The Organisation:
IC Blue Ltd are specialists in the sourcing and supply of electronic components to a wide range of industries worldwide. Their focus is on delivering high-quality parts, quickly and cost-effectively to meet the needs of customers in the fast-paced industries they serve. The business has its headquarters in the UK with overseas satellite operations and works with suppliers and customers in over 22 different languages.
The Challenge:
Andrew Lucas and Matthew Ward created the business in the early 2000’s, having seen the gap in the market between direct manufacturers and franchised distributors. Their entrepreneurial style has allowed them to create a highly successful business. Matthew – who now runs the business – has always recognised the strengths and weaknesses of their approach and saw the value of external support to make the business even better.
The Approach:
Matthew contacted The Excellence Partnership due to our knowledge of the industries IC Blue serve, and asked for support to help him accelerate the development of the business. From our Business Excellence Programme, we deployed a framework at IC Blue that enabled the operation to understand “Best-Practice” and put into place the building blocks to create an outstanding organisation. This covered all parts of the business and included:
- Helping the business set direction, clarify its purpose, and define its values.
- Build a strategy and create a business plan to meet the aims of the senior leadership team.
- Set up a series of Key Performance Indicators for the major business processes.
- Rethink the organisational structure of the business
- Support the development of key individuals in the Company.
- Review and improve key processes within the operation
- Support and mentor the senior team as the business went through significant change and external turbulence
The Outcome:
The programme has given IC Blue a framework from which the business has grown significantly and has enabled the operation to:
- Better understand its own performance, from a customer perspective.
- Establish and deploy realistic goals for growth.
- Develop people, roles and a structure for the business to handle the growth.
- Create and support the implementation of a business plan to realise the potential of the operation.
- Expand the company by offering additional services to its customers.
- Develop the senior team to manage growth whilst maintaining IC Blue’s entrepreneurial flair
IC Blue has grown hugely in the last few years and is a major player in the supply of electronic components to customers around the globe.
Matthew Ward said ………
“The support received from The Excellence Partnership has allowed the benefit of perspective to become central to our strategic planning. A relevant and sometimes uncomfortable sounding board, the relationship has allowed internal stress testing and scenario planning to really add value over time”.