Gen-i builds on its relationship with Fletchers

Gen-i builds on its relationship with Fletchers to win mobility contract

Gen-i’s innovative mobility solutions deliver business efficiencies, reduce costs and enhance customer experience

Auckland – 6 May 2011 – Gen-i has won a three-year contract with Fletcher Building for the provision of mobility solutions based on Telecom’s XT network. The deal includes over 5,500 mobile voice and data connections, and builds on its existing relationship for the provision of fixed line, WAN, mobile and internet.

The new mobility services will help Fletcher Building achieve business efficiencies and productivity, deliver cost savings, and enhance its people’s responsiveness and customer experience across the Group.

Fletcher Building CIO, Paul Knight, says that equipping its people with the best technology but controlling costs are key objectives, particularly as it ramps up its business to manage and assist the rebuilding programme in Christchurch.

“We operate a decentralised structure to enable the overall business to meet its financial goals. It was vital that our mobility provider understood the drivers of each division and was able to marry their needs into a solution that also aligned with the overall business strategy.

“Gen-i pushed the boundaries of our thinking and delivered a new, innovative approach which will transform our use and management of mobility solutions. It will allow us to integrate mobile with the existing services and platforms in use across Fletcher’s business today, making it easier for our people to connect to anyone, anywhere, regardless of their device or location.

“By giving our people the right tools to do the job, and the freedom to use them as often as they like, it will create efficiencies, lower costs and ultimately add real value to our business.”

Knight says Gen-i has already found innovative ways to help the business become more agile and better able to respond to its customers’ needs.

“Our people need to be able to connect and collaborate wherever they are and have remote access to information and business applications in a secure and effective way. Gen-i has already provided Firth’s sales people with real-time customer information by deploying Salesforce.com on iPads and other mobile devices.

“We’re looking forward to leveraging Gen-i’s experience and capabilities to extend additional enterprise solutions out to our mobile users.”

Knight says Fletcher Building has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Gen-i and is confident the company has chosen an ICT partner that will keep the business on a road of continuous improvement.

“We’ve had outstanding service from Gen-i, with an excellent team that has looked after the diverse needs across our Group. It’s a trusted partnership based on openness, honesty and transparency. I’d say the relationship is at an all time high.”

With a workforce spanning the entire country, Fletchers wanted local support as well as a mobility provider that was responsive to its many and varied needs, Knight says.

“Gen-i has a nationwide presence, supported by a dealer network in all the regions. That has made it easy for us to engage with Gen-i and allows us to focus on our core business,” said Knight.

Chris Quin, Gen-i Australasia’s Chief Executive Officer, said Fletcher Building’s federated structure meant its solution needed to accommodate a wide diversity of complex users and business needs.

“Our team worked with the different business divisions to understand their individual challenges and deliver innovative, flexible and sustainable solutions that met their needs and created value across the Group,” said Quin. “We’ve delivered an integrated solution that combines Fletcher’s mobile and fixed technologies to help deliver new applications to its people and an “all you can eat” approach to their use of mobility.

“We understand the challenges our clients face as they look to integrate their mobile capability into the core applications that underpin their business. We’re focussed on simplifying communications, and regard it as our responsibility to deliver real leadership and a truly end-to-end ICT service and capability.”

The contract was awarded to Gen-i following a competitive tender process. Fletcher Building previously operated a dual supplier model for its mobile communications. Fletcher Buildings’ mobile services will be transitioned to Gen-i over the next six months.

Gen-i also provides Fletcher Building with Gen-i Mobile Office (GMO) devices, which allow its people working remotely in Christchurch to connect to their corporate PBX voice systems.

About Fletcher Building

Fletcher Building is a New Zealand based building materials manufacturer and distributor with operations in concrete, steel, fibreglass insulation, aluminium extrusion, roofing, access flooring systems, sinkware, laminates and panels and is involved in residential and commercial construction. We are an international company with a strong New Zealand heritage. We have leading market positions, with a solid platform in Australasian building products and construction materials.

Today we employ some 20,000 people - across New Zealand, Australia, North America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.

About Gen-i
Gen-i is at the forefront of helping customers take advantage of the convergence of technology and telecommunications, and the new opportunities this makes possible. Gen-i works alongside its 3,300 corporate, government and business customers to deliver seamless and integrated ICT solutions. A member of the Telecom New Zealand Group, Gen-i achieves this with the support of 3,000 highly skilled people in 15 locations across New Zealand and Australia. For more information on Gen-i, visit www.gen-i.co.nz

ENDS

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