ByBox wins major new contract with Computacenter
Aug 03, 2011
Field service solutions provider ByBox is to provide leading IT infrastructure services provider, Computacenter, with a full supply chain solution; from its drop-box deliveries to specialised high-end engineering solutions and around-the-clock forward stock locations
The new deal is a substantial extension of ByBox's existing contract with the award winning 2.68 billion company, and is a major milestone in ByBox' history as it includes ByBox' full supply chain solution. Under the terms of the new contract arrangement, ByBox is guaranteeing that the bespoke solution developed for Computacenter will provide significant year-on-year savings on the company's previous distribution/supply chain solution. The new three-year agreement has substantially increased the overall contract value with ByBox and further cements the relationship between two expanding companies.
Streamlining supply chains
ByBox remarks that just as Computacenter promises to make customers' businesses sharper by removing cost, complexity and barriers by streamlining their IT systems, ByBox has a similar philosophy towards streamlining supply chains.
Simon Wheadon, senior operations manager at Computacenter, added: "Computacenter's ethos very much mirrors that of ByBox. They find out what their customers want and deliver a service that meets their needs. And although the contract is still in its infancy we are delighted with the relationship which has already grown to become a true partnership."
Wheadon continued: "It is a contract which is continuously evolving and has become a true partnership. Through ByBox' innovative approach we are now able to offer solutions to our customers that the competition can't, further cementing our own market-leading position in the industry."
ByBox comments that it has always believed that costs can be stripped out of customers' supply chains by innovative use of technology and 'thinking outside the box' to find solutions uniquely suited to customers' requirements. With its network of 18,000 drop boxes at 1350 locations across the UK, underpinned by its Thinventory web-based software platform, ByBox has substantially improved supply chains to field service engineers. By delivering parts overnight, pre-8am, to the nearest drop box to a particular engineer ready for collection before the start of a day's work, ByBox has enabled companies to ensure the right part gets to the right engineer at the right time.
Rising to the challenge
As well as empowering companies to give a better service in turn to their own customers, the ByBox model allows them to reduce the amount of stock held in warehousing and cut the working capital tied up in stock-holding. ByBox adds that it always aspires to work with customers to find new ways of meeting their challenges, and reports that it was this flexibility that appealed to Computacenter; resulting in the new complete supply chain solution deal.
Stuart Miller, chief executive and co-founder of ByBox, said: "ByBox has already made a difference to some of our bids through the ability to deliver an innovative or value-added solution. Furthermore, the fact that ByBox brings together a number of different services, such as tech courier, has enabled us to win new lines of business. I am delighted that Computacenter, a company dedicated to innovation, has chosen ByBox to provide its total supply chain solution."
Miller added: "We have worked closely with them to provide a bespoke solution using all of ByBox' services, from straightforward pre-8am deliveries to drop boxes to high-end, outsourced engineering. Here at ByBox we are continually looking for innovative ways to make our customers' businesses more efficient, effective and economical a philosophy of continuous improvement which Computacenter shares."
Computacenter counts household names such as British Telecom, WM Morrison, Channel 4, Reuters, BAA, Unipart, and Santander and among its customers and employs more than 10,000 people across Europe. The company offers complete solutions; advising customers on their IT strategy, implementing the most appropriate technology from a wide range of leading vendors and managing their technology infrastructures on their behalf.
Computacenter uses the whole range of ByBox deliveries from its core offering of pre-8am drop box deliveries, to pre-10am deliveries direct-to-site, same-day deliveries and its specialist Tech Courier service where an engineer will perform simple swap-outs and plug-ins.
ByBox collects parts directly from most of Computacenter's suppliers and is now moving much larger, specialist deliveries that require two-man crews when handling goods out of Computacenter's main base at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. For particularly difficult deliveries for example to the upper floors of an office block two-, three- or four-man crews utilising specialist vehicles and handling equipment can be arranged.
Computacenter also uses ByBox' network of 29 Forward Stock Locations across the UK. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, these FSLs are especially convenient for Computacenter engineers who may require parts urgently outside normal office hours.
Last piece of the jigsaw
Last year ByBox completed the 'last piece of the jigsaw' for its vision of a complete end-to-end solution for the field services market with the acquisition of the high-end engineering company PPR Solutions. PPR Solutions now provides high-end, ad-hoc engineering solutions at variable cost for ByBox customers. ByBox also acquired Newcotech, enabling the company to provide a technical courier offering.
"Integrating PPR into our overall Thinventory proposition gives customers a great range of service choice," said Miller. "Computacenter can configure Thinventory to deliver whichever combination of inventory, distribution and field engineering they need, giving them control and flexibility. And, of course, Thinventory can provide them with a 'virtual warehouse' where they can see all stock in the field and can track and trace an individual item in real time so they can reduce stock-holding and free up working capital. ByBox offers a truly 21st century solution for today's 24/7 society."
