Member News

Following significant discussions between the two companies SSCS appoints SERS Group as their agents covering Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, China and Hong Kong from their Singapore HQ for SSCS’s range of scour control solutions effective for 2 years from 17th June.

SERS Group is a global subsea specialist service provider. By combining experience and expertise SERS Group designs and delivers tailor-made, professional, safe and cost effective solutions to clients in the Oil & Gas, shipbuilding and subsea telecom industries world-wide.

https://sersgroup.net

Macmillan Cancer Support – Charity Golf Day Sponsored by NFU Mutual

Sunday 10th August 2014 – Eaton Golf Club • Coffee & Bacon Roll on Arrival from 10am for 11am tee off • Prizes: Best Team/Single score, nearest pin, longest drive & more • Dinner & Presentation • £35 per person (£140 per team) All profits to Macmillan Cancer Support (Call Will Roffey on 07812622754 or [email protected] to book your ticket)

With cardiac arrests causing around 100,000 deaths in the UK a year it is no surprise that there is an increasing number of stories appearing in the press about people whose lives have been saved with the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (or AED for short) like the boy in Wigan who collapsed at the gym or the man who was rescued from certain death at the Sandringham estate.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is caused by something called ventricular fibrillation, this is an electrical malfunction of the heart, and this stops the blood pumping to the body and brain due to an abnormal heart rhythm known as arrhythmia.

So how do defibrillators help? They work by delivering a small electrical current to the chest; this should shock the heart back into a normal rhythm and allowing it to pump again. Rapid response using an AED can also increase the quality of life for the survivor; this is because the longer the brain is starved of oxygen the more damage is caused, this can happen in a matter of minutes.

With ambulance response times increasing it is becoming more and more necessary to have AED’s on hand especially in rural or hard to reach areas. And even general businesses, leisure centres, gyms and schools are all now investing in AED’s so they can be prepared for the unexpected.

Most AEDs have a storage life of 5 years; they also perform their own maintenance check making these a great asset to any business for that extra added peace of mind.

It is important to note that a defibrillator should only be used in the event of a cardiac arrest and not a heart attack, as most people confuse the two we have put together a handy infographic attached to the article which explains the difference for you.

If you are interested in buying a defibrillator, you can view our range of defibrillators online or speak to our award-winning and friendly customer service team who will be happy to help and answer any questions you may have.

SSCS is pleased to have welcomed back Wayne Hall as a returning Service Engineer on June 7th following a short period away from the company.

SSCS is proud of its staff retention rate providing long term careers in a variety of roles to over 25 permanent local employees, along with up to 10 additional on-call engineers.

SSCS are featured in this month’s SPE Magazine celebrating 30 years servicing the offshore energymarkets by providing permanent low cost scour protection for assets including platform legs, subsea pipelines, wind turbine foundations, etc. This article also promotes our newly finishedanimated video that demonstrates how the SSCS Frond Mats provide this level of protection, andthe installation methods used for deployment.

The video and full article are available from https://www.spe-gy.co.uk/, and will be available from our website shortly.

TVC will be moving to new premises over the next two months.

The move is as a result of ever increasing demand for our products and the integration of the ASAMS Subsea MPI equipment manufacture. It will also allow the entire company to be under one roof for the first time since 2007.

The ASAMS MPI manufacturing facility has already moved in to the new building with the bulk of the company following over the next couple of months.

Further details will be posted once the move is complete.

At ESE Direct we pride ourselves on getting the best people in to our team. Everyone at ESE Direct is dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate about what they do.

ESE Direct has been enjoying a year on year growth for the last four years and with that comes the expansion of our warehouse by 40% and growing our team of truly talented individuals.

We have especially been growing our team steadily in 2014 and our newest members are Kelly Raynsford who very recently joined us as our newest Sales Co-ordinator and Julie Davidson who joined in February as our Sales Development Executive.

We were thrilled when Julie joined us in February; she brings with her a wealth of experience in sales having previously worked at a major educational book retailer as well as a national pest control company.

You may hear from Julie in the very near future to see whether we can help with any of your business product requirements.

Kelly joins us from Quotatis where she was as an account manager having previously worked at BT Local Business; she has experience in lead generation, sales as well as knowing the importance of customer service.

So the next time you call through to our team you may very well be talking with Kelly.

We are also growing our I.T department and we have welcomed Kevin Tootill who has previous experience with Aviva, RAC and the Co-Op. Kev will be helping to develop and optimise the website as well as increasing performance across mobile device channels.

We give Kevin, Kelly and Julie a warm welcome and look forward to their contribution to the ESE Direct family.

A recent survey conducted by Airport Parking and Hotels has revealed that of the UK’s 25 main airports Norwich International Airport is one of only four to provide passengers with unlimited free Wi-Fi access throughout the terminal building.

Gary Blake, Customer Services Manager of Norwich International said: “We see the provision of unlimited free Wi-Fi access as essential to our passengers experience as so many people now travel with Smartphone’s, tablets and laptops. In addition, we also offer a free to use Business Zone which is a dedicated quiet area within our departure lounge offering free access to a Wi-Fi printer, charging points and work stations to enable our business travellers to keep connected with their office or prepare for their next meeting while waiting for their flight”.

The other airports providing unlimited Wi-Fi access were named as Aberdeen, Birmingham and London City.

If you provide goods or services to consumer customers you will need to review your current terms of business and sales practices to ensure that you comply with new legislation coming into force on 13 June 2014. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2014 will affect you if:

• You sell goods or services to consumers online
• You sell goods or services to consumers by telephone
• You sell goods or services to consumers in their own homes
• You sell goods or services to consumers from a shop or business premises, including a market stall
• You sell digital content to consumers via either a tangible medium (such as a CD or DVD) or intangible medium (downloads)

The new Regulations apply to both sole traders and to those trading through a business entity such as a limited company or partnership. You will still need to comply with the new Regulations even if you trade through an agent or sub-contractor or if you are a government department, local or public authority.

However, you will not be affected by the new Regulations if:

• You only sell to other businesses
• You sell goods or services to consumers but the type of goods or services that you sell are exempt under the Regulations (for example package travel services, financial services or consumables provided by roundsmen such as milkmen)

The new Regulations replace the Distance Selling Regulations (The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000) and the Doorstop Selling Regulations (The Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008). The steps which must be taken to ensure compliance with the new Regulations will vary for each business but some of the issues that you may need to consider include:

• Information requirements – do you provide all of the information required under the new Regulations? Are you providing the information at the correct time and in an appropriate medium?
• Delivery – can you comply with the requirement to deliver goods within 30 days? If not, do you have a procedure in place to obtain your customer’s consent to delayed delivery? Do you need to renegotiate terms with your courier company?
• Cancellation rights – have you updated your terms of business to reflect the extended cooling off period of 14 calendar days under the new Regulations? Have you made the Model Cancellation Form available to your customers?
• Returns & refunds -have you reflected the new rules on returns and refunds in your terms of business? In particular, have you made it clear how goods must be returned and who must pay for the return, what time limits apply to returns and when you may make a deduction from a refund to reflect any diminished value of the goods returned? Do your terms make it clear that you will not pay any refund until goods are returned (or evidence of their return is provided)?
• Ancillary contracts – are you aware that any ancillary contracts you enter into (such as warranties or service contracts) will automatically terminate if the customer cancels the main contract? Have you discussed how you will handle this with any third party providers you may have arrangements with?
• Additional payments – are you aware that you must now obtain your customer’s express consent before taking any additional payments (no pre-ticked boxes allowed)
• Premium rate telephone lines – you must not make your customers call a premium rate line to discuss an order they have placed with you. Do you need to use a new contact number?
• No excessive payment surcharges – do you need to revise the methods of payment that you will accept in light of the ban on imposing additional charges if customers pay by certain means, such as credit or debit card?
• Pay now – if you trade online you must clearly mark any button or method to pay with wording such as “order with obligation to pay”. In its guidance, BIS has suggested using “pay now” buttons.

Failure to comply with the new Regulations can render your contracts unenforceable and, in some cases, will amount to a criminal offence.

If you would like further guidance on the steps that your business must take to comply with the new Regulations please contact Kitty Rosser on 01603 281141.

Young entrepreneurs are helping to drive a Great Yarmouth economy that is going through a period of sustained rejuvenation, says James Shipp who, at the age of 36, has just been made a partner of BDO accountants and business advisers.

“There is a clear trend which is seeing younger business people starting and building successful businesses in the Great Yarmouth area, and playing a big part in boosting the regional economy,” said Mr Shipp, who has taken the helm at BDO’s office at Beacon Park, Gorleston.

“I’ve taken on this role at a very exciting time, with distinct signs of growth in the energy and engineering sectors and a positive mood among clients in the hospitality business. This is particularly apparent among those who have invested in their businesses during the economic downturn. They are the ones who seem to be reaping the benefits now that the national and regional economy has turned the corner.”

Mr Shipp is a co-founder of the Great Yarmouth Lunch Club networking event, which meets every two months and is consistently a sell-out. “It’s very informal and a large proportion of those who attend are business people in their 30s,” he said.

“It’s a great reflection of the borough’s economy – a mixture of dynamic younger people working their way up the corporate ladder with established companies and those who have set up their own businesses.

“It is extremely encouraging to see such confidence in the town’s economic future, and to witness ambitious younger people playing such a crucial part.”

He said the general economic indicators for Great Yarmouth were fuelling this confidence. These included the establishment of the enterprise zones, the injection of an additional £3m of government money into Beacon Park and the recent news that the port will serve as the base for the new Dudgeon offshore wind farm.

Mr Shipp, who was born in Great Yarmouth and studied at East Norfolk Sixth Form College, joined a local firm of accountants in Norwich at the age of 18, moving to PKF in Great Yarmouth in 2010 as a manager. PKF merged with BDO last year.

He progressed to senior manager and then director before his recent appointment as partner in charge of BDO’s Great Yarmouth office. Married with two children, Mr Shipp is a former English schools 200m sprint champion, who went on to represent his country against Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

He intends to be fast out of the blocks in his new role. As well as encouraging and supporting local businesses through traditional accountancy and tax services, he is keen to see companies tap into the full range of services that BDO offers, including human resource and IT consultancy, payroll and financial outsourcing, company secretarial advisory and supporting local businesses trading internationally.

“BDO is a major international player with a whole raft of cutting-edge services and expertise that local companies can access to fuel their growth. This is a great time to be in business in Great Yarmouth,” said Mr Shipp.

Ends

Issued for BDO by TMS Media. For further information please contact: James Shipp at BDO on 01493 382531 or [email protected] Steve Scott at TMS on 01493 662929 or [email protected]

Caption James Shipp, who has become a partner at BDO, at the age of 36.

Editors’ Note Accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO LLP, is the UK member firm of the BDO International network. BDO LLP operates across the UK, employing 3,500 people offering tax, audit and a range of advisory services. BDO LLP has a clear ambition to be the firm known in the market for exceptional service delivered by empowered people. The 2013 Mid Market Monitor analysis shows that BDO is the market leader for client satisfaction for the second year running – outperforming all its major competitors and the only organisation to see an improvement over the past four years. BDO LLP, a UK limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number OC305127, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. A list of members’ names is open to inspection at our registered office, 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU. BDO LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct investment business. BDO is the brand name for the BDO International network and for each of the BDO Member Firms. BDO Northern Ireland, a partnership formed in and under the laws of Northern Ireland, is an associate firm and licensed to operate within the international BDO network of independent member firms. The combined fee income of all the BDO Member Firms, including the members of their exclusive alliances, was $6.45 billion in 2013. The global network provides business advisory services in 147 countries, with more than 56,000 people working out of 1,264 offices worldwide.

Before the Enduring Powers of Attorney Act (EPA) was introduced in 1985, there was no facility for power of attorney to continue once the donor had lost their mental capacity. Karen Bacon, head of wills, probate & tax at SteelesLaw,explores the subject of enabling digital by default.

Click here to view the article in full published by The Gazette.

In January 2014, a formal agreement was signed between The Validation Centre (TVC) Ltd and ASAMS LTD, where TVC would manufacture all ASAMS subsea MPI and associated equipment under an exclusive licence.

Over the past few months the required infrastructure has been put in place and production of the equipment has now been formally and physically passed over to TVC.

Dave Baran from ASAMS has been the linchpin for this equipment for many years and is one of the most experienced subsea equipment technicians in the industry. Dave is currently training TVC technicians and will remain the main point of contact for all matters relating to the ASAMS equipment for the next couple of months.