The Supply Chain North East (SCNE) programme has been supporting SME’s to diversify their offering, expand their customer base and unlock untapped opportunities in new markets since 2018.
Led by RTC, the NEAA, together with NEPIC and Generator, offer a wide range of sector specialists who are able to provide tailored advice to support capability improvement, industry and sector-specific knowledge and operational improvement.
As the programme nears completion, the NEAA is on target to deliver a completed cohort of 129 SME businesses. All of these companies have received a minimum of 12 hours of support through a mix of thought-leadership events, funded SME exhibition space at NEAA’s flagship Expo, together with grant and bespoke support.
ATM Security Limited, who joined the programme in the latter stages of delivery, are a Cyber-Physical Security and safety business protecting assets, people and property from both physical and digital attack. CentraLock is a product of ATM Security Ltd. The company has benefitted from strategic support from Stuart McGivern, who is both a Project Manager at the NEAA and a SCNE Advisor. This one-to-one support has focused on market segmentation and specific business development planning.
Sarah Pavlou, Chief Operating Officer at ATM Security Limited talks about the support the company has had from the SCNE programme: “Diversifying into new supply chains was very true in our case. With a new keyless access management control system within the security and safety sector, already approved by OFGEM and CPNI compliant, operating within a major utility provider, establishing the route to other markets was critical to our success.
“One might say that the need for locks on doors is almost anywhere and everywhere, however how one manages the access control of these doors and if access control is even needed, were probably better questions to ask.
“We had everything to go at, the key was taking a more strategic approach and this is where conversations had with Stuart McGivern of Supply Chain North East who carries a purchasing background within the automotive sector, proved immensely productive and ensured we steered our ship in the right direction and answered the most pressing questions of our potential clients.
“Being challenged around your why was incredibly effective and more importantly validating your “why” through your target customer research was crucial. Understanding where to focus your efforts and for how long was also fundamental to ensuring we remained on track. Knowing your destination and being reminded of your destination is imperative to ensuring you remain ahead of your competition and the security and safety threats of tomorrow. The best Coaches are those that ask the right questions and challenge your thinking, we had nothing less than that from Stuart McGivern whose approach was not only practical but profitable.
“CentraLock was born out of a number of national infrastructure safety and security challenges, impacting not only their assets, but their people. Most national infrastructure sites involve individuals working in remote locations alone. Understanding their movements and in turn having evidence that procedures are being followed are critical to the safety and security of the UKs critical infrastructure.
“CentraLock uniquely provides a cybersecure, managed keyless access control system operational through the mobile phone, functional with or without internet. With no hard wiring or batteries there are no infrastructure or maintenance costs and the Central Management System provides a real time dual audit trail. With no keys to lose, a smart lock design with no wiring and a patented dynamic cyber transportation layer, there is nothing to hack or attack and all vulnerabilities are covered.
“Even after having delivered a “Groundbreaking” product successfully into the ATM market using a similar business model, the importance of having someone from outside the business challenge your thinking, your planning and your destination can be invaluable to your growth. Thank you to Supply Chain North East.”
For any further information please contact: scne@northeastautomotivealliance.com
