Dyson Group, the recession-hit materials technology company, has sold its precision ceramics business to its management team for £100,000 as part of its restructuring. The Sheffield-based group suspended its shares in July 2009 while it negotiated with banks. It is now restructuring the business, cutting 38 per cent of jobs, selling £2m worth of property assets and selling its kiln furniture business in a management buyout. The subsidiary Dyson Industries has now exchanged contracts with JEMMTEC, a company set up by the existing and previous management of the precision ceramics business, which manufactures products used in the glass and metals industry from its base in Dewsbury. The business will trade as Magma Ceramics. The business had gross assets of £1.8m in its unaudited accounts for the nine months to 31 December 2009 and made a profit of £44,000. For Insider comment click here.

LNT Group has sold GLP Taylors, its agency and consultancy business, to Jones Lang LaSalle. The Leeds-based conglomerate announced its intention to sell GLP Taylors in January as part of a two-part divestment process. Group chairman Lawrence Tomlinson decided there was a potential conflict of interests within the group since its re-entry into care home operations with Ideal Care Homes. For Insider comment click here.

Pressure Technologies, based in Sheffield, has acquired Al-Met, a niche manufacturer of precision engineered valve wear parts used in the oil and gas industries, for £2.5m. Al-Met, which is based in Pontyclun, near Cardiff, employs 29 staff, including 20 highly-trained machinists. The director and general manager, Tony Chess, along with his management team, will remain with the business following the acquisition. Pressure Technologies has warned in a trading update that its main subsidiary Chesterfield Special Cylinders' pre-tax profit for the current year is likely to be up to £0.9m lower than market expectations as a result of order delays, and action is being taken to reduce its operating costs. For Insider comment click here.

Headland Media has secured a £3.5m refinancing deal through Yorkshire Bank. The company, which has an office in Leeds, was formed in 2008 in a management buyout from Sky where it had previously sat within the 365 Media brand. Schofield Sweeney solicitors and BDO Stoy Hayward advised on the deal, which involved refinancing mezzanine debt with senior debt and providing working capital facilities. Cobbetts advised Yorkshire Bank.

Sheffield manufacturer of surgical instruments Uniplex (UK) has won its case at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg for the right to be included in a list of approved suppliers to the NHS. In 2007, the business tendered to the NHS Supply Chain, an organisation run by German-owned DHL, but lost out. Uniplex challenged the tender process, saying it had not been conducted fairly. It started proceedings in the High Court in Leeds, which in turn referred the case to Luxembourg. Uniplex’s solicitors Irwin Mitchell told the court the business' tender was rejected on the basis that the challenge was too late under the rules for public contract tenders, which was wrong. The ECJ ruled the NHS’ agents had taken the wrong starting-time and the relevant UK regulations did not comply with European Union requirements. Andrew Lockley, partner and head of public law at Irwin Mitchell, said the decision redressed the balance of power between large and small suppliers. "As a result of this successful challenge by a determined managing director life has been made easier for suppliers to the public sector to bring a challenge where they believe the procurement process has been unfair," he said.

Harbert Management Corporation has sold a prime, single-let distribution warehouse on Premier Park, Oulton, Leeds to Aviva Investors Pensions for £5.75m. The current tenant, the Iron Mountain Europe, will continue to occupy the 70,639 sq ft site. CB Richard Ellis advised the vendor and Aviva Investors Pensions was advised by Jones Lang LaSalle.

Priority Sites has sold the final unit on phase one of its Green Lane Industrial Estate in Featherstone for a sum approaching £750,000, rather than £250,000 as reported in Insider News on Friday. The 15,000 sq ft unit has been sold to Apprenticeship Training, a vocational college for plumbers, electricians and gas engineers. Bill Skilki, chief executive at Priority Sites, said: “We’ve invested a lot in making the site attractive, combining high-quality sandstone, brick and steel cladding buildings with well landscaped grounds. The site also benefits from a strong position, close to the M62.”

Consortium Warmsale and Hull Forward have applied for match funding from the European Regional Development Fund assistance to build Marfleet Environmental Technology Park on the site of the former Humbrol model aeroplane manufacturing site in Hull. The project will refurbish the central high bay warehouse, reinstate new services and infrastructure, and build additional space to provide about 150,000 sq ft to attract investment in environmental technology.

Sheffield-based Independence Properties has formed a partnership with CA Tax Solutions in Cheshire to extend its service to identifying capital allowance claims and tax rebates. Managing director Peter Treherne said 96 per cent of commercial property owners were not claiming available allowances.

Structural steel company Severfield-Rowen has appointed Alan Dunsmore as finance director. Current finance director Peter Davison will retire at the end of March and will work alongside Dunsmore as a consultant. Dunsmore was previously director of finance at Smiths Detection.