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The campaign will use case studies to demonstrate how engaging in e-business and implementing an effective e-business strategy can help manufacturing SMEs to expand their business and open up new export markets.
"The guides and case studies communicate the compelling rationale for e-business investment in a way that is relevant to Irish manufacturers and linked to practical advice as to how companies can move forward," commented Graham O'Keeffe, e-business manager at Enterprise Ireland. O'Keeffe said the case studies are particularly powerful because they highlight the pitfalls as well as the opportunities in e-enabling a business.
According to O'Keeffe such an initiative is necessary, as many manufacturing companies have not e-enabled to a sufficient degree.
"This is mostly because they have adopted a wait-and-see approach, as up until now real examples of the benefits of e-business have been few and far between," O'Keeffe told ElectricNews.Net
The case studies feature companies that received grant aid from Enterprise Ireland's Accelerator Fund, which supports manufacturing SMEs that are e-enabling their businesses. Around 100 companies were given funding under this scheme, which was launched last year, with most of them receiving IEP100,000.
"Given the success experienced by those companies that participated in our Accelerator fund we feel that it is important to make other companies aware of the continuing commercial potential of e-business," O'Keeffe said.
One such company is The Irish Chocolate Company (otherwise known as Butlers). It has had an e-commerce site for three years, but following its involvement in the Accelerator fund it "strengthened" the site to introduce its products to a wider audience.
"The successful implementation of our e-business strategy has been one of the central components of our business strategy in recent years," said Mairead Sorensen, joint managing director of The Irish Chocolate Company.
The first 16 case studies are expected to be published on-line at http://www.openup.ie by the end of October, with a further 16 released in early 2002.
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