are committed to continually invest in the port estate and our community as we seek to build on and sustain our position as a driver for growth for many years to come.”
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Paddy McGurgan and his team at Make Up Pro Store are asking for local people to nominate someone or even themselves as the face of their 'Real People, Real Beauty' Campaign.
Make Up Pro who have a shop in Hill Street in Newry have created the campaign to coincide with their ongoing mission to generate a more positive mindset around the term beautiful and how it is perceived. The aim is to show that beauty is not just about the way you look on the outside; for many beauty is about confidence, charisma and character.
The team at Make Up Pro Store are asking people to have the confidence to nominate themselves or someone else to become one of the faces behind the ‘Real People, Real Beauty’ campaign. The concept is simple; decide what beauty means to you and nominate yourself or someone else you believe has real beauty.
Make Up Pro Store launched their campaign last week and have already received dozens of nominations from fantastic people from across the Newry and Mourne area sharing their stories of what they believe to be beautiful about themselves or someone else.
The Judges
Paddy, along with a team of prestigious judges will be selecting winners for the campaign. So, who are the judges and what will they be looking for?
Professor Deirdre Heenan – Ulster University
“I work with a wide range of women including students and am struck by the numbers who are unhappy with the way they look. This trend is going the wrong way and should give us all cause for concern. Beauty cannot and should not be narrowly defined and I hope that this campaign will help to illustrate this and challenge perceptions.”
Naomh McElhatton - CEO of SMART Global
“I have two daughters and I don’t want them to be living in a virtual world of falseness. Edited and airbrushed photos are not real life. I will be looking for someone who is honest, relaxed in their own skin and someone who doesn’t try too hard to be themselves. I would love them to share their bold side! I am a big ambassador for ‘tech for good’ but when I see the mental health implications that can be created online for young men and women, I think this campaign will really reinforce that it is OK to just be your natural self.”
Gemma Garrett - Founder of Buella Life
“I am surrounded by young girls and the world of social media is putting huge pressure on them to look a certain way. Although I come from a modelling and beauty queen background, Paddy knows me well enough to see that my passion for helping people feel beautiful is real. We need to celebrate all types of women and men. I would like to see someone who has lived with something that they perceived as unattractive about themselves and has now overcome it and have accepted their natural self. It is your choice how you want the world to see you and your beauty and that is so empowering.”
Marette Mooney – Sales & Marketing Director from He-Shi
“The ethos behind He-Shi Exceptional Tan is making women around the world feel beautiful inside and out; it is all about confidence. Personality and confidence is key for me and I will be looking for that to shine through!”
How to enter
You can nominate yourself or someone who you think is beautiful in their own way! Tell us in 100-words how you or the person nominated see(s) beauty in yourself (themselves) every day.
Submit an image that best represents the ‘real beauty’ in you or the nominee.
Provide your name, contact details, including email address.
Submissions can be made instore (Belfast, Newry & Derry/Londonderry), via post (Make Up Pro Store, 108-112 Royal Ave, Belfast BT1 1DL) or via email to grace@makeupprostore.co.uk
Please use the reference ‘Real People, Real Beauty’ on all submissions.
By submitting an entry, you are agreeing Make Up Pro Store contacting you and retaining your contact details in accordance with GDPR Regulations & their privacy policy*.
The deadline for entry is Sunday 17th March 2019. Winners will be notified w/c 18th March and will have to be available to take part in a photoshoot the following week.
The selected winners also agree to take part in all publicity around ‘Real People, Real Beauty’ including the use of all images.
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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in partnership with Down Business Centre Ltd and Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency will host a ‘Go For It Programme’ Open Evening on Thursday 28th February from 6 - 8pm at Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, WIN Business Park, Newry as part of a NI council wide initiative for anyone thinking about starting their own business. An event is also being hosted at the same time at Down Business Centre in Downpatrick.
This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has joined forces with council areas across Northern Ireland aimed at providingwould-be entrepreneurs with the chance to speak to a business advisor about their business idea and how the Go For It Programme can help them.
Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Councillor Mark Murnin, said: “Down Business Centre Ltd and Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency have vast experience in helping budding entrepreneurs in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area turn their dreams of owning their own business into a reality.
“We would encourage anyone who has an idea for a business to come along and meet an experienced business advisor for a free, no-obligation opportunity to discuss how the Go For It Programme can really help their business idea take off.
The Go For It programme is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business mentors through Northern Ireland’s wide network of enterprise agencies. It combines expert advice with help to develop a robust business plan to turn ideas into a commercial enterprise.
If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business check out the ‘Go For It Programme visit www.goforitni.com
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Accident Management Company, CRASH Services, have expanded their vehicle fleet to over 200 following a record year.
CRASH headquartered in Newry have been assisting motorists involved in road traffic collisions for over 23 years. However, 2018 was their busiest year ever, with an almost 20% increase in volumes from the previous year which has led to a significant increase in their fleet as well as staff numbers.
Paul Cooney, Fleet & Repair Director, commented “We offer a complete one stop service from vehicle recovery, collision investigation, organising repairs, providing replacement vehicles, claims management, legal and medical assistance. Ensuring our clients are put back on the road as quickly as possible is a key part of what we do. So we have expanded our fleet to meet this demand.
We offer a full range of vehicles including standard models, prestige, vans, 4x4s, taxi and dual controls. It is essential that our clients can get on with their daily lives after a collision, so they need a vehicle like their own.
As a result of this growth, CRASH have increased staff numbers from 64 to 78 over the last 12 months across their three offices in Newry and Belfast (Stockman’s lane and Harbour Estate)
If you have an accident, please contact CRASH Services 24 hours a day on 028 90 660244 or visit crashservices.com There is no charge for the accident management service as all costs are recovered from insurers involved.
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Newry company Around Noon has been named as one of the island of Ireland’s best managed companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards programme, in association with Bank of Ireland.
The company, which demonstrated superior business performance, was recognised at a gala awards dinner in Dublin last week. It is the second consecutive year that it has received the award.
Around Noon is a market-leading food-to-go company, supplying a wide range of sandwiches, wraps, salads, bakery items and cold-pressed juices to leading coffee-shop chains and convenience retailers as well as contract caterers.
This year, 12 new companies join a network of 136 companies that were awarded the status of Best Managed. The Best Managed Companies network this year has total revenues of almost €11 billion, export sales of almost €3 billion and total employment of approximately 44,000 people.
Commenting on the award, Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon said: “This is fantastic recognition for the entire team at Around Noon, demonstrating the high standards of management within the business as we continue to grow across the UK and Ireland, delivering a consistent, high-quality service to our customers.”
This year’s judging panel members were Frank Ryan, Chair of the Judging Panel; Brendan Jennings, CEO, Deloitte Ireland; Tom Hayes, Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking; Siobhan McAleer, Commercial Director at the IMI; Rose Hynes, Chairman of the Shannon Group Board and Origin Enterprises; and Feargal Mooney, former Chief Executive Officer of HostelWorld.
Anya Cummins, Partner, Deloitte said: “Well done to all of the winning companies on their achievement. The Best Managed Companies process is a rigorous one, examining every facet of an organisation, and the bar is set high by our judging panel. As ever, the spread of companies, right around the country and across a number of industries, underlines the importance of Irish and Northern Irish companies to the economy and in the midst of economic uncertainty, technology disruption, an open competitive market and full employment, the continued strong performance of these businesses is admirable. In the current environment, it is important for this contribution to be recognised, supported and showcased.”
Tom Hayes, Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking said: “It’s a challenging time for businesses in general, with the operating environment consistently and rapidly changing, due to technological developments, new ways of doing things, and challenges on the macroeconomic horizon. The Best Managed Companies this year have demonstrated that they can optimise each area of their business while always operating with an acute awareness of their environment, recognising the opportunities of expansion into global markets, in addition to strategic alliances and partnerships. I look forward to their continued growth.”
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