Intel and Autodesk warn design industry against underestimating the impact of the Internet

South African manufacturing and engineering companies must overcome their phobia of the Internet and formulate e-business strategies to underpin future growth, profitability, and global competitiveness.

Warning against underestimating the impact of the Internet, Intel e-business manager, Colin Purkis, recently stressed that local companies must commit themselves wholeheartedly to e-business, or risk shrinking their businesses.

Speaking at a design industry seminar focusing on the impact of the Internet on local business, Purkis said companies` e-business strategies must enable and optimise all their business processes with Internet-driven solutions, so that they can stay ahead of their rivals.

"An all encompassing Internet driven e-business strategy should impact on every aspect of a business - from product development, design and procurement through to marketing, distribution, and pricing," said Purkis.

"There is nothing supernatural about the Internet! It`s a technological catalyst that`s transforming the way in which we do business - just as, say, the telephone changed the way in which companies did business. A company that makes bolts or builds chemical plants will still carry out the same core business. However, it`s HOW it will carry out that business that will change."

Another speaker at the Internet seminar, Errol Ashwell, managing director of Autodesk Africa, highlighted that design is fundamental to all manufacturing and engineering companies and must, therefore, form an integral part of the e-business strategies of these companies.

Autodesk is the first mainstream design software specialist to re-engineer itself and its products to exploit the power of the Internet and to help its design customers safely harness the Internet to secure a competitive advantage.

Highlighting the iDesign concept developed by Autodesk, Ashwell said his company`s Internet approach includes a mix of traditional design applications and Internet-driven resources and facilities. He highlighted new technologies, including mobile design technology and the Point A design information portal.

"iDesign is, however, not only about technology. It`s about changing business processes to maximise productivity and competitive advantage. It`s about the way one operates one`s business to interact more efficiently with everyone with whom you work - from customers and suppliers to contractors and colleagues.

"We are absolutely committed to the Internet and to helping our customers overcome Internet phobia," says Ashwell. "We believe that any design company that doesn`t wholeheartedly embrace the Internet cannot claim that it has an e-business strategy."

All the speakers at the seminar emphasised that iDesign is not a technology - it can`t be bought and installed. To be successful it requires specialist consultation, strategic planning processes, and implementation methodologies. To provide this all-inclusive service to design-centric companies in the manufacturing and engineering environment, long-time design technology resource, Cadd-Man - which organised the seminar - has struck up an alliance with business re-engineering consultants, Cross-Cut.