Insights
North West chemical manufacturer LCC secures £2.2m to supercharge growth after relocating to Wigan
Chemical manufacturer LCC has raised £2.2m of investment from a panel of regional investors, to expand its team and continue its global operation from the UK following its decision to move its headquarters to Wigan.
Originally born out of the University of Liverpool, LCC manufactures complex chemical components, which are used to test and create new drugs.
LCC counts 11 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies as repeat customers, who rely on LCC’s components to help fight a range of diseases and conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, dementia, pain and respiratory illnesses.
The funding round was led by the new GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura, which consists of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, Bruntwood SciTech and Manchester’s Praetura Ventures.
The investment follows LCC’s decision to move its headquarters to a new office space in Wigan, which LCC hopes will help boost regional jobs for chemistry graduates and senior talent in the Greater Manchester region.
LCC has also hired Mark Jones as its head of chemistry. After time at AstraZeneca and running his own company, Mark is now leading LCC’s implementation of automation and digitalisation to increase production efficiency, with plans to take LCC’s current monthly production capacity from the hundreds into the thousands of new products.
LCC will use the money raised from the GMC fund and fellow investors to increase its presence in the US, which currently accounts for 80% of its customers and revenue. This will coincide with additional hires across LCC, including in business development, production and operations, with 50% headcount growth targeted by the end of 2023. This investment will give LCC a chance to showcase Greater Manchester’s Life Science expertise on a global scale.
In addition to the GMC funding, Deepbridge Capital contributed £1.2m to this round, alongside Maven Capital Partners, who added £250,000 through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund of which they manage the equity fund on behalf of the British Business Bank.
Paul Colbon, founder and CEO of LCC, commented: “If a pharmaceutical company gets delayed when releasing a major drug, it can cost that company upwards of $50m a week in lost revenue, which is why it’s incredibly important that we can scale at pace. With this latest investment, we can now ramp up production and delivery of our specialist chemical components, and I’m incredibly proud that we’ll be doing this from the North West, a region which has given us so much.”
David Foreman, managing director of Praetura Ventures, added: “We have been hugely impressed with LCC’s traction and the company’s ambition to date. To now have the backing of a dedicated regional life sciences fund, which was created for businesses that are committed to the region’s future, is a huge win for all involved, another example of the North West blazing a trail in the chemical manufacture space.”
Dr Savvas Neophytou, Chief Investment Officer at Deepbridge Capital, concluded: “We’re delighted that the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura and Maven continue to work with us to support LCC; a company which excellently showcases the North West’s life sciences expertise on a global stage. It’s great to have another North West-based fund that compliments the Deepbridge Life Sciences EIS fund.”
Journey to Net Zero programme helps over 100 Greater Manchester businesses take first steps to becoming greener
Over 100 businesses across Greater Manchester are successfully navigating their way to being cleaner, greener and more profitable with support from Bee Net Zero partner, the GC Business Growth Hub’s Journey to Net Zero programme.
The fully-funded programme, which launched in July 2021, works with SMEs across Greater Manchester who are at an early stage on the journey to net zero emissions, helping them to develop a clear plan of action to help them get there faster and more efficiently.
The Sustainability and Net Zero service at GC Business Growth Hub has been working with SMEs across Greater Manchester for over 10 years, supporting businesses with the transition towards a vibrant, sustainable, and low-carbon economy. To date, the team has helped SMEs across Greater Manchester to collectively save over 76,000 tonnes of CO2e per year.
As a Bee Net Zero partner, the GC Business Growth Hub is dedicated to making Greater Manchester the easiest place for businesses to become net zero. Bee Net Zero offers free, impartial advice to local businesses at all stages of the net zero journey whether they’re making the first steps or need help turning ideas into reality.
Manchester-based textile supplier Thomas Kneale is one of 107 businesses that have taken advantage of the programme delivered by the GC Business Growth Hub, which is part of The Growth Company, a partner of Bee Net Zero and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Since starting the programme, Thomas Kneale has been calculating its emission output from a baseline year in 2018 and has achieved a reduction to date of several tonnes per annum. The replacement of an old boiler with a modern, combi model is saving 2.3 tonnes of CO2e per annum alone.
Director Brett Mendell said: “The course was really insightful with lots of information and pointers for us to go and look into, which has been really important for us to be able to take the next steps & accurately measure and judge progress as it is made.
“Beforehand we knew what net zero was but didn’t know how to get there and the course has given us the knowledge and information as to how to start the journey.
“Since the programme we have taken actions to reduce our carbon – like signing up for our first ever 100% renewable electricity tariff – and reviewing all of our activities. We’ve signed up to a carbon calculator and inputted all of our data from 2018 onwards to look at how we are reducing our carbon footprint over time. That’s helping to drive our activities, actions, discussions and decisions.”
The Journey to Net Zero programme is designed to help senior decision-makers in all sectors develop a clear plan of action for net zero through online workshops, study materials, one-to-one advice, building business cases and staff engagement as well as other key areas.
Tech company IDS has also benefitted from taking part in Journey to Net Zero. With offices in Leeds and London, as well as Manchester, the software data consultancy needed support and guidance to help them begin the journey to net zero.
Donna Moores, Head of Quality and Compliance at IDS, said: “As a business we knew how important it was to start our journey to net zero, particularly with regards to tendering for work with big organisations in the future, who are going to want to know about our carbon footprint. But the scale of the challenge ahead of us was overwhelming and we weren’t sure how to even get started.
“I’ve attended all the seminars as part of Journey to Net Zero and I would definitely recommend it. It’s especially useful getting to know the rest of the people on the course because you can learn so much from each other, particularly when you are coming from different industries and offering fresh perspectives on their challenges – and vice versa. I’ve attended all the seminars and I would definitely recommend it.”
Kevin Lambert, Sustainability and Net Zero Lead at GC Business Growth Hub said: “It is fantastic to see how businesses like Thomas Kneale and IDS have embraced the support available through Journey to Net Zero. Reaching net zero can be a big challenge, but with support, you can build a strategic plan to cut your carbon footprint, reduce costs, minimise risk and make the most of the many opportunities awaiting you in the net zero world.”
To find out more and register your interest in the next cohort of Journey to Net Zero, visit: https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/resource-efficiency/journey-to-net-zero.
Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.
To find out more about how the Bee Net Zero partnership can help your business on the journey to net zero, visit https://beenetzero.co.uk/
How Manchester is powering Industry 4.0, a report by MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency
MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency explores Greater Manchester’s capabilities in Robotics, Autonomous Systems and Advanced Manufacturing, in a new report that demonstrates how the city region’s integral role in the 1st industrial revolution has powered ambitions to become a leader in the 4th.
Greater Manchester, Manufacturing Machinery for Tomorrow shines a light on key milestones in Greater Manchester’s deep-rooted history in the industry and explores the development of world class Research Institutes, such as the Advanced Machinery & Productivity Institute and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, that are creating an attractive market for ambitious businesses.
Home to existing success stories such as Jaguar Land Rover, ARM, AECOM, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, Hitachi and Jacobs Engineering, it has proven to be a highly productive city-region for SME’s and global powerhouses alike.
Rhys Whalley, MIDAS Acting Managing Director said:
“Advanced Manufacturing showed significant growth last year, with a record number of exciting projects – companies investing here for the first time and existing businesses expanding – creating high-quality roles in Greater Manchester as a result of foreign direct investment.
Thanks to the collaborative approach across the city-region from ambitious experts at our world-leading programmes, our position at the heart of the UK’s largest manufacturing and advanced engineering cluster is growing stronger. Investment at government level will only help fuel this further. “
Autonomous systems contribute immensely to global net zero goals in terms of reducing waste, increasing efficiencies, and producing quality and sustainable products and with the city-region’s accelerated aims.”
In line with Greater Manchester’s plans to be carbon neutral by 2038, 13 new low carbon projects worth a GVA of over £74.8m, were secured by MIDAS in the financial year 21-22.
These include Japanese battery manufacturer Exergy in Trafford and sustainable packaging manufacturer Hexcore in Rochdale; set to make a huge impact on how Greater Manchester achieves its ambitious target and how it supports carbon reduction globally.
In addition, thanks to an increased awareness around cyber-crime and fraud, the report features advice from local experts on how and why businesses in the sector can protect and upskill themselves.
Rachel Eyre, Head of Inward Investment, Advanced Manufacturing at MIDAS said:
“Greater Manchester has highly ambitious aims to achieve net carbon neutrality. Innovating through autonomous systems and robotics is one way we can achieve this at scale and provides opportunities for a variety of industries such as Life Sciences, Built Environment, aviation and transport to be instrumental in creating new solutions. This campaign clearly highlights how our renowned ecosystem will power change.”
For more information and to download the report, visit he MIDAS website: Industry 4.0 (investinmanchester.com)
Construction and Green Energy training courses to launch in Greater Manchester to fill skills gap
New training programmes across Greater Manchester will see hundreds of people fast-tracked into roles in construction and green energy, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has revealed.
GMCA has awarded £1.5m to five training providers which will run skills bootcamps to support people across Greater Manchester to build in-demand, sector-specific skills. The programme is being funded through the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, with approximately £341,00 being awarded to One Manchester and £125,000 to Complete Skills Solutions.
The Construction and Green Energy training courses on offer have been designed alongside employers and aim to help people secure employment while filling skills gaps highlighted by the sector.
Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Greater Manchester’s lead for Education, Work, Skills, Apprenticeships and Digital said: “These Skills Bootcamps will help us to continue building a better Greater Manchester for everyone, giving unemployed adults or those in low-income work a chance to learn or retrain and then go on to get good, future-proof jobs and careers.
“With pressure on people’s incomes this year, one of the best ways Greater Manchester Combined Authority can help people is through courses designed with improving job prospects with local employers in mind.
“Greater Manchester is helping more people get the skills they need for good quality jobs, not just in green and construction industries but also through our other Skills Bootcamps focussed on digital skills. Training residents in Construction and Green Energy skills also helps support our work towards building a greener, fairer and more prosperous Greater Manchester.”
One Manchester’s Skills Bootcamps are being run in partnership with Morsons and B4 Box and will focus on delivering Rail Engineering and Construction skills.
The construction course is a part-time course which will be based in Stockport and take place over 12 weeks. Participants will complete training in Construction Multi-skills and learn a range of retrofitting skills designed to help the city-region meet net-zero targets.
The Rail Engineering Bootcamp is a full-time three-to-four-week course based in Salford, which provides participants with a “range of skills” to undertake duties across major rail projects and routine maintenance.
One Manchester’s Director of Customers and Communities, Issy Taylor, said: “We are proud to be a part of the team delivering this essential training which will help our residents to learn the skills they need for a variety of job roles.
“We are working with established training providers Morsons and B4 Box to offer the Skills Bootcamps, which are flexible and ideal for someone who is interested in working in the construction or engineering sector.
“If one of our residents is interested in joining the bootcamps but needs a bit of help with their application, our Employment and Skills service is on hand to support people with that too.”
The Complete Skills Solutions’ Skills Bootcamps are being run in partnership with Complete Training Solutions. These bootcamps focus on renewable solar energy skills training which will take place over four weeks across Manchester and Liverpool. Participants will gain both a practical and theoretical understanding of solar construction along with industry qualifications.
Learners will also gain access to sector-specific employability coaching, which is designed to prepare participants for a guaranteed interview with Fieldway Group following the successful completion of training.
The programme is part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs initiatives, which is designed to help people onto the career ladder, transition back into work or access progression opportunities, while also helping employers meet skills needs.
Complete Skills Solutions Managing Director, Ian Green, said: “We are delighted to expand our offering, enabling Greater Manchester residents to complete the Green Energy Skills Bootcamp.
“The Skills Bootcamp has been hugely successful, and we hope that success will continue in Greater Manchester. Forecasts predict considerable growth in the green construction and renewables industries, with plenty of opportunities for individuals to access sustainable employment.
“With a wealth of opportunities available, there has never been a better time to enter the green industry. The Green Energy Skills Bootcamp expansion enables us to support even more individuals to start their journey in the sector.”
Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for those aged 19 and over which give people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and a guaranteed interview with a local employer on completion. This programme is part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs initiatives, designed to help people onto the career ladder, transition back into work or access progression opportunities, while also helping employers meet skills needs.
Skills Bootcamps will also support individuals across priority groups including:
- Low paid workers
- The unemployed or out of work
- Veterans
- Ex-offenders
- Women
- Ethnic minorities
- The over 50s
- Those returning to work after a break/maternity leave
- People living with health conditions or disabilities
To apply for One Manchester Skills Bootcamps please visit: Skills Bootcamps | One Manchester
To apply for Complete Skills Solutions Skills Bootcamps please visit: Green Energy Skills Bootcamp | Fully Funded Wind Industry Training (greenskillsbootcamp.co.uk)
For more information about Skills Bootcamps please visit: Skills Bootcamps – Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk)
Manchester-based Be.EV receives £110m to scale EV charge points across North
Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s largest renewable energy investors, is allocating up to £110m on behalf of its Sky fund (ORI SCSp) for Manchester-based public EV charging network Be.EV to scale and install new charge points across the UK.
Octopus Energy already supplies all Be.EV chargers with 100% green electricity. The deal will help grow Be.EV’s 150-strong public charge point network, with Be.EV committed to adding 1,000 further charge points across the North of England and beyond by 2024.
The move will increase Be.EV’s charge point coverage by over 600% and positions the Manchester-based business as a leader in the transition to electric vehicles.
Public EV charge points are currently unevenly distributed in the UK, skewed towards London. Research from Department for Transport shows London has the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of the population, at 102. For comparison, the North West has 24 for every 100,000 people.
Octopus’ backing means Be.EV, which already operates Greater Manchester’s largest public EV charging network, can address this imbalance at speed.
Its unique model builds concentrated, community-based charging networks where they’re most needed to ensure fair access to public chargers in all communities and to instil consumer confidence in the transition to electric vehicles no matter where they’re based.
Matt Setchell, co-head of Octopus Energy Generation’s fund management team: “Our first foray into funding EV charging infrastructure is a significant milestone. We’re accelerating the green energy transition, with more deals coming up to turbocharge it. As a nation, we need to rapidly build more EV charge points to meet the growing number of drivers going electric. Easy and fair access to chargers will help phase out petrol-guzzling cars once and for all.”
Asif Ghafoor, CEO and co-founder of Be.EV: “Everybody, not just the wealthy, must be able to make the switch to electric cars but currently people who live outside London or in less affluent areas are underserved by public EV charging. If you live in a flat or terrace, you can’t charge at home. This investment addresses that imbalance and helps kickstart a national infrastructure effort that, for once, doesn’t start in London.
“The backing from Octopus is transformational for us. We have sites lined up and underway that will form dense clusters of chargers that give people the confidence to go electric. We’re also building infrastructure that communities can be proud of, reinventing charging locations as green neighbourhood hubs and developing iconic designs. Octopus’ support means we can take this unique approach to other parts of the country, addressing the imbalance in charging provision across north and south, urban and rural communities.”
This deal marks the next step in Octopus Energy Group’s advancement of EVs. Its EV roaming service Electric Universe makes charging EVs simple as drivers use one card and app to access over 310,000 public charge points from a range of brands globally. As part of this agreement, Be.EV will be joining Electric Universe, alongside the 460+ other charging networks on the platform.
In addition, Octopus’ Electric Vehicles division makes the switch to electric cars easy with initiatives like its all-you-need EV package, providing drivers with a car, charger and bespoke electricity tariff.
This latest deal will support the 456,000 EVs** on UK roads today. With over half of drivers aged 16 to 49 years in the UK likely to switch to an EV in the next decade***, the EV market is set to massively grow – and access to public chargers will play a vital role.
More about Octopus Energy Generation here: https://www.octopusenergygeneration.com
* Department for Transport, Electric Vehicle charging device statistics: January 2022, showing how London has the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of population, at 102. For comparison, the North West has 24 for every 100,000 people.
** The RAC’s ‘The road to electric – in charts and data’, 2022 estimates
*** Over half of younger drivers likely to switch to electric in next decade, ONS Census 2021, October 2021
Work begins on transformational new medical and clinical skills college in Bolton
Building work has begun on a new state-of-the-art medical and clinical skills training college in Bolton.
The Bolton College of Medical Sciences (BCMS) is due to open next year at the Royal Bolton Hospital site on Minerva Road, Farnworth.
Once completed, the college will aim to provide a range of courses and training opportunities for medical students including nursing apprenticeships and higher apprenticeships in care leadership and management.
The BCMS will give people a direct route into clinical healthcare employment, with a focus on practical, skills-based learning in a live hospital environment.
Leaders say it will provide unrivalled training opportunities for aspiring and existing healthcare professionals and will serve as a transformational blueprint for training NHS staff.
The college is expected to train 3000 students a year and contribute £150million to the borough’s economy.
Project director Mark O’Reilly stated “After several years in the making, it’s fantastic to see our vision for this trailblazing facility come to life. We’re now well on our way to opening the doors to a facility that will change people’s lives not just here in Bolton, but across the North West.”
The college will offer a range of new courses and apprenticeships that will provide entry-level and higher-level skills development for those aged 16 and over. Its apprenticeship provision will extend to higher and degree apprenticeships, with programmes including nursing, care leadership and management.
Alongside these courses, BCMS will also deliver continual professional development opportunities for existing NHS staff across Greater Manchester.
University of Bolton President and Vice-Chancellor Professor George E Holmes said: “BCMS is arguably one of the most significant projects delivered in the North West in decades.
“Not only will it increase employment prospects in the local area and make healthcare professions more accessible, but it will also help alleviate NHS staffing pressures in Greater Manchester and provide improved levels of care in our community.
“It’s brilliant to see the build underway.”
The major project is a collaboration between the University of Bolton, Bolton College, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council and is one of the biggest projects Bolton has seen in recent years.
It was made possible after £20 million worth of Levelling Up funding was granted by the government and after Bolton Council granted planning permission for the development in June.
Bolton’s cabinet member for regeneration Cllr Adele Warren said: “Bolton College of Medical Sciences will be a great asset to our borough, creating jobs and giving residents the opportunity to learn skills and train for a new career.
“The council is proud to work closely with our partners on this development, one of many key regeneration projects being delivered across the borough.”
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust director of finance Annette Walker said: “Bolton College of Medical Sciences will help us develop our existing staff and provide new routes for those who want a future in healthcare to expand their skills.
“It really is an exciting project both for us as an organisation and the whole town.”
