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5G Roll-Out to Make NBN Plan B at Australia's Leading Plumbing Distributor

Marcos Kurowski, CTO, Reece Group

Marcos Kurowski, CTO, Reece Group

One of the reasons I love working at Reece is that we have hard problems to solve using cutting-edge technology. For example, we need to deliver ultrareliable, high-speed internet connectivity to 600 branches all around Australia and New Zealand. We can deliver exceptional service to our branch staff and our customers because we are not bureaucratic – we focus on what’s best for our customers, make quick decisions, and execute well.

Since joining, Reece just over a year ago, I have embraced the team’s willingness to pioneer the latest technologies and build our in-house capability. The innovation culture is built on delivering exceptional customer experiences every day.

The key to delivering consistent and great service in our branches, is the speed and reliability of the internet and our network. To ensure minimal downtime, we recently completed two projects using Cisco technology. This meant deploying more than 4,500 network devices and 6,500 phones across Australia and New Zealand over the last two years.

Key to this was the deployment of Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) to all our branches earlier this year. Viptela enabled us to segment and prioritize bandwidth between NBN and Telstra fiber, as well as providing additional backup via 4G SIMs.

Critical to delivering good service is the ability to have constant access to The Reece System (TRS), our core in-house developed ERP and POS system, as well as a consistent phone experience. Our Viptela devices enable our core systems to have priority over noncore activities to ensure maximum speed and up-time for the Reece network. It has enabled 99.99 percent uptime for both TRS and our telephony systems.

The Innovation Culture Is Built On Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences Every Day

Together, Cisco Unified Communications Manager(CUCM) and Viptela deliver a more seamless customer experience to our branch network. As early adopters of these technologies, we have saved money, reduced network service requests, and have been able to make updates instantly. Never one to rest on the current technology, we are constantly challenging our people and our suppliers to embrace and support the latest technology. That’s why we have started 5G testing to selected branches.

Out with the new, in with the newer. The NBN has already become an old hat at Reece, where we are trialing 5G in selected metro branches. The unprecedented speed and bandwidth are making National Broadband Network (NBN) a dinosaur in comparison. Testing began in November 2019, and production trials are expected to begin from Feb 2020! All being well, we would look to bring on as many stores as possible throughout 2020.

Trials have seen download speeds over 500Mbps on the 5G network, far beyond the capability of the NBN. Telstra fiber and the NBN will eventually play back-up to the 5G network. The speed and bandwidth of 5G available today is just the beginning. We see this as a game-changer for Reece due to our remote locations, and our desire for performance and redundancy at all our locations.

While Reece has been using CUCM for several years, it is the move to SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) at over 600 stores that have seen this investment come to life. Replacing ISDN with cloud-based technology increases capability and simplifies support and updates, saving Reece around $1 million a year.

Reece is constantly innovating to ensure it stays ahead of the curve. We are focused on building our capability and skills in-house, on ensuring we can deliver technology and digital experiences which have the biggest impact on our customers. At Reece, we empower our people to discover their best, with the latest technologies and rapid deployment. It’s an exciting time at Reece and we’re passionate about writing our next chapter in code.