My friend Nigel after we had spoken on NEDO business
My friend Nigel after we had spoken on NEDO business

Early morning duck house design and then heavy day of Board Meeting budgets and plans for massive expansion in year ahead

A fine warm start to the day, turning cloudy and a little cooler, but no longer the cold wind of last week. An early morning sketching a new design of Duck House, thinking to have it with internal sections of flexible design, and opening ‘drawbridge’-type doors at each end to act as a ramp. Then just in time at 8.30am to work for a hectic hour distributing mail and preparing papers for a Comart Board Meeting. Intended for the morning it extended all day on lengthy consideration of the 1983/4 Budget plans and the Product Development Strategy for the next 2 years. All this plus the capital approvals, and the normal sequence of departmental reports, which had fortunately been prepared in good order.  

A 1983/4 Budget plan of 50% Sales growth and aiming to turn the company towards increased profitability. With the aid of an InterCompany Comparison on other Computer Manufacturers it is plain to us that the latter part of the year will need bank financing of about £1 Million as we can only turn stocks and debtors over as the climate allows us. We are still Number 1 in sales growth in the new ICC report but need to watch profit cumulation and gearing to avoid future dependency on an amorous suitor. The product plan is ambitious and aims to strengthen our modular micro concept into a sophisticated file server whilst introducing low cost workstations on a 2 year timeframe. A commitment to the future prediction of mainstream micro-computing as network modularity comes of age. Anything else will not succeed. Then until 7pm sorting out my desk and adding to my ‘Immediate Attention’ pile which still has to be read and priority ranked. This evening I spoke to BMMG Vice-Chairman Nigel Smith who reports an interesting NEDC meeting on Duty and Tariff rates. This subcommittee has to agree a common UK electronics industry position and we will have to fight to ensure components and systems are equally rated. The next meeting is mine. He urges me to write and make contact with the new Minister of Trade and Industry, Parkinson which, though reluctant, I must do. Today a gruesome story of a farmhand having his arm severed by a bailing machine and walking a mile for help with the result that it be sewn back on. Newspaper preoccupation of a Govt move to secure 2% pay restraint and floods (again) in India. It seems that around the world much instability exists in the climate.