Dear Network Operators,
To show telecom operators how MarketPlace can help lower their total cost of network ownership I wanted to ditch the glossy videos and fancy graphics to communicate, in plain English, the five benefits of MarketPlace. For each benefit, I have addressed a pain-point and how MarketPlace helps provide a solution. For each topic below there is an infographic in our software dedicated to showing the information you need as an operator.
1) Visibility of Supply Options – Cost vs. Quality
When something is needed at home we assess each purchase with three general rules: do we need it, can we afford it, and can we procure it cheaper elsewhere with similar quality? If we ever get past the first two questions, we invariably arrive at the third. Before the boom of Amazon and the like, we would spend hours trailing the shops to find a quality product at the right price.
This analogy got me thinking about the Telecoms Infrastructure space. Operators typically run their own ERP systems to manage their networks and stock, but many do not have a global view of the assets available at their disposal. MarketPlace was designed to do this by providing accurate data in real-time.
Over the years we have seen operators buying assets they already have in their local warehouses or across their group, simply because they did not have visibility into those assets. Using the Shields supply hierarchy within MarketPlace provides the visibility into local and group assets, market availability, repair options and OEM pricing.
We wish to help you buy only the assets you need. If you already have it available, why spend the money? Save some CAPEX/OPEX and put a smile on your CFO’s face.
2) Product Information – “A picture’s worth a thousand words”
MarketPlace presents what you have available with clear and valuable product information. Everyone is becoming more visual these days and we are great believers that “a picture’s worth a thousand words”. For this reason, we have invested in Capture booths at each of our locations which provide our subscribers with a rotating 360-degree image of the product. This image helps technicians see connection pins, helps procurement understand what they are buying and helps logistics teams understand shipping challenges. In addition to the image, weights and dimensions are provided for each part. This data helps plan for the cost of shipping and lead times.
3) Price – Knowledge is Power
There is a saying that with Knowledge comes Power. MarketPlace provides various price points for each asset, including market trends, as well as repair and OEM prices. Our goal is to present you with three to five price points for a unit, so you can make the best-informed procurement decision. If that means you buy from the OEM, great news, if that price is the lowest to the operator. If you buy from the market, great news, if that is the best price for the operator.
MarketPlace pricing infographics also show an assets depreciation curve which highlights the life cycle stage of the asset, allowing you to make a better decision on when to release the asset to the market.
4) Technical – Ensuring Quality
Price is one thing, but an operator lives and dies on the perceived quality of their network. So, alongside the price of an asset, we need to ensure the highest quality. For this reason, MarketPlace has a dedicated infographic for Technical data which shows the average failure rate of the unit, allowing you to calculate mean time between failure (MTBF) and spare stocking strategies.
Our goal is to make available our global test lab data which tests over 100,000 multi-vendor SKUs each year. This data, when combined with the OEM warranty and Shields extended warranty, ensures operators have the best possible support for their networks.
5) Supply and Demand – where is it coming from and where does it go?
The last infographic I wanted to mention is the Supply and Demand data. The vision of this tool is to help each operator see from which country, division, warehouse, cell site or central office their equipment is being received.
Perhaps this can help to drive behavior by way of reward programs and encourage black stock to be returned more frequently (black stock is the notion of off-balance sheet stock held in cupboards or small pockets of the networks that engineers keep).
On the outbound side, we can help show which project is requesting the equipment. This helps in the future planning of retention levels (keep levels) and maximizing the redeployment of your owned assets.
Redeployment drives OPEX and CAPEX reductions. These reductions can only be achieved if we are able to quickly view, change and reward behavior. MarketPlace enables these tools and analytics. Click HERE to request a MarketPlace demo.
I hope this first post is of interest. Next, I will write about valuing your surplus equipment, the ability to upload lists of part numbers and obtain real-time valuations.
Sincerely,
Daniel Jones
CEO
Shields Environmental
