Case Studies
Johnson Service Group
With a group turnover of £432m in 2005, and seven operating businesses, the group remains focused on further developing its business to business operations which have high levels of recurring revenues and real growth potential.
Johnson's traditional activities in textile-related support services include Johnsons Apparelmaster, Britain's leading launderer and hirer of workplace clothing, and Johnsons Cleaners, the nation's largest dry cleaning chain. The Group have acquired Sketchley and the prestigious Jeeves dry cleaning brand. Other recent acquisitions have expanded the group's hospitality and facilities management capabilities and they have also acquired Dimensions, the UK's leading corporate wear supplier.
The Group now consists of companies providing clothing for the workplace with associated services; facilities management, retail dry cleaning and supply chain amongst others.
Managing the IT requirements for JSG is Steve McKeever, Group IT Director. "Our acquisitions had resulted in a proliferation of different software solutions on a variety of hardware, with varying degrees of effectiveness and levels of maturity. Obviously, this was not an ideal situation and a group wide IT evaluation was called for" Steve said. "I was approached by CCL and after detailed discussions with Mark Grisdale, Commercial Director, I was satisfied that CCL's independence from the software supply market would prove vital in helping us select the most appropriate solution provider from our final stage short list."
Once it appeared that the preferred solution was likely to be SAP, CCL became involved in a Benefits Realisation Programme led by CCL's Colin Inglis. The objective being to conduct a high level review of business processes resulting in a significant number of business improvements being identified and implemented all of which assisted in gaining Group approval for the capital investment required to move forward with SAP.
Once approval had been gained, CCL assisted in the contract negotiations with SAP and then moved on to a project to source an appropriate implementation partner for the SAP project,...known as ShAPe ("Shaping the future of Johnsons")...after an employee competition to find a name for the undertaking.
CCL conducted a Specification and Selection exercise for the provision of services which resulted in Atos Origin being selected as implementation partner. "Again CCL's independence was key here" Steve McKeever commented. "Colin Inglis brought great clarity to the exercise and provided a balanced view between ourselves and the candidates, this was very valuable."
CCL has worked as Programme Manager on the ShAPe project helping to construct the infrastructure and defining a blueprint for rolling out the implementation to other parts of the group, now that Johnsons Stalbridge Linen Services has successfully gone live.
Steve concluded "I see working with the CCL team as an ongoing strategic partnership. They consistently provide experienced, high quality individuals. Kaye Wyatt has recently become involved and was tasked with leading the project roll-out within Stalbridge Linen Services. I have great confidence in the consultants that CCL provides."
Steve McKeever, Group IT Director
Johnson Service Group
