JH Turner and Co.
JH Turner and Co is a small and diverse company that deals in all species of fish landed in Newlyn.
Partner Robin Turner says ‘We installed broadband three years ago and the boost it has given the business is tremendous.’
He continues ‘Before broadband, all our orders were made by telephone or fax. Now virtually all ordering is by email, from our customers across the UK and Europe. This has several advantages for us – firstly it means that we can respond to customer enquiries almost instantly so we are far more likely to win business. Secondly, it has meant phenomenal time savings and improvements in efficiency.
‘Both J.H Turner and Co and my other business, Newline Fuels Ltd, have websites and because of broadband we are now able to update these very easily ourselves. It is also now simple to email through large files such as photos, which we often have to send or receive from overseas if we are considering buying a specific item.
‘As well as improving our links with customers, broadband has transformed the way we purchase supplies. Most of out ordering – everything from fish hooks to boat parts and Wellington boots - now takes place online and this streamlines the process, especially as many of our suppliers are in Europe.’
Robin also finds the Internet a great source of information relevant to the fishing industry. ‘I download the weather forecasts about three times a day’ he says. ‘There are also some excellent specialist marine biology sites that are invaluable to find out technical details about specific species of fish. Because we trade in Europe we find that there can be some confusion about which particular species a customer may be referring to, so we check it out via its Latin name on the Internet. The quality of specialist fishing information on the Internet is extremely high and although the resources are not yet quite as ‘joined up’ as they are for the agriculture sector, it is definitely getting there.’
In what he calls his ‘other life’, Robin is heavily involved in rugby and as a result, he travels widely across the UK. Luckily, he is now able to keep up to date with the office through use of wireless hotspots. ‘I connect up my laptop to broadband, usually at whichever hotel I am staying in, and that way I can keep on top of the business regardless of my location.’
Robin also finds that using email for ‘round robin’ discussions on various issues has cut down the amount of time he needs to spend travelling and in meetings locally. ‘It is definitely easier and faster to resolve issues and move forward without the need for meetings so there has been a significant saving in fuel costs and time.’
Robin concludes ‘There is still some way to go and further benefits to uncover. For example, it may be that we will move to online ordering in future. But already, the improvements in efficiency and the savings in time and money due to broadband have been fantastic. There is no question that broadband has been a terrific advantage to my business and it represents a great opportunity for the fishing industry in general’.
