World trade is very different today compared with what it was many decades ago due to globalisation and liberation of trade. The number of countries involved in global trade has expanded, production methods have changed and the cost of trade has been significantly reduced. A key feature of globalisation is the internationalisation of economies through trade which saw world trade increase 30 times in volume terms since 1950.

In order to take advantage of this development, many countries, especially those newly emerging and developing economies, have been actively promoting trade and investment. In the process, various trade and investment policies and incentives schemes have been formulated to attract investors. This by itself is competition.

The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in any economy assume an important role in economic development especially in terms of creating jobs for the populace. With globalisation , SMEs are facing increasingly more and varied challenges. This simply means that SMEs have to be more competitive in the world trade arena because they do not only compete domestically but regionally and globally as well.

While we acknowledge the benefits and importance of trade and investment policies at the macro-level, we feel that enhancing competitiveness at the operational level is just as important if not more important. SMEs are in many ways the building blocks of an economy. Thus in addition to acquiring relevant modern technologies for economic development, a parallel approach should be taken to help enterprises enhance their competitiveness by making better use of their available resources to help them enhance productivity.

Better productivity increases competitiveness and it is the ability and capability to provide services and produce goods wanted by customers at lower cost, of better quality and with faster delivery. Making better use of resources already available to enterprises is cost-effective, quicker and more affordable to enterprises. It is the knowledge and skill to identify and remove ‘wastes’ in resources such as time, human capital and machine utilisation. It is just a matter of right attitude to do the right thing right at all levels. It is the first step and it is also the step-by-step approach towards productivity enhancement. It is true that tremendous break-though benefits can be obtained by acquiring relevant modern technologies. However, technologies always come with a very costly bill which might be unaffordable to many SMEs.

The Expertise Resource Association (ERA) assembles a group of experienced senior executives from various industrial sectors. They are willing to offer their expertise and experience in helping SMEs enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

With the large pool of expertise and experience, ERA can help SMEs identify operational ‘problems’ and help turn them into gold. ERA members are committed to assist SMEs to value-add their processes, products, services and human capital at affordable cost in the following fields , amongst others:

ERA operates on the principle of cost plus. For trade associations, chambers of commerce and industry, government agencies and non-profit oriented organisations, the clients need only to pay out-of-pocket expenses that cover flight and travel, hotel accommodation, and per diem (at USD130.00 per day) to cover meals and allowances.

However, consultancy projects for profit-making private organisations, the fee will be as negotiated between the client and expert concerned.

More detailed information and the type of expertise offered by ERA can be obtained from the ERA website (era.my.diip.net) and the publication of ERA Registry of Expertise or contact the secretariat at