FINNING:

FLOURISHING RELATIONSHIP WITH HEAVY PLANT PROVIDER

Finning are a global CAT equipment dealer and Finning (UK) is the nationwide Caterpillar dealer for Great Britain, serving England, Scotland and Wales. Finning operate 22 branches spread across the UK, incorporating 800 users. A further 800 users are based at Finning’s head office in Cannock, Staffordshire. Finning is a division of Finning International Inc., one of the world’s largest distributors of heavy equipment. Finning sells, finances and provides customer services for Caterpillar along with complementary equipment throughout Great Britain.

THE COMPANY

Finning operates globally with their headquarters in Canada and satellite offices in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay with a total of 12,800 employees worldwide. ACS was awarded a hardware maintenance contract to look after PC, server and LAN equipment for Finning via their global outsourcing partner, Canadian-based TELUS.

The Finning contract was awarded to ACS as a strategic partner for desktop lifecycle services in the UK.

Grant Kearns from TELUS said, “The relationship that exists between TELUS, Finning and ACS is excellent. ACS has become an invaluable asset within our business and indeed, has become an extension of our own workforce in the UK. ACS provides a flexible approach to our requirements and is constantly responsive to our needs; this approach ensures that the partnership formed continues to flourish and grow.”

The installed equipment is predominantly IBM and Lenovo for both server and PC equipment and Finning run a Windows 2003 Active Directory Network throughout the organisation. Intel equipment is covered by ACS on a nationwide basis with critical equipment carrying a 24x7 SLA. The contract is managed through ACS’s own service desk.

Since the award of the initial contract, the relationship with both Finning and TELUS has progressed and flourished. This now incorporates equipment supply, testing, UK-wide installation desk services, on-site resource provision and lease exit services in addition to the core hardware maintenance contract. ACS further manages the vendor relationships between IBM, Lenovo and Finning, and assists and advises on new products and product evaluation.

On average, since the inception of the contract, Finning has refreshed approximately 400 PCs per annum. However, as a result of a major system software upgrade, ACS supplied and installed 800 PCs for Finning over a 4 month period and upgraded a further 175 desktops and PCs throughout the UK. This was achieved by ACS within a very tight timescale.

SHARED VALUES

Finning’s values and vision can be summed up by Niall Scott, the UK IT Infrastructure Manager for Finning, who said: “Outsourcing of our IT management allows us to concentrate on our core business. ACS works in close co-operation with our main outsourcer, TELUS, and brings an excellent level of customer care and speed of response to our long-standing relationship. Additionally, as an independent reseller, they act as a trusted, impartial advisor and facilitator for us with IT equipment and software vendors.”

A STRONG RELATIONSHIP

Daily contact between the three companies is maintained and regular review meetings are held. Moreover, ACS delivers over and above the services that it is contracted to perform. James Felix, Business Development Director for ACS, comments: “ACS has become a trusted advisor rather than just a supplier to Finning; we know their infrastructure well and have become an important part of their IT decision-making process.

A deep understanding of Finning’s infrastructure and organisation, together with a keen focus on customer service keeps ACS in a strong position. This, coupled with the excellent long-term relationship that continues to evolve, makes us a trusted partner.

The key strengths of the relationship between ACS and Finning can be summed up as:

• Consistency, contact and trust maintained over a twenty year period
• The processes that ACS has in place to maintain the relationship with Finning
• Technical expertise and appropriate support
• Accessibility to the right people at the right time
• An understanding of the company’s goals and system objectives
• A reliable, trustworthy, flexible and honest approach
• A keen focus on customer care