In Brief: Bond Dickinson; Shortlister; Sheffield Forgemasters; Close Brothers

A TECHNOLOGY business which received backing from one of the region’s leading entrepreneurs has officially launched its sophisticated software to simulate real life interviews.

The new online video interview software platform Shortlister.com has been unveiled which uses unique life-like avatars to pose questions in the place of the recruiter.

Shortlister.com is the brain child of Harrogate born David Dewey who, frustrated by his own experiences as an interview candidate, decided to develop software to improve the process for both employers and candidates.

He spent two years developing the concept and received a six figure investment from Whitworth, the former co-founder and CEO of clothing chain Republic, who built the brand into a multi-channel fashion business with 125 stores as well as establishing a successful ecommerce platform before exiting the business in 2011.

The software is believed to be the first in the world to use avatars to conduct interviews and has been developed to enable hiring companies to save time and money.

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LAW firm Bond Dickinson has advised international adhesive provider Dynea on the sale of PRC (UK), the subsidiary which owns Dynea’s UK based operations at Newton Aycliffe, to German company Mellifera Zehnte Beteillgungsgesellschaft.

The transaction was undertaken on behalf of Bond Dickinson’s client Dynea Chemicals OY, a company registered in Helsinki, Finland.

The disposal of UK operations was part of a larger multi-jurisdictional transaction and in line with Dynea’s strategic goal to return value to its shareholders, it said.

PRC (UK) will continue to manufacture resins for various end markets.

Corporate partner Philip Ashworth, who is based in the firm’s Leeds office, led the team who advised Dynea on this transaction.

He was assisted by associate Matthew Smith and solicitor Sam Malpass.

He said: “We are delighted to have been able to assist Dynea with another transaction. We have a very good relationship with the company and it is very pleasing to help deliver on their strategic goals as an organisation.”

This transaction closely followed the sale of Dynea’s Irish operations and Mold activities, which the Bond Dickinson’ corporate team has also advised on.

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SHEFFIELD Forgemasters has passed a final audit to become one of the few UK companies able to fabricate safety critical cast components within nuclear power stations.

As a result of the audit, Sheffield Forgemasters (SFIL) will await an accreditation certificate which signals the green light to take on a whole new strand of civil nuclear manufacture.

SFIL’s NPT (Nuclear Partials) status will enable the company to weld-fabricate the components it currently supplies as a Nuclear Materials Organisation.

David Street, group quality director, at SFIL, said: “The audit to gain NPT status is a significant landmark for the company, which is the culmination of several years of work to establish enhanced requirements and disciplines embracing all our processes, employees and sub suppliers. This is to ensure we meet the exacting construction requirements of the ASME code, which are some of the most stringent demands in modern engineering.”

Once SFIL secures NPT accreditation, it will sit with one of its key customers, Rolls Royce, as one of the only UK companies qualified for main component fabrication within the heart of a civil nuclear power plant.

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ONLY 15% of workers in Yorkshire and Humberside prefer to meet face-to-face with colleagues, clients and suppliers whilst almost half choose to keep in touch with clients and colleagues via email, according to a new survey.

A further 31% would rather conduct business by phone.

The figures come from the latest Close Brothers Business Barometer, a quarterly survey that canvasses the opinions of UK SME owners and business managers on a range of topical issues.

The research further revealed that two in five employers in Yorkshire and Humberside believe that face-to-face communication is becoming less important in the modern workplace, with the majority claiming that other methods of correspondence, such as telephone and email are equally effective and keep costs down.

Regional sales director of Close Brothers invoice finance in Yorkshire and Humberside, Lee Hayes, said: “As technology continues to evolve, the different ways to communicate appear almost endless. However, while it may seem quicker and easier to send an email or make a call, the value of face-to-face communication should not be forgotten.”