Octopus offers multiple business services from single source

03/07/2006

FIRMS across Wales can now get business development advice and training from top private sector Welsh providers with a single phone call.

The Octopus consortium has been formed by three established North East Wales companies: THE (correct) Business and Human Resource Centre of Ruabon; MCW Group, IT and management services provider of Wrexham; and Setter & Associates health and safety consultancy of Greenfield.

Mike Scott, a director of THE and now Octopus,, said: “We owners have known each other for years and respect each others’ expertise in their fields. If a client of THE has asked for IT services, for example, we’ve referred them to MCW.
“We conducted market research among the firms we’ve already helped and learned they are crying out for a structured means of getting a number of services with a single phone call.
“We wanted a name that would stick and we found out from keepers at the Rhyl Seaquarium that the octopus is alert, adaptable, intelligent, continually learning and needs to be kept busy because it is easily bored. We provide a multi-faceted service so the name had to be the Octopus Business Consortium.”

The founder companies’ backgrounds also mean that they can point clients to public sector-funded support in disciplines as varied as leadership and management, IT, health and safety and workplace behaviour.
Heading up Octopus is Marketing and PR Manager, Julian Hughes, who was for a number of years the Marketing Manager of Yale College, Wrexham.

MCW Group Managing Director and now an Octopus director, Richard Morris, said: “Julian had already developed for Yale a system of proactively offering multiple services to companies, rather than sitting back and waiting for a company to make an inquiry.
“Octopus has only just launched but we’ve already carried out inter-trading and clients love it. For example, one firm contracted MCW for IT training and support. During the training, it identified a need for leadership and management training to get best value out of the new IT, MCW briefed THE and stepped in.”
Established in 1997, THE has offices in Ruabon, Cardiff and Pontypridd. It holds the Welsh Assembly Government contract to provide funded leadership and management training nationwide. It has retained clients including Brother Industries, Westbridge Furniture (formerly Deeside Furniture) and Wockhardt UK (formerly CP Pharmaceuticals) since its foundation.
MCW Group is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner. Clients include Shell Global Solutions, North East Wales NHS Trust, BT and Halifax Bank of Scotland. Its services include training in Windows, Outlook and Project, Microsoft engineer training and management courses including project presentation skills.
Founded in 1993, Setter and Associates gives businesses competitive edge by providing training in skills, as well as employee attitudes towards, health, safety, environmental and quality issues. Its clients include BHP Billiton, Macbryde Homes and NEWI, Wrexham.

Octopus services are delivered through the founder companies’ training centres at Ruabon, Wrexham, Greenfield and Cardiff, as well as at client premises.

For more information, contact Tracy North at Outwrite Public Relations on 01352 706260, or 07885 943402

Alternatively, email Tracy North