Interview: Gerald Rogers, SME-Business Programme Manager

Affordable ICT consultancy - that's what the Wales SME-Business Programme brings to companies in Objective One areas.

Developed within the Wales Information Society under the WDA, the Programme has now been running successfully for over a year, bringing ICT expertise to a wide range of businesses.

Matt Pearce catches up with Gerald Rogers, SME-Business Programme Manager at the WDA, to discover more about this vital resource.

Gerald Rogers

What are the aims of the Wales SME Business Programme?

To help companies located in the Objective 1 areas of Wales to integrate Information and Communication Technology into their business processes to improve profitability and competitiveness. This is one of a number of programmes aimed at making Wales a successful knowledge driven economy in which ICT is exploited creatively in order to improve Welsh business competitiveness.

Why do you think there is a need for this expertise to be available to SMEs?

The research undertaken by many bodies and our own experience indicates that many businesses can further improve their performance by the use of ICT. Many are in danger of losing business or market opportunities because they are not able to respond quickly or exchange information with their customers. Also the public sector is moving to e-procurement and will require suppliers to trade electronically. Many companies do not have the resources to undertake these developments on their own.

Under what circumstances should an SME consider using you services?

Companies who wish to move forward and integrate their business processes should explore the assistance available. We are able to provide independent business/ICT advisers who can identify objectively any scope for improvement to their use of ICT in the daily running of their business. We can provide that vital and valuable advice to give businesses the confidence to invest correctly in their ICT infrastructure without the pressure of salesmen.

What are the most common ICT needs you find in SMEs?

Many companies have made some investment in ICT. The most common needs generally fall into one of two areas:

Businesses who have separate, independent systems where computers are not linked or networked and don't share common information. The same data is entered several times into different computers. Tracking of orders, deliveries, manufacturing scheduling, progress and invoicing, etc., are not integrated or available to different staff within the business. Customer Services as a consequence suffers and is not as efficient as it could be. In addition management information is difficult to obtain or is not available on a daily basis. In many cases data is collected but is not used to manage the business effectively. Our strategy is first to analyse the specific business processes and then seek to identify an appropriate integrated solution.

The second typically identified need is where businesses have simply not invested into their use of ICT and are discovering that their major customer wants to deal with them on a more efficient electronic basis. We also find the increased availability of broadband access across Wales has encouraged and enabled companies to move forward.

What's the process of supplying support to an SME?

The process is relatively simple. Once a company has been referred to us or contacts us, we can check their eligibility for the programme of support. They have to be an SME as defined by the EC and we also check on the amount of state aid that they have received to date.

A representative from the WDA will then visit the company to discuss the business processes and needs, what the company wishes to achieve and how the programme can assist. Project agreements are then drawn up and signed by both the WDA and the business to allow work to commence.

The work is carried out in two stages:

All SME-Business experts are registered with @TEB Technology Means Business - the body which provides the accreditation in Wales which guarantees professional standards and knowledge. Was it important to establish standards of expertise from the very start?

Yes it is important that companies can have confidence that the advisors are independent and expert in both business and technology. All of the experts have extensive knowledge of both business management methods and specific ICT solutions to aid businesses.

Some might say that spending time developing an E-Business strategy, and employing an adviser is costly. Why is an E-business strategy worth the investment?

The costs are heavily subsidised and the programme pays for 67% of the consultancy. Companies need to plan their investment in ICT and an independent, impartial and objective review for their E-Business strategy enables them to do this whilst ensuring that there will be benefits to the business. A review and an E-Business Strategy is the first stage and for a modest investment businesses can ensure that they have the right strategy for their business.

As an example we have been working with Welsh Boxes and Engineering at Fforestfach. They wished to extend their existing system to the shop floor and warehouse. They also wanted to use broadband to link a second site and make more use of CAD. Our experts were able to review their existing systems, investigate different solutions and costs as well as preparing a strategy for they way forward. Implementation has begun with work being carried out in phases. We have also been able to access grants on their behalf towards the cost of implementation from other organisations such as their local authority.

Ron Hinder, Managing Director said on receipt of the report: " We are very pleased with the conclusions of the review carried out by the Wales SME Business expert. The findings in the report and its subsequent implementation has allowed Welsh Boxes to improve productivity and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. We are delighted with the results."

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