On Demand Information Plc is finding life demanding, appropriately enough, as it reaches its optimum staff levels necessary to produce results in its second year on the Unlisted Securities Market. The London-based electronic publishing company recorded pre-tax losses of ú1.3m for the six months to January, almost double the ú669,000 for the same period last year. Turnover, when compared to continuing operations, soared 98% to ú5.1m. Set against the second half of last year however, pre-tax losses have been cut by 32%. The company was relieved to have settled its dispute with its financial advisors. It arose from the company writing off ú457,000 at the year-end from the decline in value of the government gilt-edged stock in which it invested some of the funds from the flotation. It will receive ú300,000 compensation over two years, though most of this will be reflected in this year’s figures. On Demand has three divisions – publishing and corporate applications, information production and technology. In the fi rst division, the company has a strategic alliance with Hewlett-Packard Co and British Telecommunications Plc under the Construction Industry Superhighway Initiative, and has almost 1,000 customers for information services in the construction industry. The Advantage training product was launched in January and has already won orders from the Inland Revenue, Royal Mail and Norwich Union insurance company, among others. In the medical world, the division is claiming nearly 2,000 general practitioners reaching 4m patients each month and plans for the launch of the ‘Pictures of Health’ communications terminal are under way. The pilot scheme undertaken for the Employment Service for administration of the Jobseekers Allowance, the replacement for unemployment benefit, has been completed. The company is now awaiting the results of the deliberations of the Employment service directorate about any implementations. The other two divisions, information products and technology are still developing. The former is engaged with IBM Corp to produce multimedia training programs on CD-ROMs for national training certificates. The technology division has taken on a few more software engineers, and claims its communications technology is 18 months ahead of the opposition. The investment in staff and management is reflected in operating expenses jumping 94% to ú4.0m with a new managing director, Kevin Walsh, having been appointed from within the ranks. No dividend will be paid.
