recent releases from Leicester Shire Development Agency, Business Link for Leicestershire and Business Link Lincolnshire & Rutland
	3 December 2001 NEWS RELEASE EAST MIDLANDS FIRMS SCOOP TOP AWARD Three firms from the East Midlands have secured a major award for the research and development of new technology, including a high tech laser imaging system and a new method of crop planting, both set to revolutionise their industries. The companies, two from Lincolnshire and one from Leicestershire, all applied for a SMART award with help from Business Link Lincolnshire & Rutland, who manage the awards for the whole of the East Midlands. They have each received between 30 and 75 percent of the cost of developing their discoveries. The funding was dependent on the type of projects being proposed. Malcolm Wrisdale Ltd, based near Spilsby in Lincolnshire, has won £108,000 towards the cost of developing a high tech method of organic fertilizer production. Working in conjunction with Orrtec Ltd, a Lincolnshire manufacturer of composting equipment, the scheme will use organic waste from various sources to produce a high quality yet cost effective fertiliser. Stephen Wrisdale, managing director of Malcolm Wrisdale Ltd said, "Currently waste is disposed of either by landfill or land spreading. However, when new legislation comes into force in 2005, this will have to change. Our methods of fertiliser production will solve the problems of waste disposal that farmers, food processors and other companies would otherwise face." Also hoping to increase efficiency and ease production in the farming and horticultural industry is the winner of another £45,000 SMART award, an automatic planter. This is intended to replace the present method of planting brassica vegetables such as cabbages and brussel sprouts. Developed by Boston-based Ultracell Ltd, in joint partnership with Fountain Plants Ltd near Boston, the design has already attracted attention and a SMART award. Currently, brassica vegetables are planted using a combination of hand and machinery techniques which is fairly labour intensive. The new model would be completely automatic and is thought to have so much potential that sales enquiries have already been coming in. The SMART award in Leicestershire has been won by Lantronic Services Ltd in Market Harborough using a new trading name - Laser Direct Imaging Ltd. They will specialise in Laser Imaging, used to write a computer aided design circuit diagram onto a printed circuit board. The new project takes light beam splitting technology and uses a laser to write directly onto the surface, making photographic equipment redundant. It can also write to both sides of the board at the same time giving approximately four times faster production at a third of the current cost. Bill Waterhouse, at Lantronic Ltd said, "The possibilities of this new equipment are endless. Eventually the technology will be suitable for use in printing and publishing and this will open up a market 15 times larger than the printed circuit boards market for sales and promotion." He added, "We cannot say that we would never have achieved this without the help of Business Link, but it would certainly have been over a much longer timescale. The £45,000 we have received as a SMART award is just over half the cost of the project, and will allow us to progress without taking emphasis off other parts of the business." Innovation and technology councillor John Clark, from Business Link Lincolnshire & Rutland, said, "The SMART awards are a recognised brand and add credibility to a project when it is being presented to venture capitalists or investors. "It is great to see successes such as these using technology to move the industry forward. In the last three years we have overseen around 50 projects, from submitting the SMART award proposal through to completion and at least 40 of these have been successful." Anyone interested in finding out more about applying for a SMART award can contact Business Link on 01522 574000 Ends For further press information, CONTACT Kate Downs on 0116 254 4472
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