Page 16 - BOSS Today Issue 56

BOSS Today #55 60 SECOND INTERVIEW

Speed Learning

BOSS Today talks to Andrew Jones, CEO at OT Group.

BT: Please can you give us a brief BT: What value do you think the three million products by the end
summary of your career so far? Spicers name brings to OT Group’s of 2023. This will give dealers the
wholesaling operations? opportunity to empower their
AJ: I started out my career in the customers to find anything they
automotive industry, where I AJ: There was a great enthusiasm may require within a dealer’s
gained skills and knowledge across amongst dealers and key industry webstore, rather than using other
the whole value chain: I started in bodies to return the Spicers brand online sites to purchase their
engineering, but was lucky enough back to the wholesale channel due ad-hoc products or products that
to work in areas from production to its strong, longstanding heritage a ‘traditional’ dealer might not
and programme management, right and as the home of our usually be able to supply.
through to procurement, sales and 5 Star product range. Reintroducing
new product development. I then the Spicers name has given us BT: What do you believe are the biggest
went to the Netherlands to work the opportunity to simplify our challenges facing Spicers in the
for TomTom to support the setup of brand strategy and align our UK next two years?
their automotive division. In 2015 I and Ireland wholesale divisions.
was offered a position as Associate Our redefined Spicers proposition AJ: An ongoing challenge in UK
Director in the business consulting centres around the customer wholesaling has been to operate a
division at Grant Thornton, where experience – getting the right profitable business model: we’re
I spent two years. I joined Paragon products at the right price and all experiencing rising costs at the
Group in July 2017 as UK Managing delivered on time – which really moment, and Spicers is no different.
Director for Paragon ID, which I is what a wholesaler should be The redefined Spicers is very
headed up for four years before I focusing on. Our core focus for streamlined and we’ll need to keep
was offered the opportunity to join Spicers is to be easy to do business focus on introducing technology
OT Group as CEO. with and put our customers at that will help keep our cost to serve
the heart of what we do; to listen low.
BT: Why have you chosen to take up to our customers and strive
this new challenge at OT Group? to deliver what they need – a BT: How different will Spicers look in
stable and reliable product range two years from how it is today?
AJ: The initial review of the Group and distribution platform. The
identified plenty of challenges, but implementation of D365, our new AJ: We’re currently implementing a
it also highlighted opportunities Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) new ERP system which will bring
across sales, procurement and system, will empower us to achieve many benefits for our dealers in the
operations. I felt that if we could our goal. future, including a complete audit
get the right growth strategy in trail of orders, visibility of order
place, with the right team and align BT: What do you believe are the status, detailed tracking capability
the cost base, it would give us the greatest opportunities for Spicers and delivery options, such as
right platform to grow the business in the next two years desktop deliveries, timed options
organically and position us well and an electric fleet. This will also
for future acquisitions. In essence, AJ: We have exciting plans to help bring technology that will ensure
I wanted the opportunity to turn fuel dealer growth and to provide we’re easy to do business with, with
around a challenged business and dealers with access to over a million many self-serve options for those
lead the sales and profitability products through our extended resellers who wish to trade more
growth of OT Group. range initiative, with a target of electronically in the future.

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