· Industry survey reveals strong views of electronics enterprises
· Online resource centre at www.element-14.com launched to encourage information sharing and act as a forum for comment and opinion amongst SMEs
4th March 2010, London – Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), the leading multi-channel, high service distributor supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals worldwide, has announced that s recent survey of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK electronics sector has revealed significant findings that will play a key role in shaping the future of these enterprises. Conducted by Premier Farnell in conjunction with The Electronics Leadership Council (ELC) and the UK Electronics Alliance (UKEA), The British SME Technology Survey gathered information to help understand the current state of mind, challenges and needs of SMEs and support them to push forward out of the recession to a profitable future.
The response was overwhelming with almost 1,000 businesses taking the time to provide their thorough and detailed feedback to the survey, which also acted as platform for several electronics and high-tech SMEs to come forward for more in-depth discussions. University groups and trade associations also gave valuable insight.
One of the biggest concerns highlighted was the regulatory burden on SMEs. In a sector where innovation is the cornerstone of success, the complexity of regulations like RoHS, WEEE and REACH was seen as resource sapping and a major challenge. Other key issues highlighted by the extensive response to the survey included the need for greater support for innovation and the lack of access to overseas markets. Some respondents also flagged challenges relating to accessing finance, cash flow and an increasing skills gap.
In response to the survey findings, Premier Farnell has launched a dedicated SME portal on its innovative and successful element14 technology eCommunity for Electronic Design Engineers. A first of its kind in the industry, the element14 Small Enterprise Resource Centre will be a platform for discussion and knowledge sharing and will contain training modules in the form of podcasts; round-the-clock technical support and relevant careers information.
Premier Farnell has long recognised the considerable burden placed on the electronics sector business in understanding and complying with the growing amount of legislation impacting the industry. This is reflected by the company’s established Global Legislation website that provides a wealth of information including a range of easy to follow guides. The new dedicated SME element14 portal will complement and strengthen the support and information provided by Premier Farnell to SMEs in this area.
Commenting on the survey, Harriet Green, CEO of Premier Farnell said: “The success of small businesses in the electronics sector is crucial to the UK economy, which is why we committed to be a part of this important work. We, along with our partners in the survey- the ELC and UKEA – will ensure this feedback is well understood by Government as together we commit to further champion the cause of SMEs, and help to develop targeted programmes that make a real contribution. We look forward to further engaging the wider industry in this discussion on element14.”
Intellect UK, a leading trade association for the UK Technology industry offered support in a statement: “This extensive survey provides an important insight into the electronics SME sector at a critical time. As the country emerges from recession it is vital that all areas of our economy are functioning as well as they possibly can. Understanding the major challenges facing SMEs allows the sector to find better ways of tackling certain issues.”
A full copy of the survey can be downloaded at: http://www.element-14.com/uk-sme
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About Premier Farnell
Premier Farnell is the leading multi-channel, high service distributor of electronic components, electrical parts, industrial and maintenance, repair & operations (MRO) products, supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals World Wide. It employs over 4100 people in more than 38 countries around the world and trades in over 100. With over 480,000 products in stock from over 3000 suppliers and an additional 50,000 products coming in 2008, our product portfolio continues to expand, offering our customers the very latest technologies.
The company supplies a comprehensive range of electronics, electrical components and electrical parts offering our customers the latest technologies.
The Premier Farnell group of businesses work together across geographic and business boundaries. Sharing these facilities and best practice Farnell distribute a huge range of electronic components, electrical parts and wholesale electronics.
For more information visit the Premier Farnell web site at www.premierfarnell.com
About Element14
element14 is a new, innovative information portal and eCommunity specifically built for electronic design engineers. It provides product data, design tools and technology information, whilst incorporating web 2.0 functionality to facilitate communication, interaction, collaboration and information sharing between colleagues around the world. Users can consult experts, discover trends, post blogs, articles and comments in this world-wide forum.
element14 is another innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It has a stocked range of 480,000+ products, and access to 4,000,000 more items from 3,500 leading manufacturers. The company has group sales of £804.4m and over 4,100 employees globally.
For more information about element14 visit: www.element-14.com.
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Contact Details:
Aakriti Kaushik
PR Manager, European and Global PR
Premier Farnell and Farnell
Tel: +44 (0) 113 279 0101
Email: akaushik@premierfarnell.com
Web: www.premierfarnell.com
Jonathan Roberts
Account Director
Pinnacle Marketing Communications Ltd,
Tel: +44 (0) 208 869 9339
Email: j.roberts@pinnaclemarcom.com
Web: www.pinnaclemarcom.com
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