Product-line diversification and recent manufacturing process improvements have made the field of manufacturing tools for the wood industry very competitive. The most promising ways for companies to set themselves apart in this sector are to invest in research and development or begin exporting.
DK-Spec is an enterprise that caters to the lumber industry through many subsidiaries such as BGR Tools and Industrie Guérette, two manufacturing agents, as well as FOR-MIN, a distribution group. BGR Tools and Industrie Guérette produce tools for woodwork and sell them to sawmills via FOR-MIN's distribution network.
The challenge — a vast territoryThe DK-Spec group has approximately 200 employees and 8 buildings-warehouses and factories-spread out across eastern Canada.
DK-Spec's former network was based on the Internet and linked via a virtual private network (VPN). This design required that DK-Spec allocate its limited MIS resources to the maintenance and updating of the network. When there was a problem with the network, MIS personnel had to travel to the appropriate branch office to do repairs, which at times led to over 2,500 km of territory to cover.
"We had several installations, various networks and various suppliers, and our equipment was spread out throughout our various buildings," said Marc Pepin, Director of Sales and Marketing, BGR Tools. "So we needed a simpler solution. The equipment had to be centralized."
The solution — managed network
The solution that was provided to DK-Spec consisted of the ProConnect™ service from Bell, a private, fully managed IP-based wide area network (WAN). This high-performance and affordable service connects all of DK-Spec's offices, allowing remote office to access applications, such as Citrix®, inventory control, accounting, and design, centralized at their head office. With ProConnect, Bell also ensures remote management and maintenance of network equipment, thus allowing DK-Spec's MIS to reduce travel and time spent on network repairs.
"The Bell solution is making it possible to be more efficient in terms of exporting and research & development, as well as the transfer of information to our customers and within our various divisions," adds Mr. Pepin.
Bell — a Trusted Technology Advisor and Solutions Provider
To remain at the forefront of their very aggressive industry sector, DK Spec had to rely on a trusted technology advisor to offer them an affordable, high-performance and future-proof solution. "The reason we chose Bell", admits Mr. Pepin, "is that they offer a complete suite of reasonably priced, quality solutions — from telephony and networking to IT. This was a very important selection criterion for us."
Bell continues to develop integrated and innovative IP solutions that provide SMBs like DK-Spec with the tools they need to remain leaders in the industry.
Click here to view the video testimonial.
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Key Benefits
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Increased employee productivity thanks to improved network performance |
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Reduced network maintenance costs |
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Reduced MIS resource travel costs |
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Improved communications between offices |
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Fully managed by Bell |
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Increased flexibility for the future - IP telephony-ready (VOIP) |
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