Tuesday 31 May 2011

NanoKTN Announces Details of Nanotechnology Workshops to be held at S2K 2011 – Europe’s Leading Semiconductor Conference


Nanotechnology Workshops: Nanotechnology Advances for Plastic Electronics and Micro and Nanofabrication of Sensors and Devices by Open Access Facilities 21st June University of Surrey, Guildford

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro- and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce details of its Nanotechnology workshops to be held at this year’s S2K conference, Europe’s leading conference for the Semiconductor, Nanotechnology and MEMS industry. The theme of this year’s event will be on the future manufacturing processes that will enable the next generation of electronics.

For further information on NanoKTN and the S2K Conference please contact NanoKTN's press office on nanopr@mccint.com.

Thursday 26 May 2011

Capscan To Help Marketers Eliminate Wasted Mailings at the Data Marketing Show


Stand E122, 29th and 30th June, The Grand Hall, Olympia, London

Capscan
, a leading provider of international address management solutions and data quality services, today announces that it will showcase two new products to help marketers eliminate unnecessary wasted mailing and improve the success of their domestic and international direct marketing campaigns at the Data Marketing Show. On stand E122, between Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June 2011 at Olympia, London, the company will introduce the latest versions of Capscan Integrity and Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM.

For further information on Capscan and its products please contact Capscan's press office on capscanpr@mccint.com

Wednesday 25 May 2011

The benefits of the left brain knowing what the right brain is doing

In latest issue of Whatify magazine,  Graham Thatcher, Agency Director at MCC International considers the merits of the left brainer collaborating with the right brainer.

MCC International is a busy technology PR agency where we need the right balance of creativity tempered with structure and purpose. Our job is to understand what our clients need to achieve and then find creative ways to make it happen. I know my value to the team and I don’t need a Myers-Briggs personality profile to tell me that I am without doubt an ideas person, a ‘right brainer’. I rely on my highly organised and methodical ‘left brainer’ colleagues to work with me to make sure that these ideas are formulated into a results-driven plan and executed on time and budget.

There are some organisations that are highly adept at putting together teams that embrace ‘all of the talents’ (to borrow the phrase of the former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown), such as those in the creative industries such as advertising, journalism, marketing, web design, PR and broadcasting. They are skilled at understanding the value of creativity and how, with right skills in place, it can be commercialised with great success.

In essence, collaboration and innovation is about recognising the true value of an idea and the left and right brainers then working closely together to realise its full potential. But for this to succeed, there needs to be education on both sides. For example, behind every successful chef you will find an astute restaurateur.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting an artist who was painting from the back of her car on a pier in Cornwall. She told me that she could spend weeks, even months, engrossed in a single piece and gave little thought to keeping the local galleries supplied with her work. She relied on the commercially minded galleries to chase her for her latest works, or the odd opportunist such as myself to take an interest to provide her with an income. Conversely, I know many hugely talented people who are left brained in the office but right brained at home, but are either wary of taking the plunge and commercialising their creativity, or are totally oblivious to their true potential.

Realising the potential of creativity in its many forms represents a real opportunity for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, but the left brainers need to take the initiative. A prime example of a hotbed of potential is in many of our colleges and universities that are overflowing with right-brains, not just in the ‘traditional’ media and arts faculties but in fields as diverse as engineering, catering, architecture, IT and all of the sciences. The ideas and innovations are there in the classrooms ready and waiting to be commercialised, if only the right brainers can be alerted to the fact that there is a vast pool of untapped potential, and the left brainers can be educated that there is real money, success and acclaim to be realised from their creativity.

In truth the concept really isn’t new. As a nation we have a proud heritage in manufacturing the products that we invent. Through nurturing and collaboration we can transform good ideas into intellectual property that will have huge impact on the future success of UK plc and with the current state of the economy making sure the left brain knows what the right brain is doing and visa versa has never been more important.

Monday 23 May 2011

ramsac announces 20% growth in annual financial results

IT specialist gains 28 new outsourcing contracts and recruits new members of staff

ramsac, a leading IT solutions consultancy has announced an outstanding 20% increase in turnover, along with 28 new outsourcing contracts, in its 2010/2011 financial year results. As a result of the company’s enviable on-going growth, the Toast of Surrey award winner also announced it has recently recruited two new Support Consultants, James Neville-Towle and Dean Wilder, to provide technical support as part of the remote helpdesk team, supporting a wide range of clients.

NanoKTN Leads First UK NanoMedicine Mission to Switzerland 2011



UK companies to visit Swiss centres of excellence to research potential for collaboration

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce that in partnership with the HealthTech and Medicines KTN, FCO Science & Innovation Network and the Swiss Embassy London, will today be taking a mission of the UK's leading companies and academics applying nanotechnology to healthcare, to visit the centres of research excellence in Geneva/Lausanne, Basel and Zurich in Switzerland.

Capscan Launches New Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM 2011


Complete Real-Time Address Look-Up, Capture and Validation Available for Seamless Integration with Market-Leading CRM system

Capscan, a leading provider of international address management solutions and data quality services, today announced the availability of Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM 2011. The new software plug-in enables users of the market-leading customer relationship management platform, to ensure that their domestic and international contact databases are populated with accurate and validated address information.

For further information on Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM 2011 and Capscan, please contact Capscan's press office on capscanpr@mccint.com.

Thursday 19 May 2011

NANOKTN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ITS 2011 EPSRC COLLABORATIVE STUDENTSHIPS

Research Proposals from University of Bath and Manchester’s Metropolitan University Confirmed as Winners

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce that its allocation of this year’s EPSRC CASE Awards has been awarded to the University of Bath, collaborating with Pilkington Group Ltd, and Manchester’s Metropolitan University, collaborating with United Utilities, which encourages and enables collaboration of Universities with UK based companies. These projects will look at the development of photocatalytic coatings for self-cleaning and architectural glazing applications, and smart nanomaterials for the detection of natural (and) synthetic pollutants.

For further information please contact NanoKTN's press office on nanopr@mccint.com

Wednesday 11 May 2011

EEMA To Host The European E-identity Management Conference


Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th June 2011, in Tallinn, Estonia

EEMA, the European association for e-identity and security today announces details of the European e-Identity (e-ID) Management Conference, which takes place on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th June 2011 in Tallinn, Estonia. This year the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications is hosting the 24th annual EEMA conference, which provides a forum for business, public sector and government organisations involved in policy, security, systems and processes surrounding e-ID management and technology.

The key themes that will be addressed during EEMA’s European e-Identity (e-ID) Management Conference 2011 will be how e-ID can work within and between governments, tackling mobile e-ID, identity in the Cloud, federated identity, securing, managing and regulating identity and standardisation.

For further information on EEMA and the conference, please contact EEMA's press office on eemapr@mccint.com

Too Parochial? Tech PR and the Vicar of Dibley

Thinking about audiences is a huge part of our work in tech PR. Yes, we do the big, ‘all guns blazing’ flavour of consumer PR (and very successfully - you’ll have seen our work), but it’s sometimes sobering, when planning B2B campaigns, to realise that the people we’re targeting might number only a few dozen. The flip side is that we know very quickly if your campaign is working from feedback at trade shows, from journalists, clients and the movers and shakers online.

So, just occasionally, it’s nice for the broader value of technology communications to be vindicated. Last night, turning up to my first village Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting, I walked into a lively and well informed pre-meeting debate on the relevant merits of Outlook versus open source alternatives. Now, I don’t think anyone would be offended (I did say I’d write a blog on it) by my noting that the average attendee would likely have retired well before the dotcom revolution: nor by my characterising my Oxfordshire village as ‘Vicar of Dibley’ country. Neither, I think, would the – somewhat senior – Rector himself mind my recalling his surprise at discovering a passionate 87 year old open source advocate in the village.

Now, whatever our thoughts on the present direction of consumerised open source, its spread and popular relevance is humbling (kudos, Mr Bridgwater…). It’s also a wake-up call to marketers everywhere not to be blinkered by the stereotypes and perversely narrow audiences we invoke in marketing plans. And, just maybe, it shows us a little bit of the broader value of what we do as communicators.

Monday 9 May 2011

Multitone, the inventor of the first paging system celebrates its 80th birthday today

Multitone Electronics Plc, specialists in defined group wireless communication, celebrates its 80th birthday today. As experts in this field Multitone is dominant in providing resilient messaging systems to hospitals and the Emergency Services in the UK and delivers sophisticated messaging systems to a myriad of customers around the globe.
Founded by Joseph Poliakoff on 9 May 1931 the company was originally known for its work on developing the hearing aid for the hard of hearing, the most prestigious customer being Winston Churchill. Joseph Poliakoff and his son Alexander were continual innovators and are acknowledged as the pioneers of the pager, which became known as “the bleeper”.


Proskills Enhances Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Integrated Data Quality Tool From Capscan


UK Sector Skills Council Chooses Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics CRM
For Efficient Address Capture and Validation

Capscan, a leading provider of international address management solutions and data integrity services, today announces that it has integrated its purpose built address validation tool with Proskills UK, the sector skills council for the process and manufacturing sector, new Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Using Matchcode for Microsoft Dynamics CRM ensures that Proskills has only accurate, up-to-date and enhanced address information added to its CRM database.

For further information about Capscan and Matchcode please contact Capscan's press office on capscanpr@mccint.com

dhc Reduces Time The Royal Army Medical Corps Spends On Managing Financial Accounts By 80%


Access Dimensions Provides Not-For-Profit Organisation With A Single View of Finances

dhc, a business software integration and financial management specialist, today announced that the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) are spending 80% less time on managing accounts, following the implementation of the accounting and financial management suite, Access Dimensions, at its regimental headquarters in Camberley.

For further information on dhc or Access Dimensions please contact dhc's press office on dhcpr@mccint.com

Tuesday 3 May 2011

ramsac operates CryoLife Europa’s IT

Network support ensures supply of life-saving surgery products

ramsac, a leading IT solutions consultancy has announced it is providing a full IT outsourcing service to CryoLife Europa, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryoLife, Inc. a leading pioneer in the development of implantable biological devices, surgical adhesives, haemostatic agents and biomaterials for use in cardiac, vascular and general surgery.

NanoKTN Helps to Boost Commercial Growth of UK Nanotechnology Company Mantis Deposition



The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce the success of one of its members, Mantis Deposition. Technical Director, Dr Alistair Kean, believes support from the NanoKTN has had a significant impact on the commercial success of the business.
Mantis Deposition is a speciality instrumentation company, developing high-quality components and systems for the thin-film coating community. The company’s products are used worldwide in a variety of academic and research applications, with the range of deposition products including component sources (nanoparticle sources, atom sources, ion sources, sputter sources and e-beam evaporators) and flexibly configured deposition systems based on its own UHV deposition components.