Axiom scoops award

Axiom Displays, a point-of-sales specialist manufacturer to the retail industry, was a second Oldham-based company to scoop a prize at the Yorkshire Productivity Awards.

The Failsworth company picked up an award for Commitment to Continuous Improvement via Training in the small company category.

Works manager Phil Barton, who received the award with assembly manager Stuart Curran, said: “Axiom is committed to training and is currently in the second phase of business improvement technique training. A large percentage of the workforce is on or has passed a level two and three skills-based NVQ training.”

Axiom Displays has been established since 1955 and in the past five years it has seen its turnover increase from £3 million to £5.1 million.


Tendering made easy

Councils across the North-West — including Oldham — are making it easier for local businesses to tender for work through a new, online e-procurement system.

The Chest is a web portal which puts council tendering information on-line — making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to bid for contracts.

Councillor Lynne Thompson, Oldham’s cabinet member for performance and value for money, said: “Oldham Council is committed to ensuring it gives local firms as many opportunities as possible to do business.

“Research has shown that when tenders are awarded to local suppliers more than 75 per cent of these contracts are re-spent with local people and businesses — as opposed to only 36 per cent from national or non-local suppliers.

“Using The Chest e-procurement system is also a way of significantly reducing both overhead and processing costs — which speeds up the entire process.”

Companies and organisations registering with The Chest, and stating an interest in Oldham Council, will have tenders e-mailed directly to them. For more information go to www.oldham.gov.uk/council/procurement