Small Business Tips
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Find out how new equipment helps unlock potential for companies and see if your business is ready.
The UK economy has gone through a difficult few years, but the end is in sight and if the usual boom and bust cycle remains true, then we are about to experience a period of growth and change. The pace of that change in the world is rapid, start-up businesses and new technology push the boundaries and challenge the status quo every day.
Whilst the UK Government has put tax incentives in place that encourage SMEs to grow, often after a period of difficulty comes uncertainty about whether to invest. But as they say, fortune favours the bold, is yours one of the businesses that could benefit, or that gets left behind?
New machinery and equipment tends to simply work better and faster allowing you to get more done, generating more income.
A huge range of business equipment, plant and machinery are eligible for Capital Allowances, whereby the cost is written off against company profits, enabling the business to pay less corporation tax.
New equipment is usually more energy efficient and has lower operating costs. Like an A-rated appliance or new engine, newer typically means a lower running cost so you'll save money every time you use it.
If you are looking to lower operating costs and becoming more energy efficient as a business, take a look at our guide Switching Business Energy Suppliers.
New systems, programmes and options allow any business to offer something new, attract more customers and stay ahead of competitors. Technological advancements are everywhere from warehouse automation to advanced skincare.
Older equipment tends to develop their own quirks as wear and tear takes its toll, in some cases reducing functionality. There's also the possibility of safety risks, particularly in industries such as construction, logistics and healthcare. No-one wants a workplace injury of any kind.
Put money back into the business, you may be able to sell your used equipment on sites like caterfair.co.uk or machinerytrader.co.uk.
Take a look at our Asset/Equipment Refinance options for more
Older equipment is more likely to break down, reducing output, costing operational time and money in repair costs.
Additional equipment can allow you to expand your range, offer more to customers, upsell new services, get ahead of the competition and generate more income.
More equipment means the ability to increase your output, whether that's more food served, more deliveries made or more items manufactured. Anything to win more customers means more revenue and the chance of attracting bigger customers or different groups.
Who wants to have the business that turns up in the old van, or whose employees are having to make do with old equipment or outdated tech? Sometimes it just makes people feel good about their business and represents a good choice to customers if you're simply running with up-to-date kit.
Still not unsure if your business could benefit from new equipment? Here are 5 signs that you may be ready to invest in new equipment & trade-up.
You've seen the ability to expand ' You know there's the possibility of winning new contracts, serving more customers with more options, picking up bigger jobs, or simply there's more demand for what you do.
You're ambitious ' Many business owners want to grow, generating a greater income from a bigger business is natural for entrepreneurs.
Some of your equipment is aging ' Its less productive, costing you time, money and causing inconvenience to both you and your customers.
You're getting left behind ' Demand might even be falling because you're not keeping up with the market, not offering the range your competitors do or simply can't handle the work.
You want customers to trust you ' Existing and potential clients want to see you can handle demand, that your businesses, their partner, is going somewhere. They want to trust you'll be sticking around. Every business is also an extension of their customer. Using any retail outlet reflects the values of the shopper, just as choosing any service provider or supplier, reflects on the business partner. Do you want to be the business of choice?
Lets be realistic, there's a handful of things to consider when looking at investment in any business'
Are you better off spreading the cost or can you handle the impact on cashflow of buying outright?
Portman can help you finance both, but depending on what you need, refurbished equipment may be an option.
Hiring might be an option but it's expensive particularly long-term. There's a risk you can't react to demand and that hire companies might not have what you want when you want it.
View Portman's Hire Purchase options for more information on how new equipment hire could work for you.
You might need to factor in the cost of training or additional staff. Unlocking additional revenue might come with additional commitments, these can usually be woven into a finance deal with Portman.
If you think equipment can unlock permanent opportunities and win repeat customers then it's a good option. If it's just to satisfy a one-off job, take a judgement how much money you're going to make.
Not everyone wants to invest in their business, some people are happy just ticking over.
We always recommend seeking advice from a qualified Tax Accountant before making large investments in your Business.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit basic or surgical instruments.
Portman provide the following Business Finance Options for New Equipment:
If you've got the ambition to grow your business'
'and need help to secure business funding, our Portman experts can source the right finance options for you.
Saul Michelson
Head of Marketing
Degree and Post-Grad qualified with 23 years business-to-business experience, Saul is a well-rounded senior professional. A previous winner of Marketing Week's 'Best B2B Campaign' award and two Construction Marketing Awards, Saul enjoys finding out what makes businesses tick and writing articles that get straight to the point.
Operating room instruments are the basic tools that are used in surgery. Examples are:
In this article, we'll look into the design, handling and uses of some of these instruments in the operating room.
There are three different types of needles available; the 1/2 circle needle, the 3/8 circle needle and the straight needle. Needles are used for different purposes in a surgical operation. Some of which are:
There is a 10-blade with a curved cutting edge, an 11-blade that is triangularly pin-pointed, a 12-blade (stitch cutter) and a 15-blade. The blade is used to make an incision in the skin.
Gauze is used as a surgical dressing to keep a wound clean and protected. It can also be used to absorb blood and other fluids from the wound.
Diathermy is used to cut through tissue.
Retractors are sharp and round retractors. The sharp retractors have six prongs. They are commonly used for retracting and simultaneously lifting the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
Different scissors are used, either straight or curved. Scissors are basically used for cutting. To cut sutures, bandages, gauze, tape, cotton or cloth.
There are anatomical forceps and surgical forceps. The surgical forceps have teeth at the tip. Surgical forceps are used for grasping and holding various objects during surgical procedures. These tools include hand forceps, needle holders, clamping forceps, and others.
There are many types of clamps with their common denominator being the cremaillere that allows permanent closure. There are many uses of clamps in surgical operations. They can be used to hold tissues together, to stop bleeding, and to secure instruments or other materials in place. Plastic clamps are available for the insertion of blood vessels in order to feed blood from the site of surgery. Other plastic surgical clamps are used for the placement of implants, to tie ligaments, or for other various procedures.
This is one of the most basic instruments used during surgery. It is a knife with a short blade (about 1 to 3 cm) that makes cuts in the skin or other tissues. The blade is very small and this helps make clean cuts.
There are different types of needle holders. They include straight, curved-left, curved-right, and self-righting needle holders. They are used to hold suturing needles during surgical procedures.
The curette is used to scrape away tissue.
Instrument handling is a critical part of surgical procedures. Proper technique can minimize the risk of injury to the worker and damage to the instrument. Here are some tips for safe handling of Operating room instruments:
Good knowledge of different angles will allow operating team members to optimize how they use instruments. These include:
this is the angle formed between two instruments converging at the operative field. An effective manipulation angle is around 60° (45-75°).
This is the angle formed by the shaft of an instrument in relation to the horizontal axis of the patient. The ideal elevation angle is 30-60°.
This is the angle formed between the laparoscope shaft and an instrument. It should ideally be equal for all instruments.
Limberg flap angleBasic instruments like needles, blades and forceps also have safe handling procedures.
The removal of the blade should not be done with fingers but with a blade remover or forceps. The blade is placed with a clamp or needle driver on a scalpel holder and multiple grips are possible according to the desired type of incision.
In laparoscopic suturing, the suture is grasped so that the needle can 'flop' when introduced through a port. If the needle is directly grasped instead, there is likely going to be a tear in the lining of the cannula and, potentially, the abdominal wall tissues and internal structures.
The needle is usually held near its midpoint in a perpendicular manner in the tip of the jaws. A needle can be placed in a needle holder in different ways based on the desired way of stitching.
More force can be applied when the forceps is held at its tip.
The thumb and either ring finger or middle finger are placed in the holes. It is important to have sufficient pressure on the blades by putting the correct force on both finger rings.
In laparoscopic surgery, the principle of triangulation is utilized. This is when the viewing trocar and laparoscope are placed in the centre with working ports placed equidistant at either side to form a triangle. This arrangement allows the surgeon to have a central view of the target structure, optimal instrument manipulation angles, helps the depth perception, camera orientation and surgical ergonomics.
Like triangulation, sectorization is another way of organizing an operative field. It involves placing the working trocars to one side of the viewing trocar.
Laparoscopic Surgery: triangulationSurgical instruments must be kept clean and sterile by all members of the surgical team to prevent the spread of infection and to avoid contamination. This is ensured by proper preparation/handling of sterile items and sterilization of surgical instruments. Here's a breakdown of how to maintain sterility:
The setting up of table setting and preparation of instruments should be done in a sterile preparation room that has a laminar down-flow ventilation system that directs ambient air away from the site, carrying contaminant dust particles along. A back table and Mayo stand are used to set up the sterile field upon which the sterile instruments and materials can be placed. In a situation where there is no dedicated sterile preparation, the sterile field can be set up in the Operating room with an OR furniture (back table, Mayo stand and Operating room trolley) but must be far away from the door to prevent contamination. Table setting furniture and equipment should be placed, at least 1m from the walls and the person passing materials from the unsterile area to the sterile field should stand 50cm away from it.
All sterile items/instrument sets required are ensured to be in the OR. The content and size of these packs depend on the procedure and local protocol for performing the procedure. The local protocol will dictate that chemical indicator, packaging material and expiry date should all be checked.
Surgical instruments must be maintained and sterilized in order to prevent the spread of infection. To ensure that the instruments are clean, used tools must be cleaned and disinfected. The use of disposable instruments like gauze swabs and sutures is very effective in preventing the spread of infection. Some surgical instruments have a built-in sterilisation feature or may be purchased with a sterilisation system.
A very important item to note is that metal instruments should never be immersed in ethylene oxide (ETO) as they are made from stainless steel, which can cause pitting or rusting of the metal. Another method of sterilisation is by using autoclaving. The items are placed in a water bath and subject to steam for 5 minutes at around 121°C. The autoclave is then turned off, and the water bath is removed. The items are then left for a further 5 minutes at room temperature in an environment which will not induce condensation on the surface of the items.
Without proper understanding of instrument handling and maintenance of sterility, there are a number of common complications associated with the use of these surgical instruments. One of the most common complications is infection. Infection can occur when the instruments are not properly cleaned and disinfected before use.
In order to prevent an infection, both personnel and processes should be guided by hospital policyAnother common complication is damage to surrounding tissues. This can occur when the instruments are not properly used or when they are not properly sterilized. The type of instruments used and the type of procedure performed will also affect the rate of complications. For example, the use of scalpels is associated with more severe complications than the use of forceps and other types of cutting instruments.
Surgeons and other surgical team members must have a clear understanding of how to properly handle basic operating room instruments in order to optimize their usage during surgery. By using the correct techniques, surgeons can minimize the risk of injury to themselves and their patients. Improper handling of surgical instruments can lead to a number of problems, including accidental puncture wounds, lacerations, and infection.
Incision Nurse(s) are scrub nurses and nurse anesthetists creating courses for the Academy. The content we create is always checked by perioperative team members from client hospitals. By understanding their needs, we design what we believe to be the best solution to help healthcare professionals perform their daily tasks. The videos are intended to provide quick and concise overviews of the skills and concepts, relevant to the practice of scrub nurses and nurse anesthetists.
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