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The Technology Exchange is based on two
wonderfully simple ideas. The first is that it is
often better to license an invention widely than
seek to sell it, expensively, to a single user. The
second is that the best way to find users for
innovations is to publish a catalogue.
The catalogue for Techmart India in November
listed over 1,300 offers of technology, from all
over the world, and 400 requests for it. Sixty
British firms made offers. One is a Northern Irish
firm which is embarking on a joint venture to make
vehicle silencers in Bangladesh.
A previous Techmart resulted in Zambians and
Ethiopians acquiring Indian know-how in chemicals,
printing, food, spices and woodworking. Indians
acquired know-how from Kenya for papaya wine, from
Britain for dipping plastics, and from France for
lasers and electroplating.
Brian Padgett founded the Technology Exchange
when he was running the United Kingdom programme of
the Intermediate Technology Development Group. This
programme launched local trusts in British towns to
help new enterprises.
The South Hams trust in Devon was approached by
Ray Bristow, a power-generation engineer, with a
device for controlling the power supply to electric
motors, thereby saving both power and wear. Without
such a device, the motors receive the same power
whether they are fully or partly loaded.
Bristow had failed to interest GEC in
manufacturing the controller. Padgett suggested
licensing all the major electrical manufacturers on
a pay-as-you-use basis. At first they all said No.
Then all except an American firm said Yes.
However, none wanted to take the risk of being
first into production. Padgett was nevertheless
confident that a smaller firm would do so. This
proved to be MTE in Sussex which supplied Fords. A
controller arrived there ahead of the MTE engineer,
and a Ford engineer was able to fit it because it
operated digitally and was self-adjusting. This
made the controller’s reputation and 35,000 have
been sold. It is particularly useful in developing
countries where the voltage commonly varies with
distance from the power station.
Brian Padgett’s catalogue idea tackled another
problem, how to locate possible users of
inventions. Holding exhibitions seemed to him
ineffective because visitors did not know what they
would see till they got there. A Department of
Trade and Industry plan to hold one at Brighton was
a disaster: hardly anyone booked a stand.
Padgett proposed that instead he would hold a
Technoshop at the Post House Hotel, Heathrow, first
distributing a catalogue, then inviting people
making or interested in offers to meet. He sold 900
catalogues at £220 a set, bringing about 3,000
introductions of which 500 led to negotiations. He
also offered the catalogue on a computer database;
but people who take decisions don’t use
databases.
Bulgarian visitors mentioned Technoshop to the
UN Industrial Development Organisation. UNIDO had
an underused database of technology for developing
countries. It invited the Technology Exchange to
join it in presenting the first Techmart, in
Beijing in 1991. Twenty-seven countries sent
delegations and the Chinese printed 25,000 copies
of the catalogue. In 1992 there were Techmarts in
Bulawayo and Delhi. UNIDO and national
organisations put on international fairs while the
Technology Exchange produced the catalogues.
An early problem was that firms bid for all
manner of technologies, not realising they needed
to prove they were competent to use them. Brian
Padgett also found it hard to persuade firms owning
technology to put offers in his catalogues. They
already had their local agents or they couldn’t
spare the time. He pointed out that he could
provide them with the largest number of
introductions they were likely to get.
He also points out that firms manufacturing and
selling in Europe are vulnerable to lower-cost Far
East competition. A partner in an even lower-cost
country widens the market and can provide
keenly-priced components.
The first Beijing Techmart is known to have led
to ten deals, the latest in India to 100. China and
India are now holding Techmarts each year. There
will be marts in Mexico, Vietnam and Zambia in 1994
and in the Baltic in 1995. Requests from Brazil and
Tanzania have also come in.
Gordon Morrell formerly at ICl, has worked with
Brian Padgett for 11 years. Also working with him
are Dr David Lefever, formerly of Cranfield
University, and Sheila Musson. They are based at
Silsoe Research Institute which is also a source of
innovations for their catalogues. One is a worm
culture system for turning wastes into compost.
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