business success in association with
Award-winning Novatech on fast track
From the latest hi-tech helicopter simulators for the military to the relatively ’humble’ desktop PC, fast-growing computer company Novatech is a Solent and Thames Valley success story. The Business Magazine’s Alison Dewar reports
In the past 18 months, a change of focus and strategy has reaped major financial rewards. The firm is now the fifth largest PC manufacturer in the UK, is Microsoft’s fastest growing partner and is well on the way to exceeding its sales target of £50 million in the next year.
Finance director Duncan Payne-Shelley told The Business Magazine that the company is now unrecognisable from its roots as a mail order supplier of computer components. “We have come a very long way and although the majority of our work is now planning technology for businesses, we still have amazing people taking care of customers at the centre of what we do. That much hasn’t changed.“
Payne-Shelley is quick to credit their recent successes to a combination of evolution and revolution. “We’ve not only put in place a great management team who have tightened and improved our systems, but also we have looked carefully at where we can be most competitive and thrown our energy and resources at winning market share in those sectors. Our evolution to becoming a business technology specialist has seemed like a natural progression, because of our engineering prowess and our history of building powerful custom-built PCs and servers.“
In recent years, Novatech has won numerous awards for the quality of its products and service and in 2010 the readers of Which? Magazine rated it top for reliability and service, above every other brand. In 2011 it was ranked second, behind Apple, but ahead of every other international giant like Dell, HP and Sony, but that’s ok with Payne- Shelley.
“These kinds of accolades are great but we are a very different company from any of them. At our heart, we are an engineering company that make custom-built computers for our customers’ individual needs. Businesses and schools tell us what they need their technology to do and we make sure they get the ideal machines to do it. That’s not something any other PC company can really match and that’s what more and more of them are looking for.“
Although the company grew and continues to thrive because of its expertise with gamers, Payne-
Shelley points out that the vast majority of their work is now driven by longer-term projects with larger businesses in the finance, training, aerospace and education sectors.
“We tend to work more closely with firms to plan the lifecycle of their IT, so that all their technology keeps pace with, and drives their own innovation over time. We own the entire process from design and assembly to support and maintenance, which gives our business customers confidence that we can truly treat them as individuals. We get to know them very well so we can look after their IT and they can get on with what they do best – their own business.
“We have recruited over 50 new staff in the past year and they are all positions that look after our customers directly. We believe passionately that Novatech’s purpose is much more than just selling technology – it’s about becoming a trusted adviser to the customer.“
Payne-Shelley admits that they are a very ambitious management team, who are keen to take Novatech from a “well-kept IT specialist’s secret“ to a household name, and that there is still plenty of work to do to build the brand. A profile-raising exercise has seen Novatech exhibit at various industry events, produce new marketing materials and develop a social media profile. It has also teamed up with media partners such as The Guardian, with whom it is currently sponsoring an ICT Leadership programme for schools.
The Novatech team is also clearly proud of its UK manufacturing heritage; all its equipment is assembled in Portsmouth – up to 5,000 PCs a month – and in-house teams of engineers and design teams are constantly developing new ideas. Current projects include expanding its virtualisation offering and Novatech’s simulation & special projects division; an area which is growing fast, thanks to increased use of simulator-based training in areas such as the military, marine, aviation and medical industries. The team at Barclays continues to offer support to the ongoing expansion plans.
Well-known customer names include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Porsche UK and Oxford University, and Novatech is also a major player in
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Duncan Payne-Shelley
the education sector, where it has been providing IT for schools, colleges and universities for more than 20 years.
Novatech has also found time to gain both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and is proud of its reputation for sustainability and products which offer a more reliable and energy efficient approach.
Existing stores in Reading, Cardiff and Bristol have been reorganised and the Portsmouth showroom has been given a full re-design and facelift to reflect the company’s new focus. A new partner benefits scheme has been launched to reward and encourage the company’s loyal following among independent IT contractors and support companies. Payne-Shelley points out that despite the tough economic conditions, very few manufacturers take the time to understand and to look after the community of professionals who keep the country’s small businesses running smoothly.
“We have an amazing community of Novatech ’fans’ who have been using us for years and many have grown up with us. We’re now working with many senior IT professionals who are proud to admit that they built their first PC with our components when they were teenagers. It’s that kind of relationship that is so valuable and we know that looking after today’s gaming enthusiasts will mean that we have the ears, and hearts, of the decision makers of the future.“
Details:
www.novatech.co.uk/business
Ian Workman Head of Solent & Dorset – Barclays Mob: 07775-543496
Ian.workman@barclayscorporate.com
Barclays Corporate is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiaries. Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England. Registered Number 1026167. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered Number 122702. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2012
www.businessmag.co.uk
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