Yorkshire Dales Meat Company – which is based on its farm near the village of Patrick Brompton near Bedale in Wensleydale, where the Knox family has farmed for over 100 years – has seen a huge upsurge in sales of its products in ASDA stores across the North of England since the beginning of the horsemeat scandal.

The bacon is a new addition to the range of meats it already supplies to ASDA, which includes burgers and steaks.

James Knox, Financial Director of Yorkshire Dales Meat Company, said: “This is great bacon reared from a Yorkshire farm that we’re really proud to be adding to the range of products sold through ASDA stores.

“It will make a great addition to breakfast tables and we hope customers really enjoy it and keep coming back for more.”

Yorkshire Dales Meat Company was set up in 2004 by the Knox Family so that they could sell their own brand of high quality meat products. What started off as a stall on a weekly farmers market has rapidly expanded into a premier catering butchers supplying prestigious hotels, restaurants, event venues across the North of England, as well as ASDA stores across the North of England.

Jason – who will have to undergo complex surgery on his foot recently after completing the London Marathon despite being advised not to do so after injuring himself in the opening section of the race – has been at the forefront of a company that has thrived in the past year in spite of the tough economic climate and also lent considerable support to the local community.

TMAT has done so through job creation and a determination to employ people from the local area and by engaging in charitable activities such as the London Marathon, Sheffield Half-Marathon and donating Easter Eggs to the Children’s Ward at Chesterfield Hospital.

TMAT has also done a great deal to encourage young people from the area to aspire towards a career in manufacturing and engineering. First, it announced plans that could – as well as creating more specialised jobs in its existing state-of-the-art Chesterfield facility – see young local people working in its proposed new factory in Brazil as part of the preparations for the 2014 football World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Second, it became the first company in the UK to successfully put forward a candidate – in the form of Financial Controller Laura Bawden – for The Manufacturer magazine’s campaign to place a high-level manufacturing company employee on the governing board of every school in the country in order to encourage more young people to work towards a career in the industry.

A humbled Jason Lippitt said of his award: “We’ve had an incredible year at TMAT and this award shouldn’t really go to me but to the whole team, both for its hard work to make TMAT what it is as a manufacturing business but also as a company with an ethos to support its local community.

“As for completing the London Marathon with this foot of mine, I just knew I couldn’t let down The British Heart Foundation I was raising money for, my son, wife, family and all the people that had supported me in my training, so I had to finish it.

“I’m paying for it now with the serious discomfort in my foot and the fact I’ll have to take time out to undergo surgery, but it was well worth it nevertheless.”

TMAT Ltd – whose customers include JCB, Case, New Holland and Volvo – enjoyed a record £4million in new business enquiries in 2012, has smashed all sales targets throughout 2013, is looking at a sales pipe line of some £4.5million and has recently announced plans to expand into Brazil.

TMAT is rare for having been one of the businesses that has thrived during the economic downturn. Its growth has risen from £5m per year to in excess of £10m since 2009 and TMAT aims to drive turnover to more than £20 million by 2015.

TMAT designs and engineers innovative solutions to Noise, Vibration and Harshness for ACE (agricultural, construction, earthmoving) markets that it feels are the best in the industry.

This is the third and final in the KeyedIn™ Manufacturing Ideas in Action webinar series that is designed to help show small to mid-sized manufacturers how they can speed up their estimating process, increase revenue and gain important new insights into their business.

The Shed More Light On Your Business webinar will demonstrate how, as a single management and operational platform for an entire manufacturing business, KeyedIn Manufacturing brings together all the information a manufacturing business needs to understand its operations.

Whether a manufacturing organization wants regular updates and management reports or needs specific data to answer specific queries, KeyedIn Manufacturing delivers the information to help identify the least profitable jobs; compare performance year−on−year with standardized reports; track purchasing costs to spot trends; review estimates to find patterns for success; and scrutinize problems from every angle

Those wanting to take part in the webinar should register at http://solutions.keyedin.com/mfgshedlight KeyedIn ™ Manufacturing is a comprehensive web-based (Cloud) business management software solution for custom manufacturers. It combines the power of a proven, robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution with tools specifically designed to solve the business challenges of custom manufacturers – improving productivity, lowering costs, and increasing sales. KeyedIn Manufacturing software provides all the management tools custom manufacturers need –  including estimating,  invoicing, purchasing and production management – in a single platform.

Brigitte Merten, Senior Marketing Manager for KeyedIn Solutions, said: “Businesses love to talk about ‘continuous improvement’, but few have the knowledge they need to identify where and how improvements can be made.”

“KeyedIn ™ Manufacturing, as this webinar demonstrates, pulls all this information together easily and puts it right at their fingertips.”

“This information can then be used to its full effect, helping improve processes, increase productivity and drive business and profitability.”

This is the third and final in the KeyedIn Ideas in Action webinar series. The first was Speed up your Estimating, which showed how small to mid-sized manufacturers can speed up their estimating by 25%. The second was Learn how to increase your revenue with KeyedIn Manufacturing, which showed how KeyedIn ™ Manufacturing allows manufacturers to streamline their business processes. Recording of these can be found here www.keyedin.com/webinars or at www.keyedin.com/manufacturing.

KeyedIn Manufacturing provides immediate visibility to all processes. Available at any time on any device, it provides full integration from lead to shipment, streamlining back office operations and delivering immediate cost savings and production efficiencies.

The Advanced Manufacturing Show at Birmingham’s NEC, 4 – 6 June will provide a platform for board-level decision makers, production and quality engineers to interact with the latest technology and gain a competitive edge by applying high-productivity solutions to enhance manufacturing performance, efficiency and quality. Showcasing world-class advanced manufacturing technologies, visitors will be able to review, plan and make their investment decisions for machining, tooling, laser, metrology, design and much more.

Karen Adame, Chief Product Officer at KeyedIn Solutions, says: “From a shop floor employee up through senior management, KeyedIn Manufacturing provides an integrated process to maximize profitability and customer satisfaction.”

“Those on the shop floor can see what is coming through the production process and plan accordingly, while the sales team can verify with the customer when their shipment will be available, based on up-to-date knowledge of actual working schedules.”

“With a single solution, senior management has access to all company activity and can better manage costs.”

KeyedIn Manufacturing is the latest addition to the KeyedIn portfolio of products which has taken the company from launch to more than 30,000 users and 14 global offices in a little over a year.  Its focus on SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions has gained rapid acceptance within the small- and mid-sized business market because they don’t require either upfront capital investment or on-premise IT support.  Analysts predict that over the next three years, SaaS will grow nearly five times faster than traditional software installations.

New technology developed by KeyedIn has enabled the development of levels of customisation and functionality previously unavailable to the smaller enterprise. KeyedIn Manufacturing provides a visual view of the shop floor which allows managers full visibility into the schedule and control of processes. It also integrates with QuickBooks and other applications to provide a seamless view of financial information.

The easy-to-use interface and ‘per user’ cost means that businesses with as few as two people can benefit from state-of-the-art technology. KeyedIn expects the typical user to be a small- to mid-sized and niche manufacturing operation.

The event included a curry buffet featuring a range of traditional curries and Gurkha-inspired dishes, with pork and chicken supplied by premier catering butchers, Yorkshire Dales Meat Company. There was also the opportunity to pose with the Barclays Premier League trophy and an inspiring talk by Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, Commander 15 (NE) Brigade.

This longstanding Military charity, established in 1944, provides grants to current and ex-Service personnel in times of hardship. Due to an increased demand for their services ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity is aiming to increase their fundraising to £14 million a year by 2015. ABF, The Soldiers Charity’s flagship Big Curry fundraiser encourages people to get together to enjoy a dish that was first brought to this country by the Armed Forces.

James Knox, Finance Director of Yorkshire Dales Meat Company said: “It is an honour to be involved in raising funds for ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity as they provide such a valuable service to our troops.” This is not the first time the Yorkshire Dales Meat Company has been involved in fundraising for our troops; they also provided the meat for the hugely successful ‘Big Curry’ event at Catterick Garrison last year.

Among the greatest challenges confronting midmarket organizations is how to go about managing information technology infrastructure and services to boost business and increase efficiencies. Lynne delivered two boardroom presentations for attendees in which she demonstrated how KeyedIn™ Cloud/SaaS Solutions replace rigid, on-premise enterprise systems in specialized vertical markets with more agile, feature-rich and cost-effective .NET applications that scale to any environment.

Lynne, Vice President, says: “It was a thrill to meet the midmarket leaders seeking to drive better performance for their companies and who know that better project management technology and practices can help get them there.”

The Midmarket CIO Forum focused on the unique challenges specific to the midmarket and the technology solutions to solve those challenges. High ranking midmarket IT leaders came to the event seeking best-in-class IT solutions from leading and emerging technology provider organizations such as KeyedIn Solutions. Throughout the three-day event, participants were given a thorough overview on critical technologies and trends in the midmarket.  IT executives shared insight into IT strategies and tactics that have succeeded and met with technology vendors that offer technologies to deliver their strategic objectives.

The KeyedIn portfolio of products has taken the company from launch to more than 28,000 users and 14 global offices. Its focus on Cloud/SaaS solutions has gained rapid acceptance within the mid-sized business market because they don’t require either upfront capital investment or on-premise IT support. Analysts predict that over the next three years, SaaS will grow nearly five times faster than traditional software installations.

Jason spent a week holding meetings with potential Brazilian customers arranged by the DTI and found that there was a real appetite for Brazil-based OEMs to do business with TMAT, the multi-national manufacturer of acoustic components for tractors and excavators. But Jason was also told that the nature of the huge administrative obstacles and logistical issues that Brazil-based OEMs face make the idea of TMAT setting up a factory in the country very appealing to them, as opposed to them to importing the product.

One of the issues facing these OEMs is FINAME, a public financial credit support scheme that offers attractive financing conditions that favour local production and content, heavily taxing imported parts. The problem is that the components and parts that these OEMs cannot be sourced locally, meaning that they are being heavily taxed for importing vital elements. If TMAT was to set up a factory there, then the acoustic components it manufactures would be considered to be locally sourced, thereby creating substantial savings for the OEMs.

Another obstacle facing Brazil-based OEMs is logistics. It takes 12 weeks at the very least for components to be shipped in from Europe and the rest of the world, and very often the parts are obsolete due to design changes and product developments by the time they do arrive. Having a TMAT factory manufacturing essential components that are widely accepted as being the very best in the industry would therefore be extremely attractive.

Jason said: “The evidence of construction – or planned construction – is everywhere you go in Brazil, which is absolutely fantastic to see.

“The fact is, though, that red tape, cumbersome logistics and taxes on imports are a real obstacle to construction actually getting under way, let alone completed, ahead of the fast-approaching World cup and Olympics here.

“Without revealing names, one potential customer said verbatim that they ‘have been looking for a company like TMAT to come to Brazil for two years and they are delighted that TMAT will be setting up a factory in the country’. Naturally, we’re very heartened by that desire for people to business with us!”

Chesterfield-based TMAT is rare for having been one of the businesses that has thrived during the economic downturn. Its growth has risen from £5m per year to in excess of £10m since 2009 and TMAT aims to drive turnover to more than £20 million by 2015.

TMAT designs and engineers innovative solutions to Noise, Vibration and Harshness for ACE (agricultural, construction, earthmoving) markets that it feels are the best in the industry.

Organized by the American Heart Association, the Twin Cities Heart Walk raises money to treat and defeat heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, which claim more than 800,000 American lives every year.

KeyedIn CEO, Lauri Klaus, has committed her company’s financial and people resources to the event, saying: “The American Heart Association is an organization that has personally touched me and many of my employees.  Every dollar raised is a step towards defeating a disease that damages so many lives.”

The Twin Cities Heart Walk is one of the most successful and best-supported.  Last year, the event raised $1,200,733, making it the third biggest Heart Walk fundraiser in the U.S.  The event goal this year is $2,490,000.

KeyedIn Solutions, which has its world headquarters in Minneapolis, has an active corporate social responsibility ethos, supporting causes at community and global level.  Since its inception in late 2011, the company has supported hunger relief through Second Harvest Heartland in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area. KeyedIn employees, along with the company, donated food and volunteered to box donations for distribution to local area food shelves.

In an effort to provide the children of Haiti with an alternative to poverty through education, KeyedIn Solutions participated in the Laptops for Haiti drive – and will continue to do so. As the company replaces laptops in its organization, they will be donated to help, and support the education of others.

For the Twin Cities Heart Walk on May 4, KeyedIn will sponsor the event Cheer Stations, providing much-needed and, no doubt, noisy support to the participants.  The company also has a team raising funds.  The walk starts at Target Field, Minneapolis at 7:30am and ends at 1:00pm.

Jason’s son, Joe, 11, has a heart condition so complex that doctors have been mystified by it. Jason and the rest of the family understand that Joe is going to need a great deal of specialised heart surgery before he becomes an adult. It is when the family have attended heart clinics at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that they have realised just how much resource is still needed to help to combat heart disease. As such, Jason is hoping to raise above and beyond £3,000 for The British Heart Foundation.

And, in something of an unusual move, Jason has asked all those sponsoring him £10 or more to guess the time he will finish the London Marathon in – the person that guesses nearest to his actual finishing time will win £100 straight from Jason’s own pocket!

Those wanting to donate can do so at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JasonLippitt.

Jason said: “Joe is so full of life and has such a love of sport in spite of his condition that I felt a bit ashamed of myself last year for not doing more exercise, which is why I took on the Sheffield Half-Marathon last year, again raising money for The British Heart Foundation.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was shattered after the Sheffield Half-Marathon but I knew I wouldn’t feel satisfied until I’d taken on the challenge of a whole marathon, which is why I’m running the London Marathon this year.

“But this isn’t about me. It’s about raising money for a charity requiring such huge resources and raising awareness about the fantastic job it does helping people like Joe live their lives to the fullest against the odds.”

The British Heart Foundation is the nation’s heart charity. Every day they save lives, through pioneering research, providing vital information to help people reduce their own heart health risks, campaigning for change and supporting and caring for heart patients.

Chesterfield-based TMAT is rare for having been one of the businesses that has thrived during the economic downturn. Its growth has risen from £5m per year to in excess of £10m since 2009 and TMAT aims to drive turnover to more than £20 million by 2015.

TMAT designs and engineers innovative solutions to Noise, Vibration and Harshness for ACE (agricultural, construction, earth moving) markets that it feels are the best in the industry.

www.tmatuk.com

Those wanting to donate as Jason takes on the challenge of the London Marathon, hoping to raise above and beyond £3,000, can do so at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JasonLippitt

This is the second in the KeyedIn™ Manufacturing Ideas in Action webinar series that is designed to help show small to mid-sized manufacturers how they can speed up their estimating process, increase revenue and gain important new insights into their business.

The Learn how to increase your revenue with KeyedIn Manufacturing webinar will focus on how KeyedIn Manufacturing allows manufacturers to streamline their business process with easy-to-use custom workflows; view overloaded operations and resources; access standard templates for common tasks – from sales to shipping; and automate processes such as converting estimates into work orders.

Those wanting to take part in the webinar should register at http://solutions.keyedin.com/mfgscheduling

KeyedIn ™ Manufacturing is a comprehensive web-based (Cloud) business management software solution for custom manufacturers. It combines the power of a proven, robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution with tools specifically designed to solve the business challenges of custom manufacturers – improving productivity, lowering costs, and increasing sales. KeyedIn Manufacturing software provides all the management tools custom manufacturers need – from estimating to invoicing, purchasing to production management – in a single platform.

Brigitte Merten, Senior Marketing Manager for KeyedIn Solutions, said: “This short webinar is full of rich content highlighting the ways in which KeyedIn Manufacturing helps manufacturers to improve productivity, reduce costs and drive sales.”

“We’re extremely proud of KeyedIn Manufacturing as a solution and look forward to showing manufacturers how it can improve the way they do business and ultimately increase revenue.”

This is the second in the KeyedIn Ideas in Action webinar series. The first was Speed up your Estimating, which showed how small to mid-sized manufacturers can speed up their estimating by 25%. A recording of which can be found here www.keyedin.com/webinars or at www.keyedin.com/manufacturing.