Panattoni has submitted plans for a 305,000 sq ft warehouse at Crewe Commercial Park. The warehouse will be built on a 14-acre plot, adjacent to its newly completed 240,000 sq ft speculative logistics facility The developer has submitted a reserved matters application for a warehouse of 291,239 sq ft, along
Ipsum Group have announced a new investment of £6 million to fund “significant growth”. The infrastructure, construction and maintenance specialist, is set to develop the team, invest in a specialist fleet, boost its marketing drive and recruit senior personnel across the business to help deliver strategic growth and innovation within
Menzies Distribution has appointed adi Group to redevelop their flagship distribution centre in Coventry. The new state-of-the-art 165,000 sq ft media and distribution hub has been designed to be an integral part of Menzies’ UK & Ireland operation. Serving the firm’s network of 65 regional hubs, adi Building & Refurbishment
Tate Consulting building services engineering company was selected to be part of this year’s Parliamentary Review which demonstrates how organisations have become outstanding leaders in their field and aims to raise industry standards. The Parliamentary Review is an indispensable guide to best practice showcasing examples from across a variety of
Not matter what industry you’re based in, a business success thrives on improvements being made and one of the most effective ways to do so, would be to appoint an internal auditor out of one of your staff, or hire a third-party internal auditor. The job of an internal auditor
Panattoni has submitted plans for a 305,000 sq ft warehouse at Crewe Commercial Park. The warehouse will be built on a 14-acre plot, adjacent to its newly completed 240,000 sq ft speculative logistics facility The developer has submitted a reserved matters application for a warehouse of 291,239 sq ft, along with 13,864 sq ft of integrated three-storey offices and a security gatehouse. The site occupies a prominent position adjacent to the A500, offering easy access to J16 of the M6. Once built, the development will add £3 million per year into the local economy and bring over 300 full-time jobs. Dan Burn, development director at Panattoni, said: “We have been hugely encouraged with the interest that we have received to date for our 240,000 sq ft speculative unit. By submitting this application, we will ensure that we can respond immediately to occupier’s requirements and give ourselves the option of a further phase of speculative development at the appropriate time”. Matthew Byrom, managing director of Panattoni, added: “As a result of its strategic location between the North West and West Midlands conurbations, Crewe has always attracted a strong list of occupiers. With proposals for the town to become a hub for HS2, we are confident of robust demand”. CBRE, Burbage Realty and Legat Owen are the retained agents on the scheme.
Ipsum Group have announced a new investment of £6 million to fund “significant growth”. The infrastructure, construction and maintenance specialist, is set to develop the team, invest in a specialist fleet, boost its marketing drive and recruit senior personnel across the business to help deliver strategic growth and innovation within the sector. This funding injection aims to contribute to an increase in annual revenues by 20 per cent, bolstering its industry presence across the UK. Ipsum Group has invested over £2 million in the last 18 months replacing and increasing its specialist fleet. The firm’s assets now include over 300 new vehicles, 100 of which are specialist CCTV Units, Jet Vacs, Gully Trucks, Grab Wagons, Unimogs, MEWPs and Recycling Units which are utilised in the wastewater, drainage and telecoms sectors. Since April, 2019, the Preston-based firm has acquired two new partner companies, electricity network service provider, Stormport and national drainage service provider, EEG. These impressive acquisitions follow on from the firm’s two previously successful investments in asset management firm, CALM, and a specialist high voltage engineering business, SPEC. Greg Fernie, CEO of Ipsum Group, said: “Our strategic direction is focused on growing organically and increasing our geographical presence in the wastewater, drainage, electricity and telecoms markets. As a result, we’ve dedicated a significant amount of investment to ensure we reach our ambitious growth targets. “Here at Ipsum Group, our proactive and innovative approach ensures our clients’ businesses can flourish. Our advice, support and strategic direction nurtures companies into national operators, utilising smart solutions to drive value for the businesses and their customers.” The ambitious firm, with over 23 sites in the UK, has plans to expand further and is seeking other businesses to acquire which fit its portfolio. Ipsum Group now boasts over 500 staff and turnover in excess of £60 million, securing its position within the market. It is a utilities and infrastructure, construction and maintenance specialist that delivers efficiencies and drives value through innovation.
Menzies Distribution has appointed adi Group to redevelop their flagship distribution centre in Coventry. The new state-of-the-art 165,000 sq ft media and distribution hub has been designed to be an integral part of Menzies’ UK & Ireland operation. Serving the firm’s network of 65 regional hubs, adi Building & Refurbishment was brought in to play a key role in the development process, delivering both internal and external work to tight deadlines and quick turnaround times. Commenting on the project, adi Building & Refurbishment managing director David Beebee said: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Menzies on this development. “Over the past few months, we’ve been working hard to implement a strategy that would allow Menzies to rapidly expand its distribution base as well as continue operations as normal. “Thanks to the fast growth of our business and the talent base at our disposal, I’m pleased to say that at all times we’ve been able to execute the programme with the upmost efficiency.” Winning the Menzies project is partly the result of adi Building & Refurbishment building its brand regionally over the last couple of years, positioning itself to fill the void left by other contractors that have gone out of business or that have been bought by large national construction companies. More importantly to them, however, it is through delivering previous projects to a very high standard. With a customer satisfaction rating consistently nudging 100%, the business puts a lot of emphasis on understanding clients’ needs and expectations and implementing a plan that meets those needs as an absolute minimum. David added: “Following on from the exciting work we’ve been doing with other clients on similar buildings, this contract represents another huge feather in the cap of adi Building & Refurbishment. “Interior fit-out is a key service stream for us now and particularly in the future. We also have significant experience building, refurbishing and fitting out distribution centres and other similar structures and see this as a key area to grow too.” Fitting out offices, reception areas and the main warehouse, adi has been heavily involved in the Menzies project, engaging with architects, local authorities and planning parties on behalf of the client. External work has included new barriers, turnstiles and halogen fencing, as Menzies significantly steps up its portfolio of print media haulage in the UK. “The new distribution hub really formulates part of a wider growth strategy for us,” said Greg Michael, CEO at Menzies Distribution. “We’ve recently taken on new contracts with Frontline Ltd and Seymour Distribution, both of which will see us take their products to over 25,000 retailers. “In adi Building & Refurbishment, we knew we’d found a contractor that could help us design and deliver the space we needed at what will be our largest distribution centre, as well as meet time critical deadlines. “This project will drive further improvements in our daily logistical operations for retailers across the UK & Ireland. So far, however, adi has either met or exceeded my expectation in every regard.” Birmingham-based adi Group is a multi-disciplined construction and engineering firm, with over 30 specialist service sectors meeting the needs of thriving start-ups and national brands across the UK & Republic of Ireland.
Tate Consulting building services engineering company was selected to be part of this year’s Parliamentary Review which demonstrates how organisations have become outstanding leaders in their field and aims to raise industry standards. The Parliamentary Review is an indispensable guide to best practice showcasing examples from across a variety of sectors with the aim of raising industry standards by producing a template for future reform. The September release of the publication is also widely acknowledged for its importance in the political calendar. Writing in The Review, The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove said “this year’s Parliamentary review comes at a momentous time for parliament as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom.” Lord Pickles praised the Review published this month as one of the most comprehensive yet. He commented that as Britain undergoes changes, it is “essential that politicians have a firm understanding of the challenges with which British organisations must contend” and that The Review once again provides a perfect platform for this. Tate Consulting’s portfolio spans every market sector including logistics, industrial, residential and mixed use, commercial, education, retail and leisure. With offices in London, Leeds and Manchester the company are able to secure contracts working on the biggest commercial brands and large-scale development projects across the country. Jim Lee and Grahame Kelly, Directors of Tate Consulting attended the prestigious event at Mansion House in London, co-chaired by Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett with speakers including broadcaster and journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer and former cabinet Minister Ed Balls. Jim Lee said: “We feel very honoured and privileged to represent our industry sector in the Parliamentary Review. It also gives us a platform as industry thought leaders to discuss the challenges we all face and how key policy makers can help implement the changes required.” Grahame Kelly added: “I met a number of interesting people from across the country and it was good to hear everyone’s perspective on life in the UK today, with Parliament and Brexit dominating discussions as you might expect.” As part of the Parliamentary Review, Tate Consulting submitted a 1000-word article on how they’ve responded to challenges within the industry, sharing best practice as a template for reform. Across all its policy sectors, The Review is sent out to over half a million individuals each year, including MPs, Peers at the House of Lords, Chief Executives, Vice Presidents, Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology and Procurement Officers. George Osborne, Theresa May, David Cameron and Philip Hammond have all written exclusively for the Review over the last few years, along with many of the nation’s most established business leaders and talented entrepreneurs. The Parliamentary Review best practice article for Tate Consulting can be viewed via link below, or for print copy please email terenia.taras@tateconsulting.eu
Not matter what industry you’re based in, a business success thrives on improvements being made and one of the most effective ways to do so, would be to appoint an internal auditor out of one of your staff, or hire a third-party internal auditor. The job of an internal auditor is to act as a fresh pair of eyes on your business processes, reviewing the behaviour of them on a daily basis to see whether: Processes are being followed Processes are still effective/relevant Risks occur during these processes Output is of a consistently high standard Depending of the nature of your business, certain departments would need more frequent internal audits than others. How to plan an audit Step one, would be to draw up a list of areas that need an internal audit. This may include: Purchasing Purchase invoice process Purchase order process Sales Sales invoice process Sales order process Sales quote process IT and Security Human Resources Accounting Payroll process Expenses process Manufacturing Preparation of Item A Production of Item A Finish/Quality Control process Shipping Stock process Shipping process Once you’ve listed your areas and process within your organisation, you can plan how frequent you require an audit. With this information, you can create an Internal Auditing Calendar for the year. Drawing up a calendar Audits should be considered as a necessity and not an additional process of the business structure. Drawing up a calendar ensures that the audits will be completed on time and frequently. Your internal auditing calendar doesn’t need to be anything fancy. A simple template to follow could be: By using an audit calendar, you will be able to alert your chosen departments in advance on any scheduled audits, which is recommended to be able to prepare the correct documentation for you to review. It also gives the internal auditor a chance to locate the process documents and review how the process should be followed and write up relevant questions, before they observe it in action. The process of an internal audit Observing and reviewing With questions needing to be answered, the internal auditor must monitor the performance of employees on the processes they’ve been given, preferably in a natural scenario ((i.e. the task needed doing that day). Asking the employee questions about the process they are performing will give the auditor insight as to whether or not the member of staff is, a) following the process properly, and, b) understands the process and the risks it is designed to mitigate. Based on the answers received, the auditor can plan out areas that need refresher sessions, or aspects of the process that may have not aged well (such as inefficient practices compared to technology that has been brought into the workplace). Evaluation With the completion of the observation and interview process, the internal auditor needs to document their findings and highlight areas that need improving. The document again, can be as simple or detailed as you require, as long as it records the findings. In the event of a process found to be non-compliant, the auditor will need to recommend further measures in an action plan. They may also need to raise a Non-Compliance Report, depending on your company and its quality compliance measures and recognitions: Process Findings Compliant? Process 1 Procedure completed in accordance to outline of Process 1. No risks found. ✔ Process 2 Equipment used as part of Process 2 suffering notable wear and tear. Product quality affected by this. ✘ Process 3 Data is stored accurately and safely in accordance to outline of Process 3. No risks found. ✔ Plan of action Working with the respective head of department, an action plan must be created to address any issues or risks highlighted in the internal audit. This should include the finding, the corrective action, who will take ownership of implementing the corrective action, and the deadline for doing so. There should also be a follow-up date to ensure the corrective action has been applied: Finding Corrective action recommended Non-compliance report number Owner Deadline for implementation Review Process 2 Replace hydraulic torque wrench power head. NCR4 George 01/12/19 01/01/19 The process of internal auditing is a benefit to any business, and it should be implemented as a critical procedure, and not simply as something to tick off in the books! You could also consider Sources:
