Comms Dealer

Exclusive Group has finalised an investment agreement with Belgian firm Cobepa giving it access to a finance package of circa £72m, a tidy sum that is expected to catalyse the distributor's expansion plans.

Cobepa will take a majority stake in the business and be joined by Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners who are re-investing for the third time.
The new investment package followed soon after the release of figures that showed a 40% jump in like-for-like sales.

As well as the investment, Exclusive has also secured a new finance facility from existing financing partner, UK-based Intermediate Capital Group (ICG).

These new financial arrangements provide the Group with a platform to deliver the next phase of business growth, including the geographic expansion of the distribution businesses, further development of Big Technology, increasing the footprint of the IT leasing division Exclusive Capital, and more growth for ITEC, the global logistics and services business acquired in December.

CEO Olivier Breittmayer told IT Europa that it was looking to acquire a UK leasing business as part of its plans.

Olivier Breittmayer, CEO of Exclusive Group, said: "The Group's 1bn euros revenue goal by 2017 is assured by this investment, which will allow us to develop more services and identify and capitalise on new opportunities within the markets and sectors that we operate in."

Vocalcom has been awarded a significant contract to provide one of the UK's largest distributors of fuels and lubricants Certas Energy with its multi-channel contact centre solution.

With a network of over 150 depots, 1,000 tankers, over 800 retail forecourts and 2,500 employees, Certas Energy required a solution capable of handling up to one million or more contacts every year.

Michael Pavlou, UK MD for Vocalcom, said: "Bringing many of their brands together and being able to service those brands with an Omni Channel solution was viewed as a potential headache that could take many months, if not years, to implement.

"The Vocalcom solution, accessible from anywhere in the country, at any time, addressed these concerns, allowing Certas Energy to implement changes easily and simply at a convenient pace."??The initial phase of this project is for 50 call centre agents but over the next 12 to 18 months this will potentially grow to over 250 agents.

Training and selection specialist Gradtel promises to find the best sales people and fully prepare them for placement by putting them through an all-encompassing training and development process delivered by proven industry experts.

Gradtel MD Paul McEwan said: "The old method of using a CV and a brief interview is flawed. Gradtel will only place the brightest people and equip them with the skills they need. A small percentage of outstanding people will be put forward."

The recruitment firm also applies its methodology to roles other than sales and is currently holding a series of Assessment Days across the country.

www.gradtel.co.uk
 

The Apple Watch is more hype than substance, while streaming video apps are among this year's top priorities for marketers according to a new survey by Greenlight. The survey claims that demand with one in five (19%) marketers planning to use apps like Periscope and Meerkat in campaigns, according to ‘Hype or Ripe' study. However, with both apps caught in a cutthroat battle for users, marketers fear backing the wrong horse, with one in ten (12%) having made this costly mistake before.

Greenlight commissioned a survey of 100 senior marketers to understand which technologies are seen as overhyped and which are ripe for investment. The ‘Hype or Ripe' study reveals that 70% of marketers think wearables and smart watches are more hype than substance - twice as many that think crypto-currencies like Bitcoin (36%) are overhyped. Around one in four marketers think virtual reality (27%) and beacons (24%) cannot live up to the hype, while one in five (20%) aren't convinced by augmented reality.

With Facebook mulling over plans to make it easier for brands to contact consumers via its Whatsapp service, it's not surprising that mobile messaging apps are viewed as being most ripe for investment. Almost three out of ten (28%) marketers plan to experiment with mobile messaging in 2015. Live-streaming apps like Meerkat and Persicope are also proving popular, bolstered by high-profile campaigns from brands like Spotify and DKNY, and celebrity fans such as Madonna and Jamie Oliver.

Greenlight found that peer pressure plays a major role in marketers' decision to embrace new technologies. A third of marketers are influenced by what competitors are doing (34%), while a further 33% pointed to the example set by major brands. A good gut feeling is important to almost two-fifths (37%) of marketers, while opinion is divided over the need for solid ROI. Just one in two (51%) marketers said that they would need reassurances that new technology would generate results before investing.

Commenting on the study, Andreas Pouros, Greenlight's COO and Founder, said: "It's easy to be dazzled by the industry buzz around shiny new playthings like the Apple Watch or Oculus Rift, however our research suggests that marketers are increasingly reluctant to drink the kool-aid. Hardened by past mistakes, we are seeing marketers take a wait-and-see approach to new technologies and platforms before making an investment. The live-streaming market is a classic example. As the battle for market share between Meerkat and Periscope heats up, we could see some marketers get burnt if they back the wrong horse. As ways, our advice is to invest in technologies that are proven to deliver ROI."

The ‘Hype or Ripe' study reveals that two-fifths of marketers (41%) regret investing in a new technology or platforms. The main factors for disappointment include user adoption being lower than expected (24%), poor business results (13%), the belief that a competitive service would have been a better choice (12%), wasted money (8%), or a lack of understanding about what they were getting in to (4%).

Commsworld has advanced its growth plan in the north east of Scotland with the appointment of Bob Baxter as Senior Sales Executive.

He brings 22 years experience in the oil and gas industry and a track record of delivering results having previously worked in senior business development roles at Schlumberger Information Solutions, Harris Caprock and Vodafone.

He joins from CGI where he was tasked with bringing in new accounts within Oil and Gas upstream (petroleum industry). He said: "I was attracted by the huge appetite for growth and the self-belief that is apparent at Commsworld.

"I grew up with IT & Telecoms in the Oil & Gas sector and my experience working for the big firms like T-Mobile and Vodafone makes me appreciate the flexibility and personal approach provided by Commsworld, which is something that more and more businesses are looking for in a network provider."

Commsworld has seen strong interest from some large Aberdeen based businesses in recent years, working on several projects with Bright Solid, Stewart Milne and Sub Sea 7 among others.

Commsworld CEO, Ricky Nicol, said: "Bob's background servicing the Oil and Gas industry has allowed him to build a network of highly influential business people in some of the largest and most notable firms in the industry."

In 2014 Commsworld celebrated turning 20 by expanding its network services across Scotland and generating record revenues surpassing the £9 million turnover from the previous year.

The proportion of IT suppliers waiting more than 100 days for payment has more than doubled in the last five years, rising from 5.6% to 12%, according to research by BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.

In the last year alone the number of companies reporting payment days of 100 and over rose by 30%.

BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions adds the average number of 'debtor days' for companies selling IT software and equipment to business customers is now 54, far longer than the 30 day payment term promoted as standard by the Government's Prompt Payment Code.

Many IT suppliers are reluctant to put pressure on customers to pay outstanding invoices because they are concerned that it may sour the business relationship and result in the loss of potential repeat business, noted BNP Paribas.

The research shows that one IT supplier this year reported waiting a year on average before receiving payment.

BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions says that with levels of capital investment by businesses still relatively subdued, businesses may be offering extended payment terms to customers as a sales strategy.

Others may be reluctant to pursue outstanding debts in case of damaging future sales opportunities.

Offering leasing to customers frees IT suppliers from the impact that delayed payments have on their cash flow, as the lender usually pays the supplier as soon as the customer receives the goods, and bears the risk and cost of following up on payments.

Tristan Watkins, Country Manager, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, said: "Right now IT suppliers should be seeing plenty of sales opportunities. We have record employment with 31 million in work at end of March, and business capital investment growth is starting to pick up.

"However, IT businesses that want to take advantage of these opportunities need to have the cash to invest in marketing, new hires, training, even M&A if they want to expand quickly into new markets.

"Using leasing as part of their package helps IT suppliers to secure sales without forcing them to choose between potentially weak cash flow because of late payment or reduced profit because they have had to expand their credit control activities or turn customers away."

Avnet Technology Solutions has launched a converged infrastructure practice in the UK to support channel partners delivering pre-architected and vendor validated IT infrastructure solutions to customers.

Converged infrastructure solutions enable business partners to speed up delivery of core services while reducing costs and sales cycles and increasing profitability.

Miriam Murphy, senior vice president, Avnet Technology Solutions, North region, EMEA, said: "The UK market for converged infrastructure is an important growth area for the channel and a priority for Avnet.

"We have invested in both our technical and business expertise, established a converged infrastructure centre of excellence and have a portfolio of suppliers for converged and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions to support business partners in this market."

The new converged infrastructure practice includes a partner enablement programme, starting with an Avnet hosted channel briefing at the InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane, London on 4th June 2015.

The briefing involves Cisco, EMC, HP, IBM, NetApp, Oracle and VCE, and will provide an insight into how to deliver and benefit from the expanding converged and hyper-converged market.

Andrew Buss, IDC consulting manager, will present the latest research on data centre consolidation, virtualisation and converged infrastructure trends.

Business insights will be provided on how channel partners can deliver low risk, converged deployments to their end user customers. Supplier-led breakout sessions in the afternoon will provide attendees with information to help them understand more about the technology, the challenges customers face and the associated opportunities.

The Gamma management team has won Management Team of the Year at the Thames Valley Deals Awards.

These annual awards recognise best practice in business transactions and attract entries from businesses across various sectors located in the Thames Valley region, with each nomination independently adjudicated by a panel of selected experts.

Gamma's entry was based on the successful transition from private company to listed company, despite a difficult market. Judges were not just looking at the size of deal, they took into account deal complexity, who led the deal, the mix of advisers, whether it was completed to tight timeframes and a number of other criteria.

Bestselling author and comedian Tony Hawks presented the award to the management team at the ceremony hosted by The Business Magazine at the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre on 23rd April.

Andrew Belshaw, Finance Director at Gamma, said: "Investors don't just look at what businesses do, they look at the people who are driving the business forward. It's called 'Management Team' but a flotation is a complicated transaction and it was achieved only with the hard work from everyone within Gamma."

Mo Merali, Partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP, an advisor to Gamma through the IPO process, added: "As well as delivering growth to the business, the Gamma management team has dealt seamlessly with a number of complications and challenges within the flotation process, which underlines the quality and depth of the team and their collective resilience, knowledge of the business, and flexibility."

Cerillion Technologies has become an authorised channel partner for GE Digital Energy.

As an authorised partner Cerillion will provide the GE Smallworld platform as an integrated component of the Cerillion Network Inventory solution, enabling the complete management of both physical and logical network assets for any kind of communications, utilities and energy networks.

GE Digital Energy's Software Solutions business includes geospatial information systems, mobile workforce applications and communications management, and plays a key role in constructing, operating, maintaining and managing critical network assets.

GE's suite of integrated tools enables customers to lower their cost of ownership, simplify critical network infrastructures and deliver the flexibility required to meet dynamic network requirements.

"Following our recent acquisition of netSolutions from Ubisense Group, we are delighted to formalise a relationship with GE to enable us to provide their industry leading Smallworld platform as part of our suite of Network Inventory solutions," commented Louis Hall, CEO, Cerillion Technologies.

"By working with GE, we gain access to the latest innovations in geospatial technology and we are excited to be delivering this to our growing customer base."

Brian Boutte, General Manager, Global Channels and Strategic Partners, GE Digital Energy, added. "Through this agreement with Cerillion we are expanding our ecosystem of solutions providers and enabling customers to benefit from a pre-integrated approach to BSS/OSS solutions."

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is working with NG Bailey's IT Services division to install a site wide structured cabling solution at its London office at Savoy Place, WC2.

The IT upgrade is a key component of a two year £30 million refurbishment project that is already underway and is set to be completed in October 2015.

The IET's headquarters is a global engineering and technology hub, providing a central London work and meeting space for the Institute's members, together with a heritage library, knowledge centre, and conference facilities.

NG Bailey has been contracted to install a high performance structured cabling solution that will future proof the IT infrastructure at the property, enabling the IET to benefit from increases in prevailing connectivity speeds of up to 40Gbits/s.

This will ensure the technically demanding future requirements of its members can continue to be met without needing to disrupt Savoy Place with further structural and cabling works.

The work is the first major structural upgrade of facilities and services in 30 years and brings with it considerable pressure to preserve the building's heritage and original aesthetics.

Ann Rees, Savoy Place refurbishment programme manager, IET, commented: "Our members wanted to see the capabilities of Savoy Place upgraded so they could work in a physical and digital environment that delivers the efficiency and resources needed to support today's engineering and technology community. A key part of this is the provision of a cutting edge network environment, now and in the future."

The structured cabling infrastructure will underpin a number of building systems enhancements designed to modernise the property, including an electronic swipe card solution that will provide secure access to and from the building and authorise member access to the IET's 13,000+ educational resources.

"The IET has commissioned a number of partners to upgrade this prestigious building, which means we need to operate flexibly and collaboratively if we are to manage fluctuations across multiple building delivery schedules," added Scott Baker, head of new business, NG Bailey's IT Services division.