In search of flexible copying
In late 1995, British Aerospace decided to re-evaluate the way it solved the copying requirements of its 42 UK facilities. To test possible new technologies and solutions available on the market, the company issued an invitation to tender. Janette Short, employed in the Works Services Department of BAe's Military Aircraft and Aerostructures division, was a member of the tender steering committee. Ms. Short: 'We were looking at the quality of machines on offer, and we were looking for a machine range that would give us flexibility.'

Flexibility was a key word for BAe, not only in the range, but also in pricing and in possible service conditions. Also important was the scope of the potential supplier's service organisation, which would have to provide coverage for BAe sites throughout the UK.

The major concern: major disruption
Eight suppliers responded to the invitation. In the first round, three were selected for further consideration. Ms. Short: 'We made visits to our internal BAe customers to analyse their views. There was a lot of concern about disruption to the business if we changed machines. Any new supplier had to convince us they could minimise that disruption.'

Dick Heaton, site service manager of BAe's Brough facility, was also involved in the selection process. Mr. Heaton: 'As the service provider inside BAe, our credibility was on the line if things didn't go well. Photocopying is a high visibility service.' Because of this concern, the three short-listed companies were asked to present an implementation plan to the BAe steering committee.

Early in 1996, the committee submitted its recommendations to senior management at BAe. And the recommended supplier was: Océ. Mr. Heaton: 'Price was a major factor. But we were quite sold on the Océ 3045. And Océ assured us that, in terms of specifications, we would never get a machine inferior to the one it was replacing. It was good PR for us.'

According to Mark Ashworth, Océ also beat the competition on the methodology of price. 'Cost per copy: a simple scenario. That was a distinct advantage.' Mr. Ashworth, purchasing engineer at BAe, is currently charged with the daily administration of the Océ contract and chairs the quarterly management reviews to continuously measure and improve performance throughout the term of the contract.

Special status, special facilities
So began one of the largest operations in Océ UK history. Roy Peverley was the Océ account manager in charge of the BAe contract. Together with colleagues from Océ service, he oversaw the implementation. Mr. Peverley: 'The implementation was critical. To bring it off, a number of special measures were taken. Most important, the project was given its own status. So all the procedures could be isolated and given the attention they demanded.'

Mr. Peverely and his colleagues visited every BAe site. Together with their BAe contacts, they compiled a list of each competitive machine to be replaced, and the specs of the new Océ model. Such large scale installation also required special facilities. Three warehouses were rented temporarily to be used as staging areas. One served the southwestern region of the UK, another the northern half, and another the London/southeast area.

Special teams, special procedures
Brian Fitton is the regional service manager for Océ in Northern England, but he was also appointed national service manager responsible for the BAe contract, a position he still holds. Working together with him was David Hart, project service manager for the BAe implementation. Some 15 Océ service engineers were also drafted from around the UK and dedicated to the implementation phase. Two special procedures were adopted. Mr. Fitton: 'Early 1996, machines began arriving from Océ in Holland. But they were not sent to Océ UK warehouses near London. They were sent directly to one of the staging facilities.

Second, the key was to minimise time spent on site. So instead of installing the machines on site, which we normally did, we pre-installed and tested at the staging warehouses. We then loaded them onto the vehicles for transport. This worked well. A lot of credit goes to David Hart who organised the process together with Roy.' As a result of these good experiences, most Océ UK machines are now pre-installed before installation.

1,000 machines in 100 days
As the operation got under way, 10 to 12 engineers began pre-installing machines in the warehouses. The other engineers travelled with the trucks and conducted the actual installation. Mr. Peverley: 'When we devised the tender response, we decided to restrict the number of models that we would install. The low volumes copiers consisted of Océ 2040s and 2140s. The mid volume machines were 3045s.'

On site, the engineers simply unpacked the machines and plugged them in. Ms. Short: 'We had nearly 300 machines to change at the Warton and Samlesbury sites. We did approximately 20 a day, and that worked comfortably. Many machines were installed in less than one-half hour.' Océ trainers followed the installation teams from site to site. They provided immediate training, enabling immediate use of the machines, which further minimised disruption.

Minimising disruption, maximising communication
One success factor was good communication with the BAe employees being affected. Ms. Short contacted all key users at her facility and explained the change-over procedure. Details about the operation were also published in the BAe in-house company newsletter. Mr. Heaton: 'We said "Be prepared. Bear with us." Fortunately they did not have to bear with us. It all went very smoothly.'

The relationship is the key
Today, resident Océ service engineers are located on-site at two of the larger BAe installations, supported by a complete on-site supplies warehouse. This enables immediate service responses with short lines of communication.

Regular contract reviews are conducted, analysing performance at each site. These reviews indicate the ongoing partnership among the Océ and BAe people involved. Mr. Ashworth: 'The secret of success is the continuous dialogue between us all. Everyone on both sides is readily available, so if and when problems arise, they are dealt with quickly. The service level actually exceeds the contractual agreement, thanks to this relationship and such working procedures. There are a lot of positive things that Océ is doing to meet the contract, and flexibility is the key word.'

According to Dick Heaton, the Océ-BAe relationship is a matter of core values at work: 'British Aerospace has five core values which we apply quite consciously. These are Partnerships, People, Innovation and Technology, Customers, and Performance. You find these in every aspect of our company. And you find them in the success of this operation. All our reputations were on the line. It had to be seamless implementation and it was. We were all in this together.'