L W Cole have specialised in installing appliances for the UK housebuilding community for over twenty years. Since its inception in 1944, Birmingham-based L W Cole has been synonymous with service.
L W Cole provide appliance supply and installation facilities to all of the UK’s largest housebuilders. Working with housebuilders such as Redrow, Taylor Wimpey, Bovis and Barratt, as well as manufacturers such as Electrolux, BSH, and Whirlpool, L W Cole’s priority has always been satisfying and pleasing the customer.
L W Cole contacted Freeman Clarke when they realised their current IT systems were not supporting their projected growth. As a result, David Beck from the Freeman Clarke West Midlands team was appointed to work with the management team at L W Cole.
David’s initial task was to conduct a review and to resolve challenges with the existing IT systems, which were poorly performing and impacting the business. The systems were aging, and it was clear the current suite of business applications could not deliver to the ambitions of the business.
David made immediate changes to improve how the business used its technology, appointing a new IT support partner, and quickly stabilizing the platform.
‘It is fair to say that at the time our IT was simply functioning rather than delivering value, and the IT partner was working on a purely reactive basis. With the immediate changes David implemented, we saw immediate benefits and had a helpful and proactive IT partner that could work with us.’ —Henry Shaw, Managing Director
David’s next step was to create an IT strategy for the business, which included moving multiple services to the cloud and establishing the requirements for a new ERP system. David oversaw the requirement and procurement process for the new business-wide ERP solution and helped the team manage the transition to a much more efficient and functional system, including the migration of current data, with no operational downtime during the changeover.
‘Throughout his time, David has shown consistently that he can handle any change or requirement we need; even our last-minute change to another accounting solution was managed and delivered with no drama whatsoever. I no longer concern myself with IT and can focus purely on the business knowing we have systems in place that can handle all of our growth plans.’ —Henry Shaw, Managing Director
With the new operational capacity delivered by new technology systems, and recognising their position in the market, the future business strategy is to offer a wider range of services to the industry.
L W Cole
Moved multiple services to cloud and established the requirements for a new ERP system, supported the transition to a more efficient and functional system including the migration of current data
To find out more about how we could add value to your business, Contact Us and we’ll be in touch for an informal conversation.
Freeman Clarke is the UK’s largest and most experienced team of part-time (we call it ‘fractional’) IT leaders. We work exclusively with ambitious organisations and we frequently help our clients use IT to beat their competition.
Plain English board-level briefings focused on technology strategies to deliver competitive advantage and business success.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you.
You’ll now receive regular expert business insights.
Call us on 0203 020 1864 with any questions.
Graeme Freeman Co-Founder and Director
Subscribe to our Business Insights
Plain English board-level briefings focused on technology strategies to deliver competitive advantage and business success.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you.
You’ll now receive regular expert business insights.
Call us on 0203 020 1864 with any questions.
Popular content for CEOs
Latest briefings written by IT experts
I would like to receive:
Popular content for CEOs
Latest briefings written by IT experts
I would like to receive:
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. SettingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.