NextiraOne’s Managed Services crafts new operating efficiencies for Howden Joinery Group

NextiraOne has successfully secured a new three-year support and Managed Services contract with Howden Joinery Group to ensure the short and long-term efficiency of the company’s core network systems and services. This is the second long term contract between the two organisations and shows firmly the commitment to the mutually beneficial relationship.

Howden Joinery supplies integrated kitchen and joinery products to small builders, having sales of nearly £900m in 2012. It operates over 520 Howdens Joinery depots throughout the UK, supplying 400,000 kitchens each year, and continues to grow. It manufactures one-third of the products it sells in its own factories, in Runcorn, Cheshire, and Howden, East Yorkshire.

The Managed Services contract continues to enhance this relationship and provides ongoing support not only on a day-to-day basis, but also in terms of improving overall performance. The contract has been specifically tailored to allow for heightened response times from NextiraOne’s support team during Howden’s most important peak trading period. Working closely with the Howden’s IS team, NextiraOne created a customised contract that combines 24/7/365 maintenance with additional on demand support and regular strategic performance reviews, with a formal reporting structure.
This hybrid approach is much appreciated by Clive Cockburn, Head of IS Infrastructure at Howden Joinery Group Plc: “NextiraOne created a service contract that exactly matches the technical and business requirements we had identified. The NextiraOne team provides professional, conscientious, approachable and flexible support. As a result, we now have a contract that is both cost-effective and efficient, because it covers our core needs and only includes the additional managed services elements we need as and when we need them.”

NextiraOne created the customised contract from elements of its comprehensive “Smart Tasking” Managed Services portfolio, including on-site engineering support, hardware support and maintenance on all equipment, on-demand engineering services, Moves, Adds and Changes and access to NextiraOne’s Technical Assistance Centre, plus telephone helpline support. It also includes a number of elements designed to monitor and improve performance of the core network, including strategic reviews, service management and lifecycle management.

“Managed Services are becoming more and more important for businesses looking to increase the efficiency of their IT and communications,” commented Mark Petty, Managed Services Director at NextiraOne. “Howden Joinery has recognised the value of a hybrid solution that combines a cost-effective level of day-to-day support and additional resources at its most critical business trading times. We were able to create a very flexible agreement that allows for this and it is proving to be a very successful and economic model.”

NextiraOne is Howden Joinery’s long-term core communications services partner and has designed and implemented its core network, secure remote access and data centre services for a number of years with an excellent track record in delivering high levels of service.

“We are delighted with the way this contract is working for us,” says Clive Cockburn. “NextiraOne already had the experience in helping us to build our infrastructure so they really understand our business and how we wanted the contract to work.”