London, July 20, 2006— Sidewinder, a division of SPL WorldGroup Inc., today announced that Comet plc,the second largest electrical retailer in the UK and part of KESA Electricals plc, has selected Sidewinder’s RealTIME Scheduler (now called SPL Enterprise Scheduling Solution) to improve its operational efficiencies and enhance customer service in home delivery and after-sales service operations.
With more than 250 stores throughout the UK, Comet manages a fleet of home delivery vehicles, drivers and support staff and a large team of after-sales service engineers who provide a comprehensive service to its customers.
As Sidewinder embarks on this innovative project with Comet the initial priority is to improve operational efficiencies by optimizing the scheduling and routing of both home delivery vehicles and engineering teams.
Phil Heaton, Head of Services at Comet, explained, "We searched the market to find the right product to improve operational efficiencies and offer our customers the best possible service in home delivery and after-sales service. Sidewinder's RealTIME Scheduler will allow us to do this, whilst also reducing mileage and our impact on the environment”
Larry Hagewood, SPL WorldGroup President and CEO said, “We’re very proud to welcome Comet plc as our first new customer since we acquired Sidewinder, and we look forward to helping this progressive electrical retailer meet both its short and longer term business objectives of excellence in customer services.”
Press Contacts:
Derek Brown
Sidewinder, a division of SPL WorldGroup, Inc.
+44 (0) 1789 472 741
Derek.brown@splwg.com
Patricia Doherty
SPL WorldGroup, EMEA
+33 (0) 1 4445 6619
patricia.doherty@splwg.com
About Comet
Comet has more than 250 stores throughout the UK, offering a wide range of electrical products all at 'Every Day Low Prices'. On average, 34,000 competitor prices are checked every week to ensure that Comet's prices cannot be beaten. The Comet website, <http://www.comet.co.uk/> www.comet.co.uk, is consistently ranked the No.1 UK electrical site and offers easy, convenient shopping for customers, it also incorporates the UK's first major retail auction website at http://www.clearance-comet.co.uk/> www.clearance-comet.co.uk. Additionally, customers can shop by phone on 08705 425 425. Calls usually cost no more than 8 pence per minute from landlines; calls made from mobiles usually cost more. Comet offers a unique all-round shopping experience with a range of services including home delivery, full installation of products such as televisions & computers, take back facilities for large products, and comprehensive after sales service.
About Sidewinder
Sidewinder (www.sidewinderholdings.com) specialises in sophisticated systems that automate the order-to-delivery process across a range of industry sectors. With offices and Resellers in Europe, the US and Asia Pacific, Sidewinder has enabled many businesses to leverage existing customer-facing systems to maximise revenue and improve customer service efficiencies.
About SPL
SPL delivers the proven software applications that help companies around the world achieve competitive advantage and excellence in business performance, while ensuring a lower total cost of technology ownership. SPL solutions in customer care and billing, enterprise asset and work management, mobile workforce management, outage and distribution management, enterprise business intelligence and enterprise scheduling are specifically designed for energy, water, and service companies, as well as the non-utility sector.
Working with systems-integration and technology partners around the world, SPL has an unparalleled record of implementation success. SPL focuses on clients’ return on investment and fosters long-term relationships based on confidence and trust. Visit SPL at www.splwg.com or call +1-866-468-6775 (San Francisco), +33-1-4445-6600 (Paris), or +61-2-8258-8200 (Sydney). Within the US and Canada, call +1-800-275-4775.
2006 SPL WorldGroup, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SPL is a trademark owned by SPL WorldGroup B.V. or its subsidiaries. SPL is registered as a trademark in the United States and in certain other jurisdictions. All other trademarks and brand, product and company names herein are used for identification purposes only and are the property of their respective owners