Category Archives: Case Studies and Partnerships

Acquisitions & Partnerships, Business, Business News, Cardiff, Cardiff News, Case Studies and Partnerships, News, Tech, UK, Wales

Flotek continues impressive growth trajectory with ninth successful acquisition in 18 months

The Flotek Group has acquired Ikona IT Solutions, a Cardiff-based IT and telecoms support company, in a deal advised on by The GS Verde Group. This marks the ninth successful acquisition for the fast-growing Flotek group since it started trading eighteen months ago.

Making a name for itself as one of the most prolific IT and communications providers in the region, Flotek is known for taking an innovative and customer-centric approach to transforming networks and digital services for a huge range of businesses. Flotek’s previous acquisitions, also advised on by The GS Verde Group, have included Gower Business Systems, Cloud9ine, Liberty Solutions (Swansea) Limited, and Saecom in South Wales, alongside England-based businesses Mazing Tree, FlexiNet, ECS Solutions, and Toolk-IT, which have facilitated the group’s geographical and service expansion.

The acquisition of Ikona IT Solutions, one of the longest-serving IT support businesses in Cardiff, is particularly poignant for Flotek, as Jay Ball, Flotek CEO, and Spiro Ginis, owner at Ikona, have known each other for 16 years. There was no doubt that the future of Ikona was being placed in good hands.

Adding another strong Cardiff business with an excellent reputation to the Group’s offering, alongside their head office, will launch Flotek’s plans for accelerated growth in the capital and establish a foundation of considerable size in the South Wales area from which to realise their expansive future ambitions.

Speaking of the acquisition, Jay said: “We are pleased that Ikona IT Solutions has joined the Flotek Group. Ikona is an IT company with a wealth of experience in providing businesses with a truly varied range of IT and communication needs, all with a stellar reputation for customer service. The acquisition of Ikona means that Flotek can add these valuable services to our diverse roster, providing a more streamlined and comprehensive service for our customers.”

 

Ikona Director, Spiro Ginis, added: “Knowing Jay and his plans for the future, I believe this acquisition will only strengthen the business and allow us to continue to provide Ikona clients with the high-quality, end-to-end IT support that they know, alongside enhanced cyber security and engineering resource options. We are excited to be part of Flotek’s impressive journey.”

 

Following the recent launch of Flotek Legal, delivering cloud-based technology and streamlined workflow solutions to the legal sector, this acquisition continues the ambitious trajectory the company has charted since its inception in April 2022. Showing no signs of slowing down as the end of the year approaches, Flotek is currently working on two additional deals to be announced before 2024 arrives.

For more information about Flotek and the services it offers, please visit https://flotek.io/

The GS Verde group are business-focused experts in getting deals done. Working as a complete advisory team, GS Verde supports clients through a streamlined deal process, achieving the best possible outcome.

Case Studies and Partnerships, News, Rugged Tech, Tech, Technology

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service Selects Toughbook 33 Rugged Devices

The TOUGHBOOK 33’s rugged design, combined with advanced software, and powerful connectivity improves the effectiveness of its fire service.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has chosen 143 Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 33 rugged detachable devices for installation in its 93 vehicles, serving as an Airwave Certified & ESN-ready Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), and as a demountable device in the rear of its appliances.

The rugged Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 33 device has been provided by technology distributor Centerprise, partnering with 3tc to deploy the MODAS software suite.

The TOUGHBOOK 33 device is a popular choice for fire services across the country. It’s a 2-in-1, 12.0″ fully rugged notebook with the tablet detachable, and features hot-swappable twin batteries, for unrivalled flexibility and performance.

 

Reliable connectivity is key

3tc’s MODAS Professional software ensures effective communication between control and vehicles on the move. Used internationally and by a third of UK Fire and Rescue Services, MODAS Professional leads its field in Incident Command.

Its features include comprehensive integration with CAD systems and with Airwave, 4G, ESN, Wi-Fi; full integration with fire and rescue service back-office systems; centralised MDT management and enhanced Incident Ground Safety and Management for operational intelligence at the touch of a button.

As well as a modern MDT, approved for use with the new Emergency Services Network, GMFRS has equipped the TOUGHBOOK 33 with 4G connectivity in the rear of 53 of its vehicles.

 

Versatility of TOUGHBOOK

GMFRS is also using MODAS Web, which provides access to mission critical information such as SSRI data sets, live resource location updates (AVL) and other Points of Interest information using a simple and intuitive web solution. Using the TOUGHBOOK device, fire officers can access hydrant location information, building plans, risk cards, operating guidance, and home fire safety checks.

The 3tc software and features of the TOUGHBOOK 33s mounted in the rear of the GMFRS vehicles, such as sensors and cameras, allows the devices to be used for a number of mobile applications. Fire officers can access hydrant location information, building plans, risk cards, operating guidance. They can also assess chemical risk data prior to arriving at a location and conduct home fire safety checks.

 

Atul Patel, Product Manager at 3tc Software said: “The combination and close integration of the 3tc MODAS software suite with the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK device provides a powerful tool for fire services like Greater Manchester. As well as the MDT, it allows officers outside of the vehicle to have access to the information they need at their fingertips to deal with any situation – using technology to become ever more efficient and effective. The solution has the flexibility to add more applications as needed but always with the peace of mind of the highest levels of security and availability.”

 

Identical install solution for maximum flexibility 

An identical total install solution, including docking station, power supply and ESN-ready Sure antennas, was fitted in its 93 vehicles. This enables TOUGHBOOK devices to be swappable across all appliances. In addition, specialist vehicles that are only used occasionally can carry a TOUGHBOOK device in the rear as needed – maximising the use of mobile devices.

Ian Parry, Operational Systems and Support Officer at GMFRS, said: “We wanted the same capabilities as an office on wheels. The most important criteria were that the devices in the front and rear of the appliances would have the same user interface and access to the same information, but the rear device would be demountable to use outside of the vehicle.”

 

Will Holmes, Business Manager (Public Sector), Panasonic TOUGHBOOK, comments: “The TOUGHBOOK 33 is an awesome piece of kit, designed from the ground up to support emergency service professionals in the most demanding environments they face, ensuring they have fast, reliable access to vital data to help them respond more effectively, whatever the situation.”

 

To read the case study, please visit: https://eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/blog/technology-vital-tool-firefighters-frontline-0.

For more information on the TOUGHBOOK 33, please visit: https://eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/products/toughbook/toughbook-33-detachable

Case Studies and Partnerships, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Data & Analytics, News, Retail & E-commerce, Technology

Harrods adopts new holistic 360-degree view of the customer to increase engagement, retention, and spend.

The world’s leading luxury department store, Harrods, has completed of an ambitious 18-month project, led by KPS, to elevate customer experiences by streamlining their journeys both online and offline.  Among the benefits are improved customer loyalty via a unified approach to communications and promotional activities, and the ability to enhance sales via increased customer engagement and retention.

We take a detailed and exclusive look at how, why, and the benefits for customers and retailer alike.

 

Single view of the customer 

Synonymous with customer experience, Harrods has become a hallmark of luxury retail. But Harrods is no ordinary retailer. Its flagship 93,000 square metre, seven-floor department store in London’s Knightsbridge, signature green bags, beautiful interiors and world-renowned food halls attracts a varied audience of shoppers, including high net worth customers, celebrities and visitors from all over the globe. In addition to the store, Harrods offers luxury fashion, accessories, food, homeware and gifts online. With over 330 departments and dozens of concierge-style services, it serves a challenging demographic looking for everything from haircuts to handbags.

 

The challenge

For a unique multi-faceted retailer like Harrods, loyalty is an integral part of its wider CRM strategy. Introduced in 2008 to replace a store card product, Harrods ‘Rewards’ loyalty programme allows members to earn points and awards exclusive access to an array of benefits, across four membership levels (Green 1, Green 2, Gold and Black’ that are determined by annual spend).

Although well positioned with an existing CRM solution, more and more systems were being added across its varied services, resulting in siloed customer data sets that didn’t connect, e.g. different records were stored in different systems, but not linked to each other. Each department already offered its customers a high-level of service and personalisation; however, it was only available in-store or for high-value customers.

The specific challenges this landscape posed included:

  • A lack of depth in the data captured, with no customer interactions stored other than sales orders and transactions.

 

  • A hinderance to scalable activities or the ability to adapt quickly due to limitations of the previous platforms.

 

  • No consolidation of customer data, leading to a challenge when trying to understand what benefits and services may appeal to the customer, making targeted customer communication with accurate, relevant content impossible.

 

  • No unified approach to communications or promotional activities to enhance sales, increase engagement and retention.

 

Solution

Over the past 18 months, with the help of UK and European specialist teams from KPS, the replacement of the legacy IT landscape has been rolled out – transitioning to a customer-centric and unified strategy.

Following a rigorous assessment and evaluation process, Harrods chose to implement an SAP CX solution, partnering with award-winning SAP experts, KPS, to manage the implementation.

In 2021, the partners set to work overhauling the Harrods platforms, with the overall aim to renew its customer loyalty platform, marketing platform, service and customer data management, reforming it in a scalable software-as-a-service (SaaS) architecture that would help Harrods to:

  • Achieve agility through SaaS platforms, adoption of best practice processes and standard functionalities.

 

  • Open new possibilities for identifying and targeting the right customers through holistic and centralised customer data.

 

  • Automate and personalise the customer approach to develop each prospect into a high-value customer.

 

  • Provide leading customer analytics to create a new, intelligent foundation for data-driven decisions.

 

  • Provide timely, relevant and measurable customer communications, segmentation and marketing to drive sales and support and enhance human interactions.

 

  • Offer a seamless experience across all touchpoints in the customer journey.

 

Implementation

Over a period of 18-months, the partners navigated a complex transformation journey which included:

  • Collecting customer data from all the different systems: breaking down data silos, merging and harmonising data.

 

  • Replacing 17 legacy systems with a new platform with over 200 integrations to internal and external systems.

 

  • Migrating and unifying master data, enriching it with data about which services the customers used and which products they bought.

 

  • Building in a GDPR-compliance (similar to DSGVO), so a customer can have all their data deleted in one step and ensure that the data is not shared.

 

  • Segmenting data sets with the help of scoring mechanisms, e.g. RFM segmentation, engagement score or churn prediction, ensuring the customer

About 200 internal and external integrations were added to the platform, including the CRM system (SAP Cloud for Customer), the marketing automation tool (SAP Marketing Cloud), the customer data management (SAP Customer Data Cloud), the loyalty software (Annex Cloud Loyalty) and the data analysis/data visualisation (SAP Analytics Cloud with SAP Business Warehouse).

Special applications were also needed for more specific use cases, such as telephone integration, chat integration (Sinch Contact Center Pro), link shortening (Sinch Campaigns) or a knowledge base (MindTouch Knowledge Management). Every application has been integrated into Harrods’ IT environment and systems (SAP ECC, SAP CAR, SAP BW, Farfetch).  Every available customer touchpoint has been connected and interacts with the platform, from the Harrods app to the currency exchange machine.

Processes and teams are also now standardised and use one single system regardless of the department they are visiting. This reduces complexity, saves IT costs and standardises the user interface.

 

The outcome

Harrods can now view The Golden Record – a holistic 360° customer profile through shared customer data and collection of customer interactions data from all contact points, both online and offline.

This single view of the customer helps Harrods at different levels: in making management decisions, in the business improvement team to analyse and evaluate customer behaviour, in marketing to create targeted and personalised communications and supporting customers in the best possible way.

 

High-value customers were personally greeted in the shop simply because employees know them. Now, such a premium service also benefits many more customers, as the view of customers can be viewed completely and quickly digitally. This makes it possible to focus on developing more customer groups into high-value customers.

The loyalty programme now underpins a scalable marketing communication for dynamic customer segments across different communication channels, with more sophisticated predictive models being developed to anticipate future customer behaviour and market to them accordingly.

To find out more about KPS and delivering digital solutions for the connected customer experience, visit https://kps.com/uk/en.html

 

Case Studies and Partnerships, Cloud Migration, Cloud Platforms, Digital Transformation, Hyperconvergence, News, Tech

Nutanix Enables JM Finn to Lower Operational Costs and Reduce Carbon Footprint

Nutanix today announced that JM Finn has slimmed down its data centre infrastructure from twenty four to just six equipment racks by migrating legacy datacentres to the Nutanix Cloud Platform. The migration has resulted in an impressive 75% reduction with major implications for both power and cooling requirements as well as the company’s long term carbon footprint.

Since its inception in 1946, the investment management company has grown steadily to boast both a multi-billion pound investment portfolio and enviable reputation for individual client-focused financial investment services recognised as amongst the best in the world. With a clear focus on the provision of high quality investment management services to a diverse client base, JM Finn was keen to embrace cloud computing as part of its transformation plans to make the company’s IT more agile, cost effective and easier to manage.

Choosing a suitable platform was relatively straightforward as JM Finn had previously used the Nutanix Cloud Platform to, first, replace a key legacy storage resource then rapidly host a company-wide EUC application to support working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The solution offered hypervisor neutrality which meant JM Finn had the option to simply migrate most of its existing VMware VMs rather than immediately switch everything over to the AHV hypervisor.

Commenting on the migration, Jon Cosson, Head of IT and CISO, JM Finn, said: “Having successfully switched a workforce of over 300 onto remote working in under a week we knew just what the Nutanix Cloud Platform was capable of doing and how easy it was to manage. Over just two weekends we relocated both our primary and secondary datacentres, but that’s not all. By migrating all of our legacy servers and applications to the Nutanix Cloud Platform we were able to reduce the overall rack footprint by 75% and realise tangible benefits in terms of operational costs and environmental impact.”

Following an extensive needs analysis, Cosson and the team came up with a design which has enabled JM Finn to slim down its data centre infrastructure from twenty four to just six equipment racks. Performance gains have been widely reported and running costs significantly lowered, which has enabled JM Finn to halve the number of staff needed to support the new infrastructure with those displaced moved into other roles to find ways of better exploiting the new technology.

The required equipment was quickly ordered and installed first in a brand new primary datacentre in Suffolk then at a secondary site in Hampshire to provide additional backup and disaster recovery capabilities. Once working, migration was scheduled to take place over successive bank holiday weekends to mitigate against any disruption although, in practice the process proved trouble free.

“It all went remarkably smoothly,” commented Cosson. “There was no loss of service and no complaints which has to be a first for a project like this which could, so easily, have gone off the rails and caused real headaches for the business. It’s hats off to Nutanix and its partners for making it so seamless and we’re very pleased with the results and the high level of support both during and after the process.”

Looking ahead, JM Finn plans to take full advantage of the company’s new private cloud to further drive down operational costs and maximise the value of the company’s investment. Alongside ongoing work to identify workloads suitable for moving to the Nutanix AHV hypervisor several projects are planned, including the migration of legacy IBM systems over the next few months.

Case Studies and Partnerships

Case Study: Migrating & Running SAP on Azure with Frank Roberts & Sons

Frank Roberts & Sons was looking to realise cost-savings and replace an aged hardware platform by migrating SAP to the cloud, whilst also unlocking other business benefits. 

The Challenge

Inflexible, outdated, on premises SAP systems can not only hinder business growth, cost more time and money to run, but also pose security risks. Having recognised that, the family-run baker, Frank Roberts & Sons embarked on a journey in early 2020 to find a provider who would work with them on a scalable, agile and reliable solution. Following an introduction to Absoft, Frank Roberts’ then IT & Projects Director, Stephen Whitehouse, was immediately struck by the pragmatic and down-to-earth approach of the team. 

Upon engagement with Absoft, Frank Roberts rightly anticipated that the SAP specialist would offer a collaborative partnership and consider their business interests at all times. With integrity, respect and quality playing a vital part of everything they do, Frank Robert recognised similar traits within the Absoft culture. 

Unlike the other offers they had received, Absoft’s SAP on Azure migration approach gave specific consideration to their SAP landscape’s technical details and functional requirements. Absoft’s team highlighted a focus on interfaces and SAP-specific design elements of the solution and project plan, in order to de-risk it.

The Solution

Absoft proposed a technical migration of Frank Roberts’ SAP system to the cloud on Microsoft Azure, followed by a three-year technical managed service to run and support the SAP on Azure solution. Working closely with Frank Roberts’ team of IT specialists, Absoft migrated the SAP ERP 6.0 landscape to a fully supported Azure infrastructure in just two months, with minimum disruption to operations. 

Absoft team’s combined expertise in SAP and Microsoft Azure enabled the creation of an Azure design that was optimal in cost and performance. The project plan considered operational requirements and, most critically, included a strategy for all interfaces and SAP functionality. Viewed by Frank Roberts as a partner at a very early stage, and working on a highly collaborative basis, Absoft has been able to discuss topics such analytics and archiving in tandem with the migration. 

The close, focused working relationship between the two companies yielded positive results in resolution of interface issues, and when it came to the challenge of additional system integration, issues were addressed swiftly and led to a successful go-live. 

“Listening to Absoft’s webinar was a lightbulb moment for us. Further discussion confirmed that in addition to their technical skills, the team really understood our concerns and our pain points as we made the decision to move our SAP system to the cloud,” said Stephen Whitehouse, IT & Projects Director, Frank Roberts & Sons*

The Leap into Innovation

For many SAP customers the main reason to migrate to the cloud is necessity – reaching the limits of scale, age or cost of an existing on-premises landscape. The desire to access the latest innovations in Azure usually comes second. Experimentation and success through innovation, however, has always been fundamental to Frank Roberts & Sons as a company. 

Therefore, just as a standard off-the-shelf migration would not have done it for them, they also opted in for the best ongoing support – through Absoft’s next generation managed service. Aligned with Frank Roberts’ specific processes and with a focus on automated monitoring and self-healing features, the subsequent technical managed service has seen Absoft continue its partner-based relationship with the Frank Roberts team. 

Automation has always been at the core of Absoft’s delivery, and recently it took its commitment to this ethos a step further, partnering with Avantra, the leading AIOps platform for SAP operations automation. 

Absoft has used complete SAP landscape visibility via Avantra to implement automation and self-healing capabilities to improve efficiency, introduce transparency and shed outdated processes within Frank Roberts’ SAP system. This has facilitated an emphasis not only upon the smooth day-to-day running of operations but also the development of the bakery expert’s IT strategy. 

“We are a family-owned business and Absoft has proved itself to be more than a technology provider. They are a trusted partner, with whom we can communicate openly and who we know always has our company’s business interests at heart.”  IT & Projects Director, Frank Roberts & Sons

Case Studies and Partnerships, Data, Data & Analytics, Fashion

Vivienne Westwood Selects Mapp to Deliver Customer Personalisation

Mapp, the international provider of insight-led customer experiences, has announced it has been appointed by global fashion brand Vivienne Westwood to provide the company’s Customer Data Platform (CDP). This platform will drive its digital communication strategy forward while delivering personalised and targeted customer communications.

Vivienne Westwood, one of the last independent global fashion brands, is about more than producing clothes and accessories. With a forty-year heritage, the company is as renowned for raising awareness of environmental and human rights issues as it is for its imaginative designs. The company now has stores in 63 locations around the world including a strong presence in the UK, 19 stores in South Korea and a further 12 in both China and Hong Kong.

Constantly engaged customers

Vivienne Westwood is a forward thinking, customer first business and as a result has gone to great lengths to ensure it has a progressive CDP to help serve its customers.

The company selected Mapp Cloud as its Customer Data Platform not only because of the technology offered but the high level of support and expertise on hand to drive the digital communication strategy forward. Vivienne Westwood understands the value of its customers and the importance of effectively engaging with customers online as well as offline in its stores. As a result, it has implemented Mapp partner Eyos (formerly yReceipts) to handle its instore digital receipts. As a by-product of all transactions taking a digital receipt, Mapp Cloud receives valuable store transactional data and has a direct channel for obtaining customer opt-ins. This helps build the personalisation story and tailor marketing communications.

True personalisation based on insights

Vivienne Westwood has a strong business focus on personalised and targeted communications, and as a result, is now using all aspects of Mapp Cloud including its onsite behavioral tool to deliver personalised product recommendations, as well as key revenue driving campaigns such as abandonment. Vivienne Westwood is also taking an insight led approach to its strategic decisions and as a result has implemented the Mapp Intelligence solution to drive actionable retail insights and tailor cross-channel marketing communications accordingly. This aligns the business against KPIs as well as providing a detailed analysis of channel performance and building tailored RFM models against its customer set.

Ilaria Morelli, Digital Marketing Manager, at Vivienne Westwood said: “Since working with Mapp Cloud we have seen excellent results. We can now unify all our customer data from previously disparate sources and with Mapp Intelligence we are getting insight-led customer data at our fingertips which is driving business change. We look forward to developing our activity with Mapp over the coming months and years.”

Hyper-personalised communications at scale

Vivienne Westwood has dramatically reduced the cost of its inhouse design team and has reduced the time needed to create emails. It now also has more data against its customer base than ever before. This includes real time web browsing, offline store purchase data as well as all eCommerce transactions.

Key campaign mechanics such as Open Rates are now upwards of 38% and drive large customer engagement with a clickthrough rate of over 5.8%. These figures are testament to its segmentation strategy and relevance to its customers.

The Vivienne Westwood team is able to identify nearly one in three of all visitors to the website and as a result can successfully target customers who are in market and serve hyper-personalised communications at scale. With a high average order value (AOV) of over £140 per transaction, it is vital that customers have the best customer experience, not only to initially convert but also to return and become repeat advocates of the brand. This is testament to why actionable insights are crucial to its long-term strategy.

Victoria Stephens, Customer Success Manager, at Mapp said: “As a business, we love working with iconic brands and it has been hugely exciting to leverage the full Mapp Cloud technology for Vivienne Westwood which has accelerated revenues coming through its digital channels. We are continuing to innovate and implement programs that are tailored to Vivienne Westwood’s customers based on intelligent insights and have many exciting plans upcoming. Watch this space!”

About Mapp

Marketers and data specialists should always be able to focus on their core business instead of spending their time taming the technology behind it. With the insight-led customer experience platform Mapp Cloud, marketing decision-makers have more time for the essentials and can place their brand messages in the best possible way. Through customer intelligence and marketing analytics, companies easily and effectively gain cross-channel customer insights from data, which in turn enable highly personalised marketing activities. Mapp’s customers benefit from customized and self-optimizing cross-channel campaigns based on AI-powered predictive models. Automated messages can thus be sent in the ideal marketing channel, at the optimal time and with the right contact frequency. Thanks to powerful one-to-one personalisation, maximum engagement as well as long-term customer retention are achieved.

Mapp operates offices in seven countries. Mapp’s digital marketing platform helps over 3,000 businesses stand out from the crowd. Mapp’s clients include Vivienne Westwood, Argos, Ella’s Kitchen, Expert, Freesat, Lloyds Banking Group, MyToys, Pepsico, Quint and The Entertainer.

Case Studies and Partnerships, News, Software News

Fred. Olsen To Transform the Guest Dining and Retail Experience with IBS Software

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has chosen IBS Software to improve the onboard dining and retail purchasing experience across its entire fleet, providing a range of new options to order food and drink that balance guest safety with convenience. Fred. Olsen will be implementing IBS’s iTravel Point-of-Sale (PoS) system, to lay the foundations of a superior technology landscape onboard where guest will have greater flexibility to order food and beverages and other onboard retail services from the convenience of their cabin, in addition to the traditional over-the-counter purchases or waiter assisted orders.

The pandemic has elevated the critical role PoS systems play in the day-to-day operations of a cruise ship. They are an integral part of transforming the guest experience to deliver onboard dining services safely while simultaneously enhancing the entire process. The issue for cruise lines is that traditional PoS systems work in silos across ships with no centralised administration capabilities. Additionally, they typically require specific hardware to function and therefore have very low portability and tend to be stationary at various points onboard. These factors significantly impact cruise line’s ability to innovate and provide top class service to guests, who increasingly expect state-of-the-art tech onboard.

By deploying iTravel PoS, Fred. Olsen can take advantage of its mobile-first approach through which all key sales functions for crew are also available via hand held devices, allowing it to easily adapt to changing needs and customer preference. It also seamlessly integrates with other vital on-board systems including food and beverage inventory, dining and property management systems.

As part of the implementation, IBS Software will also deploy iTravel-Super Highway to facilitate centralized management and significantly improve operational capability from shore. iTravel-Super Highway is a framework that facilitates real time synchronization of data between shore and ship thereby allowing ongoing tasks, such as restaurant and menu item set-up and management of business rules for each ship to be centrally managed from headquarters, for maximum operational efficiency. The sales from each ship can also be consolidated and monitored real time from headquarters and hosted on the public cloud.

“We are pleased to grow our collaboration with IBS Software. We expect iTravel-PoS to improve guest experience and drive efficiencies for Point of Sales operations across our fleet as well as simplify our technology landscape,” said Damon Impett, Director of IT Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

“Fred. Olsen is a forward thinking cruise line and it’s really fulfilling to be a part of their digital transformation journey. IBS’ vision is to provide cruise lines with a seamlessly integrated shore-ship digital platform supporting reservations and onboard operations. With Fred. Olsen also selecting IBS for PoS we have begun to realise this vision.” said Asish Koshy, Vice President and Head of Tour & Cruise Solutions, IBS Software.

iTravel POS is part of iTravel Suite which is an integrated shore to ship family of products for cruise lines that also include iTravel-Cruise (Reservations), iTravel Dining (Table Reservations) and iTravel Navigator Guest Mobile App.

About IBS Software

IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise and hospitality industries. IBS Software’s solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel and air-cargo management. IBS Software also runs a real time B2B and B2C distribution platform providing hotel room inventory, rates and availability to a global network of hospitality companies and channels. For the tour and cruise industry, IBS provides a comprehensive, customer-centric, digital platform that covers onshore, online and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company and operates from 15 offices across the world.

Further information can be found at https://www.ibsplc.com/.

About Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a family-founded company of Norwegian heritage with a fleet of four smaller ships – Bolette, Borealis, Balmoral and Braemar – each carrying less than 1,400 guests. In 2021, 2022 and beyond, the cruise line will offer a range of closer to home UK and European breaks, as well as longer, international sailings from eight UK departure ports, and a fly-cruise programme.

Case Studies and Partnerships, News

Artex selects Indigo WMS to build ultra flexible real-time warehouse distribution service

Artex is a name that has become synonymous with home improvements and the company, which distributes some of the UK’s best known decorative finish and building materials brands from its logistics hub in Nottinghamshire, has just selected Indigo WMS with voice enabled picking as its warehouse management software solution.

Artex is a highly data driven business and Indigo WMS will be integrated with SAP, the company’s existing ERP solution, to provide real-time management information on its warehousing logistics operations.

Part of the multinational Saint-Gobain group, Artex’s vision is to create a competitive distribution network with the highest levels of customer service.

Artex provides a vast array of builder’s merchants, decorating centres and DIY stores up and down the country with a tailor-made 500+ product offering to suit their individual needs. This includes offering flexible, multi-drop distribution and delivery services, which allow customers to order the exact products and quantities they need starting from as little as a half a pallet of mixed products. Artex also offers 24-hour turnaround express delivery services for parcels of select products weighing up to 25kg, which are delivered according to a timed booking slot.

Offering such a high degree of flexibility adds increased complexity to warehouse operations and could result in increased logistics costs. To avoid this and realise other key benefits, Artex has turned to Indigo Software for a best of breed warehouse management system (WMS) capable of relieving the administrative burden on warehousing teams and enabling its logistics operation to deliver more product more quickly, and with increased accuracy and flexibility.

Two of the deciding factors in selecting Indigo WMS were the software’s highly intuitive user experience – especially for new WMS system users – and Indigo’s strong track record of completing seamless implementations, with minimal disruption to normal business operations. Indigo will be fully integrated with SAP for the seamless exchange of customer data and incoming sales orders with pick and dispatch processes. This will include extracting real-time feeds from SAP and pushing ‘confirmation of completion’ data back, once the end to end logistics process is complete.

Kelvin Phipps, Systems and Process Development Manager at Artex says, “After a careful review of all the available solutions, we believe that Indigo WMS offers the correct fit for our future business. It will be an enabler for us to reach new heights, with the right balance of system features, software complexity, seamless implementation methodology and cost.”

He adds, “We intend to run our warehouse operations with Indigo WMS for many years so selecting the right technology partner was very important to us. We see Indigo as a software partner that shares our company values, priorities and objectives and look forward to a long and successful working relationship.”

Case Studies and Partnerships, Food & Drink, News

West Midlands EPoS experts assist Lucarelli in Mailbox launch

West Bromwich Italian restaurant, Lucarelli, is ready to open the doors of its second branch at the Mailbox, Birmingham, thanks to the help of EPoS systems experts, Langley Business Systems.

A traditional Italian restaurant, Lucarelli first opened its doors in June 2019 and since this time has established a growing customer base of both residents and visitors to the West Bromwich region, who enjoy its authentic, Italian menu.

Despite COVID-19, owners Vincenzo Esposito and Francesco Romano have continued to progress with growth plans and are now hoping to open the doors of its second site at the beginning of December 2020 at Birmingham’s iconic Mailbox.

To ensure the restaurant can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, whilst adhering to the latest COVID-19 restrictions, Lucarelli appointed the region’s leading Electronic Point of Sale or ‘EPoS’ systems provider, Langley Business Systems, following recommendation from a fellow Italian restaurant owner.

In understanding that the new Lucarelli site would need to run as efficiently as possible, whilst providing Vincenzo and Romano with real-time business intelligence due to working between the two restaurants, Langley Business Systems have implemented a sophisticated Smart Register solution.

Strategically installed at five waiting stations around the restaurant, the Smart Register solution enables waiting staff to quickly process customer orders via a smart, touch screen, which are then immediately communicated to either the bar or kitchen staff via printers to ensure speedy preparation without order errors.

Designed to significantly improve operational efficiencies whilst enhancing service delivery, the Smart Register system also provides real-time reporting on stock levels, sales and P&L, meaning Vincenzo and Romano can easily monitor the success of the new Birmingham branch.

Vincenzo, co-owner of Lucarelli, confirmed: “2020 has obviously been an incredibly challenging year for the restaurant and wider hospitality industry, but my team and I have continued to work hard and still create fine, Italian food for our customers even during lockdowns through our own dedicated takeaway service.

We have had our sights set on Birmingham for over a year now and are incredibly excited to hopefully open our doors from the beginning of December 2020. In working closely with Langley Business Systems, we have installed a new sophisticated EPoS solution that will enable us to run as efficiently as possible, whilst providing our new customers with the best COVID-safe service and top Italian cuisine.”

Originally founded in 1975, Langley Business Systems is a family-run firm, which operates in the hospitality, food & beverage, retail, garden & leisure and sporting industries. An Independent Sales Organisation or ‘ISO’ for First Data [FD], the leading EPoS Solutions provider also offers and control credit card rates, supporting all businesses with Merchant Services.

Richard Cox, Managing Director of Langley Business Systems added: “Lucarelli is an incredibly popular Italian restaurant here in West Bromwich, so when Vincent approached us to assist in the opening of their second, Birmingham branch we were delighted to help.

EPoS solutions have advanced significantly in recent years, where the Smart Register system will not only ensure Lucarelli Birmingham can deliver a smooth and efficient service but will also provide Vincent and NAME with the back-office information they need. In addition, the individual touch points reduce contact between staff and support table service, enabling them to easily adapt to the changes and restrictions posed by the ongoing pandemic.”

The new Lucarelli restaurant will open in Birmingham’s iconic Malilbox as soon as Tier 3 restrictions lift in the City and hospitality establishments can re-open their doors.

Case Studies and Partnerships, News

R&D Tax Relief Specialist Helps Regional Digital Agency Drive Growth

A Derbyshire-based digital marketing and web design agency has experienced accelerated growth over the last two years, thanks to working with Research and Development [R&D] tax relief specialists, Quantum R&D Tax.

Established providers of web design, SEO, PPC and digital growth consultancy, Quick By Design or ‘QBD’ first started working with Quantum R&D Tax in late 2018 after listening to an educational presentation by company Director, Michael Newnham, who outlined the reclaim process at a regional networking group.

Unsure as to whether the agency would qualify for a reclaim, Directors Dan Bullock and Paul Dyer set up an initial meeting with Michael and quickly learnt that QBD was eligible as a result of its consistent development of new technologies and digital marketing processes.

Fast forward three years and the agency has been able to claim a total five-figure sum to date, which they have continued to reinvest back into the business to drive continued growth. As a result, QBD has successfully increased headcount from six to ten and more than doubled its turnover within just two years.

Dan Bullock, Director of QBD, explained: “I think a lot of business owners believe that R&D tax relief is solely for organisations that invent or develop their own product-base, when in fact it can apply to a multitude of industry sectors, with claims even eligible on equipment and staff costs.

“Only by speaking to Michael and the Quantum R&D Tax team did we learn and understand this and, following our initial educational session, have worked with them annually to submit a claim. As a result, we have received a sizeable reclaim sum that has enabled us to reinvest in the business.

“This has enabled us to expand our talented team of creative, marketing and web development experts who are fundamental to our own continued growth and enhance our service delivery.

“It has also helped us to transition from a traditional web agency into a full-service marketing and business growth consultancy with expertise in digital, SEO, content, social media and creative design, to help our clients achieve success through the full range of
solutions we provide.”

Founded in 2018 by experienced Business Leader, Michael Newnham, and qualified Accountant, Katherine Baines, Quantum R&D Tax focuses on working closely with businesses across digital, technology, food and drink, construction and manufacturing sectors.

Passionate about sustainability and environmental change, the firm makes a donation from each successful R&D tax claim to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which includes initiatives from supporting wildlife to providing clean water and sanitation to those living in third world countries.

Michael added: “According to the latest statistics, 55% of eligible SMEs are still not claiming for R&D tax relief to which they are entitled, meaning they could be missing out on significant sums of money to reinvest into the growth and development of their business, just as we have seen with QBD and the agency’s incredible growth.”

Headquartered in Malvern, Quantum R&D Tax supports businesses UK wide. With a no win, no fee structure, the firm can help business owners understand their eligibility to claim with a simple discovery call.