‘Traffic lights’ call to speed up bill payments
restructured its senior leadership team, as the firm bids to consolidate its growth over the next five years.
Nick Uwins will take the reins as managing director, following promotion from his former role as sales and engineering director. He has over 28 years of fire industry experience.
Mr North will now fulfil an official advisory role for Rosenbauer, in conjunction with pursuing new challenges outside the fire sector.
Ian Robertshaw has taken up the post of head of operations, from his previous role as service director, while Nina Robertshaw – who has been with the firm since February, 2017 – has assumed responsibility as head of finance and administration.
The reshuffle comes on the back of a record year for A THIRD of payments owed to small firms based in Yorkshire and the Humber from larger business customers are paid after 30 days, according to new research undertaken by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, in conjunction with the UK Small Business Commissioner.
According to the study, 33% of invoices issued by small businesses in this part of the UK take longer than 30-day payment terms. The national average is 32%.
In fact, invoices are taking, on average, 43 days to be paid to the region’s small firms – six days longer than the national average of 37 days and well above the Small Business Commissioner’s recommended 30 days.
This places Yorkshire and the Humber as the worst part of the UK for small firms to be paid by large customers.
As a result of the research, the Small Business Commissioner, Paul Uppal, is to recommend a traffic light warning system to give small Rosenbauer UK last year, which saw the organisation increase turnover by over 210% to £18m, in turn filling its order book up to March next year.
Rosenbauer UK will also bolster its sales and service team throughout this year to uphold its quality of aftersales care and strong period of growth.
Commenting on his new role, Mr Uwins said: “Rosenbauer UK has formed a well-earned reputation for delivering first-class technology and service, alongside an unrivalled culture among our employees.
“These internal appointments will therefore ensure consistency during this period of change, as Oliver steps back from the fore.”
Mr North said: “Combined, Nick, Ian and Nina have widereaching experience, knowledge and expertise, and I look forward to maintaining my involvement within an advisory capacity, as the company continues through its current phase of growth.” firms a signal about which large businesses pay their bills late.
The public data research analysed official payment reporting returns based on large firms’ annual reports. Legislation imposed in April, 2017, required all large businesses to publish their payment practices.
Mr Uppal said: “The effect of late payment on small firms in Yorkshire and the Humber can be devastating. It impedes business growth, but also has an impact on the lives and mental health of those running small firms.
“There has been a requirement to report this information for nearly two years, and some businesses have now made two reports. The challenge now is to use the inform-ation to help small firms make sound decisions based on transparent information before deciding which larger businesses they should trade with.
“A traffic light system would be a simple and effective way of demonstrating which larger firms have structured their supply chain in such a way that it is more than an exchange of good or services but also resembles part of their financing model.”