Serving the Teesside Business Community | 5
/NEWS
/ ADVICE
TEES EVENT TO SHOWCASE
MAJOR SUPPLY CHAIN
OPPORTUNITIES
A
major North East chemical networking
event, NEPIC’s Meet the Members
Conference and Expo, will open its
doors to guests on Wednesday June 21 and
bring together investors, manufacturers and
suppliers for the sector’s biggest event of the
year.
Visitors attending the event at Wynyard
Hall’s Grand Marquee can hear from
leading manufactures including SABIC
UK Petrochemicals, Fujifilm Diosynth
Biotechnologies, px Group and Sirius Minerals,
all focusing on investment and supply chain
opportunities for the North East.
As the region is witnessing its biggest spike
in chemical-processing sector investment in a
generation, the event also welcomes Northern
Gas Networks, Armstrong Energy and
Emerson to outline their involvement in further
investment plans billed for the region.
Furthermore, guests will hear the latest
business news including important Brexit,
industrial strategy and General Election
outcome updates, courtesy of PwC, Bond
Dickinson and PR man, Graham Robb.
Further highlights include a 100-strong
company exhibition and one-to-one business
exchange appointments – together offering
visitors the chance to source new suppliers,
acquire expert knowledge and forge new
supply chain relationships without travelling out
of the region and paying city rates.
An international twist has also been added
to this year’s conference, as organisers
welcome visiting delegations from the Indian
Chemical Council, Karnataka Drugs and
Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association,
here to explore the expertise on offer from
North East firms.
Now in its seventh year, and attracting more
than 500 delegates, Meet the Members is fast
becoming the stand-out event for the region.
Organisers welcome both members and
non-member companies to join them to
understand the latest industry opportunities,
meet new clients and suppliers, and win new
business.
Meet the Members Conference and Expo is
delivered by the North East Process Industry
Cluster.
To find out more, visit www.nepic.co.uk/
mtm
First train arrives for £2.4bn
Sirius Minerals project
T
he first freight train of material for the
construction of a new polyhalite mine in
North Yorkshire has arrived on Teesside.
The train, which was carrying some of the
aggregates needed for the project arrived
at logistics expert, AV Dawson’s Teesside
freight terminal, where it was unloaded for
onward delivery by road to the site.
The ambitious £2.4bn Sirius Minerals
project includes the construction of the
recently-named Woodsmith Mine near
Whitby and a 23-mile tunnel to transport the
mined ore to processing and harbour facilities
on Teesside.
Sirius Minerals, the company behind the
project, has almost completed highways
works to improve access to the mine,
with construction at the site set to start
imminently ready for the mine’s planned
opening in 2021.
The project will create over 1,000 jobs
MENTAL HEALTH:
HOW TO BE A
MINDFUL EMPLOYER
The importance of looking after your
staff’s mental health and wellbeing is
now high on an employer’s agenda,
particularly following the most recent
national health campaign and increased
coverage in the media.
But how and why should employers,
with possibly hundreds of workers,
ensure that their staff are happy in the
workplace?
After all, a happy worker is generally
a much more productive worker and
research shows productivity levels can
increase by 12%.
In addition ACAS research suggests
that mental health problems cost
employers in the UK £30bn a year
through lost production, recruitment
and absence. This in turn can have a
huge impact on the business and even
limit its potential growth.
Of course, employers have a moral
duty to look after their staff, but they
also have statutory obligations in terms
of an employee’s mental and physical
wellbeing.
It is vital therefore for employers to
be aware of and deal with mental
health and wellbeing issues. By having
policies and procedures that focus
on mental health as par t of employee
wellbeing, businesses can help remove
the stigma around mental health
issues as well as ensuring that their
employees are happy and therefore
more productive, making it a win-win
situation.
We have some top tips on how to
care for your staff and promote mental
health wellbeing, which are available in
the blog section at www.endeavour.law
once it’s operational and around 2,000
construction jobs.
AV Dawson is providing its logistics
expertise and local knowledge to support
Sirius Minerals and several contractors
involved in the construction of the facility,
which at full production is forecast to
produce 20 million tonnes of polyhalite per
year – generating £2.5bn in exports and
contributing £2.3bn to UK GDP.
If you require assistance with any
aspects of how to deal with staff
wellbeing in your business, please
contact our specialist team.
Jessica Maine
Employment Department
Endeavour Partnership