|
|
|
|
| Case Studies
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weir Engineering Services/Syan – exclusive interview (July 2006))
|
|
|
|
|
|
Founded in 1871, Weir Group is a leading UK engineering company. Weir Engineering Services (WES) is one of five group
divisions, each of which operate as independent companies. WES has nearly 2,000 staff and provides equipment
maintenance, process support and asset management services to organisations in the UK and Middle East. As a services company, WES aims to keep equipment downtime to a minimum and offer a rapid response, 24x7 service
across the world. The demanding nature of its work means it needs reliable systems support, which increasingly needs to
be available on a round-the-clock basis. WES also operates in a competitive global market and needs to keep support costs
down. The company sees IT outsourcing as critical to these aims. WES moved to a new ERP system from Lawson, and as it had never been involved in the day-to-day operation
of an ERP system, when it looked at the skills it had inhouse and its operational requirements, it was fairly clear that it
would need to consider outsourcing. When it went to Lawson and asked about outsourcing options, Lawson recommended Syan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unilever/Merchants – exclusive interview (April 2005)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unilever is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of consumer products. Created in 1930 when British soap
maker Lever Brothers merged with Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie, it is one of the world’s most
successful consumer goods companies – with brands including Persil, Lynx, Dove, Flora, Birds Eye, Wall’s,
Domestos and Pot Noodle. Around 150 million people a day buy Unilever products. It employs 265,000 people, with
90% of managers locally recruited and trained. Unilever UK has three main operating companies – Unilever Foods, which provides food products such as Flora and
Marmite; Birds Eye Wall’s, which produces frozen goods from fish fingers to ice cream; and Lever Fabergé, which is
responsible for brands from Timotei to Persil. The three companies decided to consolidate their separate consumer
care lines into Consumerlink, via an outsourcing contract with Merchants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camelot/Tescom (February 2005)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camelot is the operator of the UK National Lottery and employs over 900 staff who work from a head office in Watford,
Hertfordshire and four regional centres across the UK.
As operator of The National Lottery, Camelot is committed to raising money for Good Causes in a socially responsible
way. The technology behind The National Lottery is crucial to its success and following the launch of Lotto online, Camelot
wanted to confirm that technology to support the new interactive offering was operating at maximum efficiency and
could be evolved to support future innovation. To this end, Eric Brown, Camelot’s Head of Interactive Technology,
decided to bring in a specialist testing team. Brown decided that the answer lay in outsourcing the activities and responsibilities of a testing department to a specialist company. The contract was put out to tender and, after a comprehensive procurement process, Camelot
awarded the contract to Tescom, a global provider of IT testing and optimisation services.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BBC/Siemens Business Services – exclusive interview (January 2005)
|
|
|
|
|
|
The BBC is the world’s biggest public service broadcaster. In the UK, it offers four network TV channels, seven
network radio services and a wide range of regional services. Outside of the UK, BBC World Service, BBC America
and BBC World provide TV and radio to 300 countries in 42 languages. The BBC also offers a web service and
digital services on DTT, satellite and cable.
The BBC’s IT strategy is handled by a small team of ‘visionaries’ – its Technology Direction Group, led by John
Varney. Their job is to manage the 1,400-strong BBC Technology unit, formerly the BBC’s technology division and
established in 2001 as a commercial company providing the BBC with its technology requirements.
In October 2004, the BBC finalised a deal with Siemens Business Services to sell BBC Technology to SBS and ‘buy’
back the division’s services from its new owner through a 10-year outsourcing contract. The twin acquisition/
outsourcing deal is the first of its kind in the media business and is worth close to £2 billion. The contract is expected
to save the BBC around £30 million a year in technology costs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|