aluminium

According to the sorts of people on the internet who make up quotes and then attribute them to famous people in order to sell posters and T-shirts, Gandhi once said "If you don't ask, you don't get". And what a wise man he was (if he said that, which he almost certainly didn't).

You see, one of our esteemed subscribers had the revolutionary idea of asking us to audit a particular episode, which features Howard Stableford arguing with a talking Hoover, and that is exactly what we've done.

Elsewhere in this absolutely jam-packed episode we will encounter Judith Hann saying aloha to abalone in Hawaii, new girl Anna Walker soaping up on the runway, Peter Macann almost wheely hurting himself, and Maggie Philbin back doing what she loves best: shooting arrows into apples.

Trigger warning: This episode features what may be the greatest number of podia ever assembled in one Tomorrow's World segment. So if you suffer from podium phobia, maybe skip the piece about cheese.

(Also, apologies for the sound quality and excessive background noise. Mark recorded himself on the wrong microphone. Amateur.)

If you press on that link above here that says "Support the show", you can chuck us a couple of quid to show your appreciation for this nonsense (not that we expect anyone to do this)

As always, there is a video version of this podcast available. Just search for our channel on YouTube.

Subscribe to the audio version on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or whatever your favourite podcast app might be.


Subscription links can be found on our website here:
https://tomorrowsworldaudittime.buzzsprout.com/


Links to our social media can be found here:
linktr.ee/twaudittime

INTRODUCTION

Imagine if competitive brands collectively adopted multi-use and standardized packaging.

Imagine products exclusively housed in reusable packaging displayed on every retailer's shelf.

Now, envision a seamless system where customers can return these refillable containers, ensuring their circulation for many years to come!

Well, this is already happening with pioneers like Jo-Anne Chidley, the co-founder of Beauty Kitchen, a sustainable, natural personal care brand, and Reposit, a packaging-as-a-service platform. 

She shares a wealth of advice drawn from her experience in this episode! Get ready to learn about:

• How certifications like Cradle-to-Cradle and B-Corp serve as excellent guidelines for improvement (as her company broke records in the European cosmetic industry).
• The significance of values such as partnerships, collaborations, and community in fortifying a reuse business model.
• The paramount importance of modularity in constructing long-term, viable solutions (illustrated using the example of washing infrastructure).
• Measurements to better disrupt single-use and plastic packaging, with some key environmental and sales impacts!

I admire how Jo is defeating preconceived ideas, and how she is opening revolutionary horizons for reuse!

Here's my two cents if you get the chance to meet her: Don’t say no to Jo! Instead, inquire "How?" and be ready to roll up your sleeves!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Jo answers the question formulated in Episode 34: “Designing plastic free: Why and what does it take?” with Sian Sutherland of A Plastic Planet: https://www.look4loops.com/packaging-podcast/ep34-plastic-free-material-design-campaigns-platform  
• If you want to know more about the Bulk Collective concept, listen to episode 36: “The bulk: How to free products and consumers from the packaging?” with Célia Rennesson of Réseau Vrac & Elsa Bortuzzo of Yokoumi: https://www.look4loops.com/packaging-podcast/ep36-bulk-network-packaging-free-products-consumers
• Jo recommends reading 
  • Iain Banks, a Scottish sci-fi author.
  • the Cradle to Cradle books
  • the B Corp Handbook

WHERE TO FIND JO-ANNE CHIDLEY AND HER COMPANIES?

• The Reposit website: https://reposit.world/   
• The Beauty Kitchen website: https://beautykitchen.co.uk/   
• Jo-Anne Chidley LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochidley/

ABOUT JO-ANNE CHIDLEY FROM BEAUTY KITCHEN AND REPOSIT

Jo Chidley is a circular economy expert, chemist, herbal botanist, and co-founder of Beauty Kitchen and Reposit, the highest scoring B Corp in the UK beauty industry and the pioneering Packaging as a service for consumer products. Founded in 2014, Jo has set out to change the face of the beauty industry by creating the most effective, natural, and sustainable beauty products in the world, alongside changing the way we see our packaging for beauty and beyond.

PODCAST MUSIC

Special thanks to Joachim Regout who made the jingle. Have a look at his work here. 

I am happy to bring a sample of our strong bonds on these sound waves. Since I was a child, he made me discover a wide range of music of all kinds. I am also delighted he is a nature lover and shares the Look4Loops 'out of the box philosophy'. He is an inspiring source of creativity for me. 

Du lithium au graphite, en passant par le cuivre ou les terres rares, la demande pour ce qu’on appelle les minéraux critiques et stratégiques est en hausse constante, pour fabriquer des cellulaires, des autos électriques ou des éoliennes. Or, même si le sous-sol québécois en regorge, ces ressources indispensables à l’électrification de l’économie ne sont pas infinies. Le gouvernement a donc lancé en 2020 le Plan québécois de valorisation des minéraux critiques et stratégiques, qui vise notamment à développer une économie circulaire des minéraux d’avenir. L’idée est d’encourager le recyclage de ces minéraux, afin de les réutiliser davantage et donc réduire notre empreinte écologique.

Pour de l’information concernant l’utilisation de vos données personnelles - https://omnystudio.com/policies/listener/fr

Welcome to Onmanorama's Wacky News hosted by Athira Madhav. Tune in to listen to some crazy stories from around the world!

In this BONUS episode, Pete speaks with Rob Cooper and Eric Partington about the new Stainless Steel in the Food and Beverage Industry event, which will be held on 9th March 2023 at the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, Leek Wootton, Warwick.

The event is jointly hosted by the British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA), the Nickel Institute and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG), and will showcase a variety of information and material relating to the use of stainless steel in the food and beverage industry.

Rob Cooper, Managing Director of the BSSA, and Eric Partington, Chair of the EHEDG UK & Ireland regional group and consultant to the Nickel Institute, share their thoughts about why the event is important and who will benefit from attending.

With so many grades of stainless steel and the rules around hygienic design and food-safe materials being updated, this is essential listening for anyone involved in supplying material or producing machinery for use in the food and beverage industry.

For tickets to the event, contact Rob Cooper via LinkedIn or visit this link: https://bssa.org.uk/event/stainless-steel-in-the-food-and-beverage-industry/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

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The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff, as well as Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

Segment LCN : la Commission sur le sport au Québec. Justin Trudeau et le chemin Roxham. 

Manchettes, nouvelle du jour et commentaires entre Mario Dumont et Alexandre Moranville : une maison de jeu dans le cœur du Centre Bell? 

Entrevue avec Jean Simard, président et chef de la direction de l’Association de l'aluminium du Canada : est-ce vrai que nos alumineries sont trop vieilles pour le plan d'électrification de Fitzgibbon? On répond à cette question et on clarifie la situation. 

Chronique économique avec l’économiste Francis Gosselin : Hydro-Québec rend un bulletin « parfait » avec une profitabilité record. Legault ouvre la porte à bonifier le contrat dès maintenant afin d’éviter une crise en 2041. Forte baisse des excédents pour Desjardins.

La rencontre Maréchal-Dumont avec Isabelle Maréchal : la guerre en Ukraine un an plus tard, nous sommes tous perturbés par ce conflit qui nous touche de loin mais qui représente de plus en plus une menace à la sécurité mondiale. 

Entrevue avec Daniel Marien, directeur fondateur, de l'Association des représentants de l'industrie du vapotage : l'Association des représentants de l'industrie du vapotage a suivi les récentes couvertures médiatiques concernant le vapotage, notamment les reportages concernant certains commerces qui vendent des friandises en plus de leurs produits de vapotage. Les membres de l'ARIV tiennent à se dissocier de cette pratique d'affaires de ces commerçants puisque celle-ci crée une confusion entre des bonbons et des produits de vapotage qui doivent être uniquement destinés aux ex-fumeurs adultes.

Tout savoir en 24 minutes avec Alexandre Moranville : la MLS poursuivit par un grand producteur de musique. Commission sur la violence dans les sports. Justin Trudeau affirme vouloir fermer le chemin Roxham. La mort présumée d’un leader complotiste démentie par sa fille. Enquête publique Carpentier: des policiers ébranlés par l’issue d’une opération «qui allait trop vite».

La rencontre Latraverse-Dumont avec Emmanuelle Latraverse : retour sur le point de presse de Sophie Brochu concernant les profits d'Hydro-Québec.

Chronique sportive avec Jean-François Baril : les Élites de Jonquière réintègrent un entraîneur qui s’était fait expulser. 

Segment LCN-TVA avec Sophie Thibault : des profits records pour Hydro-Québec. La Commission sur le sport. 

Une production QUB radio
Février 2023

Pour de l’information concernant l’utilisation de vos données personnelles - https://omnystudio.com/policies/listener/fr

Ivan Vella, the Chief Executive of Aluminium at Rio Tinto is on a visit to New Zealand.

He did an interview with BusinessDesk and said that Rio Tinto's aluminium smelters had marginal commercial viability and were unlikely to generate revenue in their own right, but they were still useful as part of Rio Tinto's presence in the aluminium industry.

 BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says that aluminium doesn't make much money in its own right, but it's better for the company to make a constant supply of products.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ivan Vella, the Chief Executive of Aluminium at Rio Tinto is on a visit to New Zealand.

He did an interview with BusinessDesk and said that Rio Tinto's aluminium smelters had marginal commercial viability and were unlikely to generate revenue in their own right, but they were still useful as part of Rio Tinto's presence in the aluminium industry.

 BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says that aluminium doesn't make much money in its own right, but it's better for the company to make a constant supply of products.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pete and Mike met Terry Sargeant, the new CEO of SteelBuy and the current Chairman and CEO of ThyssenKrupp UK PLC. 

We've spoken with a number of e-commerce platforms since we started the podcast, and Terry gave us some great insight into the why, how and future plans for this website. With finance in place, a clear plan and a small but growing team, it will be interesting to see how this platform performs in the coming months and years.

The SteelBuy website makes the following statement about the business:

"SteelBuy is an easy-to-use online marketplace that instantly connects buyers and sellers to trade quickly and anonymously, without compromising on quality.

"Buy and sell from anywhere, at any time!"

The website goes live on the 2nd of December 2022 and will be officially unveiled at the ISTA Annual Luncheon on that same day.

Amongst other things, we talk about:

* Why now
* Initial funding and the feasibility study 
* Compliance, anti-corruption and anti-trust
* ThyssenKrupp and its involvement

* £22 million for the UK and more to come for Europe and the USA
* Products at launch, and the next steps

* Anonymity for buyers
* How the site works
* Payments, terms and conditions and credit
* Who can sell on the platform, and vetting suppliers
* Human vs Digital interactions
* Growth Strategy and a multinational, gender-diverse team
* If the platform is really a win-win for suppliers and buyers

This podcast was recorded on November 29th 2022

To find out more about SteelBuy, check out the links below:

Website https://steel-buy.com/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/steelbuy/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

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The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

It was a strong session overnight after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell signalled that the pace of rate rises will slow as soon as this month. The Dow Jones jumped 535 points or 1.6%. The S&P500 added 2.4% and the Nasdaq jumped 3.6%, while the 10-year Treasury yield slightly eased. The Fed also cautioned that they may still stay with restrictive policy, with a long way to go in restoring price stability. 

Wrapping up the month, the Dow and the S&P500 are up more than 4%, and the Nasdaq up around 3%. 

European markets closed higher, as regional investors reacted to the latest inflation data. Eurozone inflation dropped by more than expected in November, fuelling market hopes that record-high price growth has peaked, and the European Central Bank will begin slowing its interest rate hikes next month. The major benchmarks were all in the green, with the Stoxx 600 up 0.6%, Germany’s DAX up 0.3%, France’s CAC up 1.04% and the FTSE 100 up 0.8%. 

Asia-Pacific shares were mostly higher even after data for China’s factory activity fell short of expectations, dropping to the lowest reading since April. 

What to watch today:

• Our local market is set to open higher, with the SPI futures suggesting a rise of 0.73% this morning. 
• In economic data, the S&P Global Manufacturing final PMI for November will be released a 9am AEDT this morning. Remember a PMI above 50 represents an expansion from the month prior. The degree to which the reading is above 50 reflects how fast the manufacturing sector is expanding. 
• Looking at commodities, 
  • Oil has rallied, trading 3.2% higher at US$80.70 per barrel, supported by larger-than-expected crude inventories. 
  • Gold has jumped 1.2% higher, closing in on its highest level in two weeks, on expectations of a smaller rate hike by the Fed in December. Markets are now expecting a 50-basis point hike, after the Fed delivered four straight 75 basis point increases. 
  • Iron ore is trading 2.5% higher at US$103 per tonne, the highest since mid-September, while seaborne iron ore is also trading just under 1% higher. 
  • Nickel is trading almost 5% higher. The London Metals Exchange stepped up market surveillance activity in response to a rally that saw Nickel surge by 40% to a six-month high of around US$30,000 in just two weeks. The sharp price swing raised concerns about a liquidity crisis. Nickel is currently trading at US$26,744 per tonne. 
  • Aluminium has also gained, up 4%. 
• Watch BHP Group (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) today, after the mining giants both posted gains on the New York Stock Exchange overnight. ASX-listed BHP and RIO may follow lead. 
• Stocks set to go ex-dividend today are Pendal (ASX:PDL) and TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE). Remember this often sees shares fall as investors take their profits. 

Trading Ideas:

• Bell Potter maintains their Buy rating on Life360 (ASX:360) and their price target of $9, which is expected to return 49%. The next potential catalyst they see for 360, is the release of the 2022 results in March next year. Preliminary results will be released in February, where they expect the guidance to be met. 
• And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in DevEx Resources (ASX:DEV) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $0.33 to the range of $0.38 to $0.40 over 30 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Vendredi 25 novembre, les activités de leur société ont été abordés par Quentin Bichi, directeur général et cofondateur de Linkpick, ainsi que Jean-Pierre Cauchy, président et cofondateur d'Aluvy, reçus par Frédéric Mazzella dans l'émission Les pionniers chez Fred Mazzella sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission tous les vendredi et réécoutez la en podcast.

In this episode, Pete and Mike spoke with Cathy Bell from i-SPACE - the latest innovative research project by Swansea University.

i-SPACE is an acronym, which stands for "Innovative Steel Processing Accelerating the Circular Economy". In layman's terms, they aim to develop an industrial-scale end-of-life material shredding and sorting facility for the UK steel industry, supporting the work towards zero-waste and the elimination of down-cycling.

Cathy is the project manager for this WEFO- and ERDF-funded project, with a background of over 30 years in the metal industry, and she shared her insight into the project and the future of metal recycling.

Amongst other things, they talk about:

* Who are i-SPACE
* The reason we need an advanced recycling pilot plant
* Why recycling should is the forth best option for steel products behind Re Use, Repair or Remanufacture
* The current issues surrounding the recycling of end of life components
* Contamination, and how this can cause additional costs for steel makers
* The circular economy across the complete steel supply chain
* Net Zero in the Steel Industry
* What TRL (Technology Readiness Levels) is, and who is involved in the project
* When do we think we MAY see a project plant, and what is it likely to cost
* Landfill of precious metals and how we can change the throwaway culture
* The change from Linear to a Circular Economy
* The current UK recycling infrastructure
* Who will be able to access the research, development and design at the pilot plant
* The future of the UK Steel industry, and how it is positioned globally.
* STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
* How Cathy got into the steel industry, and her early career
* Not making any career mistakes 😉
* Taking on a contract position after being in full time employment

This podcast was recorded in October 2022

To find out more about the i-SPACE project, take a look at the following links:

Swansea University: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/science-and-engineering/i-space/

The Engineer: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/i-space-makes-case-for-advanced-recycling-pilot-plant

ATF Professional: https://atfpro.co.uk/i-space-maximising-scrap-from-end-of-life-components/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

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The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

Fractory is a multi-national digital manufacturing platform, enabling designers to obtain instant quotations for the production of parts based on their CAD drawings, and to manufacture and deliver the parts quickly and reliably to anywhere in the world.

In September 2022 we met up with Johnny Ly and Mark Kerwin to talk about the Estonian start-up's bold claims and discuss the future of digital platforms in the metal and engineering sectors.

Having spoken with the now-defunct digital start-up SteelScout in the first season of The Metal Guys Talk Business, we were intrigued to speak with Fractory, another digital platform with significant financial backing. 

With more than 33,000 satisfied orders completed and 2.5 million parts supplied, the business is already well set, and after securing more than $9 million USD in Venture Capital funding we were interested to learn more. 

Amongst other things we talk about:

* Who are Fractory?
* What is the plan for the business, and why should people care?
* How are they onboarding suppliers and customers?
* Is this a purely digital platform, or can you talk to the team?
* How does the platform work for suppliers?
* What technical expertise do they have in-house?
* Credit for suppliers
* Financial backing and growth plans
* Is it 'just another web store' or a 'legitimate digital platform'?
* Why suppliers shouldn't fear the platform 
* New markets
* Quality, and keeping this consistent for customers

Visit the Fractory website to find out more about the business, or to become a supplier or customer: https://fractory.com/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

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The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

Fellow podcaster Adam Bradley of Corrosion Resistant Materials (CRM) joined us this week to talk business. 

Adam is very active on social media, and champions the metals industry, so it was an interesting podcast to record, and he had a lot to say about the sector in this episode of the show.

Having won a host of awards over the last year, it was great to catch up with Adam, to talk about the rapid rise of the business, and how they had recently won the Queen's Award for Enterprise.

CRM are a Sheffield-based stockholder who are a relatively new set-up in the market, having only been founded as a business in 2015.

Although we spoke in detail about social media, we also covered a range of topics affecting the market.

Amongst other things we talk about:

* His early days in the industry, and selling abroad

* Why people stay in the industry for so long

* The appeal of joining a newly formed business

* Using social media, strategies for LinkedIn and having the confidence to post 

* The benefits of using social media for business development

* Building a structure in a business, and work-life balance

* Podcasts, why we started them, and the struggles of getting guests on them

* The Queen's Award for Enterprise and why it is so important for CRM
* Getting the best out of trade associations

* Technical knowledge in the industry 

* Why companies need to talk about social media, and let their staff use it
* Opportunities in the sector

Take a listen and enjoy the podcast.

Visit the CRM website to find out more about the business: http://www.corrosion-resistant-materials.co.uk/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

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The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

SteelScout was the digital arm of TATA Steel, and was launched in 2017.

With a big budget and a team of Developers and Steel Specialists, the goals and ambitions were clear. What was not clear was how the market would react to this disruptive player in the UK metal sector.
 
Shortly after recording a podcast with SteelScout in 2021 (S01E07) the business was suddenly closed.

In this episode, Karl Evans rejoined us to talk about the reasons why TATA Steel pulled the plug on the business.

Amongst other things we talk about:

* What was SteelScout

* What were the initial plans

* What did suppliers think about SteelScout, and how did you overcome their objections

* What were the big wins and losses during the 2020 CoVID pandemic

* Did SteelScout meet its goals and when did you think you could return an ROI

* What were the longer term plans, and were you on track

* How did you onboard clients who had never used a digital platform to buy metal

* Creating a digital platform but keeping people within the buying process
* Why SteelScout didn't diversify the range of products earlier

* Why was the business ultimately closed

* What does the future look like for digital steel platforms

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

Flocon Valves and Fittings are a family-owned distributor business based in South Wales.

Supplying stainless steel, carbon steel, plastics and everything in between, this business has become a true success story in our industry.

In this episode, we were joined by Craig and Andy Phillips to talk through the last few years, with the aim of understanding why this business has had such consistent growth. We featured Flocon, as our cover story on the first Metal Magazine back in March 2022, and at that time, the goal was to hit a turnover of £10,000,000. At the time this podcast is released, that £10 million figure will have been surpassed, but back in 2021, it was still a big milestone number to hit.

Craig and Andy are two of the three directors running the business and are the sons of two of the three original owners. So this is a true family business and it was a fun podcast to record.

Amongst other things we talk about:

* The early days, and how Andy and Craig entered the business.
* Succession planning and growing the business.
* The opportunities that COVID presented to the business.
* Growing fast, and how that affected the team.
* Service, and supplying anything, from barn doors to bales of hay.
* Working with coaches, and the associated benefits.
* Digitalisation, but not losing the personal touch!
* What they've learned along the way, and the mistakes they have made.

Enjoy.

This podcast was recorded in August 2021.

To find out more about FLOCON, give them a call or visit the website: https://www.flocon.co.uk/

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SEASON TWO of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by:

The UK Metals Expo - 13th-14th September 2023, NEC Birmingham - ukmetalsexpo.com

Anglo Stainless - Supplier of stainless steel pipes, fittings and flanges - anglostainless.co.uk

Amron Architectural - Specialists in metal meshes and architectural finishes - www.amronarchitectural.co.uk

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Metal Guys Talk Business is created and produced by Comton Group. Comton Group are a Metal and Engineering Agency supplying Temporary, Permanent and Contract Staff and Media and Marketing services. Comton Group also publish a digital publication 'The Metal Magazine', which features the latest news and information from across the Metal and Engineering sectors.

Contact us on our social media channels to discuss the podcast, recruitment and our marketing solutions for your business.

https://linktr.ee/comtongroup

The Holy Grail of electric-vehicle production is a nickel battery derived from a genuinely green process, from mining through hydrometallurgy to handling residual tailings.  Indonesia holds the bulk of the world's nickel -- but its current and planned projects for refining ore into battery-grade material (or 'MHP') are anything but green.  These use conventional high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL), which entails high costs, acidic gases, and vast tailings.  Indonesia's current trajectory points to the exclusion of its battery material from key markets (EU, US, et al) where regulators and consumers will demand high standards.  But at least one company, Altilium, offers something completely different: an economical way to process ore into MHP -- with over 95 percent acid recycling and zero leftover tailings.  Paired with renewable energy, the prospect exists for carbon-neutral battery production.  Could it work, at scale?  In this episode of Reformasi Dispatch, Jakarta-based Altilium CEO and Monty Python aficionado Chris Gower responds to our (Spanish) inquisition.

Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi