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Newry based Re-Gen Robotics which specialises in 100% no man entry tank cleaning in the Oil, Gas and Pharmaceutical Industry, is on track to take delivery of a further two robotic cleaning systems towards the end of this year.
The systems are part of a multi-million pound investment which includes a new headquarters with state-of-the-art R&D facilities, high performance technology and the creation of eight jobs.
Designed in partnership with Gerotto, in Italy, the custom-made robots are light years ahead of anything else offered on the market. By removing confined space entry, they have set a new bar in safety processes for an industry fraught with danger and are instrumental in reducing the frequency of injuries and fatalities.
Since conducting the first ever no man entry oil tank clean worldwide, for Shell in 2019, the UK’s oil majors and gas production facilities have adopted Re-Gen Robotics as their first and only preference for tank cleaning.
Managing Director Fintan Duffy said: “We have concentrated on growing the GB market and as we continue to innovate our technology, our UK contracts with oil majors are naturally expanding into Europe and the rest of the world. We have also had huge interest from oil companies and terminal operators in the US and are presently in discovery talks with them.
“The last two years have been an exciting time for our business. We’ve made substantial investments across several key areas including our people and our service offering, state-of-the-art headquarters with R&D facilities and service bays for our robotic equipment and trucks, in preparation for significant international growth.
“Staffing levels are set to double in Autumn this year with plans to create a further five jobs in Admin, Design and an additional three crew members, who will be based permanently in England.
“We have created a market leading offering, supported by a fully equipped team with the expertise and confidence to take our business to global markets.”
Gerotto’s General Manager, Alessandro Gerotto said: “The best way to achieve a goal is to share the same values and approach. Through innovation and research with the team at Re-Gen Robotics, we have developed a robotic cleaning system designed to enhance safety and deliver more productivity.”
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Granite Podcast Studio in Newry have launched their fourth series of ‘The Public Eye Business Podcast,’
The Podcast weekly series is hosted by Sarah Travers. The podcast aims to inspire existing business owners and ambitious entrepreneurs by providing a unique insight into the success of local businesses.
The first episode of the series have launched Today- Wednesday 14 July 2021 at 10am and is available on all major streaming platforms.
This series, which is sponsored by Granite Legal Services, gives listeners the inside scoop from another six fascinating individuals:
Wednesday 14th July
Episode 1- Tom Smyth, Founder of DREAM Apartments
Wednesday 21st July
Episode 2- Grainne McCoy, Founder of Give Us Beauty
Wednesday 28th July
Episode 3- Giuseppe Fallone, Founder of La Dolce Vita
Wednesday 4th August
Episode 4- Jason Foody, General Manager of Killeavy Castle Estate
Wednesday 11th August
Episode 5- Annette Kelly, Founder of Little Penny Thoughts
Wednesday 18th August
Episode 6- Zara McLaughlin, Founder of Zara Ceramics
Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY.COM
Listen on Apple Podcast PODCASTS.APPLE.COM
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CREDIT Technology Gateway at Dundalk Institute of Technology has been awarded just under €0.5M to help them secure two vital pieces of capital equipment for industry collaboration and research.
The Centre for Renewables and Energy Technology Gateway at Dundalk IT (CREDIT), is focused on energy efficiency and optimisation as well as Energy Storage and Supply Optimisation. The Gateway has expertise in solar, wind and ocean energy and will assist companies to make both their products and their manufacturing operations as energy efficient as possible.
Speaking after the announcement, Head of Innovation & Business Development at DkIT, Aidan Browne said,“We are delighted with this commitment to the development of the suite of supports and high-tech equipment resources for the CREDIT Technology Gateway that will help drive greater industry-academia collaboration. Being part of Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Gateway Network firmly places our region on the map in terms of skills and expertise in the area of renewable & energy technologies.
"The growth of the Technological Gateway directly aligns with commitments underpinned within our Strategic Plan 2020-22 and our own investment in this space which seeks to build up our region, reinforce sectoral clusters and create an environment which entices our future younger generations to stay and work in the region.”
29 successful projects from across the third level sector secured over €6million in funding to assist them in buying world-leading research equipment that will serve the Research and Development (R&D) needs of Irish industry. DkITs award secured just under €0.5M for the CREDIT Technology Gateway.
The winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process based on eligibility criteria for the call which included, but was not limited to, a strong track record of industry engagement, a significant industrial need for the new equipment, and space to service and maintain the equipment according to international standards. Funding was based on an extensive review process which looked at the number of companies that will benefit and the criticality of the equipment to servicing their R&D needs, how access to the equipment can be shared across the technology gateway and technology centres network and current capability gaps within the collaborative research system that can be alleviated by making this equipment available.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD said “This €6m Capital Equipment Fund will give 29 projects across the country access to world-class research equipment, helping them test new products and ways of doing things. We hope to see some exciting new ideas and breakthroughs as a result. Great things happen when companies collaborate with third level institutions. Recent data show that companies which collaborate with our universities have double the turnover of those that don’t. Third level institutions benefit too, by getting to work with creative, business-minded entrepreneurs, working on solutions to real life problems. Congratulations to all the successful applicants, I look forward to seeing the fruits of this collaborative effort.”
Dominic McLarnon – CREDIT Technology Gateway Manager added "The addition of the HASS/HALT Environmental Chamber and the Hemisphere Scanning LiDAR to the CREDIT Technology Gateway portfolio will greatly enhance the capabilities of the energy research team and provide companies with strategically aligned infrastructure and testing environments, demonstration tools and technologies, and research and development expertise needed to bring new products, processes and services closer to market. This suite of equipment will actively support business and industry to become more competitive by providing access to world-class facilities, augmenting problem solving capabilities and enabling faster adoption of emerging technologies and processes to create new markets"
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NOTE; Deadline for the Greater Newry Area Business Awards has been extended until 7pm on Tuesday 27 July 2021.
You have got until midnight tonight, 19 July to enter your business in the Greater Newry Area Business Awards 2021.
The Awards organised by Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade will recognise and reward excellence, right across many sectors of the local business community throughout the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Area.
This year, there are 25 award categories and every business located in the Greater Newry Area will have the opportunity to enter up to 4 categories. It is important to ensure that the selected categories are relevant to your business, showcasing its strengths and thus giving you the best chance of ultimately being successful.
Winning one of these prestigious awards is only part of the process. The awards provide local businesses with a bench mark of quality, providing an opportunity to examine how customers view them and how they measure up against the competition.
The Greater Newry Area Business Awards 2021 are supported by principal sponsors Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Shelbourne Motors.
For more information or to enter please go to NEWRY-BUSINESS-AWARDS
* 5pm 19/7/21: Deadline Extended to 27 July Write a comment
The Deadline for the Greater Newry Area Business Awards has been extended until 7pm on Tuesday 27 July 2021.
Emma Mullen Marmion, President of Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade made the announcement today.
The extension has been granted due to requests from many businesses taking holidays during the good weather.
With more than 100 submissions received to date across the 25 categories the response from the business community has been fantastic.
For anybody still working on their entries, don’t forget there is a ‘save now’ function on the website so you can return to your application to complete it any time before 7pm on 27th July. To apply for free please log onto WWW.NEWRYCHAMBER.COM
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The team from The Simon Community will have the honour of opening the latest B&M store in Newry when it opens at Damolly Retail Park at the end of this month.
Last month, discount retailer B&M announced it is set to open its brand new Newry store. It will officially open its doors next week at 9am on Saturday 31 July.
The discount retailer has created more than 55 jobs for local people.
Customers can expect to find a wide variety of branded groceries for the best possible price including a range of food, drink, baby food and pet food. There will also be a fantastic selection of quality health and beauty products, homeware, electricals, DIY essentials, toys, games, gifts and plenty more to explore.
The new colleagues were asked to nominate a local charity they think truly deserves some VIP treatment for the work they do for the local community. They chose the team from The Simon Community to take centre stage and officially unveil the new B&M store this week.
The Simon Community is Northern Ireland’s leading homeless charity who are on a mission to end homelessness for people in the local area by providing essential support to people who are experiencing, or are at risk of homelessness.
In addition to opening the store, the team will also receive £250 worth of B&M vouchers which will go towards helping the charity to continue doing the great work they do.
The store manager at B&M Newry said: “The Simon Community really stood out for us so we wanted to give them some VIP treatment as a thank you for all the hard work that they have done, and continue to do. We hope that our donation can help them to continue the great work.”
They also commented: “Our colleagues have been working really hard to get the store ready for opening day, we can’t wait to get the doors next weekend.”
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Does the name Wally Funk resonate with you? We’re guessing if you have a social media presence, you are by now familiar with Wally, who became the oldest person to fly to outer space on Blue Origin, alongside billionaire businessman, Jeff Bezos, on 20 July.
With a lifelong interest in the aviation and space industries, Wally was a trailblazer and pioneer for women within both sectors. Due to travel to outer space with the Mercury 13 crew back in the 1960s before the trip was unfortunately cancelled, Wally’s dream finally came through thanks to a breakthrough in technological advancements and an uptake in private organisations making the journey to space.
Newry-based Resonate Testing is proud to play its own part in these advancements, being somewhat a trailblazer on the Island of Ireland for conducting high quality testing and certification services across a range of sectors, from its Centre of Excellence in Newry.
The company has conducted testing on a number of space related projects, including the Réaltra Space Systems Engineering launcher Video Telemetry system that will provide on board telemetry from a launch vehicle due to travel to outer space in 2022, with further projects in the pipeline.
With the popularity and demand of the space sector growing in Ireland, with commercial sales soaring from €75m in 2015 to €133m in 2020, there is huge potential for companies working across the space industry, meaning even more potential for people to have the opportunity to work in this exciting sector.
This is where Resonate Testing needs YOU!
Due to recent investment and expansion, Resonate Testing is currently recruiting a number of talented, passionate and hard-working people to help them on this journey.
The company has a number of vacancies including engineers, business development and quality/technical roles so if you are interested in working with a company that works on projects that are quite literally, out of this world, then this opportunity is for you!
So, whether you see yourself as a Wally Funk, representing females within a relatively male dominated industry, or as a Jeff Bezos, spearheading future developments in the space sector, apply for one of Resonate Testing’s roles today and take the first step into your new career.
For more information on the available roles, visit Resonate Testing’s website here: WWW.RESONATETESTING.COM
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Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade has appointed Tony McKeown, as their new Chief Executive Officer.
Tony will take over from Colm Shannon, the current CEO, who is leaving the post in August.
Welcoming the appointment, Emma Mullen-Marmion, President of Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade said “We are delighted to have appointed Tony as our new Chief Executive Officer. He brings a wealth of local, national and international marketing and business experience, which will be a real asset to our Chamber, our members and the Greater Newry Business Community. It is important that the Newry Region is well positioned to recover from COVID 19 and Tony’s skills and experience will help the Chamber work with the local business community to maximise the potential of the area.”
Tony has over 20 years’ experience of working for leading international and national brands across multiple sectors. His early career was in sales roles at Cadbury based in London. He then returned to Northern Ireland in 2006 to become a Group Sales & Marketing Director in Newry. He has helped a number of brands to become market leaders in their sectors.
Tony is known for his attention to detail, collaborative approach and drive. Tony has a wealth of experience in developing effective marketing campaigns. He has created a number of high-profile events and established an award winning corporate social responsibility programme.
Commenting on his appointment Tony said “I am honored to be taking up the CEO position within the Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade. The organisation was first established over 200 years ago. So, it has a long and proud history of promoting the Newry area as a prime business destination and supporting local enterprises to prosper.
The Chamber has played such an important role in helping businesses during the COVID 19 pandemic. Working to ensure their members’ voices were heard and that they received the required support from government.
I think Newry is already a great place to live in, work in or visit but there are so many exciting developments planned for the area. It will be fantastic to watch the city evolve through this regeneration programme.”
As Chief Executive Officer, Tony will be responsible for delivering on the Chamber’s strategy to promote the area as a premier destination for retail. tourism, investment, entrepreneurship, and employment.
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Hard work has certainly paid of for Newry-headquartered business Around Noon. The Greenbank based company which employs over 300 people has been listed as one of the top 50 fastest-growing privately owned food and beverage companies in the UK for the third year in a row..
The manufacturer of food-to-go products – such as sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots – is ranked in the prestigious Food & Beverage Fast 50 report produced by global advisory firm Alantra.
The report, now in its 12th year, provides a snapshot of the most exciting independent food and beverage businesses trading in the UK today. It ranks businesses in the industry on the basis of the revenue growth they have achieved over the past two years, according to their most recently published accounts.
Around Noon is one of only twelve companies to secure its place in the ranking for the third consecutive year.
Topping the list is meal kits and home delivery company Gousto, recording 89 percent growth, followed by grocery home delivery company Smith & Brock, which recorded 72 percent growth.
In the report, Charles Lanceley, Director and Co-Head of Food & Beverage at Alantra UK, said: “The consistency of the businesses in the Alantra Food & Beverage Fast 50 is increasingly striking: 23 of this year’s constituents appeared last year and a dozen are appearing for the third year running. These businesses are delivering sustainable growth with a determined focus on brand, product and consumer engagement.”
Simon Peacock, Partner and Co-Head of Food & Beverage at Alantra UK, added: “The pandemic has encouraged people to focus on their health and wellbeing, but they also crave indulgence and treats, or want to create that restaurant experience at home. Many of the businesses in the Alantra Food & Beverage Fast 50 have proved remarkably adept at meeting those needs.”
Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon, said: “We are a data and insight-driven business, responding to changing consumer behaviours and demands in the food-to-go space but always with an emphasis on premium quality ingredients and convenience. We have a strong commitment to product innovation and we are focussed on driving value and growth for our clients.”
“Our growth and place amongst the UK’s fastest-growing food and drink businesses is a direct result of the hard work of the entire Around Noon team who continually raise the bar and deliver outstanding products and services to our clients,” he adds.
Around Noon has been in business for over 30 years and employs over 300 people. Customers include Coffee Chains, Forecourt and Convenience Retailers, Airlines, Travel Operators, Premium Events, Business and Industry and Food Service providers. It also sells healthy ready meals via its Simply Fit Food business and bakery goods under its Sweet Things brand. Most recently the company invested in and set up Around Noon Print, a label printing operation, in order to reduce waste and improve their environmental impact.
Further information about the report is available at ALANTRA.COM
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