COMPANIES in the North-East are adopting a new and different approach to planning for success.

Foresight North-East has already helped ten local businesses to develop a vision for the future.

Up to three people from each company attended one of a series of free Foresight workshops held at technology transfer company RTC North, in Sunderland, to introduce them to Foresight tools, techniques designed to help them deal effectively with future opportunities and anticipate potential threats.

Each workshop involves participants looking at how they would resolve specific problems within the business, tying in with the company's overall vision.

During the workshop everyone is asked to identify a vision for the year 2003 by illustrating where the company will be at that point, who will be there and what success they will be celebrating.

Management consultants, Winning Moves, which helps Foresight North-East to deliver the workshops, then work with the company to assign figures, timescales and targets, illustrating that with planning, it is possible to achieve the vision.

Visions for the future vary from company to company but all have a common thread - to achieve greater success in the coming years.

One company identified an aim of reducing the number of customers from 100 to ten and significantly reducing the number of different products they manufacture in order to make the organisation more streamlined. Others identified ways to expand, create more jobs and ensure security for the company.

The benefits of being involved in recent Foresight workshops have already been noted.

John Doyle, from E&F Fibreglass Products of Hartlepool, said the company had already begun to take on the Foresight methodology: "Using Foresight has enabled us to look ahead effectively and not only develop but achieve a vision.

"The workshop showed us the benefits of thinking strategically and the need to constantly scan the environment for trends of change.

"Attending the workshop showed that we had recognised a need for change but the workshop clarified our thoughts and raised new ones.

"We are now building Foresight into our company strategy and redefining our business. This has forced us to think of ourselves differently, which is at times painful but wholly necessary if we want to change," he added. "I can't say yet if it has been a success - for that, we will need to see what happens in three years' time."

Terry McStea, one of the coordinators of Foresight North-East, based at RTC North, said: "The workshops give companies some simple but effective tools to help them look ahead and anticipate trends that may affect their businesses in the future.

"By following these techniques, companies are given the confidence to look ahead and plan for any likely scenarios."