Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
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Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Blogs
Check out our blogs section where Chamber representatives, members and high-profile business figures write about a range of topics. If you are a member and want to submit a blog, please click here.
Energy: The transition to decarbonisation of the UK heat industry
By Professor Martin Freer | University of Birmingham
According to Albert Einstein, “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” The present real world challenges which turn convention on its head and erode long established traditions, for some will be the launchpad. The story of Wang Yongmin is an interesting one. Wang Yongmin was a bright Chinese computer scientist, who developed Wubi. Wubi was the answer to a conundrum that faced Chinese culture under the premiership of Mao Zedong and successors. At the time at which computers were being developed in the West with the QWERTY keyboard based on the restricted 26 character Latin alphabet, China had a 70,000 character set and an impossible...
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The Speed to Scale Region Programme: transforming the West Midlands economy for long term, clean, sustainable growth
By Dr Tariq Ali | University of Birmingham
The Speed to Scale Region (SSR) Programme is a transformative bid for business support funding to Central Government, harnessing the innovation and industrial strength of the West Midlands region to develop, manufacture and deliver new products at scale and pace. The bid has the backing of many businesses across the region and enjoys strong support from our politicians: “Our region has long been a world leader in the industrialisation of new technology, and now more than ever, we must retool to face the economic challenges ahead. The Speed to Scale Region Programme will bring together our best innovators from business, technical institutes and universities on a grand scale. I am delighted to...
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How to Use technology to give your business a competitive advantage
By Karl Frankham | TechCare
In Part 1 of this two-part special, we looked at how using a technology partner is an undeniably valuable way of harnessing the instrumental power of technology to add serious value to your business. In Part 2, we’re going to examine how, in doing this, you can meet regulatory needs effectively and reduce operational costs. Small businesses are simply not making the most of technology to help their business grow. According to Dun & Bradstreet, last year only 57% of business owners believed that making the most of technology was essential for business progression. Technology can be the key to adding real value to your business and unlocking the serious potential for growth and success. But,...
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How can I protect my EU imports and exports?
By Andy Grubb | International Forwarding
As UK-EU importers and exporters prepare for Brexit changes on 1 January 2021, we consider some of the potential protections available to international traders. One useful quality mark that we advise anyone using European freight forwarding services to look for is AEO status. But what does it mean, why is it desirable and how might it cushion you from disruption arising from Brexit changes? As a Midlands freight forwarder specialising in European groupage, here is our quick guide to AEO accreditation – and why using an AEO-certified company might be useful to your shipping process and freight operations. What does AEO stand for? AEO stand for Authorised Economic Operator. What does AEO status...
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How to reverse engineer your SEO and content strategy
By Jade Edwards | AIM Internet
The thing about digital marketing and SEO is that it is constantly evolving. This makes it especially hard to master if you don’t have time on your hands to keep up with the continuous changes. It can often make it rather difficult to implement without the help of a digital agency. But, to make life a little easier, there are some other ways to approach your SEO and content strategy such as reverse engineering. What is reverse engineering? Reverse engineering is the reproduction of someone else's content following a detailed analysis of what made it successful; whether it’s the topic, the style or its formatting. Reverse engineer your SEO strategy SEO is hard to keep up with because the...
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Delivering safer vending for everyone
By Alistair Ward | Coinadrink
Like most things in the world, vending and coffee machines have dramatically progressed through innovation. Since Hero of Alexander invented the world’s first vending machine in the late 1800’s, the vending industry as a whole has only continued to grow. West Midlands vending firm Coinadrink Limited, already pro-active with our industry leading hygiene standards, has introduced new innovation to our range that takes vending into territory never seen before. Through contactless equipment, advanced technologies and clever adaptations, vending machines and water dispensers now deliver peace of mind as standard. Coinadrink Limited is a supplier of vending machines, so we work in collaboration...
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Remote working post-lockdown
By Anna Lane | Entec Si
Many employers had to quickly introduce remote working arrangements over the last six months in order to maintain business continuity, avoid any negative impacts on their bottom line and protect the health and safety of their employees. With remote working set to become an increasingly popular solution, home working processes and systems must be designed for the long-haul. So, what should businesses be doing to ensure long-term success? Prioritise employee wellbeing While countless businesses are likely to have implemented flexible working arrangements in recent years, many of these processes will not have been designed to cope with the scale of disruption caused by COVID-19. To ensure that...
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Don't forget your email address
By Jason Tedale | Hipposerve
You work hard in setting up your business, invest in the equipment you need, a nice new website and work hard getting your social media up to speed. However for many small businesses the one thing they forget is how their email address looks. Many business continue to use a free email or a personal email, that they set up, when they first started on their venture. The only problem with this, is that it may not link to the business very well or have a professional feel. Fitness@gmail.com, or computerrepair@icloud.com just don’t look right. Getting a Professional Email Take Harry Hippo in the picture above. He has been using harry@freemail.net for many years now, for his construction company....
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Do you need a Telehandler?
By Lee Rigby | National Telehandlers
Since National Telehandlers was launched as a business in May 2020 (Yes during a pandemic!) I feel like I have answered one million questions about the business, all with a passion. National Telehandlers provides Plant Hire equipment to the construction, manufacturing & Industrial sectors across the UK. I say Plant Hire, because originally it was just Telehandlers, but 80% of our partners supply all types of Plant Hire including Diggers & Dumpers. It made sense to offer additional products in a very short space of time. To become a partner you have to supply a 1st class service and be an independent business operating a geographical area in the UK and then I become your virtual representative. Through...
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Breakthrough Purezone technology introduces a more hygienic vending machine experience
By Alistair Ward | Coinadrink
In what is huge news for our prospective and existing customers, we are delighted to announce that we are now offering a product called Purezone. Purezone is a transparent film that is applied directly over touch screens and interfaces, to fight bacteria 24/7. This provides a welcome layer of protection during a time when this is essential to most. How does Purezone reduce the spread of bacteria? The antimicrobial film reduces the presence of a variety of bacteria and viruses, by utilising reactive silver ions to inhibit the environment that they would usually thrive in. Best of all, this works continuously, without the need for cleaning between every use. Coupled with the exemplary hygiene...
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