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Rockhampton Business Machines - Driving digital transformation to inspire, innovate and achieve

When Redlands College rolled out mobile devices across the school, their innovative approach to teaching was met with unexpected challenges.

Since 1969 RBM have inspired local communities to manage digital transformation through local consultation and expert knowledge. Their increase in productivity and reduced waste has been due to leveraging new technologies that automate and digitise information management. Their achievement in performance improvement has led them to being an award-winning solution partner of Canon Australia and this is how they made it.

Shift Happens – Preparing for it

In 2010 RBM parachuted directly into the middle of digital disruption and were forced as a necessity to stabilise their business. Moving towards efficiency, RBM changed their business-operating-model to become digitally enabled.

In 2015 RBM made the decision to restructure with the intent that a solutions approach would secure ongoing sustainable growth. With a strategy to introduce new revenue streams and improve existing profit margins, RBM created a vision to become a digitally enabled consultancy business. This provided them the opportunity to be more than a problem solver, but a thought leader. Transforming their business required rebranding and a redefinition on their core message in the most authentic way possible.

“We wanted future generations of RBM staff to look back on this time and recognise that we were able to transform a 50-year-old business into something new and relevant. That would be our legacy.” – Chris Ward

RBM’s biggest challenge was in personnel. They needed people who were digitally savvy and able to drive better business outcomes. This change required a significant investment of resources, but by transforming the brand and vision to digital, Chris & Gavin knew they would also be able to change how they were perceived as an employer and attract the skills they desired from a larger talent pool.


Chris Ward

Technology is the foundation

In 2015, RBM hired new sales personnel, created new specialised roles, implemented a new CRM system and introduced a high powered 3rd party training platform. The missing link was one primary software platform that could solve most business problems.

RBM implemented Canon product Therefore™. RBM now have the ability to utilise a single platform that enables a digital method of gathering, storing and managing information. Therefore™ replaces old manual processes, improves accuracy, eliminates replication, reduces waste and saves time. By utilising this product, they have become specialists in customising it to suit most business needs. Their well-rounded knowledge of this technology is not just competent, but proficient. This has resulted in repeatable and reliable results.

“The time, money and energy that we have saved in choosing RBM, is insurmountable” - David Beaumont, Stock Inventory Manager Paint Place CQ.

There is no doubt that Therefore™ has been the key solution used to drive RBM’s transformation. It has given their sales and solutions teams the tools to develop collaborative relationships with customers in driving their business growth.

“The support and accessibility to the RBM Team made this process effortless, you sat in our office and helped us through the processes for our business” - Sharon Smith, Office Manager Browns Express

Gavin Northfield

Reaching new heights

Moving to a digitally enabled approach has had a cumulative increase in sales performance of 98.93% since pre-transformation.

This growth has earned RBM Canon’s Queensland Partner of the Year in 2018, but that’s not all. RBM has also earned the Software Partner of the Year for their change in market strategy in becoming a solutions-led business. Positioning themselves in the community as a trusted advisor has led them to 190% growth in solution sales from 2017 to 2018 and a total sales growth of 35.39%.

So what next for RBM? Chris says the business is focused on sustainable growth, with the current target to increase core business year-on-year by 5%, with their concentration being on gross profit improvement and the managed solution portfolio.

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