JBC Boosts Industrial Service Performance with BigChange Field Service Management Software SAP B1 Integration

BigChange combined with SAP B1 is the single most important IT transformation to hit JBC since its establishment over 45 years ago
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Industry:
Plumbing, heating and HVAC
Company size:
SME
Location:
Normanton
Productivity
8

days per week saved on admin

Cost Reduction
2

weeks faster invoicing

Problem

As JCB’s business expanded so did the amount of paper. JCB’s service delivery coordinators were facing processing bottlenecks including manually entering engineer timesheet data into its ERP system SAP B1.

Solution

Having heard good things about how BigChange had allowed other field service operations to become paperless when its IT supplier, APH Solutions, mentioned that BigChange integrated with SAP B1 they knew they had found the solution.

BigChange Field Service Management Software customer, JBC Industrial Services, is the leading industrial boiler and burner service and maintenance provider in the UK. With an unrivalled knowledge of combustion equipment, boilers, and plantroom, the Yorkshire-based business has been established since 1978. JBC also offers mechanical services. Partnering with JBC to deliver high quality service and maintenance not only provides compliance and robust asset availability but also gives guaranteed responses to emergency calls, 24/7, 365 days a year, all within a4-hour response time.

As JBC’s business expanded so did the amount of paper and it was becoming an increasing burden on staff having to handle the paper records. With more extensive reporting needs, often relating to health and safety procedures and compliance, JBC service delivery spent around 8 man-days a week dealing with engineer paperwork and manually entering data into SAP B1.

“With the BigChange integration with SAP B1, we’ve eliminated laborious data entry work leading to significant business savings. It’s fair to say that for this transformation alone, BigChange pays for itself.”

According to JBC, these savings are just part of the story. Previously, engineer gas compliance paper reports were sent to the office to be entered into SAP. It often took a week or more for information from POs to be available, impacting billing and customer service.

“Sign-off is much quicker and we can invoice up to two weeks earlier which has a big positive impact on cash flow. In addition, with quicker and improved customer communication, together with accurate and easily accessible job reports, there are fewer invoice disputes to deal with.”

JBC engineers are located across the UK, with a head office at Normanton and regional sites at Hull and Deeside. The system transformation has created a platform to allow centralised visibility and operations, allowing the creation of a centralised Service Delivery Team. This has catapulted JBC’s service offerings and enabled even greater customer engagement and support.

“With BigChange combined with SAP B1 we’ve got something transformational for the business. The field service operation is now seamlessly integrated into the business, in real time. It makes us more dynamic and more efficient and differentiates us from our competitors as for our customers, and ourselves, compliance is paramount, and the systems create a rigid methodology to allow even greater control and visibility,” Sonny Barnes, General Manager, added.

“Through strong relationships, communication and a clear project plan, we were able to work collaboratively with both APH and BigChange deliver the project on time, and importantly, to budget. Crossover on go live day was supported incredibly well and both APH and BigChange mitigated our risk by having dedicated resources and site presence. Aftercare service and support also remains strong and both are credited with ensuring a seamless transition,” Smythe concluded.

"For the first time we have company-wide visibility, in real-time, of the service operation which means we can be more proactive and more responsive. It puts on the front foot and allows us to support our customers’ needs and compliance obligations more effectively".
Sonny Barnes
General Manager, JBC Industrial Services
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