airsystemsgroup-blog

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Don't forget that every month we updated our Special Offers! Each month we choose the products that you buy the most and give you extra special discounts. Please visit http://www.airsystemcontrols-online.co.uk/specialoffers.aspx for more information and to view our full listings!

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

We have launched our new Ebay Shop as of today, starting off with some brilliant offers on push-in fittings, hose, galvanised fittings and cylinders! We will hopefully be building this up over the new few months and hope to offer you the most competitive prices possible. Visit us: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/airsystemcontrols

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

BizMums Conference 2013

Both myself and Emma had the pleasure of attending the first annual BizMums Conference and Awards. Held at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury, Michelle really pulled out all the stops. Based in the hotels regency suite we were greeted with refreshments and a relaxed seating area. The décor and atmosphere of the hotel is perfect for wedding receptions, networking events and conferences. 

The small room was dedicated to the more professional business such as: Henshalls Insurance Brokers, Wynne Media, Claire Dowdall and Wynne Media. While the main hall held the Arts and Crafts, and more Retail stalls. There were plenty of familiar face from the likes of: Both halves of J and PR, Ruth RMB Financial Planning and Jenny Osborne from Henshalls.

Throughout the day the guest speakers were entertaining and interesting - and we aren't just saying that because we knew most of them. Sam Warner and Harriet Morris both gave speeches relating to finding yourself, overcoming difficulties and self improvement. While Rebekah Harriman, Claire Dowdall and J and PR mainly focused on marketing your business, both thorugh PR and digital media. 

There was also a lovely networking buffet lunch in between held by Free 2 Network. A variety of warm buffet style food was presented and tables consisted of 10 people. We had to give a very short 20 second introduction and the rest was 'free 2 network'. 

Towards the end of the afternoon we had a very inspirational speech provided by life coach Louise Presley-Turner followed by the awards ceremony. And the winner is....

Outstanding Personal Achievement Award - Evoque Designs On-line Mum of the Year - Claire Dowdall New Business Award 2013 - Pupcakes Exceptional Service Award - Jenny Osborne - Henshalls Insurance Charity Mum of the Year 2013 - PANDAS Foundation Environmental Mum Award - Kate Long Creative Mum Award - Forget-Me-Not-Bears MUM OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013 - JENNY OSBORNE - HENSHALLS INSURANCE

We had a very productive day at the event, with a lot of social media influencing the day. A very big hello to everyone that was present including: Arbonne Cosmetics, Eli the DDC, Wynne Media, Love The Sweet, All Time Dude, Lingotot, Joanna Pritchard, Map Designs, Susan Miller, In The Shed, Victoria Macken, Taylors Luxury Cupcakes, The Little Bunting Company and Kiki Jewlery.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Network of Women: Wrekin College

Both myself and Emma attended the Network of Women event at Wrekin College on the 13th August. Wrekin College is an outstanding day/ boarding school in Wellington, Telford. On arrival Teresa Greeted us and we were joined by some familiar faces.

The special guest for this event was Stuart Nisbet, development chef for Elior UK who provide the catering at Wrekin College. We had a lovely demonstration of how to cook mushroom risotto and then the tables turned. 8 of the lovely ladies were chosen at random to do a Ready.Steady.Cook challenge and for us to judge them at the end.

It was a brilliant demonstration and really got everyone involved. Definitely a nice change from your average speaker. I think this event was very relaxed and got everyone talking, especially those who hadn't been before and may have felt a little on edge.

After the demo we all made our way to the tables for a beautiful buffet lunch also put on by Elior. We had beautiful salad, char-grilled chicken, salmon and mushroom risotto. Followed by meringue, fresh fruit and raspberry coulee.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Did you hear us this morning? This was our little mention for pen of the week today!

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

This week we are featured on Shropshire's Free Radio station. Throughout the week we will be posting little snippets from their show promoting us as 'Pen of the Week'.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Shropshire Star: MP Visit Article

New factory opened by growing Telford company

A new factory for an expanding Telford company was today officially opened by Telford MP David Wright.

Mr Wright cut the ribbon at Air Systems’ new factory on Stafford Park and met three of the firm’s apprentices. He said he was pleased to see the company continuing to grow and praised bosses for investing time and money into apprentices.

The Air Systems Group is a family-owned business based in Telford which was started by managing director Bill Cooper.

The firm has moved from its old premises nearby to accommodate new parts of the business, including Manx Trophies which was taken on last year.

Mr Cooper was born and raised in Dawley, and served his apprenticeship with GKN before starting the business in 1989.

Mr Wright said: “I am always pleased to see local companies doing well, but it is especially good news to see a local Dawley lad doing so much for our town by investing locally and creating jobs.

“The Air Systems Group is a great example of how firms in Telford are innovative, forward looking and dependable and I want to pay a special tribute to Bill Cooper and his team for their hard work in supporting local industry and investing in apprenticeships.”

Apprentices

Mr Cooper said: “We are delighted that David Wright could join us to celebrate the opening of our new factory, but also to meet with our apprentices.

“We believe in investing in our staff and our apprentices are an example others.

“We are a local company with a national reputation and being based in the centre of Telford at Stafford Park is ideal for us.

“It allows us to give our customers the very best service, often with same day deliveries.

“With over 100 years combined technical experience within the pneumatic industry, the Air Systems team prides itself in its ability to come up with bespoke solutions, for new equipment, or better productivity of existing production lines and methods.

“Over the years, and largely thanks to its trusted status among its clients, the business expanded into plastics, industrial engraving and sign making.

“The purchase of the Manx Trophies brand in the summer meant that new premises was needed to house a new showroom and production areas.”

The firm is best known for making plumbing fittings and pneumatic cylinders. Also part of the Air Systems Group are Manx Trophies and Lewis & Mason Plastics, which provides parts for industry.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Ladies in Business

Emma and myself attended the Ladies in Business event this week at Adcote School with Harriet Morris as the guest speaker. After a very warm welcome and 20 minutes of networking, we found our seats and settled down for dinner.

This time there were 5 tables of around 6/7 people, casual and no 60 second pitch. We were in the presence of; Nikki Pickering from Martin Kaye Solicitors, Rebecca Dolbey from Applied Marketing Information, Sarah Millington from Hatchers Solicitors. The food lived up to expectations again, a lovely summer salmon salad and lemon tart.

Harriet Morris later went on to give an overview of her recent findings. She interviewed over 100 people to find out if they actually managed to keep off weight they'd lost through dieting and if their diets actually worked. Harriet presented some rather interesting facts including people that still ate 'snack food' still managed to keep the weight off. Why? Because of a positive mental attitude and empowering yourself.

I also managed to catch up with Kirsty Smallman of JandPR, Jenny Osborne from Henshalls Insurance and Sarah Knowles of Shires Fire and Safety.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Bridgnorth Breakfast Club

On Wednesday morning myself and Keith Trubshaw attended the Bridgnorth Breakfast Club at the Hundred House Hotel. The guest speaker for this event was Hollie Whittles from Fraggle Works.

With it being a beautiful summers morning the Hundred House opened the main doors letting a lovely breeze into the room throughout the event. Another very enjoyable fry up was served with a nice vegetarian option as well. As usual the first two tables performed their 60 second pitch, however this time a few went for a more relaxed approach and stayed sitting down. Must be the summer feeling!

Then an informative presentation was given by Hollie Whittles, explaining how you can be ‘Britains Next Top Brand’. Covering topics like:

Building your online brand presence

Being proactive with social media

Protecting your brand; trademarks, copyrights, patents

Creating engaging content

Being wary of the hackers and hijackers

Living and breathing your brand

It was a very lively and interactive presentation, and thought provoking to say the least. After the presentation the final 2 tables presented their pitch and we went on to network. I had the opportunity to catch up with Ruth Burley from RMB Financial Planning and Nigel Parry from County Training. I also met a brilliant artist Chris Ryder who’s main form of work is caricatures and Paul Brennen from Adastra Associates with an impressive balloon trick!

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

July at the Air Systems Group:

Here at the Air Systems Group we will be having quite a busy month:

Myself and Emma will be attending Ladies in Business over at Adcote School in Shrewsbury tomorrow.

Keith Trubshaw and I will also be present at next Wednesdays Bridgnorth Breakfast club with special guest Hollie from Fraggle Works - web design.

Shropshire's local MP David Wright will be coming to officially open our showroom on the 24th July.

We are also cracking down on our spring cleaning and having a huge clear out this month. All positive attitudes with this beautiful weather. Look out for updates about this event throughout the month!

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Network of Women

Today me and Emma went to the Abraham Derby Academy, Madeley to attend the network of women event put on by the Shropshire Chamber.

Much to our delight we had a short tour of the new school, taken round by two 6th Form students. The new academy is brilliant! All the very best technology and teaching equipment including conference facilities, drama and dance studio, recording studio and lecture theater. Many of the studios, classrooms, and PC suites are available to rent and a hot/ cold buffet can be provided.

We then went into the lecture theater, to give our daunting 30 second introductions. Which went surprising well with cheers when I announced our apprenticeship award. Moving on to a speech from Jan Minihane. Jan runs her own business The Net Advantage, teaching people how to use social media and internet marketing in the correct way. 'Do Less, Better' is one of her more well known phrases. An excellent overview regarding the latest updates to social media, and how to target your audience correctly. We would definitely recommend getting Jan in if your new to the world of Social Media.

The event ended with a relaxed networking lunch in the schools 6th Form common room. A good variety of cold food that had been prepared by Abraham Derby.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

The Awards Ceremony

At the Air Systems Group, we believe that our young members of staff are the key to promoting a healthier business. The group currently employs 22 members of staff, 5 of which are young apprentices. The apprentices have all worked exceptionally hard within their areas over the past year, exceeding expectations. Each of them has brought a new set of views and are always focusing on the development of the group.

We recently entered the Shropshire Business Awards 2013 for the apprentice of the year category. We provided the judges with a short summary of how the apprentices have helped our business, how they have developed themselves and a little information about our company.

Rose (21) joined us to complete a level 3 advanced apprenticeship in Business and Administration. She has helped transform the company’s online presence, and excelled in the development and marketing side of the business.

Josh (19) joined us after struggling to find work for over 7 months. He is currently working on completing a level 2 apprenticeship in manufacturing. Today he is a confident youngster, engaged in projects far in advance of what we would have expected.

Rob (26) joined the group last year after being out of work for sometime, and almost having given up on finding a job. The transformation in his life has been wonderful to see, not only has he brought his first house but is getting married. At work he has grown in character and is already capable of carrying out all of our manufacturing operations.

We attended the Shropshire Business Awards on Friday 14th June with special guest speak Tanni Grey-Thompson. The nominations for the Apprentice of the year were: Dyke Yaxley Chartered Accountants, Reech Media Group Limited, DENSO Manufacturing UK Ltd and The Air Systems Group.

We are proud to announce that we won the award for Apprentice of the Year and had a brilliant time at the award ceremony.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

We are still buzzing from the awards ceremony on Friday night. Another big thank you to all of our apprentices, and everyone that made it happen, here are our best bits.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Network with Style - Sara Moseley

Both myself and Emma attended the Network with Style event this morning over in Shrewsbury at the Lord Hill Hotel.

It was our first time at the Network with Style and we were impressed. A great set up with refreshments, a table laid out with everyone's business cards and little stands with some members products on display. I thought this was a brilliant idea and not something you usually see.

We had a little time to network before sitting down, and the venue provided a welcoming feel so no one felt out of place or anxious to talk to one another. A few congratulations were said after our win on Friday at the business awards and we were eventually seated.

We received a warm introduction and a 5 minutes presentation from the sponsor Ironbridge Soaps. Ironbridge Soaps is a small company based in Madeley, Telford manufacturing and selling home made soaps and creams. And well, they are delightful, I had to treat myself to some there and then.

Due to our win on Friday, me and Emma unexpectedly had to get up and explain what we had a achieved and just how an apprentice can change your company. And then of course the daunting 45 second pitch! We then took a little break to network some more - which i thought it was a brilliant idea because I forget who's who by the end of an event!

Sara Moseley was the guest speaker at the event that explained the do's and don't's about using your own pictures online and the importance of good quality photography. Sara definitely has the experience and knows what she is talking about. Here photographic art is brilliant and definitely a suggestion for wedding, maternity and family portraits.

At at the end? A little more networking, a few biscuits and some inquiries! A welcoming group of people especially for your first networking event.

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

As you are all aware we were finalists in the Shropshire Business Awards 2013 for Apprentice of the year. All of our apprentices have amazing stories leading up to their employment and we wanted to show just how we have helped them develop. Over the next few weeks I will post the story behind each apprentice to show exactly where they started and where they want to end up.

After a brilliant meal, and motivational inspirational speaker Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson we went on to the award ceremony. Well done to all of the winners:

Company of the Year - Grocontinental

International Trade - The Marvellous Group

Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Katie Smith

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality - The International Centre

Customer Service - Belvoir Telford

Business in the Community - Saxonby

Best Small Business - The UK Foodhall Ltd

Technology, Enterprise & Innovation - Ra'alloy Ramps Ltd

Best New Business - Bronze Software Labs Ltd

Managing Change - Verve Graphic Design & Manufacturing

And if you didn't already know... We got Apprentice of the Year 2013!

[airsystemsgroup-blog]

Here is a lovely picture of Emma from Air Systems and John Green from Stay Telford yesterday. We went to visit the company after providing them with some magnetic signage to a fundraising week to raise awareness of the charities work. Stay Telford work with young people from the age of 16 through until 32 who need housing and support services. A really great charity and we look forward to working closely with John in the future!