Business applications support firm Escone Solutions has successfully completed its largest project to date for the UK’s largest transport operator, Transport UK (TUK), finishing work more than nine months ahead of schedule.
The Aberdeen-based firm was tasked with consolidating and upgrading the finance systems used by six of the companies operated by Transport UK onto one shared system, resulting in considerable cost savings for all involved, their customers, and the taxpayer.
Transport UK is a private sector group which serves millions of passengers every day throughout the country through its rail companies, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Merseyrail and West Midlands Trains and bus company Transport UK London Bus. It began working with Escone Solutions in 2018, with the team providing full support through Escone Assist, its remote helpdesk which provides ‘business as usual’ specialist backup for business-critical applications such as OpenAccounts and eBIS.
Led by Escone’s Head of Consultancy Alice Cassie, the project began in January 2023, with a planned completion date of November 2024. However, after a request by Transport UK to bring that forward, the final migration of the finance systems took place last month.
Transport UK Chief Technology Officer Mike Riches said that as well as cost efficiencies, the project had resulted in improved system security and the modernisation of legacy systems.
“Working with four different finance instances was difficult and cumbersome, and clearly not efficient,” he explained.
“We had originally set a completion date of November 2024 but, as things developed, we were keen to have it done by the end of the financial year, which Escone was able to achieve. The outcome is that we now have a much improved, upgraded system which serves everyone across our Group of companies. The main impact has been for our Finance teams, but the impact of this change reaches anyone within the organisation who raises or approves a Purchase Order, a significant proportion of our colleagues.
“This was a huge challenge for Escone, but they worked alongside us the whole way and they more than rose to the occasion. They pulled out all the stops, often working out of hours to minimise disruption. Alice and the team worked tirelessly, going above and beyond to get the work done. The success of this project is a testament to Escone’s dedication.”
Escone Solutions Director Kevin Wyness said: “We have always enjoyed a very good working relationship with Transport UK, and from the day we started working with them, we have seen ourselves as very much part of their IT team.”
“We quickly identified the potential for cost savings by having everything on the one server – previously, an individual would have to log onto multiple systems which, of course, all had their own separate licences making them difficult and expensive to maintain. It makes a lot of sense to have all the businesses using the same system.”
“It was a big project with a tight deadline, which involved every member of the Escone team pulling together to make it happen. We put a lot of time and effort into building strong, meaningful relationships with our clients with the result that they feel confident in the work we do for them, helping them produce the results that they want. Our team is talented and dedicated, and we are very proud of the high level of commitment they show in everything they do, especially this project.”
Last year, Escone secured new and renewed business contracts of more than £500,000, boosting its growth plans for its client portfolio across a range of sectors, including transport, food and drink, and housing, as well as oil and gas.
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