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Ericsson Deploys Scala InfoChannel for Worldwide Communications.
Easy To Create Multimedia Content Keeps Global Corporation Motivated And Connected.
Calabasas, Calif. (February 23, 2000) In an era of rapid deployment in the telecommunications business, pitting Finnish Giant Nokia against Swedish Perennial Player Ericsson, "just in time manufacturing" takes on a whole new meaning. In fact, both Scandinavian competitors have announced several hundred million dollars would be devoted to their respective company's R&D programs. With Internet available on mobile phones all across Europe, and telecommunications convergence linking voice, video and data, the time for bringing a product to market has been compressed into weeks and months, rather than years, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Adam Lloyd, Senior Communications Consultant on the corporate communications team for Ericsson, recognizes that there are special challenges for employee communications and information flow at such a high-flying company. Lloyd also logs many miles between the UK R&D offices for Ericsson, located in Basingstoke outside of London, and the manufacturing plant located at Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire. There is more than 200 miles separating R&D and manufacturing in this United Kingdom stronghold. Lloyd's job is to remove any communications barriers via Scala InfoChannel multimedia communications.
"I am tasked with improving awareness on both local and global Ericsson issues," said Lloyd. "On the shop floor, not many of our Ericsson people have individual access to a PC and they need real-time information. We use Scala InfoChannel to keep everyone on top of corporate news from Sweden and U.K. information."
Lloyd indicated that Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden sends him and other regional communications staff about two press announcements every day. Ericsson is a total solutions provider in telecommunications, offering network operations, service provision, enterprise management and consumer products like the mobile phone. There are four additional corporate offices including London, Dallas, Miami and Hong Kong.
Ericsson is a 120-year old company with global operations in place for a century. Yet the average age of the Ericsson employee is 35 years old.
In addition to corporate deals, inside Ericsson information, and short stories from telecomm trade publications, Lloyd adds local and U.K. news. "It is not purely an Ericsson device," he added. "So for me, the Scala feature called the Text EX is the best benefit" and serves as a multimedia production tool.
"I can access the Scala InfoChannel system remotely from either my London or Nottinghamshire office locations, or even from my home in the evening," said Lloyd. "Changes can be viewed and implemented instantly which allows dynamic news delivery."
This flexibility of location will allow Lloyd to add manufacturing output figures on the fly. The Ericsson internal communications group plans to make production numbers and goals a larger part of the Scala information delivery system.
There are three buildings at the Nottinghamshire plant location, one at corporate campus. The Scala network is one master unit running Scala IC 200, and two players that are pumping information out to four locations. The video screens are mounted as follows: two at the reception areas, five at the canteens and one in the high security distribution center.
Lloyd stated that the Ericsson philosophy is "we are one company and we work very closely together" between locations. "I must update the Scala scripts every day and many times the information is viewed during the 20-minute breaks while people are in the canteen."
This philosophy of one company extends across the Atlantic. Traci Pollard, Ericcson's manager of internal communications at its Lynchburg, Virginia, facility relies on the Scala InfoChannel to help keep the plants 2,000 employees informed. The Lynchburg plant has two factories that manufacture cellular phones and base stations, respectively. For now, the Scala InfoChannel only broadcasts to the cellular phone factory.
When deciding on how to communicate with employees, Pollard went over to Sweden to see what Ericcson was using there. She found they were using Scala and the ability to be connected with Sweden through Scala sold her. "It is more cost-effective to use Scala. Sweden sends us press releases that are already formatted," she said.
Pollard currently uses one player sending information to about ten televisions on the manufacturing line, two in the main cafeteria, and one screen in each of two break rooms. Pollard eventually plans to use the second player Ericcson has at the Lynchburg facility to send different information to the manufacturing line and the cafeteria.
Pollard uses the InfoChannel to supplement and reinforce information that is communicated through Ericcson's daily print newsletter. According to Pollard, "We feel it is becoming more necessary now to have an additional mode of communication. By the time the second shift comes on, the newsletter may be all gone. And a lot of people don't have the time to read. The use of the Scala system allows us to reach more people with important corporate information."
Pollard keeps Ericcson employees informed about corporate advertising campaigns by including new Ericcson commercials on the InfoChannel. She also includes Ericcson stock price updates, press releases, information about visitors coming through the plant, and hourly job opportunities. Of course, employees are updated on corporate social and leisure activities and community activities. She plans to add local news coverage.
Beverly Whedbee, owner of Domes Audio Video Environments, the VAR who sold Ericcson the Scala system in the United States, supports Ericcson's use of Scala at its east coast sites. "Very few problems have arisen with Scala," Whedbee commented.
According to Whedbee, Scala has many uses. "Scala is its own production facility," Whedbee said. Domes uses Scala for its own trade show presentations. Cable networks use it for their bulletin boards. The InfoChannel can run across a network and television monitors. It can be used for training, Scala's iplay studio, another type of Scala software, allows scripting and video techniques to be incorporated in to a web page. "The main benefit of Scala," Whedbee shared, "is the quick learning curve."
Pollard agreed wholeheartedly. "You can be totally comfortable using Scala in less than one week."
Lloyd echoed Pollard's sentiments on Scala's ease of use. "I am pleased with the simplicity of the Scala system," said Lloyd. "It has helped with communications a great deal. Scala offers a powerful presentation and display system. Undoubtedly, its TV-like quality is what keeps the employees coming back!"
In recommending the Scala system, Lloyd said his management initially pushed-back, wondering whether Microsoft Power Point could meet the employee communications needs. "We started down that route," said Lloyd. "But once we showed the quality of the visual presentation, the Scala system really sold itself. Scala offered Ericsson far more capability than anything else on the market."
"Power Point just would not be able to cut it."
Lloyd shared that communications consultants at other locations have formed an internal Scala User's Group. They are able to share ideas, swap Scala scripts that have been effective, and exchange news and graphics for usage at other InfoChannel systems around the world. "We have systems installed in the U.S., U.K., and now Malaysia, so it is important to share the resources," he said. A user's group meeting is currently being planned at one of the Ericsson locations. "Now, within Ericsson, we have a global demand for the Scala InfoChannel system."
One of the issues for the users and multimedia production people is to determine motivation uses for Scala in the factory.
"Scala is extremely cost-effective for Ericsson," said Lloyd. "It also offers us the ability to give employees feedback. Our communications team is going to expand more into the shop floor environment since the infrastructure is already in place. That is the beauty of Scala, we can hook-up a monitor wherever and whenever it is required."
Pollard has similar plans. Pollard believes that Scala's uses go as far as Ericcson imagination will allow her to go. Her vision for Scala includes broadcasting interviews of employees on the InfoChannel. "The use of the televisions can really help employee morale," said Pollard. "Who doesn't like to see his face on television?" she asked.
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