Launching our on-line shop

Screen shot from the new Scion website with on-line shopping facility

I have finally managed to find the time to finalise the Scion Supply on-line shop and making it activating payment methods and setting it to "live".

I really hope this will provide an opportunity for us to broaden our customer reach. We have worked hard to develop a product range that works over the last few years and these products are obviously now available to purchase on our website as well as in our Ebay store.

I have tried to maintain visual continuity through the two sites in terms of images. Our carefully selected range of products reflects our experience dealing with face-to-face engineers and mechanics, learning their preferences, what works and what does not work.

The main challenge with on-line stuff is getting the product uploaded. It can feel like something you are doing continually and it is a challenge to keep up with the day-to-day business tasks and get time to catalogue and upload product details. I've found doing a few a day helps.

In particular, I have a couple of new products I am selling on-line which are quite interesting. In this post I want to introduce you to this simple tool: PipeStrip.

PipeStrip is a really clever idea thought up to deal with a specific task. If you've ever been on site and had to strip paint from copper pipes you will know what a tough job it is. It usually involves a sharp blade, like a Stanley knife blade, and a lot of elbow grease!

Stripping is time consuming and hard work, so someone has had the clever idea of PipeStrip - a light-weight, handy tool specifically designed to make the stripping of paint from 15 & 22mm copper pipes easy.

To use, you simply place the curved blade of PipeStrip over the pipe at the point where you plan to make the cut. With your free hand, press the blade firmly into the paint so that it 'bites'. Maintaining pressure on the blade, push & pull PipeStrip along the pipe to clean about 5cm on either side of the central point, so that you strip approximately 10cm of pipe.

Turn PipeStrip as you work to clean the sides and back of the pipe - PipeStrip is flat enough to help you reach the back. It really is essential for any tool box!

If you visit the page in our on-line store and scroll through the pictures you will see a video we have uploaded about the tool, how handy it is and how to use it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. Please do visit the new shop and let us know what you think in the comments below.

GDPR Deadline

The GDPR ( European General Data Protection Regulation) deadline is 25th May 2018

GDPR regulation for small businesses is a hot topic, Most businesses hold data on individuals which falls under the scope of the new regulation.

If you do use or store personal information, and this information relates to someone that can be identified, you are referred to in the Act as a ‘data controller’.

The government has confirmed that Brexit will not affect the GDPR start date, or its immediate running. It’s also confirmed that post-Brexit, the UK’s own law (or a newly-proposed Data Protection Act) will directly mirror the GDPR.

If your organisation deals with personal data, you must ensure that you consistently act in accordance with the eight key principles set out in the Data Protection Act.
1. Personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully

This is among the most important requirements of the Act. In order to comply, you must provide individuals with the name of your business, and details of the purpose for which their information will be used. You should make it clear that the individual can access and correct the information that you hold about them.

Crucially, you must also tell them if the information will be used in any way that is not immediately obvious. For example, you must tell the individual if their details will be passed on to credit reference agencies.
2. Personal data must be processed for specified lawful purposes

You must have a specified, lawful reason for collecting data; you cannot simply collect it speculatively. Furthermore, you cannot use the data collected for another, “incompatible” or unlawful purpose.
3. Personal data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive

You should only collect the bare minimum; you may not collect information that is not immediately relevant to the specified purpose, and you may not collect more information than you need.
4. Personal data must be accurate and up to date

Any information you hold must be factually accurate, and updated where necessary. Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to develop mechanisms that allow individuals to update their details quickly.
5. Personal data must not be kept for any longer than is necessary

If the purpose for which you collected the data is time-limited, you must ensure that the data is not retained once it is no longer needed. Where applicable, you should tell individuals how long the data is likely to be retained for.
6. Personal data must be processed in accordance with the rights of individuals

The Act sets out the rights of individuals, as well as the responsibilities of data controllers. You should make sure that you understand these rights, and act in accordance with them.
7. Personal data must be kept secure

You must take adequate steps to ensure the security of the data. This means that it should be safe from tampering, loss, or unlawful processing. You may need to develop both technical and organisational processes to help you deal with this obligation.
8. Personal data must not be transferred outside the European Economic Area without adequate protection

Data may only be transferred out of the EEA if the country to which it is being transferred has adequate legal protection for individuals and their details.

As well as ensuring that you abide by the eight key principles, you may also be required to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of your activities. The Act works on the basis that all data controllers are required to notify, but some exemptions are available. If you are not exempt but you fail to notify the ICO, you risk prosecution.

You may be exempt from the notification requirement if:
you only process data for the purposes of: staff administration; payroll; advertising, marketing and PR that are directly related to your own business activities; or accounts and record-keeping
yours is a not-for-profit organisation
data is only being processed for personal, family, or household affairs
you only process data in order to maintain a public register
or if no automated system, like a computer, is used in the processing of data

You can use the ICO’s online checker tool to see if your business is exempt from registration.

If you do need to register, you can do this on the ICO website. Registration generally costs £35 per year.

If you don’t comply with the Data Protection Act, you could face serious penalties, including a fine of up to £500,000. If you are in doubt, seek advice from the Information Commissioner’s Office, or from an independent legal professional.

Please take a moment to check out our website for tools, welding plant and consumables, fasteners, and a wide range of industrial products.