June 24, 2020

Top Tips for Founders Looking to Onboard a Government

By Samson Sahmland-Bowling So far, the first half of 2020 has felt like six years, not six months. Every new month seems to bring with it global challenges and the threat of coronavirus still looms. The knock-on effect of Covid-19 has been significant, with the FTSE100 losing nearly a quarter

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Forge Island Development Gets Green Light

The Forge Island development has received planning permission, and it is set to bring a new cinema, food outlets and hotel to Rotherham. Muse Developments, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s development partner for the Forge Island scheme, submitted a hybrid application earlier this year with the council’s Planning Committee voting to

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How Technology Has Improved Safety In The Construction Industry

While you may think that the construction industry has stayed pretty much the same over the years, with similar systems and processes in place, you would be wrong.  Over the past few decades, technological advances in construction-based systems have completely honed and revolutionised the industry. From greatly enhancing productivity to

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Issue 323 : Dec 2024

June 24, 2020

Top Tips for Founders Looking to Onboard a Government

By Samson Sahmland-Bowling So far, the first half of 2020 has felt like six years, not six months. Every new month seems to bring with it global challenges and the threat of coronavirus still looms. The knock-on effect of Covid-19 has been significant, with the FTSE100 losing nearly a quarter of its value in late March ─ the biggest drop in history. The global economic slowdown has dramatically increased unemployment and experts predict negative growth over the year. What’s more, a survey from McKinsey shows that 52% of respondents expect the state of the global economy to decline further over the next six months. However, while the road to recovery may be bumpy, the global economy will recover. Post-Covid, governments will be looking to rebuild their economies through targeted investment.  As a founder looking to launch or grow your business, timing will be essential. Launch at the right time with the right support and you stand to grow rapidly in the wake of the post-coronavirus frenzy. And the best way to position yourself to ride this wave is to begin working with governments now. Onboarding a national government as a customer or partner, however, can be a tricky and time-consuming process. Having forged some strong government connections in Zambia before the crisis, I have some experience as to what it takes to onboard a government.  Post-coronavirus, this close relationship with the Zambian government will help Open Energy Labs grow our educational programme across the country, helping the local economy to recover at the same time. Here are a few tips from my experience… 1. Develop good local contacts There seems to be a tendency of businesses from developed nations to assume that they have all the answers, technology, and other resources to solve challenges in other regions. This neo-colonial perspective often ends up alienating the local population and making the local government dependent on foreign business, investment and aid. Developing good local contacts at the outset of your business venture can help with both market penetration and product development. They will know what local resources are available, what solutions might work well for local people, and can steer your product design and marketing in the right direction. When starting Open Energy Labs, for example, we found that the key issue was powering remote rural areas. These areas are hard to reach, making installation and maintenance of energy infrastructure exceptionally difficult. Working with local contacts and the Zambian government, we developed an affordable educational kit that can be used to teach people how to build their own renewable energy resources. Not only will this help rapidly roll out energy infrastructure across rural Zambia, but it also empowers local people. One of the best ways of connecting with good local contacts is through local organisations. There are great organisations like JETS in Zambia and YSK in Kenya, for example, that promote young technologists.  These young and ambitious people, who already have connections to the government, are exactly the type of people you want on board. Try and get to one of the organisation’s exhibitions (often held in the summer months) to meet, greet and hire the top upcoming talent. 2. Match against local initiatives One of the primary reasons to onboard a government is their huge budgets. National initiatives are assigned large amounts of funding, even in developing regions, providing an excellent opportunity to the right company to grow. However, governments expect a return on their investment. Access to reliable sources of electricity, for example, improves the economy, health, education, and many other parts of life. Not only is it, therefore, very popular, but it will also positively impact on government funds and the efficacy of spending in other areas. By finding governments with initiatives in the same field as your business and aligning your product/solution to those initiatives will position your business as their ideal partner. The support you will receive from those governments, aside from financial, will be invaluable in helping you grow and provide a powerful ally in your development. 3. Use local businesses Whether North American, European or African, every government prefers companies to use in-country resources and talent.  Developing nations are particularly wary of relying on foreign resources, staff or investment as these things often end up extracting wealth from the country. Profit from resources disappears overseas, foreign staff spend most of their earnings in their home country, and dividends on investment are rarely reinvested. Utilising local businesses, however, not only helps keep profits within the local economy but it also ensures that products can be effectively built, used and repaired locally. This demonstrates that you take a long-term view of your business in the region and are committed to empowering the local community. 4. Train local people Longevity is key when it comes to government contracts. National development initiatives are rarely short-term projects and government departments will need to feel confident in both your ability and commitment to achieve long-term goals. Besides using local businesses wherever possible, another way to ensure longevity is to train local people to build/manage/maintain your business and products/services.  By employing local people, more profit is kept within the country, improving the local economy. They earn, spend and pay tax all within their own country, rather than offshoring the majority of their salaries. Training may also open up other avenues for funding. Since the late-1990s, governments around the world have realised the need to retrain people for more skilled, technical roles. As such, they will have budgets and initiatives dedicated to retraining the population that you may be able to tap into. The common thread that runs through all of these tips is simply: look for mutually beneficial opportunities.  While these opportunities may take more time and hard work to develop, the long-term benefits can be incredible. Supporting a nation to develop its own resources in an organic way by training and developing local talent is more than just a feel-good project ─ it’s also a savvy business strategy.

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Forge Island Development Gets Green Light

The Forge Island development has received planning permission, and it is set to bring a new cinema, food outlets and hotel to Rotherham. Muse Developments, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s development partner for the Forge Island scheme, submitted a hybrid application earlier this year with the council’s Planning Committee voting to approve the plans. Forge Island is located on the edge of Rotherham town centre on a peninsula formed by the River Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Canal. The development is set to create a new leisure quarter for the town centre including a cinema, restaurants, hotel, car parking, and residential units and new public realm. Dan Needham, development director at Muse Developments, said: “It’s testament to the hard work of all partners that we’ve now received unanimous approval from the council to deliver Forge Island. “It’s the next stage on our journey to deliver this truly special scheme, which will be completed safely and in line with government guidance. “At Muse, we’re working closely with our public-sector partners to support them in the delivery of place-changing regeneration schemes that will drive economic and social prosperity when it’s needed most. “Forge Island represents what can be achieved when the best of the public and private sector come together with the same vision, drive and goal in mind.” Cllr Denise Lelliott, Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, added: “It’s fantastic to see the plans for Forge Island approved by the planning board which is particularly important as the town centre begins to find its feet again as lockdown eases a little. “We know residents are keen to see the area develop and this is an important milestone towards delivering a scheme which is a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the rest of the town centre.” Phase One of the scheme will comprise a podium level accommodating the main built development. This would feature an eight-screen cinema, four restaurants, a 69-bed hotel and café. Associated car parking, public realm and a new pedestrian bridge over the River Don are also included. Phase Two would comprise two six-storey buildings featuring up to 50 apartments, with a further 70 apartments in a six-storey building planned for Phase Three. Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd has already started work on a multimillion-pound programme of works on Forge Island, including flood defence and enabling work on the site which includes retaining walls, terrace seating and high-quality public spaces.

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How Technology Has Improved Safety In The Construction Industry

While you may think that the construction industry has stayed pretty much the same over the years, with similar systems and processes in place, you would be wrong.  Over the past few decades, technological advances in construction-based systems have completely honed and revolutionised the industry. From greatly enhancing productivity to improving safety measures, technology has – and continues to – play a huge role in the growth of the industry. But how I hear you ask? Well, that’s what this article is here to look at – in particular, assessing how training and safety have both improved as a result of implementing technological advances.  Augmented & Virtual Reality Back in 2016, approximately 20% of worker deaths were found to be construction-related incidents, demonstrating just how important effective safety training and measures can be.  Since then, advances in virtual reality (VR) have already started to make a strong impact on lowering this number of deaths, by enabling workers to familiarise themselves with potentially dangerous situations in a perfectly safe virtual environment.  Say, for instance, if a trainee needs to learn how to dismount heavy plastic barriers from the back of a lorry. Using a VR-based system, scenarios can now be produced to teach said trainee the right way to respond, depending on the exact circumstance.  Having already been used for many years by flight schools, medical schools and the military, VR simulators can be utilised in various ways to train workers on how to carry out precise operations – whether that be operating cranes or doing masonry work. Augmented reality (AR), on the other hand, can greatly improve safety in an entirely different way. Whether it be producing detailed safety plans or providing expert training, there are several different ways in which AR can be utilised within the construction industry. For example, workers could have augmented safety checklists, specific to each task, pop up on a display integrated into a smart hard hat or safety goggles. This will then remind them to make sure they are wearing to proper personal protective equipment, and carry out any checks required to perform tasks safely. Safety managers can also have the opportunity to monitor exactly what their workers are doing, walking them through tasks whenever they need assistance. Wearables Wearables are pretty much everywhere nowadays and the construction industry is no different; workers are now being fitted with smart tech capable of monitoring their working environment and improving their on-site safety.  The wearables that workers are now being told to wear have a wide array of smart features able to track their movements, repetitive motions and any slips, falls or injuries they might have. These smart devices embed into the personal protective equipment they are already familiar with, meaning using them shouldn’t disrupt their ability to work. However, that’s not all. The rise of smart clothing in recent years has revolutionised the construction industry in terms of assessing the overall health of workers. Being able to monitor vital signs like respiration rate, skin temperature, and heart rate can make it easy to pinpoint whether a worker is suffering from fatigue or is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This can then enable safety managers or health professionals to step in before an accident occurs.  Site Sensors As we’ve already mentioned, keeping construction sites as safe as possible is imperative to ensuring the protection of workers. With this in mind, site sensors can now be deployed across construction sites to take measurements of the dust level, the temperature and the noise level, in order to control and prevent potentially harmful exposure. These sensors can be mounted throughout the entire construction site, immediately alerting workers when they are most at risk of being exposed to potential danger. The sensors then relay the data they record back to the site safety manager, who can then make the necessary changes required to ensure their workers’ safety.  Final thoughts… Ensuring the safety of construction workers is absolutely imperative but, thankfully, advances in technology are helping us do just that.  Whether it be through improving on-site safety, training procedures or identifying health-related issues, technology will continue to play a more and more pivotal role in the life and role of a construction worker as time moves on. Watch this space. 

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