The managed office technology services landscape is constantly changing and with that, dealers of all sizes must adapt to stay competitive. But how can you work toward achieving sustainable long-term growth? Here are six areas to consider when it comes to boosting business opportunities:
ECI and IXON Cloud organised a roundtable session, which was broadcast at the end of 2023. The session focused on the evolution of traditional machine building to servitization – where firms don’t only sell products but deliver exceptional service and value to their customers. Experts from IXON cloud, Stefan Van Dooren and Pieter van Lith, and from ECI, Laurens Verbree and Bart mous, share their perspectives and experiences on servitization, and discuss why it will play a crucial role in the industry's transformation.
Builders’ merchants across the UK have continued to face challenges when it comes to attracting new staff, rising costs in materials, and embracing Net Zero. What does 2024 have in store for the construction and builders’ merchants industries? How can merchants get ahead and prepare strategies that will help to overcome the challenges? ECI polled businesses in the construction sector from around the UK to find out what’s in store for this year, and how to find the hidden opportunities.
The manufacturing sector remains critical to the EU’s economy with production accounting for 17.3% of EU GDP and 83% of exports, which makes Europe the largest exporter of manufactured goods globally. Production processes have become increasingly digitised in recent years, led by the large firms and cascading down to small and mid-sized ones.
Strategic acquisition expands ECI’s presence in Europe with the most complete residential construction and craft business management software portfolio in the Netherlands.
ECI celebrates its customers behind the 141 Project, BeLEAF Survivors and The Silver Coin Project for positively impacting the lives of others
The debate over whether or not to return to the office is far from settled - and yet, the push to get employees back to the office is becoming more and more apparent.
The global provider of cloud-based software joins the US National Cybersecurity Alliance’s group of Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion organisations
The new integration increases efficiency for business supplies dealers in the UK and Ireland.
We sat down with Matt Lindley, Sales Engineer at ECI Software Solutions to learn more about his role within the team.
Our Spruce team are heading out to yet another Builders Merchants Federation event this September.
The dictionary definition of productivity is ‘produc[ing] or do[ing] a lot in comparison to the amount of resources used’ – but that’s become an almost unattainable goal for many businesses today.
ECI are proud to have sponsored this year’s BMF All Industry Conference. For the first time, the BMF Conference took place on two continents and yet remained in a single fascinating city, Istanbul which for centuries has provided a strategic link between Europe and Asia.
We sat down with Lauren Harrison, Customer Relationship Manager at ECI Software Solutions to find out more about her role within the team.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across the UK have been struggling to fill vacancies due to a lack of skilled workers. In fact, an ONS survey revealed that businesses experiencing a shortage of workers reached an all-time high of 16.8% in August 2022.
It’s fair to say that the construction industry has had a turbulent few years. A jump in the price of raw materials has created considerable challenges for the sector, as well as the impact of inflation, labour shortages and rising interest rates. What will the upcoming months have in store for builders’ merchants? How will drops in consumer spending affect the industry – and what infrastructure trends do merchants need to be on top of to stay resilient?
Whether you’re looking to find a romantic partner or book a holiday, almost everything can now be done through the swipe of a screen or a click of a button. Brits love the convenience of digital-first culture, but this comes with more online accounts to manage than ever – and countless usernames and passwords to remember. We’re all familiar with that frustrating feeling of getting locked out, or worse, getting a notification to say that someone has been trying to access your account.
2022 has seen builders merchants facing rocketing energy costs, inflationary pressures on construction projects and a slower-than-planned recovery from the materials shortage.
ECI has been named among the Device Management Solution of the Year finalists as the Print IT Reseller Awards return for 2022.
Since COVID-19 accelerated the pace of change, hybrid working, where employees work both in the office and remotely, has gathered momentum quickly across the UK. The flexibility of hybrid working is now seen by many as a job perk, or even necessity, following a shift in the understanding of how traditionally office-based jobs can be done. Jobseekers get the best of both worlds - the instant communication and collaboration you get in the office, along with the convenience of being able to work from home.
Almost every UK industry has struggled to attract people with the right skills – but manufacturers have felt the pressure more than most in recent months. Long-standing labour challenges came to a head towards the end of 2021, due to a shortage of skilled workers from the EU after Brexit and COVID-19-related supply chain disruption.
This month we feature Jamie Bradley, newly appointed sales engineer for Field Service at ECI Software Solutions. We sat down with Jamie to learn more about his role within the team.
Provide end-users actionable insights
Two ECI customers have been announced as winners at the prestigious Builders’ Merchants Awards. Coomers Timber and Building Supplies, a longstanding ECI Spruce customer, won the Kitchen and Bathroom Showroom of the Year award, while eCommonSense customer, Haldane Fisher took home the Online and Digital Strategy of the Year Award.
MPS providers should be focused on increasing visibility and control over inventory operations to drive profit. Laryssa Alexander, Field Service President, ECI, shares some practical tips to help monitor complex variables and provide a real operational boost to businesses
Anyone working in the building supplies industry will know how much of a headache it has been to keep up with demand over the past year. Bricks, plaster, tiles and, of course, timber have all been in short supply at some point – leading to project delays, price hikes and potential cash flow issues for tradespeople and construction firms struggling to complete work on time.
In the world of supply chains, the importance of inventory management can often be overlooked as one of the less pivotal functions. This approach, though, should be taken at your peril.
An order management system (OMS) is a software package that coordinates all of the disparate functions of an order fulfillment process and allows them to be controlled succinctly.
Juggling a supply chain is one of the trickiest, but most important, aspects of managing a manufacturing business. Keeping that supply chain healthy and working at its optimum means the business can perform to its best ability on a day-to-day basis.
With billions wasted on stale or unsellable inventories each year, and an additional estimated $40 billion lost to employee theft in the US alone, the importance of keeping a strong handle on your business's stock with good inventory management techniques is becoming more apparent.
Builders’ merchants have enjoyed a bumper year of sales, in part thanks to DIY and large-scale home improvements ramping up during the pandemic.
It’s safe to say that since the pandemic struck in early 2020, it’s been a non-stop whirlwind for the office supplies and managed print services (MPS) industries. We’ve all had to learn how to adapt to this new normal. In a recent podcast, we chatted with the hosts David Connett and Peter Mayhew about the biggest challenges the industry has faced and offered some predictions for the future.
This month we feature Anna Grubb, ECI’s Managing Director of International Sales for Field Service. We sat down with Anna to learn more about her experience within the field service industry.
The supply chain distribution industry continues to evolve as companies are expected to meet customer expectations. Finding and creating a distribution chain that will support growth and improve performance is one of the key factors to staying ahead of the changes in the market.
Whether you’re looking to scale up, or just need to streamline the back-end processes of your business, order management software (OMS) is an essential tool for all ambitious retailers.
As the world adopts a more digital approach, it is highly likely that you have, or soon will, outgrow your usual working methods. If this is the case, when managing your business, you could be looking to move from using manual processes to investing in more mature, innovative construction software.
Today’s most competitive service providers are built to manage inventory for maximum efficiency and profitability. By implementing a complete business management software specifically for field service providers with an inventory management component, these organizations establish and maintain appropriate inventory levels in their fleets and (for some) warehouses. The technology enables them to offer superior customer experiences while delivering optimum net savings for the business.
Successful HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other service providers with long-term solid business plans almost always share one key component: prioritizing maintenance (or service level) agreements over other practices in customer acquisition and retention. These agreements can be the lifeblood for residential service providers, ensuring a steady income regardless of seasonal and cyclical buying cycles. Below are six benefits of maintenance agreements that will have you wondering why you haven’t considered them before.
News that the Australian government would provide approximately $1.5 billion over five years to support the Modern Manufacturing Strategy (MMS) was welcomed by the sector, with the Prime Minister pledging to build scale and capture income in high-value areas of manufacturing, "where Australia either has established competitive strength or emerging priorities".
Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems have been around for a long time, and while they are not a buzzword that many business leaders are used to hearing regularly in comparison to others; it remains a fundamental necessity within the manufacturing industry. With the business cycle moving faster than ever, manufacturers must evolve to keep pace - technology is vital to this process.
With working from home likely to continue for some time, UK workers are now balancing a house which has become an office, gym and even a pub!
Is there anything more hotly debated than the office playlist? Aside from the heating temperature of course!
Jeff Muir Senior Consultant
As we head into 2020 we asked the top industry thought leaders to weigh in on what we can expect in the coming year. Here are their thoughts and insights on an array of home building topics.
MarkSystems Community User of the Month, Carrie Roeger
ECI Industry Update: Industry Veteran Joins ECI’s Residential Home Construction Group
