Business interview: SWISSCOM
PROJECT PARTNER
B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W
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A logistics network Randy Drenth, Head of Logistics at Swisscom, expounds the virtues of great teamwork – within his own logistics team, as well as Swisscom’s wider network.
Written by Anna McMahon • Produced by Jennifer Davies 3
As Head of Logistics at the largest Swiss telecoms provider, Swisscom, Randy Drenth is responsible for all the partners that deliver logistics, production, repair and sales services to the company, as well as business process owner of all the logistics systems and processes Swisscom has in place. andy says the role is of substantial importance because Swisscom has built a strong network of collaborative partners over the years, enabling the delivery of services to its customers. He explains, “The logistics for all of the network is outsourced to specialised logistics partners. We treat our partners like our own production areas. Swisscom steers. During the coronavirus crisis, they were responsible for all of Swisscom’s delivery capability. We were very glad that we did not encounter any logistical breakdowns.” Swisscom has longstanding relationships with many of its partners, some spanning over two decades. Randy says, “Most of our partners have 4
been with us from the beginning when telecoms was privatised over 20 years ago. Together, we have invested in customer delivery, optimising processes and digitalisation. We want our partners to think like we do at Swisscom. They must share the same culture, business processes, and understand their impact on Swisscom’s customers. They are an integral part of our entire supply chain.” Last August, Swisscom entered into a next level of recycling and circular economy. Randy and his team wanted to have a supply chain in Switzerland capable of providing a solution for granulating the waste that comes from dismantling old telephone network materials. He specifies, “The backward chain should not only perform
Net revenues
11.5 billion CHF
Net income
1.7 billion CHF
19,317 Employees
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As Head of Logistics, I have transpar of all the materials in the warehous the value and the number of pieces in each one. Our partners work with us in such a way that we can forecas everything quantitively Randy Drenth, Head of Logistics at Swisscom 6
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the granulation in Switzerland, but it should also treat the infrastructure so it can be securely reused or resold in a circular economy. We can get much more out of our waste, which helps with sustainability, and is good news for our customers. Our waste processes are now all steered by one partner, so we no longer need to spend time coordinating our efforts.”
Take Me Back is another of Swisscom’s sustainability and customer-orientation projects, where old TV boxes and routers are returned into Swisscom’s logistics landscape where they are refreshed for reuse. Customers can also reuse the boxes used for shipping replacement products. Randy adds, “By using the same box, we have sustainability because we are reusing materials, and it is convenient for the customer because they can do it from home. We were the first of 7
Swiss-Engineered Lifecycle Services for your Customer Devices We support Swisscom with specialized service and logistics solutions along the life cycle of their products. This includes logistics services such as warehousing and returns management, as well as services like testing, repair and packaging of devices. With our own engineering department, we are fast and flexible in developing solutions tailored to our customers needs in the tech industry. Fastlog is proud to be Swisscom’s partner since more than a decade, ensuring the reliability of their products, allowing Swisscom’s customers to benefit from the highest quality.
www.fastlog.ch 8
I am extremely proud of my team. They have been hugely empowered over the last three years. It is a team of 10 people and we design, steer and improve the delivery processes and supervise all the logistics partners. That is quite efficient!
many European operators to implement such a process.” Speaking about some of the latest supply chain trends, Randy says that visibility is a matter of transparency of all the systems. He continues, “As Head of Logistics, I have transparency of all the materials in the warehouses, the value and the number of pieces in each one. Our partners work with us in such a way that we can forecast everything quantitively.
The figures are precise, and we have them all in a business intelligence system that we can use every minute of every day to steer and also to generate efficiencies. Not everything is at the same level of maturity. Our procurement is advanced because our partners do the outsourcing, possibly based on our objectives and key results. Our strategy is to steer the best partners suited for the market, and they, in turn, forward us the best practices, which enables 9
Ultra-fast broadband (CH)
4.5 Million residences and businesses
us to bring benefits to our customers.” Randy believes that good leadership is all about empowering the people, which is something he is very passionate about. He says, “I am extremely proud of my team. They have been hugely empowered over the last three years. It is a team of 10 people and we design, steer and improve the delivery processes and supervise all the logistics partners. That is quite efficient! It is a senior team, especially in terms of experience. We work 10
The volume of d of Swisscom increased sub the height of and since the data is tran Swisscom
data and usage m’s network bstantially at the pandemic, en, much more nsferred via networks
Mobile communications (CH)
6.3 Million connections
across different locations, different cultures and different genders. I think we benefit from more gender diversity in logistics and ICT.” When the coronavirus crisis struck, people depended on telecoms businesses more than ever to keep in contact with the outside world, which meant huge pressure for Swisscom and its partners. Randy adds, “When a crisis happens, you don’t have time to build up resilience. Everything should already work. Our partnerships, 11
When a crisis happens, you don’t have time to build up resilience. Everything should already work. Our partnerships, transparency, systems and end-to-end relationships meant we functioned very well
Ordered Today Delivered Tomorrow We have been cooperating with Swisscom for more than 20 years as a logistics partner. We deliver about 400 items per day which Swisscom and its business partners need to expand the network. We are committed to our motto of “Ordered Today, Delivered Tomorrow”. In addition to our extensive standard range of cables and LAN products, our logistics business is also an appealing option for many Swiss companies. Reduce your operating expenses and rely on a business partner with expertise, 99%+ availability and a 24-hour emergency service. Contact us to arrange a consultation. Weissackerstrasse 7, 3072 Ostermundigen www.kablan.ch, kablan@kablan.ch
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transparency, systems and end-to-end relationships meant we functioned very well. We were quick to act in a fastchanging environment, and we have an excellent relationship with the government in terms of the regulatory side. We have a physician who works with us. I invited them to make short calls to our partners in order to answer questions, reassure them, give instructions and offer guidance. We also provided hygiene kits, masks and gloves to keep everyone safe.”
The volume of data and usage of Swisscom’s network increased substantially at the height of the pandemic, and since then, much more data is transferred via Swisscom networks. Randy adds, “We had to make some additional changes to our infrastructure, also within a short period of time, and it worked out well. What we now see, as the pandemic continues, is people starting to change their behaviour. If possible, we are working from home and connect electronically with each other by daily videocalls. Our customers still come into our safe shops,
We create resources. Thommen is the new recycling partner of Swisscom. We look forward to taking recycling to the next level for Swisscom, drawing on our wealth of experience, state-of-the-art infrastructure and a committed team. www.thommen.ch 13
but an increasing number of them order our services and goods, with parcels shipped to their homes or office locations, so ecommerce has increased significantly. There is also greater use of pick-up and click-andcollect e.g. at kiosks. We were prepared with our logistics and the adapted processes that we had in place. Resilience lies in these processes, keeping the systems ready for when they need to be used for customer delivery. We are working on making ourselves even more resilient for the future.” As for the future, Randy has a number of projects he and his team have been working on in order to help improve the customer experience. He explains, “When I was put in charge of Swisscom’s logistics in 2018, I noticed that there were certain customer demands that were not yet being reflected in logistics. A substantial issue was the security of customer data on returned devices. Some items are returned with customer data still on them, as not every customer reminds themselves to delete the data before shipping back their old or broken device. Sometimes the device is so broken that it cannot be used anymore, but the data is still on it. This is an important risk,
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With a focus on data security the changing customer, Randy on Swisscom’s s forward the logi
n sustainability, y and meeting g needs of the y plans to build success to drive istics landscape
especially for a trustworthy ICT service provider like Swisscom. We wanted to empower our partners to make the logistics, return and waste processes waterproof, so, amongst others, we came up with the idea of secure shipping containers made from a strong material, with compartments inside for different products, and a special system for opening them with a code. IoT tracking provides the exact location of the container, so if it gets lost, it can be re-found. We continue to work with our logistics partner on this IoT model to enable us to track the location, contents, filling degree and condition of the container.” With a focus on sustainability, data security and meeting the changing needs of the customer, Randy plans to build on Swisscom’s success to drive forward the logistics landscape. On a final note, he concludes, “The diversity of our logistics team contributes to making us successful. By making our team more diverse and strategically competent, we are taking time to empower our people as individuals, as well as a part of a customer-driven team within Swisscom. At the moment, we are enjoying virtual coffee meetings twice a week!” For further information on Swisscom, visit www.swisscom.ch/ en/residential.html
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www.swisscom.ch
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