for more information about stanelco click on the links.

driver's research page link
http://www.moneyam.com/InvestorsRoom/posts.php?tid=7681#lastread
website link
http://www.stanelco.co.uk/index.htm

You'll convert them eventually driver..
PS whats Pat doing to the cat..

He's saying 'look, no hands!'.....even postmen need viagra.

jimmy
Nothing thats where he keeps him, down his trousers.

I feel battered. Ask a simple question and the world starts talking about naive people shouldn't invest!!!
Only had access to information and boards like this for a couple of months so it takes me a while to learn from other people. I am only a relatively small investor, using the most advanced way I know of investing, DON'T INVEST WHAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE. So, in essence crash and burn or shoot like a rocket, I will neither make, nor lose a fortune. If that is naive I am sorry, but I didn't realise I was the only person not born with an intimate knowledge of stockmarket investments.
When I have an opinion, it is simple and straightforward, and I put my money where my mouth is. I base it on observation and sifting other peoples take (including ii).
I am going to get roaring drunk now, on the basis that the weekend has started, I am still alive and no matter what happens to SEO, the sun will still rise on Monday morning.
Have a good weekend all.
Alan

Bloomberg analyst being interviewed right now about her interview with Bond - the Asda head. When asked what his future is going forward and competing with Tesco, he said he is in the process of bringing the costs of individual wrappings down and this will save a lot of money for the company!

Baza

superrod Hi,

-----------------------------
RE - "jimmyb,wilbs, i think you are both very naive. if the only way is up, everyone and their mother would be buying this."

-----------------------------
I have these .... and so does my mother(and father) !

Also a large number of friends and work collegues(my boss, his mother and father too !), and my sister is 'looking' at buying some to put into trust for her children(2). And they all heard about Stanelco .... from me :)

Cheers,
PM

Stanelco - the innovators !!!!

They could teach the other UK companies a thing or two, or so you would think from this article !

Ways to boost our innovation status
Experts at the first of Computing's Innovation Nation? roundtables agree that UK companies must provide an environment that encourages risk-takers

Bryan Glick, Computing 09 Jun 2005

Experts at the first of Computing's Innovation Nation? roundtables agree that UK companies must provide an environment that encourages risk-takers Innovation Nation? is a campaign to examine the role of innovation in the UK economy. Computing, in partnership with Intellect, the high-tech trade association, aims to identify the key steps to ensuring that the UK is able to innovatively exploit technology for social and economic gain. This week, our panel of experts discusses the UK's culture of innovation, how we shape up against some of our global competitors, and the barriers that prevent us taking full advantage of the UK's creative and business strengths. The panel has five recommendations for improving the state of our innovation nation.

Encourage risk-takers and overcome the fear of failure

One of the biggest barriers to innovation is the UK's cultural aversion to risk, and an environment that creates a fear of failure.

For innovators to thrive, there must be an acceptance that it is OK to make mistakes.

'It does not matter if you fail. If you have tried and it does not work, at least you have tried,' says Andrew Mullen, general manager for communications and new technologies at electronics group LG. 'That is something we in the UK are not so good at. We are not so good at taking risk and going in and doing it.'

Philip Hargrave, chief scientist for Nortel in Europe, says ideas that do not work are all part of the innovation process, and that a growing culture of accountability is preventing people taking risks.

'There is a difference between accountability and responsibility. When it goes wrong, it is called risk-taking,' he says. 'If you are going to help things through, a fair number are going to fail. And you have to build that into the process right from the start.'

Gemma Harman, director of strategy and media in the office of the chief technology officer at BT, says institutional silos in companies must be broken down to allow innovators to flourish.

'People cannot cope with the politics or the competing agendas, and they stop. That is the downfall, and prevents us becoming greater at innovation,' she says.

'We are indoctrinated to stick to the usual way of doing things. We need to think differently.'

The IT industry also has to address consumer attitudes to technology, where new innovations are often seen as risky.

'A key issue is about getting market conditions right,' says Martin Ripley, head of e-strategy at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).

'Having sufficient standards and controls to allow consumers to make radical choices; to know the product or innovation they are buying does work, and will do what it says on the package.'

And social considerations are important for overcoming technophobia.

'When we think about innovation, we tend to think about technology,' says Simon Roberts, managing director of Ideas Bizarre, a consultancy that advises on social and cultural issues around technology.

'But a lot of what we see around us is social. eBay is not a technological revolution, it is a social revolution. I would say look social, and the technology will follow.'

Emphasise creative skills in education

The panel agrees that the UK's education system does not adequately prepare school-leavers with the skills needed to become innovators. The focus is on facts and knowledge, but this needs to be combined with creativity and problem-solving skills.

'If you take the UK education system, there is an incredible emphasis on old-style factory thinking,' says Carsten Sorensen, senior lecturer in information systems at London School of Economics.

'It is the cheapest way of churning through the most people in the shortest times. It is bloody boring for everybody involved, but it ensures we force a certain amount of knowledge into their heads, sacrificing the ability to think on their feet, whereas what you have to have a belief in yourself, and the ability to solve problems.'

Julie Meyer, chief executive of investment adviser Ariadne Capital, says children in the US are prepared much more effectively for being entrepreneurs.

'There is room in the UK to explore how you can help children growing up to get comfortable making money and get comfortable selling things early,' she says.

'In the US, you see children with a lemonade stand on the side of the road, or selling Barbie clothes, or old computer disks. They get comfortable doing the transaction, making some money. And once you get that instilled in you, you do not lose it.'

And the QCA's Martin Ripley says our teaching system does not adequately prepare children to take risks.

'We do not teach them well enough to solve problems. We teach them that there are correct answers to problems; that there are algorithmic ways of doing things,' he says. But changing the way education works is a big challenge.

'You are talking about innovation in education, which has the same barriers, obstacles and problems we have,' says Ripley.

Support the innovators

Much innovation is driven by small companies coming up with new ideas - but the wider business environment could provide much more support, according to the panel.

'There is a role for encouraging entrepreneurs and helping founders of businesses become great chief executives,' says Julie Meyer, of Ariadne Capital. 'The UK needs more founders of startups that have what it takes and believe they have what it takes to become great chief executives.'

Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, says innovation is not only about big ideas.

'There is a huge amount of innovation that takes place on a daily basis,' he says. 'You need small companies to be constantly innovative, constantly thinking about how they could be doing things differently.'

Ideas Bizarre's Simon Roberts says there must be more support for lone innovators. 'It is very difficult for the lone individual to know where to turn when they have something they think will work,' he says.

'Big organisations can throw advisers and money and expertise at it, but individuals are sitting there thinking: "Maybe I will just stick with my day job." That is a real shame.'

Large firms should help smaller businesses and entrepreneurs, acting as mentors for the next generation of innovators.

'The idea of success mentoring is that you do not leave the person who has come up with the idea in total isolation,' says Jill Ainscough, managing director of broadband specialist Easynet.

'You surround them with people who have done the same sort of things before.' And Robert Taylor, director, government at Cable & Wireless, says even the smallest amount of mentoring advice is worthwhile.

'People in large organisations can actually help innovators, even with the boring stuff they do not know about,' he says.

Moving research into development

OUR experts agree that the UK has improved its technology research base in recent years, especially through stronger links between business and universities.

But the key to successful innovation is taking the output of that research and developing it into products that can be taken to market - and this is an area where the UK has room for improvement.

'We are pumping vast sums into research, but there it ends,' says Intellect director general John Higgins.

'We are structurally geared up to do all that research, with lots of money going into it. And then nothing.'

Nortel's Philip Hargrave says the principles of managing research and taking that to market are quite different.

'We are good at the fundamental end of innovation, the "ideas from nowhere" sort of innovation. But we always say they never get put into practice,' he says.

'How you manage those people who spark from nowhere is totally different to the next stage, where you bring in others who try to develop their idea. We are not good when it comes to making a decision where the money goes, and taking those ideas further.'

QCA's Martin Ripley says that using better models for rewarding innovation would help take research past that first stage.

'It's about being rewarded for that behaviour, so I am encouraged to take the steps, to take risks, to not be punished,' he says. 'There is a lot for us to learn from models of getting better support, better structure, better encouragement, better reward around stage two and stage three in the process.'

Create a culture of innovation

AN area that has not been given sufficient attention in the UK is the role of managers and leaders in creating a culture that promotes innovation.

'There are some four million leaders and managers in the UK, and they have not had the opportunity of understanding and being educated in the application of technology, and how that technology can actually drive their business more effectively,' says Terry Hook, workforce development executive at IT sector skills council e-Skills UK.

'If you do not create the culture where it is allowed to happen, the opposite is true. Management and leadership can stifle and kill innovation.'

People need to be taught how to be successful, and be given suitable role models. 'You need to surround people with success,' says Easynet managing director Jill Ainscough.

This is another area where the UK can learn from its rivals.

'In the US there is a "can do" attitude, a "can do" culture,' says BT's Gemma Harman. 'That needs to permeate more in the UK.'

And managers must not make employees feel their job is at risk if they do not immediately succeed.

'You do not want people to feel they are going to lose their job if they fail,' says Nortel's Philip Hargrave.

'That is what people are worried about. They need to know that their project not going forward is not going to be the end of it.'

What the experts say

Andrew Mullen General manager, communications and new technologies, LG

In south-east Asia, engineers are not only very good engineers, but very good at presenting their ideas. That is the fundamental difference. In the UK, we need to teach that range of skills. It is not just about having expertise in a particular field, but being able to communicate and talk about that.

Robert Taylor Director, government, Cable & Wireless

Do not be shy of saying to people: go and fulfil your dream.

Philip Hargrave Chief scientist for Europe, Nortel

We have this culture of education that there are set, right answers to questions, rather than people to solve problems. We have to teach people how to solve problems. Because throughout their life, they will have problems not knowing what to do next. They have to find out what to do next.

Gemma Harman Director of strategy and media in the office of the chief technology officer, BT

Cross-fertilisation of skills is key. How do we bridge the gaps between the different facilities, topics and themes in our journey of education?

Jill Ainscough Managing director, Easynet

Innovation thinking is not really viewed as part of the professional discipline. It is the responsibility of leaders to get that over to the second or third-level managers.

Simon Roberts Managing director, Ideas Bizarre

Despite all the rhetoric about understanding consumers, I do not think businesses are in touch enough with what is going on outside them in society.

Antony Walker Chief executive, Broadband Stakeholder Group

There is a tendency in our society to think about big ideas that lead to a technology or a new business model that goes through a fairly formal industrialised process. But it is going to be incredibly important for small companies to be competitive and to really go out and compete globally.

Carsten Sorensen Senior lecturer in information systems, London School of Economics

Invest in giving proper conditions for people to experience how to innovate before they are thrown out in the real world.

PM1 ;-)

Stanelco = evolution

ii = devolution

Cheers,
PM

Wal-Mart's Asda Must Cut Costs to Challenge Tesco, Bond Says
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Asda, the second-biggest U.K. grocery chain, must cut costs and lower prices to close the gap on market leader Tesco Plc, Chief Executive Andy Bond said.

``Business has slowed, but let's not talk about the business being broken,'' Bond, 40, said at a press conference in London today. ``We need to cut bureaucracy and simplify the business.''

Asda, located in Leeds, England, failed to meet its profit goal for the first quarter as competition with Tesco intensified. Since the start of the year, the company also has lost market share to rivals including Tesco, which has been quicker to expand into areas such as financial services.

Shares of Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, have slid 9.5 percent this year, more than Tesco's 1.8 percent loss. Stock in Tesco gained 1.25 pence to 316.25 pence at 11:34 a.m. in London.

Bond said Asda will continue to expand its George clothing business, the U.K.'s largest apparel brand by volume. About half of Asda's annual sales of goods other than food come from George. Non-food revenue represents 30 percent of sales.

``We just can't be the best by being the cheapest,'' he said. ``George has seen tremendous growth, and it will be a key driver in the future. There's not going to be any letup on the aggressive growth of George and general merchandise, because those two things make us different from other retailers.''

Market Share

Britons spend 40 billion pounds a year on non-food goods, more than a third of their grocery outlays, according to Taylor Nelson Sofres Plc. Asda has opened three Asda Living standalone non-food stores in the past year and also runs eight George stores, with plans to add another this year.

Bond, who started the job in March, has seen Asda's share of the $202 billion U.K. grocery market fall to 16.5 percent in the 12 weeks ended May 22 from 16.6 percent a year earlier, according to a June 2 report by Taylor Nelson Sofres. Tesco raised its share to 29.9 percent from 27.6 percent.

Asda, which accounts for about 50 percent of Wal-Mart's international sales and 10 percent of total sales, will cut distribution center costs in areas such as packaging, Bond said. He declined to say whether this would involve job cuts.

Bond said he is offering employees bonuses if they can come up with suggestions on how they can cut costs in the business.

Asda had sales of 14.4 billion pounds in 2003, the most recent annual figure available. Wal-Mart's first-quarter sales totaled $70.9 billion. Tesco had sales of 31 billion pounds in the year that ended in February.

Consumer `Unease'

Wal-Mart wasn't more specific about Asda's profit goals when it discussed them on a conference call last month because the company doesn't break down the figures for its overseas divisions. The supermarket chain's same-store sales increased in the ``low single digits,'' while total sales were at the ``low end of the mid-single-digit range,'' Wal-Mart said.

According to Bond, an ``unease'' among U.K. consumers is likely to persist amid concerns over rising mortgage rates and increased fuel prices. U.K. store operators had their worst May on record, the British Retail Consortium said this week.

``In the next six to 12 months, there's going to be a lot of uncertainty,'' Bond said. ``Things won't get better, and we're planning our business around that.''

Tesco in 1998 introduced its Tesco's Finest range to lure a broader range of customers, four years before Asda started selling its Extra Special goods. Tesco was six years ahead of Asda in introducing personal-finance products such as insurance and added an Internet grocery service two years earlier.

Asda overtook J Sainsbury Plc as the U.K.'s No. 2 food retailer in 2003. Bond is concerned Asda's trading performance and Sainsbury's resurgence may mean Asda loses its position.

Sainsbury's market share rose to 15.9 percent in the 12 weeks ended May 22 from 15.5 percent a year earlier, according to Taylor Nelson Sofres data.



To contact the reporter on this story:
Angharad Couch at acouch2@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: June 10, 2005 06:36 EDT

LOL !

Asda, which accounts for about 50 percent of Wal-Mart's international sales and 10 percent of total sales, will cut distribution center costs in areas such as packaging, Bond said. He declined to say whether this would involve job cuts.

Bond said he is offering employees bonuses if they can come up with suggestions on how they can cut costs in the business.

Cheers,
PM

Constructive comments are always welcome but,ii's comments are just crap. He seems to spend all his working day just posting messages slaging off SEO. I can only think that unlike others, he did not buy at 6p or top up at 16p-20p,and has really got the hump. As he seems not to hold any shares in SEO himself. I wonder why he spends all his time posting rubbish about them. Perhaps if he spent the same time on research he could earn himself a packet,as the more sensible investors who bought SEO when they were cheap will.

did the world end or something?? bloody hell!!

just temporarily unveiled that PM prat, well if thats the difference between a ramper and the opposite give me ii, any day, what rubbish, and pages of regurgitutated old news by the ream from PMT,

YEP i AM LONG.

ii, i have a few questions for you. the amount of time and effort you put into your posts and the knowledge you display about the workings of the market tell me that shares are an important part of your life. we all know how you feel about seo, but what companies do you hold? are you an investor or a trader? and finally , is it seo you have a problem with or is it pm? i ask because i am sick and tired of myself and others on this thread being accused of ramping.

"superrod - 10 Jun'05 - 15:55 - 5737 of 5761


jimmyb,wilbs,
i think you are both very naive. if the only way is up, everyone and their mother would be buying this.

on the plus side, knowing that so many diehards are seo fans will make my exit a lot easier when the time comes.

no offence intended to ANYONE.......i just cant believe that peeps are parting with dosh and have little grasp of reality."

superrod , no offenece to anyone?? ...my arse!!!
apart from some very excitable moments from the start of the year, this has pretty much been a level headed thread. positive and negative points are brought up and discussed amongst investors, some of them working in the packaging industry, so providing us with a better insight into the company and also, more of a grasp on the reality of our investment. like most people who have invested in seo i am a die hard fan , taking a positive view of the company , and i will continue to do so until i feel differently. that doesn't mean to say that i do not see the negatives or have doubts about wether seo can achieve all that they possibly can. for now and the forseeable future the positives outweigh the negatives.
imo, the price is down because of next weeks placing, ( no shit , sherlock!!) without news it will probably follow the same course as feb's placing and drop further for a few days (no shit , sherlock!!). pm and ii have covered every other base so whatever happens they can both say , " i told you so".

Well I'm going for the middle ground for Monday not that I care a sh*t because I have been in since 3.95p and will stay to about 395p, cash in one of my share's and buy some sweets.

Monday will be a white-sky day.

Driver

Well said. Most of us have been in for some time and we're here to stay.

PM1, Any chance you can maybe keep it "brief" in future, mate? I fell asleep mid-way through! Ta.

Well I don't give a shit if having a positive attitude to SEO makes me considered a ramper, my only view on this share is the potential based from my position within the packaging industry. In this industry, good news on the whole can be kept under wraps as it progresses, not that if I knew something I would post on here anyway BUT shit news travels like wildfire and there aint any that I've heard. However believe it or not superrod, I havn't parted with me dosh believing SEO will only ever go up you patronising sod. I "invested" based on a massive potential and if it did go tits up would not bury my head in the sand and big-up SEO but I would take my profits.
The main point re: SEO as of now is they ain't just a one product wonder.
I have to laugh at IC's high enough for now stance BUT in the same edition advise buying an explorer that needs to raise $150m investment to fund further developments. They like the pie in the sky explorers but NOT a company with the technologies (note the plural) to significantly change packaging over the next few years, saving costs/energy/product and delivering recyclable and biodegradable commercial products.