FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about SMIIS
Document Dated:
10 Dec 2002
This document has been put together to answer your questions about SMIIS. Click on a question to move to the answer. CONTENTS 1. What is SMIIS?2. Why was SMIIS developed?3. What are the benefits of subscribing to SMIIS?4. What is the Product Search?5. What is the Market Information Database?6. What information is available from the ships search?7. What information is available from the companies search?8. What information is available from the ports search?9. Who provides the Marketing Information Database?10. How often is the data updated?11. Who can subscribe?12. How much does it cost?13. How do I sign up?14. How do we put ourcompany and product information on the site?15. How does the advertising work?16. How is the Product Search promoted?17. Why are there non-subscriber companies listed in the Product Search?18. How does the site generate enquiries?19. Do we have to modify our website?20. What are customers looking for from our website?1. What is SMIIS?SMIIS (Society of Maritime Industries Information System) is a marketing package delivered via this website that promotes UK products and services internationally and provides UK maritime companies with market information. Subscription to SMIIS is additional to membership of the Society. The two main elements of the system are the Product Search and the Market Information Database. Subscribers are also provided with training material to help them develop their websites. The development of this service has been jointly funded with the Department of Trade and Industry and guided by the industry and its customers. The service is run by the industry for the industry at minimum cost to its subscribers. page top2. Why was SMIIS developed?
SMIIS has been developed from research which highlighted market trends and industry deficiencies.
The research identified the changing requirements of the market. A number of purchasers of marine equipment throughout the world were interviewed. They commented that they did not know the full scope of what marine products and services are sold by British companies. Also that it is often extremely difficult to get accurate product data in a timely manner. It was found that shipyards, ship owners and others are increasingly using the internet to locate sources of supply.
The market studies also showed that there is a need for UK companies to get easy to access up-to-date sources of market information.
SMIIS has been developed based on this research. It enables the UK industry to exploit the market opportunities identified by meeting the requirements of the purchasers, therefore giving the UK industry a clear competitive advantage in the international market. It will improve the UKs low international profile and help SMEs to penetrate and service new markets.
page top3. What are the benefits of subscribing to SMIIS?
Subscribing to the SMIIS
helps you enter new markets
makes it easy for potential customers to find you
gives you a competitive advantage by providing potential and existing customers with the product and services information they need when they need it
promotes your company worldwide
provides you with essential marketing information and statistics
provides you with contact details for maritime companies worldwide
provides contacts for ports throughout the world
enables you to size and segment markets.
page top4. What is the Product Search?
The Product Search is a unique searchable database of products and services offered by UK suppliers linked to product information on their websites. It has been developed especially for the Society. It covers all the sectors that the Society is involved with including commercial and naval marine equipment, ports and terminals equipment and services for development, oil spill control equipment and services, and equipment and services for offshore oil and gas.
Companies who subscribe can put all their products and services on the Product Search with a short description and a link to the product detail on their own website. This unique feature means that users can find the product information when they need it easily and quickly. This makes life easier for those sourcing products and services and therefore provides a commercial advantage for subscribers.
page top5. What is the Market Information Database?
The data is the most up-to-date available, unique, industry-focused compilation provided by Lloyd's Register-Fairplay. The search options will allow the sizing of local, regional or global markets using a range of criteria on ships, maritime companies and ports. Details can also be obtained of individual ships, management companies, builders, maritime companies and ports, including links to their web sites where available.
It is a very powerful planning tool that can be used to aid marketing. It can be used strategically to proactively manage your resources for maximum effectiveness and competitive advantage.
The Market Information Database can be used in your business planning and marketing to:
Identify sales targets.
Segment the market.
Help you set objectives.
Size the market.
Undertake trend analysis.
Identify contacts for direct mail.
Carry out competitor analysis.
Find distributors and agents.
This database can be accessed through the Society website making it a useful tool for example for salespeople on the road and those who work from home. It is easy to use with search screens developed especially for SMIIS.
page top6. What information is available from the ships search?
The database includes all vessels of 100GT and above, totalling approximately 94,000 and provide the following details where available:-
Current ship name
LR/IMO number
Call sign
Manager
Manager country of residence
Registered owner
Flag
Ship status
Gross tonnage
Net registered tonnage
Deadweight
Ship type
Year of build
Shipbuilder name
Country of build
The ships database can be used to search for a single ship or for groups of ships (multiple ship search). The results from the multiple ship search can be outputted by ship manager or shipbuilder. It includes commercial ships from order stage through to active service. It includes naval auxiliaries but not naval vessels.
page top7. What information is available from the companies search?
The database includes all managers, owners and maritime companies, totalling approximately 36,500, and provides the following details where available:-
Full company name
Address
Telephone and facsimile numbers
Web address
Company profiles, including primary activities
Names of key contacts, including position, direct line and email address
Fleet Information (where applicable), providing an overview of vessel types on order and in service, with numbers, total deadweight and average age.
page top 8. What information is available from the ports search?
The database includes all ports and terminals worldwide, totalling approximately 6,500, and provides the following details:-
Port name
Country location
Status
Latitude and Longitude
Time zone
UNCTAD code
Port facilities
Port description, providing a general overview, loadline information and maximum size
General information, providing details on other facilities available
Addresses of the port authorities and other port related service providers
Port news headlines
page top9. Who provides the Marketing Information Database?
Lloyd's Register Fairplay, the leading supplier of maritime information services, was formed in July, 2001, through the merger of Lloyd's Register's Maritime Publishing Group and Fairplay Publications Limited.
With staff of 140, exclusive access to the Lloyd's Register offices worldwide and global network of agents and correspondents, they have the ability to access and verify information globally. No other organisation can match these dedicated in-house resources.
Lloyd's Register - Fairplay is the only organisation able to provide comprehensive details of the world merchant fleet of 100GT and above (over 88,000 ships)
SMIIS accesses the live Lloyd's Register-Fairplay databases through an internet front-end designed specifically for this product.
page top10. How often is the data updated?
The data on the Marketing Information Database is constantly being updated by Lloyds Register Fairplay staff.
11. Who can subscribe?
Member and non-member UK registered businesses operating in the maritime business sectors are able to subscribe to SMIIS.
12. How much does it cost?
Level 1: Complete SMIIS Package
The cost for Level 1 is £495 (+VAT) annually for members of the Society for five users at one location.
It is £795 (+VAT) annually for non-member companies. Extra users cost £50 (+VAT) per user. Extra locations cost £300 (+VAT).
Level 2: Product Search only
The cost to subscribe to the Product Search only is £195 (+VAT) annually for members of the Society and £395 (+VAT) annually for non-members.
page top13. How do I sign up?
To subscribe, please complete the SMIIS Subscribers application and agreement form after reading our Terms of use and our Privacy policy. Please complete this form as fully as possible to help us assess your application. We will then invoice you and then set up your users and product data.
14. How do we put our company and product information on the site?
When you subscribe to SMIIS you will be issued with a username and password. When logged into the site one person from your company will be given access to update your company and product information. This is done via a series of online forms accessed from the my profile menu.
If you have a large number of products to add to the Product Search then you can use a spreadsheet we provide to collate the data or an MS Access bespoke database which has been developed. The SMIIS Administrator is available to make this process as simple as possible.
page top15. How does the advertising work?
The ads work by mapping against a path through the Product Search tree. There is space for 4 ads on each page and if there are more than 4 ads available at any level, then the page randomly displays four of the ads each time the page is downloaded. Advertising is only open to members of the Society. Ads cost £100 (+VAT) per quarter (3 months) per ad.
page top16. How is the Product Search promoted?
The Society promotes the Product Search through all its activities worldwide including trade missions, and international exhibitions and conferences. Through links with Trade Partners the site is promoted by British Embassies throughout the world. The site is promoted through direct mail to shipyards and ship managers and others potential customers. The Society also promotes the site through press releases. The Society runs an ongoing programme of search engine promotion to maximise the sites exposure on relevant key words.
page top17. Why are there non-subscriber companies listed in the Product Search?
To get the site started we need to get a good coverage of UK companies on the site to make it a useful tool for users. In order to achieve this there are a large number of companies on the site that have not paid a subscription. The only information for these companies is contact details and they are only listed in up to ten categories. No product data is provided for these companies. In the future as the Product Search becomes populated by subscribing companies these listings may be removed.
page top 18. How does the site generate enquiries?
The site generates enquiries to your company email address as users can use the online form to email all the companies in a list from the Product Search. User simply check the companies they wish to email then complete an online form which sends an email to your company email address. The Society does not monitor these emails.
page top19. Do we have to modify our website?
To maximise the benefits of the deep-links from the Product Search it is best to have specific product or service pages to link to. Most companies already have these pages on their website so will not have to make any modifications.
If you do not have pages on your website which describe a product or service in detail then you may wish to add these through your in-house team or usual web-developer. Alternatively the Societys web-developer (netXtra) offers a product catalogue module driven by an easy-to-use content management system that can be incorporated into your site. Please contact us for details, including the costs, of the package that is available.
It may not be possible to deep-link to some websites, for example websites built entirely in Flash. Also, websites with frames are not ideal to link to because, depending on the structure of the site, you may loose the navigation to other parts of the site. It may therefore be preferable to add some flat pages to your website that can be used to link to from the Product Search. This is probably a simple task for whoever is responsible for your website or the Societys web-developers offer this service to subscribers for a small cost.
We have found that many companies we talk to are or about to be reviewing their website so there might be an opportunity to optimise your site for deep-links when you are re-doing it.
page top20. What are customers looking for from our website?
The Societys website is a portal site a gateway to other sites. Therefore we are very keen to ensure that maritime industry sites are the best possible. The training materials CD that is provided to subscriber companies has information on Best Practice for industry websites to help you tailor it to the needs of customers in this sector.
As an additional service, the project managers (First Marine International) who developed SMIIS are able to benchmark your website.
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