Contribution by Mike O'Shea - WDA

The EDI and Electronic Commerce Centre for Wales is now embarked on specific programmes to support the implementation of electronic trading in small and medium sized businesses. As a result of this initiative supported by the Welsh Development Agency, the DBRW, the European Commission (through the ERDF programme) and the TECs, SMEs can begin to think about the benefits of introducing electronic trading to exchange standard business data such as purchase orders, invoices, payments and other forms of business transactions through direct computer-to-computer communication with their trading partners. In supporting SMEs to gain the full benefits of electronic trading this programme highlights not just the technologies involved but, more importantly, how they can be applied and managed to realise benefits and add value in meeting customer/supplier service requirements consistently and reliably. Over the last twelve months the Centre has supported a growing number of SMEs across all sectors in undertaking EDI business evaluations and many have completed full EDI developments through to live running. Many of these companies have moved towards a fully integrated electronic commerce business environment and have adapted to new and improved ways of working with better controls and without paper.

Small businesses need to understand the potential for applying electronic commerce in their operations in terms of cost savings, improved control and efficiency, the ability to access and trade in new markets and the opportunities it creates for introducing new products and services. The Centre has been acting as a unique reference point providing information, advice and assistance to many organisations in Wales to help them to understand the strategic importance of EDI and through the implementation programme is building on the insights gained from having active dialogue with a wide variety of these companies. It is clear that many businesses have already made significant improvements in their organisation, production and ability to understand and manage the supply chain to achieve more efficient trading relationships. The rise in European and world-wide competition has provided increased focus and concentrated the minds of all business on developing better, lower cost and more effective ways to manage all trading situations.

Therefore whenever EDI is being evaluated or developed the most important considerations must relate to the business - the methods of operation, workflow, information that facilitates its operation and its customers and suppliers needs. Our approach considers both the operational and strategic business issues and the development process includes not only the EDI implementation activities, costs ad timescales but also the business objectives and the quantification of the benefits to be achieved by introducing electronic trading applications. Of course it is crucial to establish successful relationships between trading partners so that both parties benefit from the application.

Mike O’Shea
EDI Programme Co-Ordinator
EDI and Electronic Commerce Centre for Wales
WDA
Principality House
The Friary
Cardiff
CF1 4AE

Tel: 01222 828703
Fax: 01222 828826
email: edi@edi.wales.org