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Cornwall's Superfast Business Champions boosting local economy ; Meet the Superfast Business Champions [Western Morning News (England)](Western Morning News (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Superfast Business Cornwall, the ground-breaking programme supporting Cornish businesses to innovate and grow via technology is providing a major boost to the region's economy. Since spring last year, 22 businesses have been through the application process and 20 have started, or are about to start ICT projects supported by Superfast Business Cornwall that are all set to deliver transformational change and add real value to the Cornish economy. Funding of Pounds 1.1 million has been allocated to these projects by Superfast Business Cornwall, with the businesses, in turn, committed to investing a further Pounds 2 million. These innovative ICT projects all involve businesses developing new products and services, or opening to new markets. All the projects supported by Superfast Business Cornwall are enabled by superfast broadband, to make the most of the growth and development opportunities afforded by digital technology. The projects being supported by the service range from technology businesses developing cloud based software for remote health monitoring, new integrated customer relationship management systems and specialist hotel / tourism systems, to traditional engineering companies implementing design collaboration tools and new ICT systems to maximise use of large data. Such solutions are allowing businesses based in Cornwall to reach national, and international markets; creating jobs, developing intellectual property reducing environmental impact, adding value and productivity to the region's economy. At Peninsula Enterprise, we know that digital technology is relevant to all types of business and can be a powerful catalyst for growth. Our ambition is to see every business fully harnessing growth through technology and we are at the forefront of developing projects that provide new and existing business leaders with the skills to drive performance and growth. Our experience in delivering the Superfast Business Cornwall support service has shown us that there is a growing demand for business support in digital technology and that real change can be achieved by delivering intensive support to businesses with high growth potential. The support programme delivered by Superfast Business Cornwall has been developed to address these challenges in the most cost- effective and innovative ways possible. An important part of the programme is its unique 'Expert Panel' to which every project presents. The Expert Panel brings the experience and skills of wellconnected experts from across the UK, providing recommendations and challenge to ambitious Cornish businesses to help them progress their projects. The panel includes representatives from respected organisations such as Microsoft, Lloyds and the University of Exeter. The innovative model, bringing together large corporate expertise to deliver business support to small businesses, is also attracting interest as a potential blueprint for delivering future economic development support programmes. What is being achieved, through this unique service, is enabling businesses to make the most of the exciting opportunities afforded to them via technology, expertise and ERDF funding. The Expert Panel has proved to be hugely successful and rewarding for everyone involved. The businesses applying for funding are putting together very strong cases for investment, which are all truly innovative and transformational. As the digital economy unfolds, every business has the opportunity to succeed on a global stage, given the appropriate support to do so. The Superfast Business Cornwall service is proving itself in delivering real business value, inspiring businesses in Cornwall to think differently about technology, allowing them to flourish and, in turn, boosting the local economy. DATASHARP Truro-based Datasharp UK, an award-winning national independent provider of business telephone solutions, connectivity and networked photocopiers is implementing a project to expand the portfolio of services it offers to clients across the UK. Datasharp was the first business to engage with Superfast Business Cornwall and has been our pilot all the way through. The business was the first to reach each milestone given and continues to provide valuable feedback on service development. Datasharp has an enviable national and international client base and is embracing the opportunities brought by Superfast to develop new cloud based IT support services to satisfy their clients' demands for a "one stop shop" for their technology. The business has invested substantially in development which as already created seven new jobs. The project utilises superfast broadband to support cloud services and remote server backup, and remote assistance to customers. The company is now a Microsoft Gold partner and has been awarded many other accreditations. MINING SEARCHES Redruth-based Mining Searches UK carries out mining search reports assessing risk to properties, land and developments, and has recently expanded to cover the whole of the country after starting in the South West. The company's transformation project is to create a new web service to enable customers to remotely access mining infor mation. This remote mobile access to in-depth geological and survey reports is a new service that enables trading UK wide and into international markets. The company has already created three new jobs and expects to employ another two staff this autumn. ELKLAN Established since 1999, Elklan provides training material and delivers accredited courses for teachers, care providers, therapists and parents supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. Elklan is developing a virtual learning environment to deliver e- learning courses to this growing market, with additional real time training via video link to embed learning and ensure change in practice. A key aspect of this project is the development of an efficient e-portfolio system. Efficiency savings will enable the team to develop more training and resources to up-skill the workforce and improve the support available to help children communicate and achieve at school. The company is in the process of developing an App to provide a speech clarity assessment, and an analysis of the results. This will allow the business to penetrate new markets and deliver more, both across the UK and overseas. RAM GASKET RAM Gasket, established since 1973, is at the forefront of manufacturing flat and flexible gaskets and seals. The company's bespoke products can be found in products as diverse as Mars landers and deep mining machinery, garage forecourts, sealing Damien Hirst's Formaldehyde Shark Tank and across a wide range of industries from aerospace and defence to marine, food processing, electrical and more. Around 60% of RAM Gasket's manufactured goods are exported. Much correspondence is created with the customer from discussing technical requirements and manufacture demand, to specialist packing and shipping the goods for safe and timely delivery. The company continues to promote a seamless customer experience and is investing in new CRM and ERP software to allow them to catalogue designs, record client interactions, target new markets and intelligently measure the impact of their online presence. IT WEST Founded ten years ago, Haylebased IT West provides a comprehensive range of technology solutions, including computer infrastructure, website solutions, telephone and VoIP, as well as "cloud solutions you can touch". Superfast Business Cornwall is part funding the company to develop an innovative cloud based solution called One White Box. The approach is focused on the provision and management of an integrated IT platform for business. The software includes website content management, e-commerce with integrated back office systems, interfaces into existing accounting systems can also be established. One White Box can be highly customised and can also be configured to fit bespoke business requirements. SEA COMMUNICATIONS Sea Communications is a service design agency based in Penryn. The company's day to day focus is designing sustainable services and brilliant customer experiences. The new venture involves creating a social networking platform called "Made Open" for individuals, communities and organisations to connect around shared interests and projects. The support and funding has enabled them to employ highly skilled staff and create an enterprise-ready tool that can be scaled. Currently in the development phase, Made Open comprises two distinct routes to market - a "vanilla" platform that will be free to use and a "white label" environment for bespoke client application. The platform has attracted interest from local government, charities/NGOs and large businesses across the UK and abroad; all of whom appreciate the importance of "bottom up" participation in the delivery and optimisation of services. Embracing the digital revolution {+ Superfast Business Champions logo + image 86 from Falmouth event] Businesses that have received support from Superfast Business Cornwall were invited to participate in the first "Superfast Business Champions" event at Falmouth University's AIR Building on 9th October 2014. Attendees had the opportunity to network with others involved in the project, this will be an ongoing forum for businesses to explore opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration and to discuss the future of Cornish business growth in a digital world. Staff at Falmouth gave the businesses a tour of the facilities at the university and Paul Strike from internationally acclaimed dive suit company Fourth Element presented a case study of his partnership with the university and how the support has benefited his business. Keynote speaker and founder of the Thought Expansion Network, Jonathan MacDonald, a renowned expert in changing business models, led the discussion. Jonathan MacDonald is one of the leading speakers in the world in unlocking unique insights and new thinking for audiences looking for effective tools to maximise their future opportunities within an environment of perpetual change. Jonathan presented to the Superfast Business Cornwall "Champions" on the role that digital technology plays in changing the world, what the future holds, its opportunities and its threats. He encouraged the group to work together in exploring a deeper understanding of their challenges and opportunities, and tasked the businesses with assessing the clarity of their objectives and motivation to be innovative and responsive in an evolving digital world. JONATHAN MACDONALD Sharing his insight with the group, Jonathan encouraged the businesses to embrace the changes ahead brought to us by digital technology, "The digital revolution has fundamentally changed every part of business. We have seen evolution of funding through initiatives like crowdfunding, evolution of business models, evolution of retail, evolution of marketing and evolution of our entire experience as businesses and people. "It does not matter if you think your business is business-to- business or businessto-consumer, there is no difference in a digital world. The fundamentals of honesty and trust are even more important as digital technology brings us closer than ever before to our customers - whoever, and wherever, they are. The digital world magnifies and speeds up our relationships with our customers. Businesses must respond to this opportunity and grasp it with both hands." ABOUT SUPERFAST BUSINESS CORNWALL Superfast Business Cornwall is funded by a Pounds 2.25 million investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Convergence. It is delivered by Peninsula Enterprise, in partnership with the University of Exeter and closely aligned to Superfast Cornwall, to provide high quality business support to ambitious businesses in the county, to implement transformational ICT projects enabled by Superfast Broadband and associated technologies. Businesses accessing the service must be eligible through the ERDF criteria. The activities of Superfast Business Cornwall are closely aligned with the Superfast Cornwall programme, which has delivered 90% fibre coverage across Cornwall and aims to achieve 95% coverage by next year. There are already about 54,000 homes and businesses connected in Cornwall and we have some of the best fibre coverage in the UK. At time of going to press two more projects can be supported - find out more about the Superfast Business Cornwall programme and the Superfast Business Champions at www.sfbcornwall.co.uk/ champions. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |