Wyndham Site Services
Port Talbot

Wyndham Site Services are an SME offering engineering services, including plant construction installation and maintenance, to a range of industry sectors including metals, automotive and the paper industry.  The company has offices based in a number of locations in the UK, and their head office is based in Port Talbot.  Their staff count varies through the year with a core of 83 rising to 195 during customer maintenance shut-downs.

Their introduction to eCommerce came about following a key customer advising they were looking into using an Internet platform to place orders.  In order to be prepared for this, Wyndham decided to ensure that they had Internet access and eMail for all their PCs, and embarked on the development of a company Web site and registration of a domain name.  This implementation has already enabled Wyndham to improve internal processes and provided a starting point for them in the use of eCommerce, and the impact has been felt throughout the company, their tier one status remains assured, and new business opportunities have arisen.

Wyndham were keen to show their customer that they would be able to participate in electronic trading, but as the customer was still selecting a system to implement, and could not yet advise what that system would be, it was not viable for Wyndham to pre-empt the selection and implement any specific software.

In the meantime, they decided to initiate an eCommerce strategy, starting with the implementation of a network to link their six PCs in the Port Talbot office which would allow access to the internet from each PC, and the ability to send and receive eMail.  The network would have the added advantage of enabling the sharing of applications and a document repository.  Due to the layout and design of their offices, they decided to opt for a wireless Local Area Network (LAN).  They selected a domain name (www.wyndhamsite.co.uk) to provide their staff with professional eMail addresses, and to provide an address for their Web site.

A company Web site has also been developed which includes project sheets detailing case studies of work they have carried out, to illustrate their capabilities to prospective clients.  Wyndham have already received invitations to tender for jobs from new clients through the on-line form on their Web site.

Wyndham operate in a number of European countries, carrying out installation and maintenance tasks as a sub-contractor for a number of multinational firms.  In order to co-ordinate and manage work carried out for these companies, it is necessary to maintain regular contact.  Prior to the implementation of eMail, Wyndham would contact these organisations by phone up to twice a day.  These calls have been largely replaced by eMail – telephone contact is now only required on a fortnightly basis.  In this way, Wyndham can maintain the personal contact with the client through phone calls, but can use eMail to exchange information in a more convenient way.

Wyndham are also using eMail to exchange MSProject files with business partners.  These documents were previously exchanged by fax, and required amendments to be made to separate documents in each office.  This enables them to make and check for amendments to documents and resend them to clients without the need to recreate a document each time.

The accountancy function for Wyndham, including payroll administration, was outsourced.  Accounting information was transferred in paper format, by hand, to the accounting staff at the other company.  The use of eMail attachments combined with the development of a spreadsheet and a Macro, have enabled Wyndham to reduce the time required to prepare the accountancy information, and in turn, reduced the data entry requirement at their partner company.  The introduction saves the administrator at Wyndham 3 days/month processing, and he has now been made responsible for all Wyndham purchasing, which should offer cost savings in the near future through the centralisation of this function.

The use of eMail and an internal Local Area Network have enabled Wyndham Site Services to improve their internal efficiencies, whilst preparing them for future eCommerce implementations with their customer.  Their positive approach to the use of new technology has helped them maintain customer goodwill, and as a result they have been provided with the facility to access the customer’s machinery maintenance applications, so that they can check machinery status reports remotely.

Additional benefits have been seen through the use of eMail with customers, including for sending project tender applications.  The company believes that sending these applications by eMail ensure their applications and quotations reach the customer as soon as possible, providing an instant good impression on clients.

“eCommerce has improved efficiency, provided greater opportunities, and reduced response times”
Ian Williams, Managing Director, Wyndham Site Services

www.wyndhamsite.co.uk