What are the opportunities for AutoPilot in Great Britain, and is there even a need for AutoPilot in the British architecture business? Last week we got to talk to Per Kaag Andersen, the Danish export consultant, who works at the Danish Embassy in London. Now you can read his assessment of the industry right here.
AutoPilot’s journey to Great Britain
AutoPilot participates in The Trade Council’s ’elite programme’ for Danish companies who have the ability and determination to expand in the most efficient manner. Since the beginning of 2014 we have had the urge to explore the market and possibilities in Great Britain, which is why we began working together with Per Kaag Andersen and the Danish embassy in London. Together with Per we made a market research in Britain to get a hold on the field and find out whether there was a need for AutoPilot. We especially wanted to know if there was a necessity in the architecture business to optimize the earnings and if there was an existing, powerful competitor to AutoPilot.
So, what was the conclusion?
As Per Andersen said, we found out that the market and the architecture business was more or less identical compared to the Danish market before AutoPilot proliferated. The structure of the business was the same and generally the economy was not prioritised or under control in the architectural firms. This conclusion appears to be the same today, which is why AutoPilot has great potential to work their way into the market of the British architecture industry.
And what are the challenges then?
Back in the years, when AutoPilot was not established in Denmark we had to convince the architecture business to take their business strategy seriously; to control the economy and be organized while you are still a creative workplace. This challenge recurs in Britian, and therefore AutoPilot face an informative and educational task right now. Those architecture firms who have actually seen AutoPilot understand the idea and how it can help their company. It can be difficult to make a final decision when you choose to buy a management software system, but we have not met anyone yet, who says it is unnecessary, Per Andersen tells.
Nobody teaches an architecture student to think business and economy
When you study at an architecture school nobody teaches you how to think business and economy, so it needs to be an innate quality for you as an architect, if you want to be good at it. Also, the business is constantly trying to drive down the prizes, why many architects work free hours to survive the industry. Like that, it is possible to make a satisfying job creatively even though it does not turn out as good business strategy. The architectural firms undercut each other, and they are not ready to make demands when they are in a negotiating position. In these situations AutoPilot can present some strong economical and process-related arguments to negotiate a better deal.
Why is AutoPilot relevant to a British architectural firm?
When we tell people more than 50 % of the Danish architects are using AutoPilot and those companies have a profit ratio that is 40 % higher than the average in the industry, it has a significant impact. It refers to a specific result and outcome of the system. Generally Denmark has a good reputation, even though many might think all Scandinavian products are extremely expensive. But after researching the British market we found out AutoPilot is not expensive compared to other relevant alternatives, Per Andersen tells. AutoPilot has a great relevancy in the British market, but it takes time for the industry to understand that they need to prioritize the economical part of their business. At the same time it is a challenge to transform the working culture. In that respect the Scandinavian countries can set an example too.
