Strata Logistics has seen its fleet mpg soar by 12 per cent thanks to connected technology introduced to improve productivity, driver behaviour and tachograph compliance.

The Letchworth-based haulier’s integrated solution combines Webfleet Solutions’ fleet management platform WEBFLEET, connected cameras from VisionTrack, TDi Software’s TransMaS traffic management system and disc-check tachograph software.

WEBFLEET’s OptiDrive 360 functionality highlights dangerous or inefficient driving, profiling drivers based on incidents such as harsh braking, sharp cornering or speeding. VisionTrack’s connected cameras, meanwhile, provide associated video evidence for every event.

THE TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS STRATA TO STREAMLINE ITS WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE FLEET ADMIN TIME

“The improvement in our average fuel consumption has been helped in no small part by a 75 per cent reduction in speeding and a 50 per cent drop in vehicle idling incidents,” said Paul White, Managing Director, Strata Logistics

“We also expect our maintenance spend to fall as we experience less wear and tear on vehicle components, such as tyres and brakes."

By using a single software interface, Strata has also streamlined its workflow management and seen a significant reduction in fleet admin time.

Jobs can now be scheduled dynamically, with daily job itineraries sent to drivers via Webfleet Solutions’ PRO 8375 TRUCK ruggedized terminals. As jobs are accepted by Strata’s drivers, the system automatically provides truck-specific navigation instructions and accurate ETAs, meaning customers can be notified when their deliveries are due to arrive.

“We had previously relied heavily on manual planning, but the introduction of the integrated WEBFLEET and TransMaS solution has been revolutionary,” White added.

“We have seen fantastic gains in productivity and now have full visibility over our entire operation."

In addition, the combination of WEBFLEET TachoShare with TDi’s disc-check is making life easier for Strata to remain compliant with tachograph regulations.

TachoShare has taken responsibility away from the company’s drivers by automating the remote download of driver card and vehicle unit data, saving them time through reduced administration. Disc-check then simplifies back office analysis and reporting, helping to monitor and reduce the likelihood of future infringements.

Strata Logistics’ investment in the fleet management solution was supported by TDi Software, an official Webfleet Solutions partner.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Managing the Mobile Workforce @ www.fieldservicenews.com/managing-the-mobile-workforce
• Read more about Fleet Technology @ www.fieldservicenews.com/fleet-technology
• Learn more about Strata Logistics @ stratalogistics.com
• Learn more about Webfleet Solutions  @ www.webfleet.com
• Find out more about Vision Track @ www.visiontrack.com
• Follow WebFleet Solutions on Twitter @ twitter.com/Webfleetnews

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Jacqueline de Rojas has joined its Board as a non-executive director. Following three years of successive double-digit growth, the appointment of de Rojas adds strength and depth to the IFS Board, providing direction, governance, and support to management during this phase of expansion. The appointment is effective immediately and brings the current number of non-executive directors at IFS to five.

De Rojas is an experienced technology executive and industry thought leader. Through her various roles and appointments, she has helped the industry at large address the digital skills gap, deliver on diversity and inclusion, and ensure technology is accessible throughout all levels of society. Her work and commitment have been recognized by industry bodies and governments. She has also been awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services benefiting the technology sector related to international trade.

TENURED TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE AND PRESIDENT OF TECHUK TO SUPPORT IFS THROUGH THE NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH

Commenting on her appointment, de Rojas said, “As the global economy reboots following the Covid-19 pandemic, technology will play a crucial role in helping businesses to build back better and make up for lost ground. Throughout this crisis, we’ve seen the power of IT in action to deliver life-saving public services, swift vaccination rollouts and keep businesses operational.”

“IFS stands apart from its competitors by marrying the Company’s deep industry expertise with its ability to rapidly create business impact,” she continued. “The leadership team has a clear vision of how to empower its customers to deliver meaningful moments of service and value. I’m thrilled to be joining the diverse and ambitious team at IFS which is set to play a major role in the reshaping of industry business models as we enter a post-Covid economy.”

Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, said, “Jacqueline’s track record speaks for itself and she is a real ambassador for the things we care about as a business. Her experience and passion will be meaningful as IFS continues its transformation and growth trajectory. The expertise she brings will further enhance the board’s ability to support and oversee the delivery of our strategy.”

Jacqueline de Rojas CBE

De Rojas holds Board-level assignments for several leading global businesses: as Chair of Metapraxis; and as a Board director at Rightmove plc, FDM Group plc, Costain Group plc. She is also President of techUK, an advocate for diversity and inclusion, and a mentor at Merryck Group.

Prior to her current assignments, de Rojas had a 30-year career in enterprise software having held senior leadership positions in global tech businesses such as Citrix, CA Technologies, McAfee, Novell, and Business Objects.

For more information about the members of the IFS Board, please visit: https://www.ifs.com/corp/company/governance/

Further Reading:

• Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about the IFS Board @ www.ifs.com/corp/company/governance/
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs

In this second feature in a series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper published in partnership with Help Lightning, that is exploring the practical questions surrounding Augmented Reality in field service operations we discuss how as we see remote service becoming more sophisticated the role of the engineer is destined to evolve... 

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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As we touched on in the previous segment, AR’s adoption will not just improve existing workflows as technologies such as mobile and cloud have done in our industry previously. It will completely change the way we think about service delivery entirely.

There are many benefits to moving towards a remote as a default approach, including significant benefits for the customer and service provider. However, there remain many benefits for both parties in the service relationship in having an engineer or technician on-site.

The reality is that the answer will almost certainly lie in a hybrid model that blends the benefits of both service delivery mechanisms, but is there an optimum balance between remote and on-site that is emerging amongst those companies that have pioneered the use of AR in remote service delivery?

Having been directly involved with helping a significant number of these early adopters achieve success through the use of AR, Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant, Help Lightning, is perhaps one of the most experienced people in the field to offer insight into this complex equation. 

“We’re seeing the transformation of the traditional field service engineer,” Manolis explained when he appeared on the Field Service News Digital Symposium.

"I think the future of the field service engineer will never go away; they will always be needed at some point to go out and physically fix a piece of equipment that can’t be fixed remotely..."

“When you think of the traditional field service engineer, you think of someone who’s coming in under cover of darkness, going through the piece of equipment, fixing the piece of equipment and getting out under cover of darkness. In a nutshell, that was field service several years ago. However, what we’re seeing now is the transformation where the field service engineer is becoming the trusted adviser and acting in a more consultative manner than ever before.

“With this in mind, I think the future of the field service engineer will never go away; they will always be needed at some point to go out and physically fix a piece of equipment that can’t be fixed remotely. However, I think on top of that, you’re going to see a field service engineer that comes in and talks to the customer about the marketplace that speaks to them about the value of service and the value of the service they’re providing. 

“For the customer, having the ear of that subject matter expert is incredibly valuable. For the service provider, of course, that position of trusted advisor allows the engineer or technician to talk to the customer about that potential up-sell and cross-sell opportunities in a manner in which the customer is not threatened and doesn’t feel like they’re being sold to.

“With regards to a hybrid model that brings out the best of remote and on-site service delivery, what we’re seeing amongst many of our customers, is a move to remote service first.

“This means the traditional process of having a call coming into technical support, undertaking some initial triage potentially escalating the call to level two and then automatically dispatching an engineer, that’s now going away.

“We have a number of our customers that have adopted the rule within their service process that they will not dispatch until they have their technicians eyes on the problem. Until they start a remote visual assistance call, they will not dispatch.

“This approach has two key benefits, firstly, it leads to more remote fixes. 

“Secondly, if you are going to dispatch you know the nature of the problem clearly, you see what parts may or may not be needed and you have a better understanding for the field engineer that when they get on site. They know exactly what you’re going to see because it has already been seen it in technical support.

“That’s the essence of remote service first, and we’ve seen a big push in the industry going that way.”

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News makes a major announcement of a new platform within the Field Service News Digital Symposium. FSN Elite is now officially live and within a beta-launch. 

FSN Elite is an industry-wide collaboration platform that will feature regular hour-long discussion sessions focused on community collaboration and idea-sharing. 

At the same time Oldland has also announced FSN Live! which will be three events, in two days in one location - held later this year at Edgbaston International Cricket Ground, Birmingham, UK in late October this year. A full announcement on this live event will be made later this week. 

As well as this FSN Elite members will also be able to access the Field Service News Masterclass Program - a unique series of online courses each designed to give you a blueprint to help you improve the performance of your field service operation and your own performance as a service leader. 

FSN Premium subscribers will be receiving log-in details for FSN Elite within the coming days. If you are yet to subscribe to FSN Premium you can do so @ www.fieldservicenews.com/subscription

(Hint watch the video until the end for a 33% discount code for your first year's subscription to FSN Premium!) 

Mize, provider of the Connected Customer Experience Platform and Service Lifecycle Management software, announced that Mize would sponsor and present at the Field Service Medical Virtual Event by WBR, a Conference for Leaders of Customer Success, Service & Support in the medical device industry May 4-5, 2021.

Sponsored by Mize, the Field Service Medical Virtual Event will feature presentations and panel discussions with industry leaders from across the medical device industry. They will share details on their 2021 strategies through conversations designed to provide attendees with best practices and lessons learned.

mize shares insights from a real-world journey to transform and unify access to service information

Michele Merritt, professional services consultant manager at Philips Healthcare, a leading health technology company, and Josh Russell, director of product management at Mize, will co-present a keynote on the journey to transform and unify access to service information globally. The keynote highlights how Philips Healthcare transformed its service documentation process to reduce costs, improve performance, and create a better user experience using the Mize Service Knowledge Management solution. The keynote is May 5 at 3:15 p.m. ET.

"With Mize Service Knowledge Management solution for field service engineers, global medical device manufacturers can simplify the access to all service and parts information," said Russell. "Mize knowledge delivery platform provides secure access to all content types globally to improve technician productivity and reduce costs while improving the product uptime for healthcare organizations."

At the conference, Mize will showcase industry-leading service lifecycle management solutions, including field service management, service parts management, and warranty and contract management. Mize service solutions are used by global manufacturers such as Electrolux, AGCO, and Kohler Power Systems to streamline service interactions with their channel partners, service technicians, and end customers.

"Field service engineers play a vital role in keeping the critical medical devices performing as expected with minimal downtime. Having access to service knowledge and parts information at any time anywhere globally on any device online or offline helps these field service professionals to deliver accurate and timely service," said Ashok Kartham, Founder & CEO of Mize. "Mize scalable CX platform and field service management solution enables global manufacturers and tens of thousands of their service technicians to have global access to optimize the service delivery and maximize product uptime."

Register for the free event on the Field Service Medical Virtual Event page.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Parts, Pricing & Logistics @ www.fieldservicenews.com/digital-transformatio
• Register for the Field Service Medical Virtual Event @ Field Service Medical Virtual Event
• Find out more about Mize @ www.m-ize.com
• Learn more about Mize on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/blog/all-about-mize
• Read more on Mize's blog @ www.m-ize.com/blog
• Follow Mize on Twitter @ twitter.com/mizecom

In the first in a series of excerpts from an exclusive Field Service News white paper published in partnership with Help Lightning, that is exploring the practical questions surrounding Augmented Reality in field service operations we ask whether field service is now ready to embrace a world of AR assisted service delivery? 

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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The idea of remote assistance has been around for a long time. However, the idea of ‘dialling-in’ expertise directly when and where it is needed to provide a blend of hands-on practicality with off-site knowledge is a newer concept, and the ability to do that in an effective manner leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) tools is an approach that still remains on the future road map for many organizations.

If we look back at how remote service could be delivered a decade ago, the conversation was largely embryonic and focused on the potential use of video in remote service delivery. Indeed, even just five years ago, video-based collaboration was still a toolset that was relatively immature. while AR tools designed for field service operations were very much in their earliest iterations. Pioneering solution providers such as Help Lightning were certainly drawing attention at industry-focused conferences, but the technology remained an innovative niche and a glimpse of the future.

Fast forward to 2019, and the number of AR providers in the field had increased significantly, which has driven further innovation and lower price points.

Yet, it was in 2020 that we saw the critical catalyst for adoption in the unexpected shape of the COVID19 pandemic. Across a year, we saw remote service, in general, go from a fringe approach to service delivery primarily leveraged by best-in-class service providers to a fundamental pillar of service operations. Now, as we begin to see the dust settling from such global disruption and we begin to piece together what the new normal of our industry looks like, AR is primed to take its much-anticpated place as table stakes in standard service and maintenance offerings.

As Gary York, CEO, Help Lightning, commented when speaking on the Field Service News Digital Symposium, “the idea has been there for a long time, however, the implementation, and the adoption was slow.”

One reason for this reluctance in terms of adoption, was in many ways, not because the tools weren’t available for field service companies to utilize. Indeed, the tools were increasingly available. However, field service companies were accustomed to sending out technicians to resolve issues in the way they always had done. In many ways, it was the level of innovation that AR promised that held its adoption back.  In a mission-critical environment such as field service operations, radical change is not always easy, nor does it come quickly.

While technological revolutions such as mobile and cloud allowed field service organizations to continue working in the same essential model, the adoption of AR opens up the potential of genuinely redefining our fundamental approach to field service. It could also offer the solution to several perennial challenges the field service sector at large faces, including increasing first-time fix and technician utilization rates and being the key to mitigating the impact of a looming ageing workforce crisis.

"We’ve had a customer who when the pandemic hit couldn’t send their technicians into their customers’ homes. Within a week they brought Help Lightning on board and trained over 3000 field technicians and started providing their services virtually, almost overnight..."

It should also be noted that while the progression from audio-only, to video calls to AR may on the surface seem like a linear progression, the truth is that while video collaboration seems very much like an intermediary step on the journey to effective remote service delivery, it was merely an initial tentative first step forward on this path. AR however, is a giant leap into an entirely new way of working. 

As York explains, “the Augmented Reality capabilities that we have today, this model of virtual presence where the expert is virtually present within the space allows for true interaction. The technology makes it more natural for an expert to be there, as if they’re standing next to you helping you solve your problems.”

In essence, this is at the heart of why this new iteration of remote service is such a significant evolution. Such interaction is one of the most critical aspects as the models and mechanisms for interaction have gotten so much better with the virtual presence capabilities offered by tools such as Help Lightning.  Alongside this, additional tools within modern AR solutions around illustration and collaboration over documents, photos, and live video stream mean that issue resolution is increased significantly.

Of course, it is essential also to have a robust technology infrastructure in our increasingly digital world. This is one of the key reasons why the increased focus on AR providers designing tools specifically dedicated to the field service sector is critical.

Such AR solutions are designed with an understanding of the demands of field service and are tools which are fine-tuned to support the service organizations. The realization of all of these factors has led to substantial changes in how field service companies have been able to deliver their services remotely.

Within ten years, AR has evolved from being seen as an experiment with exciting potential to now being a commercially viable solution, production-ready, field-tested and ready to quickly roll out globally – as was demonstrated often in the last twelve months as companies were forced to embrace innovation in the face of adversity.

As York outlines, “We’ve had a customer who when the pandemic hit couldn’t send their technicians into their customers’ homes. Within a week they brought Help Lightning on board and trained over 3000 field technicians and started providing their services virtually, almost overnight. These tools are easy to ramp up easy to roll out and can be valuable in your first week.”

So AR, the long-awaited key technology in the field-service toolkit of the future, is here. In the following sections, we will lift the lid and look under the bonnet to see how it is being used today.

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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The field service sector took a massive step towards the widespread adoption of remote services in 2020. This was, of course, primarily driven by necessity as we adapted and overcame the challenges of global lockdowns. Indeed, at the end of 2020, Field Service News Research revealed that over three quarters of field service companies could now offer some form of remote service.

However, further studies from Field Service News Research also outlined that while the concept of delivering remote service had become commonplace since the pandemic, the tools being used to do so were varied. Less than a fifth of companies2 were employing more sophisticated tools such as Augmented Reality (AR) for remote service delivery.

As we explored in a previous Field Service News white paper, this rapid acceptance of remote service as a valid mechanism for service delivery, combined with the current relatively low adoption of sophisticated tools has created a clear window of opportunity to gain a competitive advantage within their field for those companies who can embrace these tools which can not only yield significant operational benefits but also drive major customer satisfaction improvements as well.

Having explored much of the theory and strategy across a series of White Papers and Research Studies (FSN Premium and Elite subscribers can access all these and more here) across the last six months in this brand new paper, we are shifting our focus from the theoretical to the practical.

Across the following weeks will be publishing a series of excerpts from this exclusive new paper where we shall be be exploring how field service companies are leveraging AR within field service environments today.

The purpose of this series is to distil some of the essential learnings from those who have direct experience of AR in field service to help identify the drivers, best practices and use cases of deploying AR solutions in a field service operation.

To achieve this, we have conducted detailed interviews with one of the pioneers and a true industry leader in this field, Help Lightning, as well as hearing directly from Revolution Retail Systems, a company that has not only adopted the technology but has been able to do so effectively, efficiently and in just a matter of months. 

We will be exploring how they have seen huge benefits to both their productivity and also customer satisfaction levels and learning directly from their experience in this area.

As part of our research for this paper, we conducted detailed interviews with Gary York, CEO and Evans Manolis, Senior Consultant of Help Lightning, to understand the technology’s evolution. Separately we also interviewed Clay Barker, Director, Service and Support, Revolution Retail Systems.

If you are an FSN Premium or Elite member, you can see these interviews in full at www.fieldservicenes.com/symposium.

For those on our free-forever FSN Standard subscription tier; you will also find excerpts of these interviews on our free-to-air content, so be sure to check out www.fieldservicenews.com to look for these.

 

If you would like to read this exclusive paper right away Field Service News 

subscribers across all our subscription tiers can currently access this paper instantly by hitting the button below.

If you are yet to subscribe you can join our free-forever subscription tier FSN Standard by hitting the button to access a dedicated registration page that provides you instant access to this white paper PLUS you will also be able to access our monthly selection of premium resources as soon as you are registered.

 

 

 

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Data usage note: By accessing this content you consent to the contact details submitted when you registered as a subscriber to fieldservicenews.com to be shared with the listed sponsor of this premium content Help Lightning who may contact you for legitimate business reasons to discuss the content of this white paper, as per the terms and conditions of our privacy policy available here which is in line with GDPR regulations and is an ongoing condition of subscription.

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IFS, the global enterprise applications company, today announced its financial results for the first quarter—January to March of 2021. After a strong 2020, Q1 results point to a continuation of the growth trajectory across the entire business and specifically in recurring revenue, cloud revenue and service management revenue.

After a strong 2020, Q1 results point to a continuation of the growth trajectory across the entire business and specifically in recurring revenue, cloud revenue and service management revenue.

IFS’s position as the global vendor of choice for companies transforming their business models away from selling products towards selling services and outcomes is validated by its Q1 performance and the triple-digit growth of its service management business at 103 percent.

IFS’s Q1 hits significant markers with recurring revenue over 80% of software revenue, cloud revenue growth at 102% and representing over 50% of recurring revenue

Q1 also saw some key milestones for IFS, which included:

The launch of IFS Cloud, which was the most significant in the Company’s history. It brings IFS’s entire depth and breadth of functionality into a single platform. Deployable in a modular way, on-premises or in the cloud, it not only supports a composable enterprise but with digital innovation natively part of the product, it also accelerates digital transformation. 

The acquisition of Axios Systems extends the Company’s enterprise service management proposition with IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM) functionality and creates new opportunities for IFS and Axios customers alike. The combination of IFS and Axios Systems is instrumental in extending IFS’s ambition to cement itself as the market leader in the service space.

The global launch of IFS’s Moment of Service positioning and new branding took place in February. This set out IFS’s clear strategy to align its value proposition to servitization and become the default vendor for organizations who want to be their best when it matters to their customers—at the Moment of Service. 

IFS CEO Darren Roos commented, “The launch of IFS Cloud in Q1 was the most important launch in company history. It was a milestone that delivers on our promise of helping customers create truly amazing moments of service. The impressive performance and growth of our cloud and service management business is evidence that customers value that we understand their needs and are delivering products that support their journey.” He added, “In addition to our organic growth, we are strengthening our proposition with the addition of Axios Systems to ensure we remain the de facto leader for companies that want to differentiate in how they deliver and profit from service.”

IFS Chief Financial Officer, Constance Minc, added, “I believe Q1 is representative of the recognition IFS is getting in the cloud software market. By continuing to deliver double-digit recurring revenue growth at 24 percent we are showing a consistent upward trend in our performance and in the quality of our revenue mix. With our cloud software revenue now representing 40 percent of our total software revenues and 50 percent of recurring revenue, IFS is hitting some very significant milestones.”

Other financial highlights:

• Q1 software revenue was SEK 1.2 billion, an increase of 13 percent Year on Year
• Q1 recurring revenue was SEK 1.0 billion, an increase of 24 percent Year on Year and representing more than 80 percent of software revenue
• Q1 cloud revenue increased 102 percent Year on Year representing more than 40 percent of software revenue (cloud revenue defined as all revenue streams associated with a cloud deployment deal)
• Proportion of license revenues from new customers up to 57 percent.

* Note: all figures based in Swedish Krona and reported in constant currency. Service management revenue growth normalized for one large deal in Q1 2020.

Learn more at www.ifs.com/corp/company/financial-results/.

Further Reading:

• Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about IFS Q1 Financial Results @ www.ifs.com/financial-results/
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs

Today, on Earth Day, IFS announces its promise to sustainability through a plan to improve the company’s own operations, enable customers to achieve their sustainability goals, as well as influence the industry at large to improve its accountability to our environment.

IFS’s values, culture, and business model are linked to its vision to provide the best possible experience to its customers. The relationship between this vision, leading by example and providing sustainability technology are key to systematizing a sustainable mindset and behavior.

The multi-year plan lays out the company’s stepped approach and commitments for the next three years and brings IFS’s long-term thinking on the importance of sustainability internally and its ecosystem and owners to the fore.

The three-year plan will create positive impact in IFS’s own business, its customers’ and through industry-wide action

The stepped approach will be established around three core pillars:

1. Our own business

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, IFS has identified several areas where it increase its focus for greater impact.

• Education – the IFS Education Program already works with nearing 80 universities and higher education institutions globally. The program provides scholarships, grants, IT equipment, as well as practical knowledge through internships and mentorships for students. Over the course of the next three years, IFS plans to expand the program to 150 institutions globally.
• Carbon emissions – in a program started in 2019, IFS committed to reducing its carbon footprint in part through consolidating its real-estate and improving the green credentials of its properties. From mid-2019 to date, IFS has reduced the square meterage of its global real estate by 9.5 percent, shrunk its car fleet by 86 percent versus 2019 and is committing to reach carbon neutrality by 2025.
• Philanthropy – IFS champions and partners with the IFS Foundation to alleviate poverty and other social ills in Sri Lankan rural villages - Sri Lanka is home to the largest proportion of the IFS workforce. The IFS Foundation’s mission is to help improve the living standards of people in the countryside by addressing aspects of health, water and sanitation, education, and economy, and resulting in a self-sustained community. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Sri Lanka have already improved the lives of over 3,000 people. IFS supports the IFS Foundation’s planned expansion to encompass additional areas within remote and rural areas of Sri Lanka.
• Developing an Impact Mindset: IFS is looking for ways to further accelerate its employee awareness of and contribution to the sustainability agenda. We will be introducing a framework to trigger people's mindsets and to guide engagement. The framework will drive how the company is making it possible for its employees to impact sustainability as individuals and assess how successful IFS is at engaging its workforce behind the Impact Mindset.
  • Volunteering – all employees are given the opportunity to invest one workday a year to support a charitable cause of their choice. In 2023, we strive to have the equivalent of three years’ worth of work invested by our employees
  • Employees – IFS has set the bar high against peers in the industry in terms of diversity in employee mix sets. For example, women make up 34 percent of the business, above the industry average for tech
    • We will continue to drive grass-roots programs such as the IFS Education Program to foster diversity across the industry
    • The health and wellbeing of employees remains top of mind, with a new program being launched for employees across the world and measured by twice annual employee surveys
  • Governance – IFS has always maintained policies on Human Rights and Anti-Slavery and will further ensure that this is not only in line with UN criteria and reporting and but also pervasively included in the education of its employees.

2. Our customers’ businesses

Increase energy efficiency: In March 2021, IFS launched IFS Cloud, is a single platform that IFS customers can deploy on premise or in the cloud in a modular way taking advantage of the latest technologies and thus reducing needless computer processing and storage. When deployed in the cloud, such as on Azure, IFS Cloud is 52-79 percent more energy efficient than compute equivalents deployed in traditional data centers, and storage is 71-79 percent more energy efficient than storage equivalents deployed in traditional enterprise data centers*.

Sustainability technology to give back: Recognizing the need and pressures many customers must monitor, manage, and report on their own sustainability goals and commitments, IFS is producing a new module within IFS Cloud specifically for sustainability management. With so much information held within the value chains that IFS Cloud connects, this new module will be offered as standard, to all IFS Cloud customers in late 2021. IFS will donate a share of the license revenue generated by the module to sustainability causes.

Innovation for sustainability: To propel the ideation and delivery of added sustainability scenarios for IFS Cloud, a yearly hackathon will be launched on the 21^st April and will run for three days across Earth Day (Thursday 22^nd April). Teams from all over IFS’s research & development (R&D), customer-facing and internal divisions are taking part together with our partner ecosystem. Please contact us here if you are interested in joining one of our teams. IFS will also continue to strengthen its IFS Incubator program along the 10 principles are the key statements that describe how we implement sustainability at IFS at the corporate level, in our businesses and at the regional level.

3. Our industry at large

To raise awareness around the importance of sustainability at a macro level and to help improve its own approach to sustainability, IFS will be making two significant appointments, one internal in creating the role of Director Global Sustainability (ESG) and one external by appointing Lewis Pugh as its Sustainability Ambassador. Lewis Pugh is the UN Patron of the Oceans. Pugh will influence IFS’s sustainability plan, as well as engage with the IFS ecosystem to challenge and celebrate sustainability best practice.

Commenting on his appointment, IFS Sustainability Ambassador, Lewis Pugh said: “We need governments, businesses and individuals to all play a role in making positive change. I am pleased to be working with IFS whose team is clearly taking the issue of sustainability seriously. Having the ability to engage with their ecosystem of customers and partners presents an opportunity to have an impact at scale.” He continued, “Climate change is an existential threat to life on earth. We now need all hands-on deck to tackle this crisis.”

Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, added: “IFS has a long-term responsible approach to creating value for customers. By considering sustainability as an integral part of our business model we not only capture value creating opportunities, but we can mitigate risks so and stay on course to be successful in our sustainability strategy.” Roos continued, “The progress achieved over the last couple of years to improve IFS’s approach to sustainability has been meaningful, but with the launch of this multi-year plan we are making commitments and make ourselves accountable. This is meaningful to our customers, our employees, our owners and our community at large.”

To find out more about how IFS is helping customers achieve their sustainability goals, please visit: ifs.com/sustainability

Further Reading:

• Read more about Leadership and Strategy @ www.fieldservicenews.com/leadership-and-strategy
• Read more about Sustainability on Field Service News @ www.fieldservicenews.com/sustainability
• Find out more about IFS @ www.ifs.com/
• Read more about IFS on Field Service News @ https://www.fieldservicenews.com/ifs
• Learn more about IFS Commitment to Sustainability @ ifs.com/sustainability
• Follow IFS on Twitter @ twitter.com/ifs