In April, the NEAA hit a major milestone of 300 cluster participants, three years after setting up the alliance. In honour of this landmark, the NEAA took some time out to learn more about its 300th member, Howell Technology Group (HTG), and what they hoped to achieve from being part of the UK’s largest automotive cluster.
Can you tell us about HTG?
HTG is a leading global IT consultancy that offers a range of disruptive digital technology solutions. This encompasses workspaces, application containers, cloud solutions, virtualisation, networking, IT security and professional services.
We offer an end to end IT service from strategy to delivery – meaning our clients can access all services under one roof. We work across a broad range of industries such as manufacturing, engineering, government, utilities, financial services and education.
What is your USP and how do you differentiate yourself from the competition?
Our digital knowledge and expertise of the latest technologies enables us to help clients define their digital vision and strategic roadmap – delivering real and impactful change. We have developed partnerships with global hardware and software vendors such as Citrix, Microsoft, VMware, Nutanix, Amazon and Google. We are also the first Citrix Solution Advisor to become a Citrix Virtualisation Specialist in the North East of England which means that we can deliver faster time to value; offer verified expert guidance and new technologies; resell Citrix solutions; and provide consulting, design and implementation assistance, as well as maintenance.
Why is the North East a good base for your operations and how can you support the regions automotive sector?
The North East is home to a good base of growing SMEs which require IT support and at HTG we pride ourselves on acting as a trusted partner to help clients succeed in the new digital economy. There is also a huge opportunity with the planned International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IMAP) as it will provide a location for high tech industries and advanced manufacturing businesses moving to the region who will all require IT infrastructure.
The NEAA is a beacon for the automotive industry and is playing a vital part in supporting and promoting businesses in the sector. We operate globally from our North East base and can support manufacturing companies and supply chains linked to the automotive sector at every stage of their business journey, providing close customer support, expert advice and guidance – helping them to succeed on a regional, national and global platform.
We are delighted to have you as a member of the NEAA – what made you decide to join the alliance?
Our CEO Graham Wight started his career in 1991 at Nissan Yamato, which is now Unipres. Graham left the region for a number of years and since returning and joining HTG he has been keen to engage and work with the automotive and manufacturing sector again. We believe that the NEAA is the right platform to enhance our relationships within the North East automotive sector.
What services of the NEAA do you intend to maximise the most?
The automotive sector looks to be entering a tremendously exciting era and is very important to the region, so the NEAA provides the perfect platform to network with other members, forge new partnerships and keep up to date with any developments in the sector.
What are your future plans for Howell Technology Group?
We have some very exciting developments planned for the company, including a new product offering which is due to launch later this year. The product is providing a cloud based secure digital workspace which would give huge benefits across all sectors – so watch this space!
How can member companies engage with Howell Technology Group?
If members wish to engage with HTG please contact us via our website or call us direct on 0191 4813446.
We also host a Digital Happy Hour forum with South Tyneside Council where we discuss many issues including problems for businesses moving to the cloud or how GDPR could impact you. The forum is run every quarter with the next event happening in September. We will be publishing dates soon via all our social media outlets.
Read this article on the North East Automotive Alliance website here.
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