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Ranked in the top twenty builders merchants in the UK, RGB Building Supplies has eleven branches in the South West of England, employs over two hundred and fifty people.
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RGB Building Supplies: Partners in
Change
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| THE COMPANY has had a long and successful history. Established in 1850 as a timber importer, the family-run business of RGB (Rawle Gammon & Baker) originally operated from Rolle Quay in Barnstaple. In 2005, the company relocated to a prestigious new head office and showroom on Pottington Business Park, also in Barnstaple. |
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"ArtiCAD is the tool that creates the dream. It is a crucial part of our showroom operation for both retail and trade customers" |
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RGB installed ArtiCAD-Pro software in 2006 as a core component of its plans for significant showroom expansion. Mark Gosney, Group Operations Director: “We are changing the profile of our business to attract more retail customers, whilst retaining our well-established trade operation. We were keen to find a software company with whom we could form a long-term partnership in this time of change. In ArtiCAD, we are confident that we have found such a partner, not least because of the quality of their people."
ArtiCAD-Pro is now used throughout RGB’s showrooms to design the displays and as an integral part of the sales process for retail customers looking for new kitchens and bathrooms. A recent development will see ArtiCAD-Pro being rolled out onto laptops which will enable RGB staff to visit and design for customers in their own homes.
A Backward Glance
RGB INSTALLED its first (non-ArtiCAD) CAD system in the early 1990’s but, as Mark Gosney recalls, it was not an entirely happy experience. “As I became more involved in the company’s IT operations, it was evident that there was widespread dissatisfaction not only with the CADpackage itself, but also with the somewhat arrogant attitude of the supplier. Service was poor and it was clear that we were not dealing with a customer-focused organisation.” |
This CAD package was replaced with a low-cost, ‘quick fix’ interim system whilst further investigations were made to find a long-term solution.
Although RGB initially seen ArtiCAD-Pro previously – and it came with strong recommendations from colleagues in the industry – it was not until 2006, after completing some major changes within the business, that RGB was ready to make a decision. The company purchased twelve ArtiCAD-Pro licenses for use throughout its network of branches. |
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Enticing the Retail Customer
TRADITIONALLY RGB’s business has been derived from trade referrals. The move to the new headquarters with its extensive showroom, however, has heralded a change. RGB is now actively seeking to establish a ‘boutique’ kitchen and bathroom design operation for retail customers, supported by the power, flexibility and ease of use of the ArtiCAD-Pro software.
The company has worked closely with ArtiCAD to ensure that catalogues of its principal kitchen suppliers (Symphony, Mirari, Mayflower and K Kitchens) are incorporated into the software. Mark Gosney: “The quality and depth of the catalogues that ArtiCAD has built for us is far in excess of anything we have used in the past. Their willingness to change and update these catalogues, which often involves a considerable amount of work, is superb.
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ArtiCAD on Location
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AT THE END OF 2006, RGB installed a copy of ArtiCAD-Pro onto a laptop and took its first steps into customers’ homes. Mark Gosney: “We hadn’t entertained rolling out CAD software onto laptops until we had ArtiCAD: we just didn’t feel that we would get a sufficient return on investment. But with ArtiCAD-Pro and the commitment we have made to the catalogues, we feel confident about pursuing this approach to gain new customers.”
Di Clark joined RGB in mid-2006 as a designer / consultant, and with many years experience in selling kitchens to retail customers, is convinced of the power of CAD in the sales process. |
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“I can go into a customer’s home, discuss what they’d like to see in their new kitchen, take the measurements and produce a plan and 3D design on the spot. It saves the customers so much time as the design can be finalised at that first meeting. Plus, they have absolute confidence in how the finished kitchen will look. They love it. I love it.” RGB plans to roll out ArtiCAD-Pro, on a gradual basis, to laptops over the course of the next months.
Integration Plans
RGB is planning to replace its current trading (or merchant) system which dates back to 2000. Once a new more open architecture system is installed, ArtiCAD will be integrated with this to provide a seamless business process management solution, across the enterprise. Mark Gosney: “One of the reasons we chose to partner with ArtiCAD was because of their strength in integration, and we are looking forward to working with them on this aspect of our operation in the future.”
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Further Growth
ArtiCAD-Pro is regarded as an integral part of RGB’s plans for growing its business. “It has provided us with a stepping stone to sell our kitchens and bathrooms to a much broader customer base”, said Mark Gosney. “We have formed a fantastic relationship with ArtiCAD. The day to day support is first rate, and I would rank it amongst the best compared with any of the other software suppliers with whom we work. The Remote Support service – whereby an ArtiCAD technician takes over one of our PCs to solve a problem or provide assistance – is exceptional, and their training courses are very strong. “We are confident that our decision to choose ArtiCAD as our software partner, in a time of great change for RGB, has been the right one. We have the right product on which to base our future showroom growth and development.”
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Enticing the Retail Customer customer continued from above
Mark continued: “Using ArtiCAD-Pro, we are able to show customers exactly how their kitchen will look. The quality of the images is fantastic. And by producing designs which incorporate the exact item from a specific manufacturer, it enables us to retain ownership of the sale, setting us apart – significantly in my view – from companies that are just using generic CAD images.”
Bob Myatt is the Showroom Sales Manager for RGB’s flagship outlet in Barnstaple. “ArtiCAD is the tool that creates the dream. It is a crucial part of our showroom operation for both retail and trade customers. In terms of our trade customers, for example, we can produce detailed 3D images for them to take to their clients, thus helping them in their own sales negotiations.” In addition to being used to present proposed designs for kitchens and bathrooms, RGB also uses ArtiCAD-Pro to design the thirty-plus displays in the company’s five dedicated showrooms. Proposals and outline plans are received from those manufacturers who have been allocated one or more displays. These plans are input into ArtiCAD and the resultant 3D visualisations are shown to RGB managers for their comment and approval, and also to staff to keep them informed of new displays.
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