Normally priced at £99 VAT, the Manufacturing Advisory Service are offering SME manufactureres in the region a FREE LeanBenchmark report for a limited time.

Why lean benchmarking?

• This easy-to-use online self-assessment tool will identify competitive threats, highlight improvement opportunities and can help enhance your overall business performance.

• Learn how lean principles can improve productivity and increase profits.

• Kick start your improvement activity and stay ahead of the competition.

Essentially, lean benchmarking provides a ‘snap shot’ of current performance compared to others. The resulting gap analysis clearly highlights the future potential performance and the most appropriate focus for improvements
to increase performance.

How does it work?

Step 1 Contact MAS South East – 0845 609 2121 or nicolalyons@mas-se.org.uk - to receive your voucher code for access to the LeanBenchmark™ assessment free of charge.

Step 2 Go to www.leanbenchmark.org/mas

Step 3 Register your details to set up your account and complete the lean questionnaire

Step 4 Download your personalised LeanBenchmark™ report (up to 30 pages).

Specialist advice for manufacturers

For a personal telephone consultation to discuss the content of your LeanBenchmark™ report, we can provide access to a lean specialist who
will arrange a convenient time to call. Alternatively you may prefer an impartial audit - a business improvement specialist will visit, carry out the
LeanBenchmark™ assessment and discuss issues most relevant to you.

This offer is only available for a limited time so contact MAS South East
to receive your voucher code and begin your self-assessment.

Collaborate2Innovate, the leading free event dedicated to building profitable partnerships between organisations in the Solent region, has today announced that this year’s event will take place on 2nd November 2010 in Portsmouth. At Collaborate2Innovate 2010, businesses, entrepreneurs and technology specialists will discover new business opportunities through collaborative innovation in order to help them stay ahead of their competitors.

The strategic role that collaboration plays in successful companies is now well documented with new and superior innovation, products and services being brought to market by the partnering of companies with very different skill sets, working together towards a mutually beneficial business goal. This year’s Collaborate2Innovate 2010 will offer organisations in the Solent and surrounding regions the opportunity to forge strategic partnerships with other like-minded companies that competitors will not be able to replicate.

The Collaborate2Innovate 2010 steering committee is led by Solent Synergy Limited, the not-for-profit organisation that helps innovative businesses grow and succeed in the Solent region. Solent Synergy is this year joined by a host of local business and academic sponsors, including both founding sponsors BDO LLP and Paris Smith LLP, plus Genetix plc, D Young & Co, Blake Lapthorn, Grant Thornton, the Solent’s four universities (Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Solent and Southampton), South East Design, The Solent Innovation & Growth Team and the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire.

The first keynote confirmed for Collaborate2Innovate 2010 is Chair of the Governing Board, of the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Software Group Europe at IBM, Dr Graham Spittle CBE.

“The TSB’s role is to connect and catalyse to stimulate innovation,” says Dr Spittle. “We support and invest in research, development and commercialisation, spread knowledge and bring people together to solve problems and make new advances.   The aims of Collaborate2Innovate are closely aligned to the TSB’s goals and I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak at the opening of this exciting event, to explain more about the TSB and how companies see collaboration as an essential driver of growth.”

Collaborate2Innovate 2010 follows 2009’s successful inaugural event in Southampton, which was attended by over 300 delegates from organisations across the region. “At the event I was bowled over by the enthusiasm and vitality, not only of the presenters but also in all the conversations that day,” comments Michael Dunn, Regional Director of business consultants, NED Ltd. “Successes from collaboration seemed to be a common story.”

Delegates at Collaborate2Innovate 2010 will also get the opportunity to learn about how other organisations have adopted innovation through partnerships, in order to gain competitive advantage in the wider marketplace and beyond. The complimentary programme will also feature educational content from a wide range of experts and independent advisors to help delegates increase the knowledge in their organisations.

Director at Solent Synergy, Nigel Vaughan adds, “As the old saying goes, good things happen when people get together. This is the core message of Collaborate2Innovate 2010; to open up a level forum where skills, knowledge and a ‘make-it-happen’ mantra come together to encourage business growth, with a strong focus on the future, especially in these uncertain economic times.”

Collaborate2Innovate 2010 takes place on 2nd November 2010 at Building 1000, Lakeside North Harbour in Portsmouth. For further information, or to register to attend free-of-charge, please visit the website at www.collaborate2innovate2010.co.uk

Press passes for the event are available. Please contact c2ipr@mccint.com  to register your interest.

About Collaborate2Innovate:

Collaborate2Innovate 2010 is the leading free event dedicated to building profitable partnerships between organisations in the Solent region. Now in its second year, the conference and exhibition will offer businesses, entrepreneurs and technology specialists the opportunity to forge strategic partnerships with other like-minded companies that competitors will not be able to replicate. The event is taking place on Tuesday 2nd November 2010 at Building 1000 In Portsmouth. Sponsors of the event are as follows:

BDO LLP

Blake Lapthorn LLP

Grant Thornton LLP

D Young & Co

Genetix plc

Paris Smith LLP

Partnership for Urban South Hampshire

Southampton Solent University

South East Design

Solent Innovation & Growth Team

Solent Synergy Limited

University of Bournemouth

University of Portsmouth

University of Southampton

Follow Collaborate 2 Innovate on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Editorial contacts

Further information, images, interviews and press passes for the event are available from Fiona Brewer and Joanna Cannon at MCC International.

Tel: 01962 888 100Email: c2ipr@mccint.com

URL: www.mccint.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MCC_Int

When software engineer Keith Chessell and his team at Isle of Wight based business Solcom - www.solcom.com  - decided to explore the potential for using the Web to observe and control the status of remote equipment and share this data across the internet, the result was Whzan.

Founded in 1998, Solcom, a Solent Innovation and Growth Team (IGT) client, develops innovative and pragmatic software solutions for the most complex of problems arising in process industries, among them the pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil & gas, and manufacturing.  The company provides clients with a range of services involving technologies such as vision systems, robotics, multi language labelling, RFID, batch control and manufacturing systems.

Based on their experience of using open communications technologies and Internet cloud computing, Solcom’s engineering experts decided to look at the potential for non-industrial applications, such as home automation and telecare.

“Given our experience of delivering remote viewing and control services into industry, we explored the potential for more domestic and people focused services,” explains Keith Chessell, cofounder and CEO of Solcom.  “It seemed an obvious step for us to develop a brand new product aimed at helping people to manage their lives and resources more effectively.”

The result of this thinking was quite literally in ‘the cloud’ and Whzan was born as a new concept with the potential to deliver new applications and services into a wide range of market sectors.

Whzan is an Internet-based cloud service which is fully scalable for applications from a few data points to millions.  To put it another way, with Whzan you can turn the heating on in your house so that it’s warm when you arrive, monitor the air conditioning in an office block, switch on a light when you’re away from your house, or receive an alert by email when a motor overheats in a remote pumping station.

In fact, the number of potential applications is limitless and data can be exchanged with almost any device or application at home and in other locations such as an office, factory, hospital or boat.  And because Whzan is delivered as a service and doesn’t require hefty investment in expensive hardware, it’s inexpensive to run and easy to maintain.

“Our Gateway programs transfer data into the Whzan Internet cloud and from there it can be displayed, archived, transmitted to other Gateways and used to create alarms,” explains Keith.  “There are other solutions available, but many of these are based on older technologies and can cost many thousands of pounds to install and run.”

Whzan has a very simple outward structure for the collection and transmission of data from devices and applications.  It also comes with a comprehensive drawing application enabling the creation of attractive data displays that dynamically update and are viewable from most Internet web browsers.

Although they realise the potential for Whzan applications is large, Keith and his team decided initially to focus on their established industrial automation market and two others – home automation and telecare – with help from the Solent IGT.

“We were initially introduced to Ken Dueck at the Solent IGT through a local Business Link contact and have worked with him for several months,” says Keith.  “It seemed to me that it would be a good idea to have independent expertise involved, especially as this was a new market for us and we needed help to shape and guide our thinking.”

Ken initially went in to help the company find new markets for Solcom’s established projects business.   As Whzan developed he saw the potential for building the new product into a viable and potentially very lucrative business.  “As well as helping us with partners, customer segmentation and marketing, he’s also been a first class sounding board, given his own business experience,” adds Keith.

The IGT has also been instrumental in putting the Whzan team into contact with other experts including Portsmouth University, assisting with possible applications in telecare, and UK Trade and Investment which has also been a very proactive and useful resource.

As a business, Whzan is still in its infancy, however Keith is confident that the business proposition will be a success. 

“At the moment we’re focused on specific applications and will look to drive revenue streams from these, both directly and through partners,” says Keith.  “We realise though that Whzan has many potential markets and will be working with Ken and the IGT going forward to explore these at the right time.”

For further information about Whzan, please visit:

www.whzan.com  

Industry and academia are asked for ideas which will provide innovative approaches to sensing underwater threats.

The Royal Navy operates in all forms of maritime environment around the world, it is therefore important that the most appropriate technology able to detect and counter both static and mobile targets is available. This may involve the use of organic and off-board sensor systems:

•  innovative technologies;
• next generation sensing systems;
• novel Automated Target Recognition (ATR) methods for sonar imagery;
• advanced synthetic aperture processing;
• effective gathering and exploitation of environment information; and, 
• intelligent search and off-board systems. 

It is expected that applications will feature novel technologies from the maritime community and importantly from other areas, in particular the sensors, signal processing and automatic target recognition communities.

The competition will open on the 21st July at a CDE briefing event, being hosted by Qinetiq at their Whittle Theatre at Cody Technology Park, Farnborough. This event will include presentations and discussions on the relevant approaches and environmental considerations associated with this technical challenge.

The competition for new ideas and technologies that address the challenge will open on 21st July. A competition brief will be produced for the seminar and will be available on TSB website from July 21st. Applications are to be made through the CDE portal. 

More details on the challenge can be found on the Technology Strategy Board's website here