Leyland SDM, one of the UK’s leading decorators and DIY retailers, partnered with Leading Resolutions to successfully deliver a company-wide ERP transformation.
With 35 stores across London, Leyland SDM is one of the city’s go-to destinations for professional tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts looking for paint, decorating materials and building supplies.
When its legacy ERP platform began reaching end of life, the leadership team decided the time had come to invest in a new, modern ERP solution. The existing system was affecting performance and limiting operational efficiency, data visibility and scalability. Manual workarounds, siloed data and limited integration with the wider technology landscape were holding the business back, while back-office functions such as finance, supply chain and operations were not running as efficiently as they could.
Leyland SDM engaged Leading Resolutions to help define the roadmap for this IT transition, guide the ERP transformation, and embed the organisational change required for long-term success.
The initial phases
Leading Resolutions led the end-to-end transformation, starting with a comprehensive analysis of Leyland SDM’s core systems and business requirements. Working in partnership with business and IT subject matter experts from across the organisation, the consultants evaluated existing group systems for suitability and reusability, built a robust business case, and co-created a detailed programme plan.
After the management team green lighted the investment, the next step was to select a systems integrator. This procurement process was overseen by Leading Resolutions.
The implementation
Upgrading an ERP system is a complex undertaking, and Leyland SDM and Leading Resolutions were fully aware of this from the outset. Significant time was therefore invested upfront in planning, managing interdependencies, securing buy-in from leaders and departments, and establishing governance structures to oversee the project and manage potential escalations.
“A central part of this transformation was the role of change management,” said Jon Bance, COO of Leading Resolutions. “From carefully separating and upgrading the existing system from legacy IT platforms to training teams on the new ERP, change management was critical. We intentionally adopted a ‘vanilla’ technology approach to ensure that Leyland SDM is set up for future success and will be able to upgrade easily when the company requires it next.”
Fast forward to go-live, and the ERP transformation was delivered successfully with no operational disruption to the business.
Today, users across Leyland SDM benefit from a significantly improved user experience, enhanced data accuracy and real-time reporting, as well as a technological foundation that supports future innovation – including developments in artificial intelligence. Teams across the organisation in sales, finance, supply chain, retail and operations were trained and coached to work with the new system.
“We intentionally kept the implementation clean and scalable,” said Bance. “Our goal was to leave Leyland SDM with a platform that works today and evolves with them tomorrow.”
“Upgrading our ERP was not just a software update – it has been a strategic investment in the future of the business,” said Richard Cross, IT Director at Leyland SDM. “We now have the technological infrastructure that will support our continued improvement and long-term success.”
Collaboration with Leading Resolutions
Reflecting on the collaboration with Leading Resolutions, Cross said: “We placed a great deal of trust in Leading Resolutions as a partner to guide us through this period of transformation. Being in a position where not only the technology works smoothly, but is also ready to scale, shows that we chose the right partner.”
“This was a strategic investment in our future. Leading Resolutions brought the right blend of structure, empathy and delivery focus to guide us through the journey.”
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