To empower employees to collaborate with colleagues, clients, and partners across borders while maintaining security, IMG Nigeria Plc worked with IBSL to migrate its Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure from its parent.
Microsoft Cloud Results
- Get work done and stay connected whether you’re working remotely or onsite.
- Help safeguard business data with built-in security features.
- Streamline IT setup, management, and costs with a single productivity solution.
- Fast, reliable content delivery network with global reach.
- Enterprise scale search for app development.
With presence in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kaduna, and Warri, Industrial and Medical Gases Nigeria Plc (IMG Plc) is the Sub Sahara Africa’s market leader in industrial, medical and food grade gases, welding & medical equipment, and engineering services having been established in 1959 with a listing on the Nigerian Exchange under Industrial Products 20 years later.
Commissioned merchant 600kg/hr and 1,000 kg/hr carbon dioxide plant in Lagos by 1984 and 2004 respectively as well as a 13tpd merchant air separation unit in Port Harcourt after a decade.
For more than 60 years, IMG Nigeria Plc has worked in activity areas within various sectors of the Nigerian economy like Oil & Gas, Medical & Pharmaceuticals, Automobile Industry, Aviation, Shipping & Logistics, Fabrications & Construction, Food & Beverages.
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In August 2021, Linde Group sold its 60% shareholding in BOC Nigeria Plc to TY Holdings after a 15-year relationship spell. As a result of this acquisition, the shareholders approved the name change to INDUSTRIAL AND MEDICAL GASES (IMG) NIGERIA PLC with a new logo and trademark.
The company gives back to the communities it serves, providing children with free educational scholarships and other CSR engagements.
IMG’s core values – SPICE; Safety First, Passion for Excellence, Innovation for Customers, Commitment to Integrity, Empowering People, and decades of experience and expertise have earned them trust from customers.
IMG remains committed to achieving above average growth for its shareholders, built on the back of the company’s strong brand name and national distribution network.
Seeking a Productivity Advantage
“As a standards-based organization, Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) is 100% of our behaviour at IMG Nigeria Plc, 100% of our time and this drives the culture at our workplace” says Ayodeji Oseni, MD/CEO of IMG Nigeria Plc.
We had to find and keep a strategic IT partner for the long haul and maintain consistent systems and processes across regions.
The MD/CEO leading the Executive Management Team was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that our operations were not compromised given the need to restructure our business and stand alone as a single entity without our hitherto parent company.
We set up a committee to find and assess qualified partners that can help carve out our IT services being an integral part of our business in which we relied upon Linde Group. Interstellar Business Solutions Limited (IBSL), a Microsoft Solutions Partner, won the bid and was appointed technical consultant.
Collaboration Built for Cloud
IBSL worked closely with IMG Nigeria Plc to understand the unique needs and challenges.
“We came up with a plan to implement the separation from the mother company, we started from their infrastructure which contains their server, data and then we moved to the email platform and down to their applications”, says Isaac Oluwashola, Partner/CTO of IBSL.
IMG leverages many cross-functional, geographically dispersed teams to get work done. The need for flexibility that only cloud-based collaboration could provide. They also wanted a productivity suite that current and future employees would embrace, and that would regularly offer new features without requiring IT intervention to upgrade.
With the new and revamped website, customers can enjoy the experience of placing orders for products. The IT Helpdesk makes it easy for internal staff to raise tickets for issues which are supported by the technical department and IBSL’s team.
IMG has prospered by constantly meeting the needs of customers and developing solutions that add value to customer interactions. IMG is structured and operates in accordance with global best practices.
Migration of IT Infrastructure
To implement the new system, IBSL first migrated all of IMG’s data from the former platforms to the new ones. This was done seamlessly, with minimal disruption to operations. The employees of IMG were trained on how to use the services and offered post deployment support to ensure that everything was running smoothly.
Microsoft 365, Azure and other technological tools, pivotal to data migration and the need to deploy a new infrastructure, were leveraged. A major concern was the assurance that a smooth transition without bottlenecks would take place and Interstellar completed the job successfully with zero downtime.
The project was executed with high quality standards as the agreed scope of work was exhaustive and milestones were timely reached. All documentations like project plan and reports were shared periodically ensuring that change management activities were positive for the users impacted.
Overcoming Economic Headwinds
“The corporate and business strategy of Industrial and Medical Gases Nigeria Plc were significantly impacted by forex volatility, market realities and inflation, resulting in an inability to swiftly honour overseas suppliers’ obligations, accomplish plant capacity utilization, selling, and revenue generation goals.” says Adeshina Alayaki, Finance Director of IMG Nigeria Plc.
Despite the myriad of challenges faced, IMG successfully navigated the mine fields of the economy and marketplace to another profitable year in 2021 at ₦372m which increased by 24.94% from 2020 with an 8.62% increase in market capitalization in 2021 from ₦3.62 billion in 2020.
Reimagining Productivity and Innovation
The new system has had a significant impact on IMG’s operations. The production line management system is now more efficient, which has led to a significant reduction in delays and errors.
The integration with the accounting and financial management system has also made it much easier to track finances in real-time, which has helped make business decisions more informed.
“We gave Interstellar an A-rating during our recent assessment and Linde Group did post deployment checks after the first month, first quarter, first half-year and first year with resounding remarks for their top-notch service delivery and support” says Nurudeen Popoola, IT Manager of IMG Nigeria Plc.
“Right now, we are on course to becoming an Independent Software Vendor building its first app which will launch in the coming months”, says Tawheed Olayemi, Partner/CFO of IBSL.
We are committed to be the leading IT Firm that enhances business productivity and efficiency through technology.
Achieving Stability
As a result of the new system, IMG has seen a significant increase in productivity, and have been able to streamline operations to save costs. They are now able to focus on growing the business and expanding its customer base. “The success of the entire project gave a morale boost to staff, it immediately enhances productivity,” says Mr. Ayodeji.
Their team was professional, knowledgeable, and responsive, and they were able to provide us with a solution that has helped us improve our operations and grow our business. We highly recommend them to other small and medium-sized businesses.
IBSL is proud to have helped IMG Nigeria Plc achieve stability through the implementation of the new technology solution. The team at IBSL provides their clients with the best possible service and solutions, and they look forward to continuing to work with other enterprise clients like IMG Nigeria Plc as they continue to grow and evolve.
About IBSL
Interstellar Business Solutions Limited is the leading IT Firm that enhances business productivity and efficiency through technology. An ingenious pool of young talent with innovative minds to deliver technical services fit for purpose thereby satisfying customers and meeting their needs.
A Microsoft Solutions Partner in Nigeria with multiple Specializations and an advanced technology solutions company with expertise in new age tools. This has led to numerous awards and recognitions amongst distributors and other related parties alike. We offer convenience to our clients with success guaranteed by integrating our operations with new business models.
As your technology evolution driver, we will equip your organization with the right tools to solve problems, improve productivity and save costs.
Let’s talk at (+234) 902-009-6082 or www.interstellarng.com
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