Business News Online

AN AIRCRAFT maintenance firm has landed a contract which it hopes will provide a springboard to nearly double its turnover over the next five years.

Aircraft Maintenance Support Services (AMSS), which has its headquarters in Pyle, near Bridgend, has won a contract to supply Abu Dhabi’s airport with ground support equipment.

The contract with Abu Dhabi Airport Services (ADAS) is worth £1.2m for AMSS and follows a £7m contract that it won to supply peacekeeping export equipment from the Atlas family of aircraft loaders over the next few years.

AMSS, which is a family-owned company headed by entrepreneur Duncan Barber, operates at a turnover of £12m and said that it hopes to create between 11 and 20 skilled manufacturing jobs on the back of the deal.

The firm already employs 110 at its Pyle base.

The company said it was aiming to double its turnover over the next five years.

The firm will supply the airport – which has seen a 7% increase in traffic in August alone – with specialist ground equipment for aviation, for loading and unloading aircraft.

Mr Barber said the deal represented the biggest order the company had struck in the Gulf and that it wanted to make it a “foundation stone for more work” in the area.

AMSS has around 65% of its production in the export market after the recession and said that the deal represented an “expression of trust” that ADAS put in the firm.

Mr Barber – whose son is also involved in running the company – said that companies in the UK were trusted around the world and the deal showed the “integrity” of Welsh firms.

He said: “We cannot expect any favours from anybody, we have got to perform as we were up against companies from France, Turkey, China and America so we need to impress with the quality of what we offer.”

Graham Keddie, general manager at Abu Dhabi Airport Services, said the firm had won the contract despite “intensive” competition through a tender process.

He said: “This is the first time we have used AMSS and that is purely down to the quality and price of the products.

“AMSS won despite being up against a number of larger firms – including two of the largest in the world – and some tough negotiations with us and that is credit to their approach.”

Mr Keddie added that he hoped that the relationship could become an “established, long-term” one, adding that while the airport continued to grow there was an opportunity for suppliers to get more business.

AMSS was founded by Mr Barber in 1978 and its work is now split between civilian and military contracts, with some of its equipment currently used in theatre in Afghanistan.

Mr Barber – who has grown the company with no financial help from the Assembly Government – said that he will not sell the company to a larger, multinational company and will work to ensure that the firm stays in Wales.

He added that the Welsh business environment was a good one, and that there was a high-skilled manufacturing workforce in South Wales.

“We are a privately owned firm and we remain very proud of that and I intend to keep it that way. We wouldn’t float on the stock market and I would no

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Writing about starting a home-based business in Manitoba, Joel Schlesinger discusses do and don’ts of operating a home-based business that apply to everyone thinking of starting a home-based business (Self-employed workers can make it work from home, Winnipeg Free Press).

Several of the points he raises bear repeating because they’re the cause of so many of the problems that people experience when starting home-based businesses.

• Do: Get the proper permits and licensing. Many people assume that home-based businesses don’t need to be licensed. But they do in most places, and the permits and licenses required vary from place to place. Schlesinger’s article recommends using BizPal, an online program that will tell you what permits and licenses you need, which is excellent advice, but you can also call your municipality to find out.

• Don’t use your home phone line as both your business and personal line.

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THE Government inquiry into banking reforms will consider breaking up Britain’s largest high street banks to increase competition.

The Independent Commission on Banking (IBC) will look not only at whether to split investment and retail banking operations, but also radical options such as forcing the UK’s “too big to fail” banks to divest assets to address competition concerns.

It stressed the commission had not settled on any options at this stage, but chairman Sir John Vickers said “hard questions” needed to be asked.

The IBC – set up in June to look at financial stability and competition – said the financial crisis and subsequent merger of Lloyds and HBOS had reduced the number of players in the banking sector.

It added that current European Commission requirements for part-nationalised Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to offload branches and assets could “go further”.

One option would be for the Government to use its stakes in the taxpayer-backed banks to improve competition.

“Beyond that, and most radically, is the option of requiring the UK’s largest banks to divest assets with a view to creating a more competitive market structure,” according to the report.

Another central reform under consideration is the controversial issue of separating investment and retail banking operations.

Business Secretary Vince Cable has been vocal in his calls for “casino” banks to be hived off from retail deposits.

But banking giant HSBC and Standard Chartered have both recently warned such a move could prompt them to move their UK headquarters, sparking fears of a mass exodus.

Sir John, former chairman of the Office of Fair Trading, said: “Experience shows that the risks from not asking hard questions about financial stability and competition are far greater than from doing so.

“Questions about the structure of banking need to be debated in an open, rational way, and we would like to invite anyone with an interest to provide us with views and evidence.”

The IBC has until September next year to report back with its recommendations.

The IBC said some people have put forward the idea of “narrow banking”, which is a step further than the separation of retail and investment operations.

It would ensure retail deposits are 100% backed by government bonds and these banks would be immune from State bailouts, but they would only look after so-called utility services, such as transactions and deposit-taking.

The IBC said this option had “several challenges”. It will also consider limiting proprietary

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U.S. Chamber Urges Supreme Court to Review Largest Employment Class Action in History – Unless the High Court Steps In, the West Coast will Become Haven for Bet-the-Business Class Actions, Chamber Argues By US Chamber of Commerce,

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s erroneous decision to certify the largest employment class action in history. The case is Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes.

“This is the most important class action case facing the Court in over a decade,” said Robin Conrad, executive vice president of the National Chamber Litigation Center, the Chamber’s public policy law firm. “The Ninth Circuit radically lowered the standards for certifying blockbuster class actions. Unless the Court steps in to undo the mess created by the Ninth Circuit, the West Coast will become a haven for bet-the-business class actions.”

In the case, the plaintiffs are seeking to certify a class of 1.5 million current and former Wal-Mart employees alleging gender bias in pay and promotions. In order to avo

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Eco-conscious businesses change their products according to their environment like Styrofoam cups with ceramic, glass, and metal coffee mugs for use at work. Thus now Coffee mugs are very hot promotional merchandise. Travel mugs are another hot promotional merchandise item, for on the go transport of hot coffee that will not spill and cause a serious burn or ruin suits clothes. Promotional coffee mugs also make for excellent employee bonus gifts that can be used at work or at home. Travel mugs keep coffee hot from home to the office, to the conference room, or to a meeting across town. Keep in mind that is one for yourself, as these are really handy coffee transporters as you go about your busy day. You can give travel mugs with your business boldly printed on the side to employees, business contacts, and friends.

Pens, plastic, wood, and metal in ballpoint and felt tip styles are among the hottest promotional merchandise available today. We all use pens every day, at work, at home, on the train, while flying, and at school.

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The “Why” part of getting into mobile marketing, marketing on or with a mobile device, is easy; because that’s where the eyeballs are. As Laura Lake, About.com Guide to Marketing points out,

“Consumers are adapting to the mobile marketplace very quickly. Experian’s 2010 Holiday Marketer Report shows that purchases made via mobile have increased by 3% (to reach 13%) from 2009 to 2010″ (Ecommerce Trends and Strategies for 2010 Holiday Season).

As to how to get started with mobile marketing, Laura’s interview with Mike Craig of Ruxter Mobile Marketing (Mobile Marketing: Getting a Grasp on the Basics) is a great starting point.

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Sometimes businesses are embarking on an all out advertising campaign and realize that there are other things which they can do to get the word out besides radio, television and newspaper ads. Of course online advertising is really great if you are trying to reach a broad area, however, for local advertising, one of the most effective methods of advertising is to saturate your market area with promotional products. Unfortunately, sometimes we don’t remember those things until the advertising campaign is about to begin so there is always a last minute scramble for quick order promotional products.

Depending on what type of business you operate, there are literally hundreds of thousands of unique and useful promotional products that you could use to build residual advertising. Go viral with products that are in keeping with your general market or niche so that every time someone uses that item, they will think of your business. F Read more…

Bones, inspired by the life of forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, portrays the adventures of crime-fighting duo Dr Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). The character of Brennan is loosely – very loosely – inspired by Reichs herself, although the only similarity she shares with the character from Reichs’ books is her name.

Season One of bones dvd starts off a little tentatively, as the actors settle into their roles. Deschanel in particular has a hard task, portraying an awkward genius, brilliant in the laboratory yet socially inept, sometimes spectacularly so. Just how awkward is naturally awkward? Deschanel has been criticized for being wooden, but at least part of this is due to the character and how she is written, at least in the beginning. Dr Temperance Brennan is not a character in touch with her feelings.

She is also a character who is a little unlikely at times. She’s a good shot, a martial arts expert, and speaks Spanish, in addition to being a brilliant forensic anthropologist. Given a

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