Judges Citation: Highly Commended: HazChem Network

It's a tricky business transporting dangerous chemicals. Store your butane near your acetone peroxide and you may cause Krakatoa Mark II. Alas, the logistics industry is notoriously low-tech, which is why Ali Karim's HazChem Network shines out like a beacon of sanity. Established in 2004, HazChem uses a web-based collaborative technology to ensure all parties shifting chemicals know everything required to ensure safe passage. The precise composition of each shipment is logged, and the system coordinates the storage and movement of each load to minimise danger. Barcodes on each shipment are tallied with a barcode on the paperwork, eliminating human error. Created by logistics software specialist Deltion, HazChem Network's technology has made chemical movement in the UK immeasurably safer.

Background to Awards:
Execution is king.
In today's world, the secret to great execution is technology. Knowing what you sell, service with a smile and no-quibble money-back guarantees are no substitute for slick backend operations.

To demonstrate this point Real Business Magazine and Microsoft® present Britain's Digital Elite. We've scoured the land looking for firms who are superb at using technology to deliver their product. We spent months looking for companies who were destroying their competition - not because of what they do, but the way that they do it. Four judges - including two entrepreneurs who made their names using technology to shake up industries - sifted through the deluge of entries. In all ten categories we found the same pattern: by investing in technology, small, aggressive firms could dominate larger rivals. Speed of service is raised. Costs lowered.

In some cases, the software was being used so imaginatively the very sector the firm operated in was being altered. The companies featured in this report are not inherently "technology" firms, but they are all companies who use technology to achieve their goals in remarkable style. For some, this attitude took a while to acquire - proving that it's never too late to introduce technology into your operation. In every case, these firms are the best of the best at using technology to execute their ideas. Not lightly do we call them Britain's Digital Elite.

For more information contact:
Denis O'Sullivan
NetworkedWorld
denis_osullivan@btopenworld.com
07710-820979