T-Systems brings full-service telecom and IT to sports utility transport

The customer

As part of an ambitious growth strategy, Thule, the world leader in sports utility transportation, has acquired numerous companies in many locations over the last several years – each with its own communications and IT infrastructure. When management decided it was high time to centralize responsibility and standardize infrastructure across the company, T- Systems helped make it happen.

The challenge

The buck stops here. Thule knew that harmonizing their fragmented and geographically spread out infrastructure would be no small task. So when they decided to outsource the assignment, they set out to find an experienced partner with global reach. Thule was also determined to avoid the all-too-typical scenario where, if something functions less than optimally, each of many suppliers passes the blame on to the next guy. If they could find a single supplier for both their communications and IT needs, accountability would never be an issue, they reasoned.

“We wanted a partner who could take full charge of our communications and IT infrastructure,” says Ulf Berghult, CFO, Thule, “From active directory, email and hosting to the network – from IT to telecom. When we put out a request for proposals, T-Systems was the only supplier that was prepared to do it all.”

Transparency equals savings. According to Berghult, the level of attention Thule has received from T-Systems has been very good. And the transparency that’s part and parcel of having a single supplier for both IT and telecom has indeed proven to be a time- and money-saver.

“There’s never a question of who’s responsible, so it’s relatively fast and easy for T-Systems to determine what’s going on where in the system,” Berghult states, “Plus, cooperation is good. T-Systems is part of our steering committee meetings, and we’re learning together. On our side, for example, we’ve added more dedicated resources. And T-Systems has made adjustments as required too. For example, some sites have already been upgraded based on needs we’ve discovered since the project’s inception.”

The benefits

Flexibility and predictability facilitate growth. When a company is expanding and changing as fast as Thule is, it’s important that its infrastructure can grow with it – without unpleasant surprises. Something that sets T-Systems’ solution for Thule apart from similar solutions is that it’s dynamic. The cost of adding and removing new users was spelled out from the start, and Thule can easily make the changes they want themselves. T-Systems service manager Pontus Malmsten elaborates:

“Often when a company makes an outsourcing deal, it’s based on a certain price for a certain number of sites and users. If the customer wants to make more than minor changes, they more or less have to negotiate a new deal. That takes time. And it makes predicting the impact of an acquisition or cutbacks on costs dodgy at best.

The system we’ve delivered for Thule, on the other hand, is based on a predetermined pay-per-user agreement. So Thule knows in advance what it will cost to alter the number of users or add a site. And to implement changes, they just visit a user-friendly web portal and make the adjustments they want. Usually, it’s not even necessary to make a phone call to our people. The adjusted costs simply appear on the next bill.”

Crossing the Atlantic with T-Systems. Now that Thule is well on its way to successfully centralizing its European and Asian communications and IT infrastructure, they’re ready to take the project to the US and Canada. And T-Systems’ is set to go with them.

T-Systems is already a leading provider of information and communications technology in the US and Canada, and talks around expanding the collaboration between the two companies beyond the borders of Europe and Asia are in the final stages.

“Today, there’s a proposal on the table to continue working together next year when we centralize our IT and communications infrastructure in North America,” says Berghult, “Obviously, T-Systems’ presence on the other side of the Atlantic is an important factor for us in the decision to continue our partnership. It also reflects the fact that, overall, we’ve been very happy with the job and commitment T-Systems has shown.”

“Our partnership with Thule is a good example of T-Systems’ Dynamic Outsourcing strategy, which requires global commitment and local presence. We’re unique in providing comprehensive services from a single source. And we see a growing demand on the market for our brand of managed services,” sums up Account Executive Jeff Detterskog, T-Systems Nordic.

Quick facts

The Company
Thule is the world leader within Sports Utility Transportation delivering transportation solutions for active families, professionals and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to transport their equip ment by vehicles safely, easily and in style.

Number of employees
Worldwide, over 3,700

Number of users
Around 2000

Challenge
Needed a single partner to help centralize and harmonize a fragmented communications and IT structure after several years of rapid growth and numerous acquisitions.

Benefits
Integrated communications and IT infrastructure across the organization. Transparent solution and fully accountable global supplier. Increased corporate control of infrastructure quality and costs. Flexible solution and predictable costs savings.

T-Systems, a global ICT vendor, is represented in the Nordics in Copenhagen, Malmo and Stockholm.
For more information and contacts see www.t-systems.dk or www.t-systems.se