Challenges, successes and the Internet

The pace of a well-written disaster movie, with a great deal of fall-out … the year 2001 has been a hectic one for those involved in the Belgian and international business scene. For EMAKINA, the Belgian e-business company, there were many challenges, from the gloomy outlook for the technology sector to the repercussions of the outrage of 11 September, not to mention moving offices and a merger: but all have been successfully met, and the period ends with a profit.

The business: some summary figures:

• Turnover 2001: €3.80m
• Growth 2000-01: + 36%
• Growth 1999-00: + 50%
• Growth 1998-99: + 60%
• EBITDA 2001: €0.37m
• EBIT: €0.16m
• AWU: almost €2,000
• New staff in 2001: 20
• Total staff numbers, end 2001: 60

The high points of 2001:

• EMAKINA was commissioned by Fortis for the re-design and development of new modules for the FortisBusiness.com portal.
• The company was chosen by a major oil multinational to see to the deployment of a platform for managing all its sites: Internet, extranet and intranet.
• CORA commissioned EMAKINA to create its Internet site (corporate and open-access), and to publish its weekly advertising “leaflets” in interactive galleries.

The history of EMAKINA

EMAKINA was formed in March 2001 from the merger of Emalaya , Net At Work and Ex Machina Interactive Architects . Still 100% owned by its management, the company is the largest independent e-business agency in Belgium.

The company is organised in three Lines of Business:

• Web Integration: the integration and deployment of tools for management of content on web-sites or portals;
• Web Agency: design and development of web-sites and Web applications with a creative and ergonomic approach based on information structure analysis;
• e-business Solutions: integration of transaction Web-sites with back-office SAP modules.

The expertise and range of services offered by Emakina is attracting the very largest Belgian customers, such as D’Ieteren, Glaverbel, Coca-Cola, Manpower, Kraft Foods, Cora and Electrabel.

Brice Le Blévennec: “A good idea is an idea that happens”

The partner in charge of the Web Agency Business, Brice Le Blévennec (34) is one of the pillars of EMAKINA, alongside Philippe Palaz, Denis Steisel, John Deprez and Edouard Janssens van der Maelen.

Joint manager of Cybercafé 21 and a Web professional at the same time, our man is one of the leading figures of the Internet world in Belgium.

Back in 1991, he started Ex Machina, his own ‘transmedia’ communication consultancy.
In May 2001, Brice and Ex Machina Interactive Architects joined EMAKINA.

The services offered by EMAKINA are, he observes, in line with a real trend in the market.

Press Contact:

Corporate Wise: Cathy Schoels and Stéphanie Liévin

Tel : 02/775.80.92 – Fax : 02/770.39.74

(1) Emalaya was founded in 1999 by SAP specialists and concentrates on Business-to-Business applications and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

(2) Net At Work was created in 1998 to work in the development of Web applications

(3) Ex Machina Interactive Architects S.A. was the successor to Ex Machina S.P.R.L., a marketing & communication specialist company for web-site design & development