-A "Foot In The Door" For Local Firms!

Luckily, things are changing and helping to drive that change for the better is the Local Supplier Development initiative, run in the Swansea Bay area by The Business Centre Swansea and Business Connect Neath Port Talbot, assisting local small business to do business with their larger neighbours whether they are in the private or public sector.

Local businesses have already reaped the benefits of their efforts resulting in them winning work that they may otherwise have not been aware of:-

Dean Heath of DG Heath, a family owned businesses based in Pontardulais specialising in hardwood, laminate flooring and fencing attended a “Meet the Buyer” event in May 06 organised by Local Supplier Development and met with several public sector organisations. As a direct result of those meetings he is receiving regular orders from two organisations which have amounted to nearly £30,000 over the last 6 months. Said Dean Heath; “This is just the start, as the orders are continuing to come in. Initially we joined the approved supplier lists for several organisations but saw very little work from just doing that.. What changed was having the opportunity to have face to face meetings with the buyers and to demonstrate just what our business can do. This has definitely made the difference. These events are very worthwhile”.

Ken Wheeler of Swansea based Phonelink, supplier and installer of Telephone Systems and data networks,  came along to an earlier Meet the Buyer event and has not looked back since. A meeting with one particular organisation has helped him secure work in excess of £34,000 to date. Ken says “We were invited to carry out a significant amount of work following our meeting at the Meet the Buyer event. I am sure that the company’s profile is raised through attending these events and that other contracting opportunities have arisen as a result.”

Success at these events is not always from where you would expect it either. ‘Rock Monkeys’ received a booking from a local school looking for an alternative activity to excite the children. Rock Monkey’s mobile climbing wall provides in-situ climbing instruction in Schools, Youth Groups and the workplace.

Helen Beddow, Local Supplier Development Coordinator for the Swansea says “These are just some examples of the success that can be achieved, with these events we aim to help local businesses to get their ‘first foot in the door’ with key organisations in our area. Public Sector Buyers are keen supporters of our events and welcome the opportunity to engage with local firms in the hope of finding suppliers. We are also hoping that more private sector organisations will join us as buyers to help play their part in the economy of Swansea Bay.”

Further Meet the Buyers are held throughout Wales by the Local Supplier Development Project. For more information on what’s available log onto contract shop website at www.contractshop.co.uk and view the events page or contact one of the Supplier Champions in your area for more information.

For more information on Local Supplier Development, Contract Shop and Future events in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend area contact Helen Beddow at the Business Centre on 01792 545076 or Alan Doyle  Supplier Champion at Business Connect on 01792 817575. 

_{DG Heath Timber Products ltd is a well established family owned business based in Pontardulais specialising in the distribution of solid hardwood and laminate flooring, fencing,  plastic pallets and reusable plastic packaging as well as being manufacturers of wooden pallets and cases. For more information contact Dean Heath on 01792 884828, www.dgheath.co.uk}

_{Phonelink is a Swansea based company established in 1994 in the supply and installation of Telephone Systems and Data Networks with a reputation for quality and service, specialising in all aspects of Telecommunications, Data networks, Fibre technologies, Wireless connectivity, Voiceover IP.,(VOIP), Installation and Maintenance. For more information contact Ken Wheeler or David O’Rourke on 01792 875999, www.phonelink-inst.co.uk.}

_{Rock Monkeys Mobile Climbing Wall provides in-situ climbing instruction in Schools, Youth Groups and the workplace removing costly, time consuming transport issues. The aim is to engage people of all ages in a safe, exciting, dynamic and adventurous outdoor activity. For more information contact Liz Davies on 01792 366062, www.rockmonkeys.co.uk}