A weekly précis of the principal developments within The Asset Protection Network, and Aprodex, the Interactive Supplier Directory for Corporate Security and Operational Support Services: Marketing, Referral, Networking, Recruitment
1. Marketing
The Supplier Directory has seen 26 new organisations register over the past week, providing diverse services, from International Medical Support and Training, Financial Investigations and Recovery, Logistics and Operational Support, Business Continuity Training, International Maritime Security Services, Blast Protection Products, Telecommunications, and Disaster Avoidance (and Management), Safe Travel Management, and Managed Live Tracking Solutions.
As a Marketing Platform, Aprodex provide the ability for companies and professionals to profile themselves and be found in searches according to their specific services and expertise. We have now introduced a “pay per click” Featured Services advertising function which provides a cost effective and measureable means of promoting your company and the niche services you offer, at a budget to suit you.
Additionally we have redesigned our user interface, providing access to companies offeing the specific services you need - within in TWO clicks! Simply choose one of the ten core categories as displayed via images on the homepage, scroll through the list of sub category services, and click on the one you need – you are then presented with a list of all the companies registered in the directory who purport to offer that specific service.
Don’t want to spend time scrolling and searching? – then TELL US what you want, where and when, and let us introduce you to suppliers… USE THE QUICK REQUEST FORMS as shown on each of the Sub category lists on the 10 cores Service Category pages.
2. Referral
Several requests have been made to the Network over the past week:
A Marine Security Company was sought by a leading strategy and management-consulting firm in order to provide an escort for transit through the Gulf of Aden. Further tasks including Transit to Sri Lanka are on the agenda. Aprodex was able to refer a number of Marine Security Companies to the client at very short notice to ensure they had a number of options to consider.
A Leading Financial Institution approached Aprodex to provide referral to experts capable of providing Asset Tracing and Recovery Services on an individual based in Africa who had defaulted. We are currently waiting further instruction, but a good number of Service Providers came forward to offer their expertise in this domain.
We received two different RFQ’s for Personal Protective Equipment – specifically helmets and visors, and Fire Protective Equipment including hoses, for shipment overseas. Aprodex was able to deliver quotes to the buyers from four different sources, providing options that ensured the need was met.
Aprodex was approached by an Oil Services company seeking access to contacts capable of providing Offshore Patrol Vessels to ensure security in the area of operations in Nigeria. Aprodex was able to refer several supplier companies to the client contact on what is likely to be a substantial piece of business. In addition, Drilling Support Vessels were also sought, and similarly the response from the network meant we were able to refer accordingly.
With the New York Times Square bomber headlining in the past few days, demonstrating that a threat is real and present, organisations need to consider again their obligations to their stakeholders. Threat mangement takes many forms, and you can source experts to help you, whatever form you need, via our Network.
Remember – Interactivity!! The USP of our Service is interactivity. Instead of browsing a directory, not knowing one company from another, the user can place one request through the system, so that supplier companies across the spectrum of services can come to them with their proposals.
- We receive and determine the exact need, then connect buyers with a diverse range of suppliers via a single, confidential service support request system.
- A targeted email alert is sent out to the Network under one or more specific service category headings, depending on the strategic and operational requirement(s), to enable prompt contact with suppliers and experts capable of offering the support required.
- We manage the response, facilitating introductions, enabling buyers to compare and contrast quotes and proposals, and find the best solution quickly and effectively.
3. Networking
We continue to promote industry events through - and to - the Network.
MKDS are running “Advanced Maritime Security and Counter Piracy Live Demonstrations & Training Workshops” in Italy in late June, whilst IQPC are running “CIMIC and Reconstruction Operations 2010”: Europe’s only comprehensive conference on the whole of stabilisation operations arena.
Another Event of interest is The Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF), Washington, 22-23 July 2010: The AIDF is the global event for the Humanitarian Aid, Relief & Development sectors. AIDF will bring together in excess of 1600 individuals from the international humanitarian community - including UN, NGO, governmental and intergovernmental organizations and the private sector - to network and improve coordination and communication, thereby increasing the effectiveness of humanitarian relief, aid and international development. AIDF involves aid agencies, UN organizations, governments and businesses supplying goods and services to this community.
A reminder for those interested in “Kidnap for Ransom” issues, Quaynote Communications is running an event at the end of May – “Tackling Kidnap, Hostage Taking and Hijacking”. Information about all of the above (and others) can be found on the website. www.aprodex.com
4. Recruitment
We have launched "APN Search" - dedicated Recruitment Services, including FREE job vacancy adverts and email broadcasts to the Network (the Individual Member Database) to help source the personnel organisations operating in this domain need.
Several Job Vacancies have been placed on the Aprodex Bulletin Board by third parties in the past few days, including for example –
- Defence Account Manager (UK) for one of the world’s leading Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software products and services providers.
- LAN/WAN Engineer, Afghanistan,
- Operations Manager – Africa, (working in Chad and other locations for an NGO)
- Aviation Warehouse Manager – Dubai
- HSE & Fire Control Manager - Kabul, Afghanistan
- Country Manager - Kabul, Afghanistan
The past month has seen over three hundred industry professionals register with the Network, making it ever more extensive, providing access to individuals with a diverse range of skills, expertise and experience worldwide, within our 10 core category services.
However, we are still receiving emails almost daily from individuals, with resumes attached, asking for employment. They are clearly not taking the time to read the information provided on the site about what Aprodex and the APN does, and what services we provide them. One individual even applied for a job listed on the Bulletin Board without making any reference to which job he was applying for – just mentioning a “vacancy in the listing” looked interesting. This is waste of everyone's time...
Aprodex is NOT a supplier company – we are BUSINESS NETWORK! We profile and market supplier companies, and provide recruitment services to them, and others: therefore we do NOT accept direct requests for employment!
