Neo Products - In Touch with Technology

Neo Products, which originates in Australia, is a world leader in touch screen technology and the largest supplier of public access terminals to governments worldwide. When the company won a major contract, in conjunction with Electronic Data Systems (EDS), to supply 9,000 state-of-the-art touch screen terminals to the British Employment Service, it began searching for a location in the UK to establish a design and manufacturing plant. The West Midlands stood out, as Director and General Manager, David McCarthy explains:

"Top of our shortlist was a skilled workforce. London and the South East were easy to discount as they had no engineering pedigree. The West Midlands is the engineering heartland of the UK. We knew we would be able to find the right level of design and engineering skill and we were right. Currently we employ 40 people. Only three of them weren't recruited locally. This concentration of engineering expertise also means we can outsource some of the component manufacture to local companies, saving time, shipping and additional infrastructure costs. Advantage West Midlands' inward investment team was invaluable not only in helping us to locate the ideal business premises but also in introducing us to professional services in the region and assisting in sourcing these high quality local suppliers."

Central location was important. Neo Products moved to a 25,000 square foot plant at Kings Norton in Birmingham. It is just a few miles from the main motorway network and only 20 minutes from Birmingham International Airport. With customers across the UK and regular international travel, this is a major benefit. The final deciding factor was cost. David comments:

"If we were based 100 miles further south, I would question the viability of the business. Costs here are significantly lower than the South of England."

Since coming to the UK, Neo Products has helped to bring online job search facilities to virtually every high street and completely transformed the country's 1,000 Job Centres. Instead of vacancy details being posted by hand around the walls of individual job centres, now all information is stored on a central database. Job seekers can search according to a range of different criteria using touch screen terminals. For the first time, they can access details of vacancies anywhere in the UK from anywhere in the UK. The system improves efficiency and allows Job Centre staff to concentrate on advising job seekers rather than administering vacancy details. It has far exceeded all expectations and attracted a string of international awards, including The Computing Awards for Excellence "Most Innovative E-Business Solutions" 2001 and the Frost and Sullivan Award for Market Penetration of the Government Sector 2003.

This was one of the largest touch screen technology contracts awarded by a government to date. It demonstrates how the principle of social inclusion is driving demand for touch screen technology. Governments and organisations are increasingly committed to making their services available online yet many ordinary people still do not have access to the internet or lack basic computer skills. Touch screen technology bridges that gap. It brings online services to a broad spectrum of the population via public access terminals. These are designed to be simple to use and accessible to all, including disabled people.

Public access terminals are being developed for use in schools, GP's surgeries and council housing departments. Within the commercial marketplace, a leading manufacturer of aero engines has commissioned Neo Products to develop a system that will make its company intranet accessible to shopfloor workers. Leading supermarkets are using its groundbreaking touch screen technology to alter radically the way people shop and ensure a higher return on square footage. Credit card companies are also considering it as a way of improving transaction speed and security. Thanks to Neo Products, the future of information technology is at our fingertips.

Interview given by David McCarthy, Director and General Manager.

For more information about Neo Products visit www.neoproducts.co.uk