Case Studies

Choice Discount Stores

Choice is a discount fashion and home company boasting 18 stores around South East England. The stores stock famous brands at discounted prices of up to 70% off the original high street retail price.

The challenge

Choice’s main distribution centre is located in Rayleigh, Essex, housing the company’s entire range which is distributed to its 18 stores. Due to the expansion of its product range, Choice needed additional warehousing space. A new warehouse was identified just a short distance away, roughly 200 meters. Choice called on APC to provide a wireless solution which would seamlessly connect the two warehouses and enable Choice to communicate both voice and data between the two locations. The wireless network would aid with the management and distribution of stock and merchandise to its stores.

Our solution

APC designed, deployed and commissioned a Motorola PTP 300 solution to connect the two warehouse locations back in January 2011. Due to the location of the new warehouse, just 200 meters away but surrounded by other industrial units, the PTP link provided a true none line of sight requirement. The solution would offer Choice a near perfect connection of over 99.99% availability and in excess of 20Mbs of bandwidth.

The result

Due to the difficult location of the link, no other products could have provided the seamless and reliable connection the Motorola PTP300 did. An alternative fixed line solution could have taken months to approve and deploy and could have cost in excess of three times more for a lesser service delivery.

APC’s solution offers ROI in under 12 months, saving the company in excess of £20k over the space of three years. The solution also offers in excess of 20Mbs of bandwidth allowing Choice to not only use the connection to transfer critical stock data but also manage their calls using VoIP, again, saving the company money on standard call plans.

Speaking about the installation for Choice, Group Technical Director, Chris Lynch, comments: “APC always likes a challenge. When you hear the two connecting sites are just 200 meters apart, you may think, great, an easy installation. However, this is not always the case as the Choice project proved. Due to their buildings being situated on an industrial area, various neighbouring premises obstructed the line of sight between their buildings. It was for this reason we designed and deployed the solution using the Motorola PTP300 equipment. The Motorola PTP range is capable of delivering connectivity in the most demanding environments, when there are obstructions in the path or high levels of noise in the area. It was for this reason we utilised the Motorola solution.

Choice needed to ensure both of their warehouses worked seamlessly and could not afford any downtime. Downtime or outages cost money and would stop merchandise being distributed to its stores. APC’s comprehensive service level agreement helps ensure that, in the highly unlikely event of any downtime, the problem can usually be resolved remotely and often within in an hour of the call being logged with its support desk”.

In early December 2012 Choice decided to increase its disaster recover procedures. Choice approached APC to discuss a backup and resilient link which would not only complement the existing solution, but also provide a rapid fail over in the event of an issue occurring. APC deployed a secondary Motorola PTP300 resilient link between the two warehouse locations; the resilient link operated in a different frequency band, providing additional comfort from noise or local interference. The final solution provided additional confidence to Choice that a resilient solution was available if any equipment was to fail.

Chris continues: “APC looks forward to maintaining its relationship with Choice and expanding its network further as the company continues to grow. Choice now has exceptional connectivity between its two locations and can continue to grow and develop its business in total confidence.”

For more information on APC Solutions, please visit https://www.apcsolutionsuk.com/

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Braintree District Council

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Braintree Town FC

“With the waterways in constant use we needed connectivity that wouldn’t dip, could connect a multitude of sites across difficult terrain and provide a consistent and adaptable service. APC provided this to us with a managed wireless network. The cost savings of a wireless network also proved appealing when looking for a solution. Our existing solution could only provide 2Mbs whereas the wireless network would provide in excess of 20Mbs. The existing leased line services also had re-occurring annual rental costs, however with the new solution, the initial CAPEX costs would be recovered in just under two years; making the ROI very attractive. We had worked with APC previously and found their service exceptional.”
British Waterways

“APC is the perfect partner to help us complete the installations across Carmarthenshire. Their wireless expertise is second to none and, coupled with our ISP and domestic knowledge, ensured the project was completed effectively, on budget and on time.”
Carmarthen Community Broadband Partnership

“APC has ensured C.E.M Days can deliver the highest level of customer service to its customers across the dealership network because it offers a consistent and adaptable network. Our staff can now connect easily throughout our dealership network, ensuring customer data can be transferred at a click of a button. The network has also offered an excellent TOC (total cost of ownership), and delivered an ROI (return on investment) in just a few years, compared with alternative cabled solutions from other providers. The wireless network APC has built and developed for us over the years has saved us in excess of £700k since being installed back in 2007.”
C.E.M. Days

“Even though our solution is now five years old we don’t need to upgrade the system. The technology has stayed ahead of its time and the service we have received from APC is second to none.”
Essex Auto Group

“Previously, our old network between the two dealerships could only deliver limited bandwidth and performance, therefore restricting our business operations. The alternative solution APC designed and delivered is exceptional. It delivers a high bandwidth reliable link with no downtime, no monthly re-occuring costs, no lengthy contract terms and a team constantly on hand should we need them. It is critical to our business development and general day to day operations going forward, we couldn’t recommend it enough”
Gordons Bolton Limited

“APC has ensured our company can progress at a rapid rate. The ease of connectivity between the sites allows our dealerships to be consistent. Communication with the dealerships is now simple and any information needed to be delivered can be done at a click of a button. We don’t have to worry about bandwidths or sending large files, they’re easily supported and delivered.

This ensures consistent marketing and communication to customers and staff. The VoIP network also ensures our customers receive the very best in customer service. The person they speak to will instantly know their history and can deal with their call effectively. From a management point of view the cost savings and ROI speak for themselves. Our ROI will be achieved in less than four years and after this time will demonstrate savings in excess of £150k per annum, potentially saving us in excess of £1million over ten years. A remarkable saving for the company.”
Hendy Group

“APC Solutions has provided Selex with a network which delivers exceptional reliability. We had already planned where the radar needed to be but connecting over such distances was proving difficult. APC ensured the result catered to our needs and delivered an exceptional result.”
Selex Systems

“The selection was based purely on available feedbacks of organisations who have used Ruckus Wireless, Ruckus’ Wireless capabilities and features in addition to a report of a ‘Competitive Evaluation of Three-stream 802.11n Access Points’ carried out by the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University.

“While the reason for such a decision wasn’t based on the overall features offered by the shortlisted solutions, it was based on our judgment of the throughput levels that will meet the needs of the Forum partners and visitors alike. It is our belief that Ruckus Wireless’ ZoneFlex 7982 is a cost effective option which offers the best overall performance of any of the other products we shortlisted. In addition, we believe that Ruckus’ performance will be sufficient to support the business requirements. The additional expertise that APC delivered throughout the investigation process brought us to the decision that the Ruckus/APC Partnership was the best fit for the proposed solution.”
Southend on Sea Borough Council

“The benefits to Wandle Housing Association were huge: the Motorola kit represented cost savings of approximately £200,000 over the leased line that the Association had intended to install. In addition, they have seen enhancements in the speed of traffic between the sites in Clapham, Tooting and Peckham. With staff in three locations communication is essential, as Brian Stoneman, Director, explains: “Until APC and Tora Networks were involved, we had been intending to install a leased line to give the connectivity we needed. The alternative point to point network is extremely affordable, giving us all the benefits of a leased line without all the associated cost. We’re delighted with the outcome.”
Wandle Housing Association

“As a business we take pride in supplying a high standard of work to social landlords, so it’s rewarding when we find another business that has an equally high service level. Our partnership with APC is intrinsic to meeting both our commercial goals and external targets.”
Mr Potter, Roalco Managing Director

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