Welcome to our 2008 Spring edition of Strait Talk. In this issue, we report on exciting internal events, our latest interesting projects and an opportunity to win an indulgent Pamper Day by simply entering our quarterly competition.

The challenge of a lifetime On behalf of the cancer support charity Macmillan, Strait Logics’ project manager, Julie Cooper, will be embarking on the challenge of a lifetime. In October, Julie will travel to Nepal and begin an eleven day trek through the breathtaking Annapurna peaks. Macmillian provide expert services for people who require cancer care and arrange all kinds of fundraising events, such as this one, to raise money whilst lifting the profile of the charity. Julie is currently training to prepare herself for hiking 6 to 8 hours a day. Giving her feedback on progress of the training, Julie said “I have been Power Walking with a friend for an hour twice a week, and also plan to go hiking in the Peak District for a week at the end of August in preparation for the uphill climbs!” Everyone at Strait Logics wishes Julie the best of luck and like us, if you would also like to show your support and make a contribution towards the £3,200 sponsorship requirement, please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/juliecooper A different solution to delivery As most of our clients are aware, our solutions offer delivery via paper, media or online, yet one of our most recent and interesting projects proved our flexibility and innovative approach, once again. Shell International, a long term customer of Strait Logics, required a calculator for their new international expatriate remuneration package. The purpose of the tool was to provide Shell with the means to compare the new package to the previous package for each expatriate employee, by analysing different elements such as base spendable income and cost of living. The tool also calculated a transition payment if the new package was less than the previous one. Sanjay Shingadia, Strait Logics Managing Director, comments, “The application works by retrieving data from over 120 different tables provided by Shell, extracting the figures and performing intricate calculations on a per employee basis. In our initial phase we delivered a consolidated spreadsheet with all the calculations for Shell to check. Using this same file we then produced a two page personalised PDF statement and these documents were then sent electronically to the recipients worldwide. Our bespoke electronic mailing program then allowed Shell full control of the delivery of the statements” Not only is the calculator a unique and original Strait Logics application but the delivery of the results to individual expatriate employees also proved to be a new concept, a new technology we hope to use more of. Project Adviser, Sue Hosier explained how Strait Logics services made the delivery easier for Shell, “We knew what we needed to achieve in terms of end product and we knew it would be a complex operation – Strait Logics was up for the challenge. Face to face meetings with the programming team enabled the creation of the personalised pay statements in PDF format to go very smoothly and when the suggestion was made regarding the electronic mailing program, Shell welcomed the expertise that Strait Logics could provide."

Case Study for Best Practice in Digital Print As specialist providers of printed statements, Strait Logics is always striving to achieve recognition for their unique personalisation services and expert knowledge of print. In March, we received that recognition after submitting case study material to PODi, a leading association for the digital print industry. PODi provide information about the latest industry developments and resources to assist their members in accomplishing high standards for digital print campaigns. Our case study was recently added to PODi’s prestigious “Best Practice in Digital Print Case Study” collection which contains successful campaigns from all over the world. Each application has been chosen for its ability to solve a real communication need and every selected case study features impressive results, which effectively illustrate PODi’s best practice principles. Case studies are illustrated with visuals from the featured communication along with details on objectives, planning and production. Our case study featured Centaur Summits, a client who required personalised agenda booklets for their individual summit delegates. To find out more, click on the following link to download and access the full version of our case study. http://www.straitlogics.com/about/news/podicasestudy.aspx
Strait Logics revamp Strait Logics believes that their image should stay as cutting edge as their revolutionary technology. In June this year, we are hoping to realign our position within the HR services market by launching our new brand and website to highlight that we are a development and technology support provider. Over the years Strait Logics has redefined their strategic focus, concentrating solely on the HR industry, however as a result, the Company has often been mistaken for a consultancy. Jenny Buckland, Marketing Executive for Strait Logics comments, “The new brand will remind our customers and potential consultancy partners that we offer *employee data solutions using specialist programming services*. It is hoped this reinforcement emphasises our unique selling point and eradicates any confusion about where Strait Logics sits, in relation to other service providers.” Although the initial designs have been created by marketing agency Team Rewards, the website and new brand continues to be developed in-house and the introduction of the “new” Strait Logics comes at an exciting and significant time. We are currently in the process of establishing ourselves in North America. Research has been done, support has been granted by the Government and now, it is crunch time! We will keep our readers updated and give you more details of our progress in our summer newsletter. Watch this space...

Developer's Corner

For a recent project, data security was a particular concern and the client’s requirements demanded that personal data should not be stored or be accessible to non-client personnel.

Strait Logics produced an online solution which allowed a hands-free approach to document production. The solution was combined with our PDF on Demand product and from a single secure webpage, the client is able to select their source data files to produce a range of different print-ready PDF files. The data resides entirely in computer memory and is not saved to disk at any time until the client receives the completed PDF documents.

The processing is immediate and data security is maintained at all times, making the solution exceptionally robust and desirable for clients wishing to produce high quality documents featuring the latest employee information.

And...relax

For this issue of Strait Talk, we finally welcome the spring by inviting you to enter our indulgent competition.

This quarter’s prize is a Marriot Leisure Club Pamper Day, where our lucky winner and a companion can access the leisure club’s spa facilities for a day - we will even throw in two relaxing treatments to spoil you!

All you have to do is enter our spring related photo competition by following this link.

Remember you can always enter on behalf of a friend or family member.

www.straitlogics.com/spring2008.aspx