First Aid Training

First Aid training can save a life

Dean Crago from Priority First Aid Training Services gave Huntingdonshire Business Network HBN a short practical demonstration of the lifesaving techniques that he has learned during his extensive nursing career in Australia and the UK.  It was a fascinating demonstration and a real eye-opener to the business owners at the event. 

Dean's most important message to the attendees at the event was the importance of having immediate access to a defibrillator in every workplace.  In the UK there is a 4% chance of surviving a heart attack whereas in other more enlightened countries the odds increase to 50-60%. The difference is immediate access to a portable defibrillator machine.

Dean showed us how a defibrillator works (above) They are now fully automatic and provide you with verbal instructions that you would need to save a life.

Dean's demonstration was inspirational and he is clearly well skilled and passionate about training people to respond effectively to medical emergencies.

Inspired by Dean's presentation HBN are going to see whether we can raise some funds and purchase a defibrillator and inspire other Huntingdon businesses to do the same

Waze

Google buys Waze for $1.1 billion

I was intrigued when Google bought Waze earlier this week for $1.1 Billion.  If is a mapping and routing app which has a high dependency of crowd sourcing of event data.  Interestingly it is currently a free App on Google's Play store - so you can download it and find out why it is so interesting.

Please see a screenshot from earlier today showing problems in real time on the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge.  This is our local trouble spot.

So already we have four indicators. Two notifications of delays at Fenstanton - one of which has a picture.  Two vehicles slightly further down the road but only travelling at 25 mph.  All 4 notifications were about 10 minutes old when I looked - and it helped us decide not to go to Cambridge.

This sort of crowd-sourced content combined with Google maps style content detail is very persuasive - at least Google thinks so.  Have seen some posts earlier today that there might be some competition problems around the bid

Why don't you download the App, evaluate it for yourself and share your findings

#Transport

#Cambridgeshire

Jiiva Tag Evaluation

Over the last few months I have been evaluating some really interesting tracking technology from Vilant systems. The technology is called a Jiiva Tag.  With the assistance of Stuart Rivett the Managing Director of Parcelroute based in Aylesbury and the B2C Europe group we have been putting this exciting technology through its paces on trips around Europe

The small tag can be hidden inside packets and parcels and "sniffs" the 3G cellular network whenever it is stationary.  In much the same way as the signal strength indicator on the screen of your mobile phone.  The tracking information is gathered by interrogation of the 3G cellular network so it doesn't need any fixed infrastructure.  There is also a built in light meter to detect if the package is opened.

We put the tag in a trunking vehicle that was going from Aylesbury, London, Netherlands and Belgium and I was able to monitor progress almost in real time on my tablet. A screen print of the journey is pictured above and we also download the data file - for more in depth analysis. We repeated the exercise on several trips. There was a 1-2 hour delay while the information was collected from the 3G network operators but this was more than adequate for diagnostic measurement.

Parcel supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and eCommerce companies need to see what is happening.  Omni-Channel eCommerce will only emphasise the need for better diagnostic measurement.  The big thing will be independent technology and independent assessment - and this is a core competence of Delivery Management. We have also started doing some independent measurement of "Down Stream Access" performance for domestic mail performance in the UK.

I would just like to publicly say thank a big thank you to Stuart Rivett and his team for helping with the technology evaluation.  Like me - Stuart understands how important transparency is in our industry. From my trials to date it is clear that Vilant has put together some very clever sensing technology that can be used to diagnose complex supply chain issues.

Over the next few months Delivery Management will evaluating different use cases for this technology and at Post Expo in Vienna we will be providing some feedback to the industry about the use of smart edge connected devices and remote sensing in our industry. Happy to help any eCommerce company analyse and diagnose their supply chain.

#ecommerce

#parcels

#performance

Particular thanks to Vilant, ParcelRoute and BtC Europe for their assistance in this evaluation

Unit 4 Gatehouse Close

Aylesbury

HP19 8DE

Tel: +44 (0)1296 338313

stuart@parcelroute.co.uk

www.parcelroute.co.uk

Member of B2C Europe

www.b2ceurope.eu

Outdoor Workers using Touchscreens

Outdoor workers using touchscreens

As anybody who follows me on Social Media will know my passion is Technology Innovation in Postal, Express Logistics, eCommerce, Aviation and Defence.  The big trend over the last few years has been that the technology is now being used outside with mobile workers. Maintaining or loading/unloading trucks or aircraft outside has one big problem - the elements

Jonathan Roth from Cyberscribe introduced me to a fantastic and really simple concept that will be a game changer for any field worker that needs to use a smartphone or a tablet. Gloves with metallic thread woven into the material that will work with a tablet or a smartphone touch screen. What a brilliant idea.

Jonathan can be contacted on +441223719558 Office  +447973205543 Mobile
jon@cyberscribe.co.uk

#postal
#aviation
#defence

Andreas Raptopoulos: Drones for good

The #matternet concept sounds a bit futuristic but given the rapid development of #UAV technology is almost practical for certain use cases.

In areas with really poor road infrastructure or areas destroyed by natural disasters such systems could deliver critical medical supplies

This could be a superb opportunity for postal or express delivery services

#matternet
#postal
#uav

Business Turnaround

"Business Turnaround"

by John Kettley 'Profit from Vision'

+Mervyn Foster invited +John Kettley along to present at the monthly HBN seminar. John is a 'Business Turnaround Specialist' and has been a serial entrepreneur in a diverse career that has spanned both Europe and the USA. Selling can be the hardest topic for any small business owner - but it is critical. No sales - no business !!

I was really impressed by John's practical and "no-nonsense" approach to the psychology of selling.  Probably one of the only times I have have heard the science of selling being put forward so succinctly and clearly.  

I really liked his "the best USP for your business" is you.  Nobody else has the unique blend of skills and experience that is YOU

It was also clear that you must adopt clear and simple selling processes which you can refine over time.  Most people that are good at selling are introverts like myself and are good listeners and questioners.  Maybe there is some hope for me after all !!

All the HBN entrepreneurs at the event were buzzing at the end of the presentation and everybody was keen to get out and put some of John's sage advice into practice.

The next HBN Seminar in July will be on "help and support" for startup businesses in the region.  

#selling

#cambridgeshire

#business