E-Trading & Business Services Ltd.

 E-Trading & Business Services Ltd. was founded by Tony Fletcher and Simon O'Brien. Having formed a successful team at cooksons.com, Tony and Simon subsequently worked together on a number of projects, including the Government funded 'HiSpec Project', investigating Internet security issues. It soon became clear that their complimentary skills and similar views on providing excellent customer service gave them with a great advantage, and E-Trading & Business Services Ltd. was formed.

 

E-Trading & Business Services Ltd has a great amount of experience in creating transactional websites that go far beyond a simple online-shop. Integrating large back-office functionality and CRM techniques mean the websites created by E-Trading & Business Services Ltd can be managed by busy managers with no expert knowledge required.

 

Having developed a number of Tool & Ironmongery transactional websites, E-Trading & Business Services Ltd has used the knowledge gained to provide the Tool industry with a new type of Business System that transcends traditional EPOS or E-Procurement. In February 2004, E-Trading & Business Services Ltd won a prestigious DTi Award for Research and Development to build their Integrated Supply Chain Management System.

 

Tony Fletcher - Managing Director

Tony comes from a background of professional electronic application. After an early career as a Broadcast Engineer he gained commercial and management expertise with Chloride Industrial Systems rising to the position of Regional Sales Manager. With the approval of the MD and the National Sales Manager, at Chloride, he created and implemented a comprehensive new business structure that had far reaching effects on both the manufacturing and sales capability of the business. Under his guidance manufacturing output was doubled, at nominal cost, and sales/profit were correspondingly increased turning the company round from a weak break even position to a market leading, strongly profitable one.

 

Applying his technical capability and commercial experience, he spent the next 10 years building his own communications business into a seven figure success. Developing a niche market in dispersed communications networks for government departments, Tony’s business took all the major contracts available in the area. The business was eventually sold to allow him to spend more time developing his fledgling farming activities.

 

In 1999 Tony accepted the challenge, with the “pre-launch” online tool supplier cooksons.com ltd, to assist in building a new business in completely uncharted territory – the internet. Within a year he steered the business through ISO9002 to become the first Internet business to achieve certification, planned and managed the technical development of the site, and put the business on course to win numerous awards. Appointed as Operations Director he managed the Marketing, Customer service and technical operation of the business until late 2002. The bursting of the “Internet Bubble” had slowed the growth of the business and the pace of development, but Tony helped steer it to a stable and profitable state and then left to pursue more advanced projects.

 

Simon O'Brien - Technical Director

Simons early natural interest and participation in all things scientific and computing led him to achieve straight A’s at A level followed by a BSc (honours) in Computation from UMIST. In his final year at University he was shortlisted by his professors for a TCS associateship. Competing against numerous MSc graduates Simon was chosen for his outstanding practical capabilities and his depth of understanding of the technical intricacies of internet technologies.

 

Simon took up the challenge to develop leading edge technologies for cooksons.com ltd. with relish. Rapidly absorbing the commercial realities of working outside academia, Simon set about adding XML communication capability, in house streaming video and webcasting, voice over IP, and realtime comparative pricing mechanisms to the site. During the 2 years of his associateship he achieved everything that he was required to and more. The final outcome was an online business that provided the best possible services and experience for its customers, with a fully integrated back office and supply chain that many PLC’s would have been proud of.

 

His experience with cooksons.com rounded out his capabilities to the extent that when the associateship was completed he decided to go into IT consulting for his own account.

 

Simon has since developed and project managed the development of numerous websites for fortuneXchange Ltd, provided services for a range of entrepreneurs and SME’s, and developed a system that integrates the online, mail order, and shop counter functions of D&M Tools into an integrated business.