6/02/99 - NOVELL: Novell manages Daewoo wisely
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JUN 2, 1999, M2 Communications - Novell, UK -- Daewoo Cars Limited, the innovative UK subsidiary of the Korean car giant, has chosen Novell NetWare and Novell ManageWise to underpin its IT infrastructure and support new direct trading outlets. Daewoo is the first car company in the UK to deal direct with the public, cutting out the middleman and passing on the cost savings to the customer.
Almost 40 NetWare servers will be spread across Daewoo's 32 showrooms, warehouses around the country and its head office in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, and will be linked to 1,500 work stations split between real users and automated multimedia sales information kiosks. The multimedia workstations will present details of the company's history as well as offer customers quotations and specifications on all cars available in the UK.
Customers can visit a Daewoo showroom to view cars, be quoted prices, talk to customer advisors and mechanics about their transportation needs, test-drive and purchase vehicles.
According to Paul Boakes, network manager, Daewoo Cars Ltd, "Many of our staff are mechanics or in sales and are not technical computer staff, so it is important that we are able to remotely manage the workstations and PCs. We believe the Novell solution will enable us to implement a 'self healing' system, which means there will be virtually zero maintenance on the terminals in our showrooms."
The Daewoo IT team is small; the new network will be managed by just one analyst and one administrator. The Novell system will ensure that when a PC boots up, it has a hard disk image which is consistent with a standard configuration, containing applications relevant to that user. The two network managers can also easily roll out software upgrades and replace files deleted by the user.
In addition to the manageability requirements, Daewoo also needed a stable and robust platform, as Boakes explains: "Novell NetWare is a trusted and stable product, and was the only solution flexible and scalable enough for our requirements. It allows for future operability and offers very low cost of ownership - much like Daewoo vehicles themselves, in fact!"
As Daewoo continues its drive to reduce costs and increase efficiency, it is looking to IT to play an even greater role. The company hopes to implement Novell's GroupWise later this year, particularly for its collaboration and document routing capabilities. Boakes concludes, "From our experience, Novell offers high performance, high security management solutions. The power of GroupWise should help our customer services department become even more efficient."
About Daewoo Cars Limited
A subsidiary of Daewoo Group, the 18th-largest company in the world, Daewoo Cars entered the UK in Spring 1995 with its own retail network, rather than dealers, and a commitment to being the most customer-focused company in the car market. It is the first car company in the UK to deal direct with the public, passing the cost benefit on to the consumer but, more importantly, ensuring the best customer service. The company's retail outlets are relaxed, family-friendly facilities, many of which include children's activity areas, refreshments and video walls. All outlets have interactive touchscreen information.
Standard Daewoo prices are inclusive, with delivery to the address of the customer's choice, a year's road tax and number plates. Standard equipment on all Daewoos includes ABS (not Lanos S), driver's airbag, engine immobiliser, mobile phone (with free connection), power steering, and audio system. The cars also come with free servicing (including all wearing parts, consumables and labour) for three years/ 60,000 miles with courtesy car during services, a three year/ 60, 000-mile warranty and three years' comprehensive AA roadside cover.
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