SMEs face great change in the marketplaces they operate in. Industries shut down; new ones open up. And it gets increasingly difficult to achieve the success you want by yourself. The manufacturing sector is no different. Success seems harder and harder to achieve.
There are substantial opportunities, whether it be in defence, renewable energy, transport, infrastructure or the myriads of other industries SMEs serve.
A way forward is for SMEs to work together with other SMEs to better cement their place in a supply chain or jointly develop competencies, for SMEs to closely collaborate with suppliers or customers to reduce costs and cycle times, and for SMEs to work more closely with prime contractors to achieve better outcomes for both.
Collaboration
Based on nearly 20 years of work, and past successes, this workshop will take you through interfirm SME collaboration and cover:
- The collaboration imperative. How it fits with the business landscape. How do I think differently about the future?
- The opportunities (with examples and cases)
- Hurdles and how to jump them
- Proven benefits
- Approaches to collaborative arrangements
- Dealing with tier 1 and 2 contractors
- A working framework
- Starting the journey
Workshop style will be immersive and interactive. It is not 3 hours of listening to a lecture. Collaboration experienced SMEs will form part of it.
Post workshop: there will be an opportunity for 1 on 1 discussions with the presenter.
Agenda
9.30 am: Registration
10 am: Event commences
1 pm: Event concludes
1 – 2 pm: Networking lunch
Location
Morwell Innovation Centre
1 Monash Way, Morwell VIC 3840 (map)
About the presenter
David Pender will present the workshop. He is the Principal of Knowledge Perspectives which has numerous collaborative arrangements in place. He has been working in this field for the past 20 years, researching, observing and implementing collaborative arrangements between businesses. Clients include several defence Primes and principal contractors in infrastructure.
David views collaborative business relationships as a business discipline and is the convenor for the SME special interest group with the Institute for Collaborative Working Australia. He also holds a fractional appointment at the Adelaide Business School (Executive MBA program).
Cost