Future Technology - Manufacturing

Microsoft View of Manufacturing in the future.





theBizWiz
http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/

Barter - reduce your costs - save cash

The Australian recently reported an old way of reducing your costs in business, Barter. This is and old and trusted method of getting services whilst you supply return services to the supplier. The article outlines a number of scenarios of what is happening locally and overseas. So here is a list of local companies and websites involved in barter:

• Bartercard
• Swapspace
• Cracker
• AtoZ Barter Online

Of course, the Government wants there share. The ATO takes it's cut wherever it can and Barter is no different.

theBizWiz

http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/

Tax Breaks for Business

Good news for Small Business, but to understand this better you need to look at this.

As part of the $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan, the Government has announced investment tax breaks for Australian businesses.

Small businesses with a turnover of $2 million a year or less will benefit from claiming an additional 30 per cent tax deduction for eligible assets costing $1 000 or more, acquired between 13 December 2008 to 30 June 2009. From 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2009, eligible assets costing $1 000 or more will be able to claim an additional 10 per cent deduction.

Businesses with higher than a $2 million a year turnover, are eligible for assets costing $10 000 or more.

For further information on the tax break, visit the Tax Office website.

theBizWiz

http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/

Bespin.... a breakthrough in Cloud Computing

Future Technology Directions

theBizWiz

http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/

Manufacturing - Researchers in Business

Previously research grants were onerous. The process of applying for the grant can be time consuming and costly. The complex reporting required is difficult as well. The new Researcher in Business initiative is an attempt to reduce the complexity for smaller grant situations and also stimulate involvement between Research organisations and Industry. The details are on the ATO website and also reproduced below.

InFormGroup can help you to look further into this scheme and assist in the application.

theBizWiz

http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/

"Are you a manufacturing firm who needs assistance to develop and implement a new idea with commercial potential? Then Enterprise Connect's new Researchers in Business grant could help you.

Researchers in Business grants provide funding for businesses to employ researchers from universities or public research. Funding for up to 50 per cent of the salary costs for employing the researcher will be provided, to a maximum of $50 000. Placements can be for a period of 2 to 12 months.

To be eligible to apply for Researchers in Business an Australian SME must:

• be registered with an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• have turned over more than $1 million and under $100 million in the preceding/current financial year
• be solvent
• have filed Business Activity Statements for at least three consecutive years
• not have received funding for the project from other Government programs (whether Commonwealth, State, Territory, local or otherwise) within the last three years, and
• be a manufacturing firm or a manufacturing service firms or be eligible for services in one of the Enterprise Connect Innovation Centres.

Further information and application forms can be obtained from Enterprise Connect's website or by calling the Enterprise Connect Hotline on 131 791 during business hours."

IT and the Recession

Arguably the best IT company to work for in the last couple of years has been NetApps. In announcing their results on February 12th a 6% reduction in labour force was sneaked in.

It goes to show the depth the Recession is taking now, especially in the IT sector. There was a time when IT was cool. But, sadly, it has become an mature industry that focuses on margin improvement, consolidation and efficiency. This is not bad as it translates to gains at the consumer end. Look at the desktop power available today ! Only a few years ago memory and disk sizes available today were too expensive. Now you can get Netbooks (see earlier Blogs) at sub $500 prices.

Technology that is cool is now based around mobility and "gadgets". This is where the money is and recommendations to new graduates would be have a look at companies like Apple, Nokia and RIM.

Unfortunately, as the larger end of IT town consolidates, the knowledge and experience of IT goes out the door. The Baby Boomers are leaving to Tree Changes, Sea Changes, Career changes or just the path of redundancy. I blogged previously about the cycles of IT and one thing is for sure, they dont seem to teach a subject called Computer History at University.

So what is the next big thing: Cloud Computing seems to be all the rage. Stay tuned for more on that...................

theBizWiz

http://www.boulterassociates.com.au/
http://www.informgroup.com.au/