A resilient, dual-site network and telephony solution
users supported
UK sites connected
HD DECT handsets
Location: Southampton and Wrexham | Number of users: 107
With employees, production sites and subsidiaries in Europe, America and Asia, CeramTec is an international manufacturer and supplier of technical ceramics.
Employing more than 3,500 employees worldwide, CeramTec holds a leading position in the manufacture of advanced ceramics and strives to manufacture and market high-quality products in the most cost-effective, sustainable, safe and eco-friendly way.
Across its UK sites in Southampton and Wrexham, CeramTec was relying on an ageing telephone system that was increasingly unreliable and at significant risk of failure. With existing issues already affecting communications, the business needed a dependable, future-ready solution to support its day-to-day operations.
CeramTec wanted to replace its legacy infrastructure with a modern VoIP system that offered enhanced functionality while seamlessly connecting both factory sites. The new solution needed to improve communication across locations, strengthen reliability and provide the flexibility to support the demands of a busy manufacturing environment.
With employees regularly moving around the factory floors, wireless handsets were essential to keeping teams contactable without tying them to a desk. CeramTec therefore needed a solution that would maintain reliable communication on the move, ensuring staff could stay connected and respond to calls wherever their work took them. Focus Group stepped in to deliver a solution tailored to these operational needs.
OXO Connect gave CeramTec a robust replacement solution for both sites, supported at manufacturer level. This was crucial, as manufacturer support means there will be parts available if a fault arises. There would have been little hope of a fix if their former solution had broken down!
This is a true business-class wireless solution, offering complete roaming mobility to CeramTec’s staff. Teams can now use their DECT handsets as if they are desk-based phones, with full ability to access the corporate directory to forward calls.
With one system at each site, CeramTec enjoys true resilience; if one system suffers a fault, the other site can still receive calls. Ultimately, the UK arm of CeramTec will always be available!
The entire wired and wireless IT network can be managed at cloud level and is easy to deploy, with the centralised management interface giving administrators deep visibility into the network and how it is used.
Overall, CeramTec now benefits from an up-to-date, fully supported, resilient network and telephony solution that links their two sites while giving their mobile employees the freedom to roam.
Focus Group deployed two on-premise Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise OXO Connect telephone systems, providing the functionality CeramTec needed, including call forwarding, hunt groups, voicemail, receptionist consoles and wireless handsets.
The Southampton site now has 11 desk phones and more than 30 DECT handsets, supported by 13 base stations for coverage throughout the building. The Wrexham factory has 70 DECT handsets and 30 base stations, keeping staff connected as they move around the factory floor.
We also upgraded both sites’ IT infrastructure, including the LAN, Wi-Fi and firewalls, connecting them through secure Cisco Meraki SD-WAN. Two internet leased lines from different providers at each site improve resilience, while mirrored core infrastructure helps maintain continuity. Cisco Meraki’s integrated security features protect the network against threats, filter unwanted content and applications, and help prevent non-business traffic from consuming valuable bandwidth.
The SD-WAN intelligently manages traffic across available connections, helping maintain performance for real-time services such as telephony. The link between the sites also enables call overflow during busy periods, easy call transfers and free calls between Southampton and Wrexham.
Chris Royl, Facilities Manager . CeramTec