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Having come from an automotive engineering world where simulation has long since been adopted as the way to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs of design and manufacture, it is surprising to discover lower adoption in other sectors, industrial or otherwise.

Recently I took on a new customer who is in the engineering software sales field. They offer solutions to automotive but also in any industrial sector; aerospace, energy, motor sports etc.

This has led me to really think about simulations place and what the benefits really are. Have we all been duped by awesome software sales teams (possibly), or, (as it more probably) does simulation provide a tangible and quantifiable benefit to business capability and therefore its competitive advantage?

The fundamental physics of mechanics, fluids and electrics don’t change so why has there been lower adoption of simulation in other industrial sectors so far?

Its a question I don’t have a definitive answer too, at the moment at least, but its something I am now deeply considering for my new customer.

As ever, I would welcome your comments.

Currently doing some background research. This is a great little animated graph showing population distribution over time, past and present.

It is the eagerly anticipated start to the F1 season and the first race is at Bahrain, somewhere I spent the very early years of my life. This video shows Mark Webber in the RedBull F1 simulator (something not often shown to the public …) driving the new for 2010 circuit layout.

An export led, high technology Britain is the future, recommended by James Dyson. click here for the pdf.

I agree with him actually and hope his requests and recommendations come to pass. We are a country of inventors and the world should benefit more from that. We are also a country of conservative investors, cautious and risk averse so I believe the biggest challenge is cultural – a consumerist service industry has generated an addiction to easy, quick cash and fast returns, who is brave enough to buck this trend?

This is a good article on Marketing perception and its real purpose in a business.

“The aim of marketing is to make selling unnecessary.”
Peter Drucker

Shame the songs not as awesome but video rocks …

I am having a moment of consideration and consolidation. The online marketing consultancy is open for business and the website is getting visitors from around the world everyday.

The open question remains: Which industry sector?

Although now skilled with the tools to work in any business in any industry, people want reassurance you know their industry and have direct experienced their problems.

Otherwise, they may argue, what value can you really bring them?  Their perception is maybe you don’t understand what they are going through. Furthermore, to sell consultancy you have to sell either a saving or an increase in revenue.  To justify the fee’s you charge, without sector experience, this is almost impossible by any ethical process.

It was through thinking about this sector problem that I took the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate. Consultancy is an industry limited by time and billable hours – I can only be in one place at one time. Furthermore, where is the incentive, past the good hourly rate? Is a consultant just a self-employed manager, rather than a true entrepreneur?

Here is a perspective from an interview with Chris Knight of ezinearticles.com on the subject:

What is the best advice you have for new or future entrepreneurs?

“Do it and stop talking about ‘doing it.” Get into massive action. Learn and read like mad every single day. Listen to your stakeholders and earn their respect by taking an enormous amount of action that proves you heard what they had to say. Create and design a business that allows you to step out of daily operations. If you are running your business, you are a manager and not an entrepreneur. Nothing wrong with being a manager or even an ‘entrepreneurial-spirited manager’, but true entrepreneurs in my mind unlock the creativity and innovation in market potential for their business and industry –they can only do this if they are not involved in daily operations of the business.

For the full article, click here.