CEO of the Month: UK
system’s needs, for example, has meant that our flagship product CALIDUS has been developed to work on a truly global basis across time zones, with in built features required for operating across wide geographies. We provide a helpdesk and support services 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year, which is important to these global operations. “The way that companies now collaborate more with their partners, customers and suppliers across the world has also changed in recent years, supported by the advances in communications technology resulting in greater interactions (interfacing) of our customers’ systems to share and exchange data. This has led to an increasing demand for combined customer/ supplier portals where customers can interrogate stock availability, enter orders and track those orders through to final delivery over the web. We have built this in as a strong capability within our CALIDUS suite in order to fulfil customer requirements. “Another change that has impacted on our business is the increase in outsourcing of logistics services to third party logistics companies (3PLs), which has enabled OBS Logistics to build a growing business
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providing systems to these 3PLs to support their customer contracts. Our success in this market area was helped greatly by starting to work with these companies from an early stage in the company’s development and designing our CALIDUS Total Logistics suite with the specific needs of the shared user 3PL market in mind. By working closely with the 3PLs and providing a high level of service to them, we are fortunate to get extra business from them as they win new contracts – it works well for us and them.” David’s examples highlight how OBS Logistics has used the experience gained from implementing and supporting systems in over 500 locations across more than 60 countries globally for 40 years. However one of their biggest recent successes which David is particularly proud of was for the public sector in the UK, where the company is based. “Last year we provided a hosted logistics system to NHS Blood and Transplant for the distribution of blood across England and North Wales. The success of this project has led to further opportunities to provide a similar solution in other countries across the world and we expect this to lead to further business in the public sector in the UK, not just for blood distribution but other types of logistics operations.”
Overall, David was keen to emphasise the firm’s exciting plans for the future, which include an overseas expansion which is guaranteed to provide exciting new challenges. “Looking to the future we are keen expand our product range for our excellent client base and to work with new customers in the logistics arena. OBS Logistics is a growing business in providing our systems as a managed service, growing by 25 % last year, and provides great potential for future growth as more customers are choosing the managed services route. “In terms of new markets, Australia is seen as offering excellent expansion opportunities. We have adopted a reseller approach for Australia and will be developing reseller channels in other geographies, including some countries in mainland Europe. As our success working with the NHS highlights, the public sector also offers great potential for future business and we are keen to expand into this market. You will also see us make a number of strategic acquisitions both to increase our business and customer base in existing business areas but also in extending our product portfolio with complementary products.”
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