Online parcel delivery firm says small businesses must capitalise on mobile sales boom

(PRWEB UK) 19 August 2011

Britains leading online parcel delivery specialist has called on small businesses to take advantage of the boom in sales through smartphones.

Recent research has shown that more and more consumers are prepared to buy products through their mobile phones and are enjoying the freedom that mobile shopping offers. Bolton-based Parcel2Go helps businesses of all sizes organise shipping to countries across the world and suggests that small firms should take a proactive approach when it comes to building an online presence.

People are now using their mobile phones to do so much more, from surfing the internet to using social networking sites. Figures released last week by online research specialist comScore revealed that 13.5 million mobile users across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK accessed mobile retail sites in the three months ending May 2011. In Britain, the number of smartphone users accessing mobile sites has increased by 163 per cent over the past 12 months.

Online retail site eBay expects global mobile sales to hit $ 4bn by the end of 2011, double the value of goods sold in 2010. The UK market has been one of the fastest adopters of the technology and an increasing number of businesses now find they have to meet eBay parcel delivery requests following purchases made via mobile phones.

Richard Mercer, Director of Marketing at Parcel2Go, said: "There is little doubt that the retail world is changing rapidly. Smartphones have become commonplace and consumers in the UK have adopted m-commerce technology quicker than many people would have anticipated.

"Parcel2Go launched its own mobile site at http://m.parcel2go.com/ last month. We also partner with a huge variety of UK companies involved in selling their goods online, whether thats through their own website or through third-party sites such as Amazon and eBay. All firms need to recognise the important role that mobile e-commerce is already playing, and that courier services available through Parcel2Go can play a key part in helping to organise a smooth delivery after a sale has been made."

About Parcel2Go:

Parcel2Go Ltd has been offering its customers a comprehensive range of parcel delivery and worldwide shipping services for the past 21 years. Based in Bolton, the company operates a cost effective collection and delivery service available throughout the UK, Europe and USA mainland.

For further information contact: Les Yates

Email: l.yates(at)parcel2go(dot)com

TPG and Tietotalo Implement Successful Project Management Solution At Chemicals Firm Kemira

Munich, Germany (PRWEB) July 14, 2011

TPG The Project Group and Tietotalo, its partner in Finland, announced today that they have implemented a project management solution at Kemira Oyj, a global chemicals group based in Finland. The new project management system, based on Microsoft Project Server 2010, saves project managers in the R&D department up to one day a month as it replaces the individual planning solutions they were using previously. In addition, the new system is integrated with Kemiras SAP installation using TPG PSLink, the worlds leading interface between SAP and Microsoft Project that is certified by SAP. The combination of a standardized project management environment and automatic data synchronization with the ERP system enables Kemira staff to produce reports at the click of a mouse, quickly compare project costs, and efficiently manage resources. TPG has also produced a detailed case study on the Kemira implementation that can be viewed on TPGs website http://bit.ly/jyBbYH

In March 2010 Kemira announced its new corporate mission: the Finland-based chemicals group was aiming to become the worlds largest water chemistry firm. With a view to achieving this goal, the company is working on hundreds of research and development projects at 100 locations in 40 countries. It decided that it needed to install an enterprise-wide, standardized project management system to manage all these projects more efficiently.

Each project manager had his or her own way of managing projects, says Jani Saarinen, Senior Manager and Head of Processes and external Relations in R&D at Kemira. And the reporting was horrible! When working on quarterly reports, it often took Saarinen himself several days to find and collate countless pieces of information from multiple departments.

For Jani Saarinen there were two main criteria for the choice of the enterprise-wide project management system. First, it had to help staff save time in their everyday project work; and second, the entire system had to be easy to use.

The solution put in place by TPG The Project Group and its partner Tietotalo, based in Helsinki, Finland, meets both of these criteria. Project managers and staff now work with Microsoft Project Professional and the Microsoft WebApp in a system based on Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2010. Im able to use Project Server 2010, even though my background is in economic history, not IT, says Jani Saarinen, clearly pleased with the user-friendly Microsoft solution.

The new solution saves Kemiras R&D project managers a lot of time, especially in the creation of reports. With the TPG PSLink interface running in the background, project-related data are constantly synchronized between SAP and Microsoft Project Server 2010 and kept up to date. Adds Saarinen: The system saves our project managers up to one day a month, because they now have cost control data at their fingertips via TPG PSLink.

In addition, all staff worldwide can now use Microsoft WebApp to enter their actual hours and retrieve relevant project data. That alone saves them about two hours per month, comments Jani Saarinen. Previously, they had to enter the data twice once in an Excel spreadsheet, then again for control purposes in SAP.

The implementation began in June 2010, managed by TPG and Tietotalo, both Microsoft Gold Certified Partners. Kemira had reviewed solution providers by having them respond to a set of scenarios and selected Tietotalo based on its execution during the review. Kemira was also impressed of the solution and references provided by TPG of integrating Microsoft Project Server to SAP.

Former Goldman Sachs Exec Launches Hospitality Industry Asset Management and Transaction Advisory Firm

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 11, 2011

This morning, Steven M. Angel, a former Managing Director within Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, announced the formation of Fulcrum Hospitality LLC (Fulcrum), an asset management and advisory services firm focused on the lodging and gaming industries.

Leveraging Mr. Angels 20-plus year background in the hospitality industry spanning principal investing, investment oversight, consulting, operations and equity research, Fulcrum will focus on assisting both institutional and individual investors in identifying and analyzing prospective hotel and casino investment opportunities, as well as maximizing the value of existing equity and debt portfolios.

As performance metrics improve across key markets globally and capital markets continue to ease, a clear opportunity exists for Fulcrum Hospitality to assist its clients in executing operational and investment strategies designed to enhance the performance and value of lodging and gaming assets, Mr. Angel stated. These same tactics can be leveraged during the diligence of potential transactions to recognize and exploit value opportunities amid highly competitive asset bidding processes.

Mr. Angels unique background positions him well to lead this venture, having played an integral leadership role in the acquisition and subsequent oversight of several billion dollars of hotel and casino investments both in his role at Goldman Sachs as well as his most recent post as a Principal at Highgate Hotels, a preeminent investment and management firm with which Fulcrum will maintain a strategic relationship. Mr. Angel also formerly served as a licensed gaming principal and Chairman of the Board of American Casino & Entertainment Properties, whose assets include the 2,400-room Stratosphere Las Vegas.

These accomplishments combined with Mr. Angels previous work in equity research at Lehman Brothers, as a Managing Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and in hotel operations with dominant brands such as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, suggest that Fulcrum is primed to become an industry leading advisor.

Contact: Steven M. Angel, 908-998-1400, sangel{at}fulcrumhospitality{dot}com