Three Business Feature CareyGlass

Carey Glass International is one of the largest independent glass manufacturers in Europe with three production sites across Ireland and the UK, including its headquarters and main manufacturing facility in Nenagh, County Tipperary. A vast 850,000 sq ft. site, it’s the largest glass processing facility on the continent.

Company success has been based on a proactive and innovative approach to glass processing, an ethos it extends to other parts of the business. The firm continues to grow and expand into overseas markets through a policy of continuous investment in people (it has 560 employees), systems and technology.

The challenge was a need for speed in an increasingly competitive market, a strategy dependent on improving its communications. Mobile was identified as a way to make employees more efficient, while a Secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) was needed to improve communications between the three sites, combined with faster broadband to and improved WiFi coverage on the factory floor. Not only did Carey Glass want to improve its communicaton but it also wanted to improve its business processes by removing reliance on paperwork.

The driving force for being with Three is the quality of their support. We have account managers and a dedicated team behind us, which is really important because communications, and mobility in particular are so important to the business.

Solutions

Carey Glass now avails of fixed-line, broadband, mobile services and a workforce mobility application from Three, a combination of services targeted at different aspects of the business. The Nenagh site now has much faster broadband speeds which in turn facilitates 80 per cent WiFi coverage on the factory floor.

Around 80 employees were issued with smartphones – a combination of the latest Galaxy Androids and Apple iPhones – and 43 of them have iPads. Mobile tracking devices were installed on the firm’s 32 delivery trucks to provide better visibility of supply chain logistics. Three provided the company with a Virtual Private Network that is accessible to the mobile workforce, enabling the 11 sales people to remotely log in to the systems with their tablets and check the latest customer account information.

Results

Communication services provided by Three have contributed to the growth and continued success of Carey Glass. Management are able to stay in touch with the business with email on-the-go, while mobilising the sales representatives has had a huge impact on the bottom line.

“Connecting our sales force to the internet has given them a new lease of life.

They can look at live feeds of data before they go into a customer and know if there are any issues that need to be resolved,” says Evelyn Carey, Marketing Manager. “The people responsible for growing the company have been quick to take to a new generation of devices – smartphones and tablets as well as laptops – because speed of access to information is now so important to a business.”

As the company extends its global reach, mobile has become even more important. “It is business critical for us at this stage, and it’s not just sales,” she says. “Our procurement people and senior management travel the world and need a good phone, a good tablet and a good service. We’ve got that with Three.”

Out on the road, mobile devices are helping eliminate paper-based processes, improving logistical operations and giving customers a better service. Deliveries are signed for on iPads, generating electronic workflow rather than paperwork. With the sensors on the delivery vehicles and The driving force for being with Three is the quality of their support. We have account managers and a dedicated team behind us, which is really important because communications, and mobility in particular are so important to the business drivers using mobile phones, there is much greater visibility around the delivery trucks that travel back and forward to the UK.

The next stage will be to issue tablets to quality control staff in the factories, liberating them from their offices and enabling them to spend more time out on the production line, doing their jobs but still contactable thanks to the improved WiFi coverage. Other plans include mobilising the warehouse staff and giving management access to video conferencing.

Another big benefit has been Three’s customer service. “The driving force for being with Three is the quality of their support. We have account managers and a dedicated team behind us, which is really important because communications, and mobility in particular are so important to the business,” says Evelyn Carey.

She sums up: “The company is doing well and the services that Three provides have contributed to our growth and success. Communications technology brings everyone together and is massive for us.