Making good use of ICT in the SMEs of Southwest Finland

ICT Turku Oy have commercialised an Enterprise ICT package for SMEs to enable enterprises in Southwest Finland to put ICTs to good use. Advisory services and practical surveying help to seek out the right ICT tools for SMEs to intensify their business operations. Right from its beginnings Enterprise ICT has achieved positive ICT investments in SMEs.

Kalle Luhtinen, project manager at ICT Turku Ltd (left) and Raoul Hjelmman, managing director of Mainoxi Paikal Ltd of Lieto discussing better utilisation of ICTs in SMEs. High resolution image (1024 KB) Photo: Jari-Pekka Arvo

Mainoxi Paikal Oy recently began fulfilling orders for taping on vehicles. High resolution image (1263 KB) Photo: Mainoxi Paikal Oy

The Enterprise ICT package only costs the SME 100 Euros, while the costs of equipment, software and investments in training are met by the SME itself. With help from modern ICT the SME can divest itself of unnecessary work stages, save time and money and develop solutions in mobile working, for example. Moreover, numerous client relationships require more and more electronic invoicing and use of net banking.

Enterprise ICT implemented in Southwest Finland is part of a national eBusiness.com network uniting regional ICT projects. ICT Turku Oy researches and monitors the effects of Enterprise ICT on the operations of SMEs. These effects are reported and compared to the experiences of corresponding foreign development projects on an ICT centred EU project (LogOn Baltic) co-ordinated by the Turku School of Economics.

Mainoxi Paikal Oy of Lieto is a four-person ad agency which tapes advertisements and darkening films onto vehicles and also, for example, heat and security membranes to windows and doors. ICT is crucial in this company, both in production and financial management. The company was moreover considering making better use of technology, for example in mobile work, and therefore Enterprise ICT was a good way to set about finding solutions.

Advised by a consultant, Mainoxi Paikal decided to invest in a method which connects workers' portable computers into an internal network for common use, thereby ensuring much more effective cooperation, also on work trips. Another investment had to do with using a web camera to monitor the long-lasting tape printouts of the production machines. These enable one hour's commands for further printing to be justifiably given independent of time and place.

The overall budget for Enterprise ICT is 303,000 Euros and the service is available until the end of 2007. It is open to all SMEs in Southwest Finland, and the consulting work can focus on any aspect of ICT, be it basic technology or something more sophisticated. Enterprise CT is financed by the EU, the City of Turku, the Regional Development Programme, the Centre of Expertise Programme and the bank Turun Seudun Osuuspankki.

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