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Thames Freeport names winners in Connectivity Lab trials

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Thames Freeport has named the winning technologies from its Connectivity Lab programme, with the selected systems set to be deployed or extended at the Port of Tilbury, DP World London Gateway and Ford Dagenham.

The programme tested eight technologies in live commercial settings after the three industrial partners reviewed more than 140 applicants. The work was backed by £4 million in 5G infrastructure investment through Verizon and a further £1.2 million invested directly in the lab.

Each innovation is expected to deliver at least a 25% increase in productivity. The model also cuts the usual procurement process for new technology by more than 100% and reduces risk for site operators considering adoption.

The Port of Tilbury chose to extend pilots with Aible, Allread and Streamwide. Aible uses AI-based analysis to help port teams make operational decisions, while Allread applies AI imaging to CCTV footage to track containers moving by rail in and out of the site.

Streamwide provides a communications platform that connects parties across the port and improves responses to alerts, thereby supporting operational efficiency.

Ford Dagenham also selected Aible for an extended pilot focused on process flows around vehicle movements. It has also extended a pilot with Focalx, which uses AI analysis on mobile devices during vehicle inspections to reduce disputes and standardise the process.

Nokia also ran a pilot with Ford, using 5G-enabled cameras to improve visual and audio awareness in areas not covered by existing systems. Discussions are continuing with Ford and the Port of Tilbury.

At DP World London Gateway, the programme introduced Conroo and Purple Transform, with both still under engagement. Conroo offers a smartphone app that tracks container arrivals at port gates, aiming to reduce lorry loading and discharge times, improve routing and ease congestion.

Purple Transform uses existing CCTV data to automate the detection of context-specific personal protective equipment around heavy machinery and vehicles. DP World also piloted MapBI, which built a digital twin of the site’s container inventory to provide operational data for loading, discharge and inventory planning.

MapBI is continuing discussions with all three sites. The lab forms part of Thames Freeport’s wider strategy to use technology trials as a route to broader industrial deployment across logistics and manufacturing operations.

Operator Trials

The programme was designed to give scale-ups and larger businesses access to industrial environments where new systems could be tested under operating conditions. For site operators, it offered a way to assess technologies before making longer-term purchasing decisions.

Stuart Rimmer, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Thames Freeport, said, “As the UK’s Next Generation Growth Zone, Thames Freeport is focused on turning innovation into deployment. The Connectivity Lab shows how new technologies can be tested in live operating environments and adopted at pace. This is about improving productivity, safety and resilience across critical industrial sites.”

For DP World, the work focused on whether the technologies could fit into existing port operations. Alan Shaoul, UK Chief Financial Officer – Ports & Terminals, DP World, said, “At DP World, we’re focused on continuously improving how our operations perform and how we support our customers across their supply chains. Technology is an important part of that, and the Connectivity Lab gives us a useful opportunity to assess new solutions from Conroo and Purple Transform in a live operational setting before making decisions on wider adoption.”

At the Port of Tilbury, the selected pilots focused on data analysis and cargo tracking. Ross McKissock, Director of Unitised, Port of Tilbury, said, “Being part of the Connectivity Lab has enabled us to run an initial pilot and extended pilots with both Aible and Allread, expanding our data analysis and container tracking capabilities to drive better decisions, efficiency and cost savings. The Connectivity Lab has enabled us to pilot these technologies at speed. We’re proud to have been part of this programme, which will unlock efficiencies and sustainability for trade and industry across the UK and ultimately enhance the country’s performance on a global scale.”

L Marks, which was involved in the programme, described the lab as a way to shorten a typically slow route to procurement in port settings. Daniel Saunders, Chief Executive Officer, L Marks, said, “The pathway to procurement in port environments can take years because, at this scale, every decision carries commercial and operational weight. The Lab cut that to weeks by generating the evidence before the commitment is made, so operators no longer have to bet on a technology they have never seen perform. Seeing the trial, as well as the ROI specific to their business case, is what drives adoption and the productivity gains that follow.”



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‘Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored’, says MP on EWR

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Consultation on more than 80 changes along the East West Rail (EWR) line has been ongoing since April, and one change has those living in Bicester up in arms.

The existing London Road crossing in Bicester is to permanently close on safety grounds when the EWR line becomes fully operational.

CGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossingCGI images of single-lane motorised underpass, which is the preferred option for Bicester’s London Road level crossing (Image: East West Rail Company)

Instead, an underpass is among the improvements proposed in the railway project.

Following a public consultation last November that received more than 6,200 responses, the underpass and an alternative footbridge have been proposed for the London Road crossing in Bicester as part of more than 80 design changes made to the East West Rail Project.

East West Railway Company said the revised underpass design would be subject to securing third-party funding contributions.

This was met with anger from the community, including from local campaigner of more than a decade and chairman of the Langford Village Community Association, Carole Hetherington, who described the announcement as “incredibly frustrating”.

READ MORE: Victoria Beckham gushed over Cruz after Spice Girls Instagram post

Carole HetheringtonCarole Hetherington (Image: Charlotte Coles, Newsquest)

The new designs show a single-lane road for vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists, but the underpass could not be used by tall vehicles such as lorries.

East West Rail’s preferred solution would be to divert traffic via existing and upgraded roads and to install a bridge or underpass for pedestrian, cyclists and other users.

The design now includes a single-lane road that could be used by vehicles, alongside a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

Traffic signals would be installed at each entrance to allow vehicles to travel through the underpass safely in both directions.

Officials, businesses and residents fear that Bicester will be “cut in two” as a result, sparking an ongoing campaign to keep the crossing open to vehicles.

READ MORE: Group of ‘patriots’ to protest following murder of student Henry Nowak

L-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O'Gorman, O'GormansL-R: Carole Hetherington, chairman of Langford Village Community Association; Johnny Morgan, The Fat Zebra; Robert Packman, Imagex; Andrew O’Gorman, O’Gormans (Image: Carole Hetherington)

Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said in a statement: “This is the final week to respond to East West Rail’s consultation on London Road.

“I know I have asked before (many times) that Bicester has already shown, loud and clear, that we are united behind keeping London Road open.

“But this final push matters.

“East West Rail has now put forward revised proposals for an underpass at London Road. We now need the Government to have no excuse not to back it, fund it and deliver it.

“So, if you have five minutes this week, please respond to the consultation and make your voice heard.

“Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored now.”

EWR described the new line as connecting “communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, supporting sustainable economic growth in the area”.

The company confirmed the changes “would make it easier to reach jobs, education, public services and days out with family and friends”.





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Verne drops Global as it sharpens AI data centre focus

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SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Verne has unveiled a new brand identity and shortened its name from Verne Global to Verne, a change it says reflects its focus on AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

The rebrand brings its public identity in line with a business that has expanded from a single-region operator into a pan-Nordic data centre platform. It serves hyperscalers, neocloud providers and enterprise customers with compute-intensive workloads across Northern Europe.

Backed by Ardian, Verne has been repositioning itself in a data centre market reshaped by demand for AI computing. Operators are under pressure to provide sufficient power, cooling and operational depth as customers seek sites that can support denser, more energy-intensive systems.

The updated branding centres on the phrase “natural intelligence”, which Verne uses to describe a combination of Nordic location advantages and the expertise of the teams running its facilities. The new identity is intended to deliver a clearer message to customers and communities as the company grows.

The visual redesign moves away from earlier imagery closely tied to landscape and energy. In its place, Verne is adopting a more restrained look based on Nordic design cues, with mineral textures, muted colours and architectural composition meant to reflect an engineering-led business.

Dropping “Global” from its name also better matches the way the company operates. Verne said it already sees itself as an international business, making the shorter name a simpler expression of its market position.

Market shift

The rebrand comes as data centre operators adjust both strategy and messaging to meet a surge in AI-related demand. Across the sector, providers are trying to distinguish themselves not only through location and sustainability claims, but also through their ability to house dense computing equipment reliably.

Nordic countries have drawn growing interest from data centre and cloud operators because of their cooler climates and access to lower-carbon electricity sources. Those factors can reduce cooling demands and help customers manage the environmental impact of large-scale computing operations.

For Verne, that backdrop has become central to its positioning. The revised brand places greater emphasis on the physical environments where it builds, the staff who operate its sites and the local communities connected to those facilities.

Cheil led the branding work, with support from other agencies across communications and digital strategy. The resulting identity is meant to reflect a business that says it has changed significantly in scale, customer mix and market expectations in recent years.

Nick Spink, Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide, described the thinking behind the project.

“Verne came to us with a clear challenge: how should its brand reflect the fundamental shift the business had made? As we explored the brief, we found a meaningful tension: how to communicate high-performance computing and AI in a way that still felt deeply human. This led us to ‘natural intelligence’, a concept that connects the advanced technology Verne enables with the natural advantages at the heart of the company: its locations, climate and grounded, disciplined approach. It proved a powerful and authentic fit,” said Spink.

Growth plans

Verne said the new identity also supports engagement with local communities in the regions where it operates. That work is intended to help explain the role of data centres in digital services while setting out how the company contributes locally.

The business has sought to frame that local message alongside a broader international customer base. As AI adoption rises, companies running large language models and other compute-heavy applications are looking for facilities that can support sustained, high-density demand, often across multiple sites and jurisdictions.

That has created an opening for operators with room to expand in markets where grid access, land and cooling conditions can still support new buildouts. Investors have been drawn to the same trend, with infrastructure funds and private equity groups increasing their exposure to data centres as AI spending grows.

Ardian’s backing supports Verne as it expands across the Nordics and Northern Europe. The company did not announce new sites alongside the rebrand, but said the refreshed identity is designed to support the next phase of growth.

Anne Katrine Vestergaard Jensen, Vice President of Marketing at Verne, said the changes were meant to reflect a business now facing different expectations from customers and the wider market.

“Verne has changed significantly – in scale, in markets and in the expectations placed on us. This refresh makes that clear. In this market, clarity builds trust, and trust drives decisions. We’ve grounded the brand in something more real: the environments we build in, the people who operate our sites and the role we play in local communities. That’s what gives it credibility – and it’s also what we mean by natural intelligence: the combination of our natural advantages and the human intelligence of the teams behind the infrastructure,” said Jensen.



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UK brewery enters administration as survival crisis mounts

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Redemption Brewing Company, based in north London, has appointed FRP Advisory as administrators and is continuing to trade while a buyer is sought.

The brewery, established in 2010, has been credited with helping to revive the capital’s craft beer scene and was the first commercial brewery to open in Tottenham in nearly a century.

A statement from FRP, seen by CityAM , said: “Rising duty rates in recent years have placed a particular burden on independent brewers, who face a more challenging cost environment than larger national and international competitors.”



Redemption Brewing became part of a community effort in 2013 to save The Antwerp Arms, the oldest working pub in N17 and a longstanding customer.

David Lammy, the local MP and now Deputy Prime Minister, supported the campaign to preserve the pub after corporate developers threatened to replace it with housing.

HMRC filed a winding-up petition against Redemption in January, with a court hearing scheduled for February 2026.

The company’s financial difficulties have deepened, with its deficit rising from £632,151 in 2023 to £705,111 in 2024, alongside a net loss of £72,960 for the latest financial year.

Redemption’s signature products include Hopspur, a premium bitter named in tribute to Tottenham Hotspur, and Big Chief, a New World IPA.



The brewery supplies around 75 pubs across London and has long been regarded as a pillar of the Tottenham community.

The wider independent brewing industry is under strain, with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) describing a “survival crisis” that has seen around three brewers a week close their doors.

Brewers are contending with rising alcohol duty, VAT, employment taxes, business rates, and corporation tax, alongside higher operating costs.

These pressures have led many pubs to shut down or switch to more affordable products from global brewing companies instead of independent suppliers.

Business rate hikes introduced late last year significantly increased costs for thousands of pub landlords, prompting widespread backlash.



UK’s brewing sector facing pressures

Redemption Brewing’s fall into administration highlights the fragile state of the UK’s independent brewing sector, especially in London, where high costs and tax pressures continue to threaten smaller producers.

FRP Advisory has said it is actively seeking a buyer for the business, and the brewery remains operational during the administration process.

The outcome will depend on whether a suitable investor can be secured to keep the business running and protect the jobs and community heritage attached to the brand.

Are you worried about your local pub? Let us know in the comments





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