COUNCIL LEADER VISITS NOMICAL NETWORKS’ NEW ROCHDALE PREMISES

Posted by on 7 Mar 2016

28th January 2016: Councillor Richard Farnell, Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, has today visited the new offices of Nomical Networks, a provider of IT support services that has grown from a two-man start-up business to a successful SME in just eight years.

The success of a pioneering new automated access system that has already been adopted by organisations including Pure Gym, Britain’s biggest gym chain, is just one of the reasons why the Rochdale-based business chose to relocate to an impressive 6,300 sq. ft. building on Moss Bridge Road. Nomical Networks has other innovative cloud solutions in the pipeline and acts as the virtual IT department for businesses across the UK.

40 staff now, with aspirations to recruit further each year
Established in 2008 by brothers Jon and Simon Dunning, to provide a range of IT solutions to local businesses, Nomical Networks currently employs 40 staff and hopes to grow sufficiently to recruit approximately 10 new employees each year.

Support from Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency
“When I look at our business today, it’s hard to believe that we started out from an incubator unit in Rochdale’s Enterprise Centre just a few years ago,” comments joint owner, Jon Dunning.

“Within four years we had outgrown our space,” he continues. “So, with four staff in tow, we moved to Rochdale’s Lock 50 Business Centre. Now, four years on – and with the support of Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency – we’ve made the move to the former purpose-built offices of Zen Internet. I can’t praise the council or RDA highly enough. The help and guidance we have received throughout the process has been outstanding.”

Pure genius for Pure Gym
Renowned for providing high quality outsourced IT support services and bespoke IT solutions, Nomical Networks is being increasingly recognised for its innovative cloud- based solutions, with its highly-rated access control platform currently being utilised by Pure Gym across its UK sites, as well as by other gyms and organisations.

“Our access control system has helped Pure Gym, as well as other organisations, to cut their administrative costs massively,” says Jon Dunning. “For example, when a member of the public joins the gym online, they receive a unique membership code that allows them to access their chosen gymnasium instantly. Cloud-based, the system cuts down on administration and, in turn, assists in offering exceptionally competitive membership costs. In short, we know how to utilise technology to maximise revenue for our customers.”

Skilled employment opportunities
Since relocating to Rochdale’s Moss Bridge Road only a few weeks ago, Nomical Networks has already recruited ten new employees from the local area. The new personnel include: highly skilled network engineers, solution architects as well as a number of skilled administrators and project managers. The business has also taken on four apprentices.

IT apprenticeships
“As well as offering skilled roles, we are also committed to developing the talents of younger people – individuals who will, hopefully, become the future lifeblood of our business,” continues Jon Dunning. “It’s for that reason we are working with a local training provider to deliver 12-month apprenticeship programmes for school leavers in Rochdale who are passionate about IT and wish to achieve professional qualifications.  The programmes are designed to give school leavers a strong technical grounding, combined with mentoring, assessment and qualifications which fit around our business needs.  Going forward, we hope to take on four to five apprentices every year.”

“Assisting organisations of all sizes to thrive and prosper” – Richard Farnell
“Nomical Networks is a perfect example of how Rochdale is able to assist organisations of all sizes to grow, thrive and prosper – through high quality accommodation and ongoing business support services,” comments Council Leader, Richard Farnell.  “Although it is typically the bigger organisations moving onto our larger distribution parks that make the headlines, Nomical Networks is proof that we are also here for start-ups, small businesses and SMEs – organisations that invariably go on to provide highly worthwhile employment opportunities. I wish Nomical Networks every success for the future.”

Ends…

Photograph caption:
Jon Dunning and Richard Farnell, Leader Rochdale Borough Council

For more press information, please contact:
Mr Chris Norwood
Business Development Manager
Rochdale Development Agency
Number One Riverside
Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU
T: 01706 927933
M: 07595 280151
E: c.norwood@investinrochdale.co.uk
www.investinrochdale.co.uk