Performance Alloys.com Micro-Business Award Winner 2002

  Performance Alloys.com Micro-Business Recommendation 2003

The national E-Commerce Awards are run by DTI, a partnership between Industry and Government, which promotes the use of information and communication technologies to small companies, and by InterForum , a not for profit membership organisation that helps British businesses to trade electronically.

Sponsored nationally by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and national media sponsor The Sunday Times Enterprise Network , these awards have been designed to recognise and reward those organisations that have demonstrated excellence through the use of the Internet and other Information & Communications Technologies.

Mr Rory McLornan, E-Commerce Director, Toshe Trading Ltd. receiving the Micro-Business Award award on behalf of the company from Dr Fabian Monds of Invest NI.

BT Northern Ireland/Belfast Telegraph e-Xcellence Award

ANTRIM-based firm Toshe Trading is the BT Northern Ireland/Belfast Telegraph e-Xcellence Award winner for April 2003.

The company scooped the award after impressing the judges with its website www.performancealloys.com.

Toshe Trading has taken advantage of the opportunities available on the internet and prides itself in being the number one website for alloy wheels in Ireland and the UK.

Rory McLornan, E-Commerce Director for Toshe Trading, explained: "The internet enables product viewing and ordering 24 hours a day around the world. People can access our site at their convenience, regardless of different time zones, at any time of the day or night.

"The traditional method of new market entry via agents and distributors would have been considerably more costly in terms of time and money for us."

He said the site enables its customers to view more than 500 different alloy products.

"We save the customer time by allowing them to inspect all the alloy wheels which will fit their car.

"They then have the ability to price wheels and tyre packages in different sizes. Customers can receive their order within the UK and Ireland free in an extremely short time span."

James Devlin, e-business group sales manager with BT Northern Ireland, said the Antrim firm provided a good example of how cost efficiencies can be achieved through the internet.

"This is a company that has done its homework and applied e-business in a profitable and practical way and it is achieving great success.

"The Performance Alloys.com site is fast and technically strong with excellent links and exhibits professional, comprehensive and functional features."

Tony McLornan, managing director of Toshe Trading, said: "We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from BT and The Belfast Telegraph.

"The company is excited about the opportunities that the internet offers and is keen to take advantage of these."

Performancealloys.com receives numerous unique visitors per day and it has customers all over the world, from Hong Kong, Singapore, America, Canada and Armenia to the United Arab Emirates and the Seychelles.

Picture Details:

Mr Rory McLornan, E-Commerce Director, Toshe Trading Ltd. receiving the award on behalf of the company from James Devlin, e-business group sales manager with BT Northern Ireland.