James Simpson of The FSC Group Ltd. (UK site, Scandinavia site) tells us how his company uses Basecamp:
What does your business do?
We are a specialist supply chain management company that focuses on chilled, short life, high risk food products. Our clients are retailers whose core business is not in food but have a significant opportunity for selling food, gas retailers for example. Our service starts with the development of the concept and we manage the supply chain right through to the satisfied consumer.
Why do you need Basecamp?
We are currently operating in 9 countries in Europe, the countries in which our supply partners operate brings the total to 12 or more. We will often need to coordinate cross-border product launches with personnel and stakeholders from several companies. Our own personnel work ‘on the move’ for much of the time and so we need an easy access system for sharing vital project information that needs minimal, or zero, training. We are 48 people doing the work of 100 so we need tools like Basecamp!
Some of the FSC team.
How do you use Basecamp and why do you like it?
We use Basecamp for all new product launches. This year we will launch over 200 new products. We like it because it is simple to operate. We can invite anybody to work on our project without any training.
What did you use before and why did you switch?
Only a very manual system that relied upon standard network file sharing over Citrix. This did not allow external stakeholders access to key files, nor did it keep information in a project specific space. Project progress was monitored by line managers with excel spreadsheets.
Tell us a story about a project or situation where Basecamp helped you out.
We had 90 days to launch 25 new products with new branding, in 2 countries, with 2 languages. We had two product manufacturers, three designers, three companies from the brand owner (head office and two local organisations), three packaging producers and our own team were based in five different countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland and UK). Basecamp allowed us all to work together in a way that had not been possible before. The messaging and filing system ensured that all stakeholders had access to everything they needed, were notified of all developments as they happened and were working with the most up to date file versions at any given time. We hit our every target and all 25 products were launched on time.
Any tips or tricks for other customers?
Use Basecamp to invite your customers & suppliers into a more transparent and modern way of working. Not only does it reduce time spent in communicating, it keeps everybody involved at a level which is appropriate to them. They can choose how much, or how little, they want to get involved.
Anything else?
The other great thing about Basecamp is that it just works. No hanging, no corrupted files, no shutting down, no losing data. It works.
Do you use a 37signals product in an interesting or noteworthy way? Let us know.
