Anubis II Case Study: Millbrook Technology
Having been awarded £10,000 to invest in technology, all companies took an innovative idea and weaved it into their businesses. Here is a summary of their successes thanks to the ANUBIS funding.
Millbrook Technology Solutions plans to get a pioneering web based software product to market 18 months early which will help the automotive industry access accurate data on vehicles.
The innovative software system, which is being developed with the ANUBIS funding, is predicted to help increase the company’s turnover five fold.
Millbrook is run by three directors all of whom have experience in the motor or fleet management business. They aim to provide a software solution which provides precise data on over 4,000 car models, manufacturers and individual specifications.
“Currently, incomplete information means those using existing industry data are making businesses decisions based on potentially inaccurate or incomplete data. This has implications for businesses such as auto leasing and finance companies where incorrect orders and quotes can prove costly.”
Millbrook Technology's director Paul Biggs
Millbrook’s solution is to offer the most comprehensive data which is updated daily, and tracks almost 300 distinct pieces of information on each vehicle – everything from the price of the vehicle to the amount of rear legroom and the ability of the stereo to play MP3s.
This is particularly useful for businesses and individuals who provide and use company cars as well as those businesses which have to manage high volumes of vehicle data commercially.
The technology will be available to six key target markets which Millbrook has identified as important areas of growth for the business. These include vehicle finance brokers, vehicle leasing companies, corporate fleet managers, online car sales, fleet software companies and vehicle dealerships.
Millbrook has recently developed a software solution for a Midlands car dealership group. It is the first bespoke product which Millbrook has produced, it helps the dealerships to identify the best sources for their vehicle parts and helps them to save tens of thousands of pounds.
The automotive industry is highly competitive with many established players in the market:
“Knowing this, we set out to create a highly specialised consultancy which produces niche products and services.”
Millbrook Technology's director Paul Biggs
The system designed by Millbrook aims to make it easy for the user to export data into formats which are compatible with the user’s own systems. The beauty of the design means new functionality can be bolted on to enhance the capability of the application.
“The UK market is the most advanced in terms of developing and using vehicle data. However, many of the systems used by the industry have limitations and many tie in the end user to one supplier which can prove expensive and inefficient.”
Millbrook Technology's director Paul Biggs
The company has plans to agree commercial deals with existing fleet software providers to create an integrated solution which could become an industry standard.
Millbrook is less than three years old and in that time has had to overcome some thorny obstacles. Apart from having to run a business with just £100 in the business account at one point, Millbrook had been let down by third party suppliers which almost compromised its own reputation.
“You can only learn through experience who you can trust, and who will not let you down. We had first hand experience of being let down by some suppliers who were integral to a technology project. This impacted on our business so we are very mindful that we work with suppliers who have a good track record.”
Millbrook Technology's director Paul Biggs
The ANUBIS funding will allow Millbrook to speed up the development of the software and commercially launch the product to create new revenue streams.
“Getting the ANUBIS money is fantastic for us as a small business. It gives us a cushion to plan this project properly. The real opportunity now is to take a step back and plan our strategy to go to market. ANUBIS is the bridge which will help us to get from A to B.
We are confident that there is a market for our niche software and fleet consultancy solutions but managing growth is a priority. ANUBIS allows us to balance our short term and longer term commercial objectives. Without it, we couldn’t do that so easily and couldn’t take our product to market until the latter part of 2008.”
Millbrook Technology's director Paul Biggs
Anubis Winner's Link: visit the Millbrook Technology website
