City Briefs: Filtronic; OptiBiotix; and more
A Shipley-based designer and manufacturer of products for wireless telecoms and communications markets has won an order worth £4.9m.
Filtronic says the significant contract win has come from its lead defence and aerospace customer for the supply of high performance Transmit-Receive Modules (TRM’s) for airborne applications.
The order is for the supply of these modules over a two-year period and delivery is expected to start in August 2020.
This order is a follow-on to the supply contract signed in 2017, which concluded in June 2020 but is for a new end-client of the customer.
Modules will be made at Filtronic’s automated hybrid microelectronics manufacturing operation in Sedgefield, County Durham.
Reg Gott, executive chairman, said: We are delighted to have received this significant new order as it also underlines our customer’s confidence in our ability to deliver this new and challenging programme.
“As identified in our trading update issued on 30 June, we recently placed a number of manufacturing staff on furlough as a consequence of certain order confirmation delays, so we are very happy indeed that confirmation of this order will enable us to welcome some of these colleagues back to the business.”
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York-based life sciences company OptiBiotix Health has extended the terms of its original distribution agreement with CTC Holding BV. (CTC)
The agreement extends the product range from the distribution of OptiBiotix’s SlimBiome®, SlimBiome® Medical and GoFigure® to include WellBiome®.
The territories remain unchanged with distribution rights in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala.
And the agreement is for an initial period of 18 months from January 2020 with renewal of terms linked to sales targets.
WellBiome® is a proprietary blend of prebiotic functional fibres, functional dietary fibres and mineral optimised for health and wellbeing by promoting the diversity of the gut microbiome.
It was launched at the end of June 2020, in response to commercial partners expressing strong interest in a microbiome modulating ingredient that would expand the commercial opportunity beyond slimming and provide a science based solution to the health and wellbeing industry.
Dr Lars Wiemann, chief scientific officer at CTC, said: “We see WellBiome® as an evolution of SlimBiome®, that extends the main target from weight loss and hunger control towards improving your gut health and thus your immune health as well as your general health.
“Recent scientific research has shown that boosting your immune system by improving your gut health is a proven concept.
“Therefore, WellBiome® perfectly fits into CTC’s global strategy for health supporting ingredients and we are really happy we can offer this innovative product to our clients now.”
Dr Fred Narbel, managing director of OptiBiotix’s prebiotics division, said: “We are pleased to announce the extension of terms for CTC.
“This agreement recognises CTC’s success in building sales of SlimBiome® and extends terms to enhance further sales growth, supported by minimum sales targets.
“This is a first commercial step in bringing our new functional ingredient WellBiome® to global markets and building brand awareness.”
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Bradford-headquartered supermarket chain, Morrisons, has confirmed Belinda Richards, independent non-executive director and chair of the audit committee, is to step down from the Board of the company to take up a new role as an independent non-executive director of Jupiter Fund Management.
She will leave the Board following the release of the company’s Interim Results on 10 September 2020.
The Board has announced the appointment of Jeremy Townsend as a non-executive director with immediate effect.
From this date, he will also be appointed to the Audit, Corporate Compliance & Responsibility, Nomination and Remuneration Committees. He will be appointed as chair of the Audit Committee with effect from 10 September 2020.
Townsend is currently chief financial officer of Rentokil Initial, a role from which he is due to retire later this year.
He was previously group finance director of Mitchells & Butlers and prior to that held various senior finance positions at J Sainsbury. He started his career at Ernst & Young LLP and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW).
Townsend is also currently a non-executive director and chair of the Audit & Risk Committee at PZ Cussons and a non-executive director and chair of the Audit Committee at Galliford Try Holdings.
Andrew Higginson, Morrisons chairman, said: “I would like to thank Belinda for her significant contribution to the Board over the last five years, and to wish her well in her new role.
“I am delighted to welcome Jeremy to Morrisons. He brings extensive financial and industry experience and is ideally suited to chair the company’s Audit Committee.“
Richards said: “I have very much enjoyed my time at Morrisons and have reluctantly advised the Board of my decision to leave the company in order to pursue a new role with Jupiter.”
Townsend said: “I am very much looking forward to joining Morrisons and contributing to the continued growth and success of this great British company.”
