Logistics IT and the supply chain

Logistics IT philosophy

Our approach to IT in logistics ensures that our services are robust, scaleable and globally consistent.

We focus on IT product management, IT service management, IT infrastructure service delivery, enterprise architecture, IT project delivery and systems integration to deliver effective IT services that improve customer confidence, support our solutions and generate business value.

At the core are our skilled people, consistent processes and leading technology.

Our approach to IT ensures improved cost-effectiveness and usability:

• Delivery of IT solutions that meet business requirements
• Quality is increased and risk is reduced as solutions are based around tried and tested IT
• Solutions are designed, built and implemented quicker through re-use of existing components, increased awareness of functionality and availability of information
• Reduced upfront investment in new technology and ongoing support costs via leveraging vendor, technology and resource arrangements
• Systems are aligned across the globe providing a strong and robust platform

It is critical that our solutions provide consistency, responsiveness to high service levels and are cost-effective. We look to ensure that our customers get the availability, capacity, security, operability, recoverability and support they need.

Globally, we have adopted common language, processes and tools, along with skilled people to ensure that IT services are being managed effectively through use of best practice such as the internationally recognised IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and BS15000.

Customers benefit through:

• High availability that is business focused
• Incident control via our regional service desks
• Managed service level agreements (SLAs) with detailed IT service reporting
• Active risk and problem management with clear escalation procedures
• Robust change management processes
• Strategic partnerships with third party IT providers
• Accredited processes under BS15000
• Accredited people to the Institute of IT Service Management
• Active involvement with the ITSMF (IT Service Management Forum) management boards\
• Our innovative and leading approach to ITSM (ITSMF Innovation winners 2003)

IT infrastructure is the foundation on which business information systems are built.

Three key cornerstones to optimising our IT infrastructure services are 'consolidation', 'rationalisation' and 'standardisation' of technology, services and their management.

We have in place a framework of policies, strategies, principles, standards, methods and tools that define our enterprise architecture - the company-wide, global view of how we deploy technology to meet our business requirements. The enterprise architecture consists of four inter-related frameworks that cover:

• Business processes - a definition of how we offer services to our customers
• Information - a common view of information through a corporate data model, including data definitions, ownership, rules and standards
• Applications - a definition of our application portfolio that supports our business activities and the interfaces between them
• Technology - the underlying technical infrastructure on which our systems are run

Our projects are managed by phase across the total lifecycle. Each phase has designated deliverables which are subject to review and approval prior to moving forward and a periodic review confirming both progress and outputs.

The project tool - PlanView - provides visibility of our project activities at a global level with project documentation available to a global audience, promoting shared learning.

A network of project management offices supports our project managers and their teams, delivering services such as training, mentoring, continuous improvement, reporting and support.

Our regional integration hubs provide the capability for any-to-any systems integration, using industry standards and tools that interface internal, external and customer applications.

We achieve global co-ordination and value creation for customers through:

• Global consistency and visibility
• Economies of scale driving down unit costs
• Re-use of interfaces
• Reduced implementation times and risk by using proven solutions
• Guaranteed availability through high-availability designs
• Any-to-any integration
• Inter-regional compatibility
• Industry-recognised integration standards