Step 2: Web Access

Access to the web does more than just allowing you to find information – it allows you to take your e-Business a stage further, saving costs in purchasing and in the management of your business.

It’s worth looking at on-line suppliers of products that you regularly buy, particularly in common overheads purchases (computer equipment, stationery etc) or where the product can be easily specified by you (airline tickets). There are many good online stores set up for these activities, showing you exactly whether they have a product in stock and giving fast, efficient delivery. Taking the orders online saves these companies money, and they typically pass those savings on to the purchaser with very competitive prices. Some companies will give an additional discount for buying online. These savings can typically add up to several percent, giving significant relief to tight budgets.

Taking this a stage further, especially in relation to the procurement of materials, there is still a growth in e-Marketplaces – online venues that enable multiple buyers and sellers to conduct business. E-Marketplaces allow companies to easily compare offerings across suppliers, often in sites that are geared to particular industry sectors. Whilst attempts have been made to set up e-Marketplaces for composites, at the moment the industry is too small and fragmented to these to work well. Broader sites, for chemicals or for plastics, have had more success, especially in commodity products where there is little variation between suppliers. Omnexus (http://www.omnexus.com) is just one example.

There are other savings to be made by having access to the web, in areas that are not perhaps so obvious. Banking is one of these, where companies can access their accounts online. As well as giving real-time information on the state of an account, you can make payments to suppliers and transfers between accounts. Importantly, this also saves you money, as the banks will usually charge more for a transaction involving people (cheques, for instance), than one that is made purely electronically.

This second step to e-Business isn’t difficult, although it takes a little time to find the right on-line suppliers to give you choice and reliability at the right price. Don’t be afraid to check their credentials, starting off with small orders or confirming orders by telephone in the first instance.

Gordon Bishop, NetComposites. First Published in Reinforced Plastics