Already this year Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and the patches thus far released have received much media attention, both March and April have seen new patches made available to consumers, each aimed at resolving flaws discovered in the earlier releases.   

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The UK attracted more than 2,200 new inward investment projects in 2016 to 2017 with more than 107,000 jobs across the country safeguarded or created, according to new figures.

Figures published by the Department for International Trade revealed that the UK attracted more foreign direct investment projects than ever before for the year.

With more than 2,200 projects recorded, the post-referendum figures show an increase of 2% on the previous year. The data also shows that 75,226 new jobs were created, and 32,672 safeguarded, amounting to over 2,000 jobs per week across the country.

Overall, the UK is the number one destination for inward investment in Europe, with the technology, renewable energy, life sciences and creative industries all seeing an increase in the number of projects.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said: “Almost one year on since the EU referendum, the UK continues to attract record levels of inward investment and remains extremely attractive to foreign investors.”

We agree. Digital technology is playing its part every day and our clients are benefitting from the use of IT to develop new projects and improve the efficiency of existing ones.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

Three quarters of businesses expect to increase the number of high-skilled roles over the coming years, according to the 2017 CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey.

The survey of 344 companies highlighted that 62% are seeing strong competition for candidates with appropriate qualifications.

Asked about the impact of the introduction of the £2 billion apprenticeship levy, 58% of firms plan to increase apprentice programmes.

Josh Hardie, CBI Deputy Director-General, said“Skills have to be the beating heart of the UK’s Industrial Strategy – it’s the best growth strategy a country can have. More high-skilled opportunities are good news for our future – and a sign we can make progress on productivity – but this is tempered by the growing urgency around skills shortages.”

We agree that skills development is crucial, including in the digital sector where we see plenty of opportunities for young talent. For our part, we will do all we can to develop talented people.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

Growth in the UK’s private sector slowed in the three months to June, according to the latest CBI Growth Indicator.

The survey of 762 respondents across the distribution, manufacturing and service sectors showed the balance of firms reporting a rise in output at +6%, compared with +13% in the three months to May 2017.

However, private sector firms expect growth to pick up over the next three months and we support that viewpoint. This is a time for calm heads.

The many companies we work with are expressing confidence that trading conditions, while challenging, do remain positive.

We are playing our part, offering a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage of the digital revolution.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

Twenty-four innovative agri-tech projects have been awarded a share of £16 million through the latest round of the Government’s Agri-Tech Catalyst programme.

The money will help the companies solve the world’s greatest food challenges, including the need to provide ultra-sensitive storage.

The UK is a world leader in the fast growing agri-tech sector and, as a company that supports businesses in the food industry, we applaud this investment in technology to make companies as efficient as possible.

We see digital technology playing its part every day and our clients are benefitting from the use of IT to develop new projects and improve the efficiency of existing ones.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

 

Private sector growth eased in the three months to May, according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator, but the prognosis for the summer is good.

The survey of 721 respondents across the manufacturing, distribution and service sectors showed that growth slowed a little in comparison to April.

Manufacturing output continued to record expansion, with the retail sector and consumer services gaining a little momentum following a lacklustre start to the year.

Overall, expectations are for the pace of growth in the private sector to pick up a little over the next three months with healthy growth in manufacturing and business and professional services off-setting a slowdown in retail and falling volumes in consumer services.

That is reflected in what we are hearing from our clients, who are expressing confidence despite the turmoil in the world.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help companies streamline their manufacturing processes in everything from quality control to stock management to make the very best use of the prevailing conditions.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

The evidence continues to build that the UK economy has shrugged of the many challenges facing the world to continue trading and growing.

Among the latest data was a survey that showed that manufacturing order books improved on April, and output growth accelerated in the three months to May.

The CBI’s latest Industrial Trends Survey of 432 manufacturers reported that total order books were the highest since February 2015, broadly matching the strong levels seen earlier this year. Export orders also stayed robust, equalling the level seen in March (itself, the highest level seen since December 2013).

Output growth picked up pace, seeing the fastest rise since December 2013. This was underpinned by the mechanical engineering and chemicals sectors. Firms expect another firm rise in production over the coming quarter.

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist, said: “The summer sun has come out early for Britain’s manufacturers. Robust demand at both home and abroad is reflected in strong order books, and output is picking up the pace.

“Boosting productivity is key to alleviating some of the cost pressures that manufacturers are facing. Sustained investment in innovation and education will be vital to shore up the success of British industry.”

In the survey, 26% of manufacturers reported total order books to be above normal, 22% of firms said their export order books were above normal and 41% of businesses said the volume of output over the past three months was up.

We see that confidence reflected among the companies that we help. We believe that digital technology is playing its part to support this continuing growth and our clients are benefitting from the use of IT to develop new projects and improve the efficiency of existing ones.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen

A new survey has underlined the growing importance of digital technology to businesses of all size.

The British Chambers of Commerce Digital Economy Survey questioned more than 1,400 businesses across the UK and found that 84% of firms say digital and IT skills are more important to their business than two years ago, with 51% saying these skills are ‘significantly’ more important.

However, the survey also found that 20% of businesses had been hit by a cyber-attack in the past 12 months. Big businesses are far more likely than their smaller counterparts to be victims of attacks (42% of companies with more than 100 staff, compared to 18% of companies with fewer than 99 employees).
We agree that digital technology is playing its part to support the growth of the UK economy but that companies also need to maintain their security.

Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage of digital opportunities and we can also advise on ways to avoid falling foul of hackers.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digitalwe make I.T. happen

A new survey has shown that UK manufacturers experienced strong growth in orders both at home and from abroad over the first quarter of 2017.

Researchers for the latest quarterly CBI Industrial Trends Survey contacted 397 manufacturers and found that domestic orders improved at the fastest pace since July 2014 in the three months to April.

Meanwhile export orders recorded the strongest growth in six years, supported by strong rises in competitiveness, particularly in non-EU markets which improved at a record pace.

Output growth firmed to a three-year high and is expected to accelerate over the next quarter.

Companies are also upbeat in their year-ahead expectations for exports, with optimism posting the biggest gain in over four decades.

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist, said: “UK manufacturers are enjoying strong growth in demand from customers in the UK and overseas, and continue to ramp up production, find more info at https://currysupply.com. Exports have surged and firms are at their most optimistic about selling overseas in over four decades.”

We believe that digital technology is playing its part to support this continuing growth, and Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help businesses take advantage.

Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk to find out how.

Bowe Digitalwe make I.T. happen

The importance of innovation was underlined when Business Secretary Greg Clark recently named the winners of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s 91st birthday.

One hundred and seventy-six businesses from across the UK were recognised for their contribution to international trade, innovation and , sustainable development in industries from green energy solutions and medical healthcare, to laser technology and digital marketing. Fifty seven won the innovation award.

Greg Clark said: “We have some of the best Action AC entrepreneurs and innovative minds in the world who are at the heart of small start-ups providing excellent customer service to larger businesses developing global solutions.”

We salute them because innovation is key to the success of our economy. Digital technology is playing a key role in promoting innovation and we like to think that we are playing our part. Bowe Digital offers a range of IT solutions that can help manufacturing companies streamline their operations to run smartly, efficiently, and grow.

·         Call us on 0191 214 1750 or email info@bowe.co.uk  to find out how.

·         Bowe Digital – we make I.T. happen