Molex, the second largest supplier of plug connectors, has 35,000 employees worldwide. To reduce the communications costs of mobile outside sales employees in Germany, the company installed a solution eighteen months ago that provides significant advantages to the business. Better reachability, lower costs and a one-number concept enable the user to better serve its customers. The solution uses Avaya Mobility Manager, an OEM product from Speech Design.

Molex is the second largest manufacturer of plug connectors. It has 35,000 employees worldwide, including approximately 150 mobile service employees in Germany. Molex Incorporated develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of electrical and electronic products for the most stringent requirements in tough, heavy-duty industrial environments. The company provides its products to the automotive industry, manufacturers of consumer goods and the communications industry.

Molex searched for a solution that would enable a one-number concept to be implemented.   Now that only the fixed-line extension is provided to the outside, the Molex customer receives a single phone number at which their contact is always reachable. This ensures both reachability and that Molex keeps the customer even if a particular contact person leaves the company. Moreover, a high priority for Molex was to reduce wireless communication costs, which were getting out of hand.

At its German headquarters in Walldorf, Molex installed Avaya Mobility Manager, which was connected to the leased Integral 55 PBX. Up to 30 employees can use the services simultaneously. The company has entered into combined mobile/fixed-network contracts for each employee, contracting with Vodafone for wireless communication and Arcor for the fixed line. Soon, a uniform "fleet" of BlackBerry 8310 mobile phones from Research in Motion (RIM) will be available, which can be used for telephony and data services. A software client is installed on each device that provides various services such as conference calls. Users can conveniently start the various services on their mobile screens.

• Cost benefits
  Each month, Molex saves 3000 euro in phone charges. At an added expense of 350 euro for lease costs and licenses, this means a return on investment (RoI) time of five to six months—an exceptional value for an IT investment.

• Uniform fixed-line telephone number (one-number concept)
  Employees transmit only the fixed-line number to their contacts, even if they are mobile. This number is printed on the business cards, while the mobile phone number is not shared. In case of employee turnover, the customer can still call the familiar number. This ensures that Molex retains the business contact.

• Independence
  The company is also independent of providers, the mobile phones used and the PBX used.

• Reachability
  The mobile employees are available at any time or can forward the call to a colleague.