Solid as a rock - business continuity in a global manufacturer

Robust systems are a must for business continuity

Consumer goods manufacturer PZ Cussons – ­ the company behind brands such as Imperial Leather and Carex – ­ is well versed in the complexities of multinational operations. Its founders set up their first overseas trading post in Sierra Leone in 1879. Since then, a series of acquisitions and expansions has seen the company establish operations around the world.

But that global reach also provides it with a multitude of challenges when it comes to ensuring the continuity of its operations. As Ged Bithell, head of group IT technical services at PZ Cussons explains, developing a comprehensive and cohesive strategy requires careful planning.

“Business continuity varies in each country and you have to think about it differently, but not necessarily in the way you’d expect,” he says. “There is the perception that Nigeria, for example, would present a challenge in terms of power supply, but it has the best UPS [uninterruptible power supply] of the whole group. They recover from disaster every day as power goes off 10 times a week ­ – it is a normal way of life. As a result, the UPS is massive ­ – as big as a whole server room,” says Bithell.

To understand the subtleties of regional variations, business continuity has to be approached from a business angle, rather than a technical one, says Bithell. “The key point is it is business continuity, not technical services continuity, and I have said to the business that it needs to tell me what it wants. The question the business needs to answer is what can it live without: ERP? Email? How important is the internet? When it gives me something to work with, I can give it what is needed to support it,” he says.

The company is embarking on a 12-month review of its business continuity strategy, with a focus on ensuring provisions are commensurate with business needs.

“We are not a bank. If one of our systems is down, the world will not stop, but it is very important to get a clear definition of what we can and cannot work without and for how long. When it is defined and the business says: ‘This is what we can do in these circumstances’, then if there is a gap, my task is to come back to the business and explain what it needs to spend money on,” says Bithell.

The global continuity effort is driven from the company’s Stockport headquarters. As with all manufacturers, the supply chain is pivotal.

“Our supply chain is critical – ­ it is the backbone of what we do. We are a manufacturer, but also a trader and have taken the decision to enhance our distribution network,” says Bithell.

For example, PZ Cussons’ depots in Nigeria are used as assembly and distribution centres by Chinese white goods manufacturer Haier.

PZ Cussons is also intensifying efforts to reduce costs through group sourcing and encouraging suppliers to collaborate on product development. These efforts place greater emphasis on the efficacy of its supply chains and the communication networks that underpin them.

To safeguard these vital communications channels, PZ Cussons signed up managed service provider Vistorm, which allowed it to specify its expected levels of resilience in the contract. The deal also guarantees high levels of network security, simple remote access across disparate networks and global support for shared applications.

“We were a customer of Vistorm in the UK, but we decided it was time to join the group together,” says Bithell. He says that a high and consistent standard of security for the company’s Orange MPLS-based supply chain network ensures that its operations are protected from viruses and malicious attacks.

“With strict service level agreements (SLAs) in place, I have peace of mind and can get on and do my job. Everything we do in the IT services team should count towards the profit-making side of the business. We make soap, we don’t manage firewalls. It is Vistorm’s responsibility to respond to a problem on the other side of the world at 2am,” he says.

Vistorm also recently managed the delivery of application acceleration technology from Juniper Networks.

“Having a managed services contract in place is helping protect our network from the outside world. We are also making better use of the network, which means we are not in the position of having to keep asking Orange for more bandwidth,” says Bithell.

The contract with Vistorm, which also covers managed authentication for remote access, is underpinned by stringent SLAs – ­ see below – and has removed complexity and unpredictability of costs.

“For a while, we battled to do network security ourselves, but we did not have the skills or resources to manage security and remote access at this level of complexity,” says Bithell.

Vistorm is one of a handful of global infrastructure suppliers that are fundamental to the company’s business continuity. Others include HP, which provides managed services for desktop infrastructure, and Orange for mobile services.

Bithell has insisted that these suppliers collaborate, to ensure the smooth running of the business. “I have Vistorm and HP in the same room – ­ it is silly for them not to work together and it promotes healthy competition,” says Bithell. “People need to get together to pool ideas. It is about people with knowledge networking together, tapping into expertise and collaborating,” he adds.

PZ Cussons is also planning to deploy IP telephony across the business, increasing the need for a resilient network.