Business Case Studies

Shoreham Port is home to a diverse range of businesses from the traditional to those at the cutting edge of technology.

Animazoo is one of the latter and is leading the way in computer animation. The company, which was established by Ali Kord in 2000, has recently received a grant from the Technology Strategy Board to develop an affordable motion capture suit.

The £1.42m grant, awarded under the Board’s competitive programme for Application of Digital Technology in Creative Industries, will enable Animazoo to conduct development work on the suits that are worn by actors to produce the fantasy creatures such as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and computer game characters.

Animazoo moved to Shoreham Port in 2005 and has since grown from five to 17 people, generating an annual turnover in excess of £1.2m.

Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90’ and is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic technology.

The company’s motion capture technology is used around the world by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC, RAI TV in Italy and Fuji TV in Japan

Development work on the new motion capture suit, which involves Animazoo working closely with experts at the University of Sussex has already begun in earnest.

Animazoo is using its market leading motion capture design and development expertise, alongside the University of Sussex’s Internet academic knowledge, to research software aspects of the project.

The university team will produce the Software Developers’ Kit for the final product and assist in identifying market opportunities for the new product, which is likely to include the home entertainment sector, with the suit selling for between £200 and £500.

“It has always been our long-term goal at Animazoo to transfer the experience we’ve gained in high-end motion capture projects into an affordable, mass market product and this partnership will make that a reality,” says Ali. “We hope the suits we’re developing here will be like the virtual reality which was promised 20 years ago but never delivered.”
8th January 2009 .

The arrival of Brighton and Hove’s most advanced recording studio is music to the ears of Shoreham Port.

Transmission Studio, which is run by Alistair Gavin, has relocated to Unit 5 on Hove Enterprise Centre, a facility owned by Shoreham Port.

Alistair was attracted by the unit’s seafront location, which offers producers, artists and sound engineers inspirational views of the harbour and sea.

Transmission Studios have invested heavily in state of the art equipment and making the most of the space, establishing a three hundred square foot live room and a two hundred square foot control room, complemented with free parking and an easy ground floor load-in.

“We’re really excited about our new home,” says Alistair. “The unit gives us the space and flexibility we need to develop our business further. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest possible service to our clients and these new premises reflect that ethos.”

You can find out more about Transmission Studios at www.transmissionstudios.net.

Shoreham Port’s latest tenant, Shutterly Fabulous has made quite an impact on its new home – a 12 foot wide, 12 foot tall hole in one wall at Quayside House.

Thankfully, the space has now been filled by large doors, which will form an impressive entranceway to the company’s new showroom.

Shoreham Port was fully supportive of its new tenants rather unusual request and was pleased to be able to accommodate the designer and installer of bespoke blinds and its sister company, The California Shutter & Blind Company.

Established in 2001, Shutterly Fabulous has enjoyed impressive growth serving clients in London and the South East. Previously based in Claremont Road, Brighton, the company’s 15 staff needed some room to breath plus warehousing and space for the new showroom. 

Shutterly Fabulous provides a bespoke shutter design and installation service for people in London and the South East, whilst The California Shutter & Blind Company offers people across the UK the chance to buy high quality wood blinds, aluminum blinds and wood plantation shutters online. Both companies are now really at home in Quayside House.

“We’d simply outgrown our previous offices in Brighton and wanted to relocate to new premises which would allow us to continue our growth. Quayside House allows us to do that perfectly. The offices easily seat our 15 staff and we have warehousing plus a new showroom below us,” says Murray Clark, Director.

“I have to say we were a little apprehensive about asking if we could make such a dramatic structural alteration to the building but Shoreham Port were great. They could see how our plans would bring new life to the building and made the whole process of moving in and altering the building straight forward and hassle free. We’re really looking forward to growing the business from our new home.”

 

Stamco’s new branch creates 12 new jobs

The arrival of a new chain of builders’ merchants in Shoreham has created 12 new jobs.

Stamco Building Supplies, which is headquartered in Hastings, opened its fourth outlet on Monday (21st July) at Kingston Wharf.

The independently owned firm is Shoreham Port’s latest tenant, occupying approximately 1.5 acres including some 25,000 square feet of warehousing and office space with a trade counter plus parking for 25 vehicles.

Servicing al satellite depot in Hove, Stamco is keen to see the Shoreham branch establish itself as a hub for future expansion and Director, John Cornelius believes three more jobs may be created within the next few months.

The opening of the new site took just two months to complete. “It was important for us to move fast,” said Stamco’s Director, John Cornelius. “We had already recruited new staff in anticipation of expanding to Shoreham and when we saw this site we immediately knew it was ideal for our current and future needs. Thankfully, Shoreham Port was able to pull out all the stops and made it easy for us to move in within two months of making our initial enquiry. We’re very optimistic about the future and think our Shoreham branch will grow quickly and lead to further jobs being created.”

Peter Davies, Development Director at Shoreham Port, commented: “Stamco’s move to Shoreham underlines the success of the company and epitomises our ethos in creating new jobs for local people and facilitating growth. We were only too pleased to move things along for John and meet Stamco’s need for a new site at short notice.”

Founded in 1957, Stamco Timber started as a supplier of timber mouldings. Since then it has grown to boast an annual turnover in excess of £18 million, has a total of 125 employees and owns two further companies; Stamco Building Supplies, with branches currently in Eastbourne, Hastings, Hove and now Shoreham, and Karelia Wood Flooring, which has a national distribution network.
29th July 2008 .

If there’s one business that typifies what Shoreham Port is all about it’s The Cheese Man.

Established in 1993 by Fred and Tony Cowling, The Cheese Man has grown into a highly successful business, supplying more than 500 customers, including restaurants, retailers and delis across East, West and Mid-Sussex.

The company has resided on Shoreham Port since it first opened its doors, but those doors have changed slightly as the company has expanded from one unit to three. The growth in premises has been mirrored in its fleet – owners Fred and Tony Cowling started with just one van but now operate five.

Specalising in quality cheeses from Great Britain and the continent, the company can supply more than 300 different cheeses from over 15 countries. The company also offers a comprehensive charcuterie and gourmet product range stretching from Parma ham to pates and olives to oatcakes.

“We feel very much at home here and it meets all our needs to run a small successful business,” says Fred. “The people at the Port have been really helpful and supportive. It makes such a difference to have a landlord who cares about your business and wants you to succeed. The installation of the new fridges was as smooth as it could be thanks in part to the understanding and support of Shoreham Port in allowing us to alter the building in order to accommodate the new units.”

As a business, The Cheese Man is passionate about cheese and fine foods, and as a local family run company is proud to promote local cheeses. Mindful of the importance of food miles and environmental issues, The Cheese Man works incredibly closely with local cheese makers and has even produced a guide to promote quality cheeses from the surrounding area.