Group Direct to launch new products through Kewill
6 November 2006
Sale, UK - Group Direct, established in 2001 has grown to be one of the UK’s top 40 brokers in the last 5 years with over 400 staff in 6 countries as far a field as Australia. Offering a diverse range of products including, Insurance Broking, Underwriting and Banking solutions it recently commenced discussions with Norwich Union to enter the Household Insurance space through its subsidiary company eGroup.
The decision to select Kewill to support the business-to-business document management between the two companies was driven by the experience Kewill has in helping Insurance companies increase their speed to market of new products while enabling businesses to manage significantly greater volumes of business more efficiently and cost effectively.
Peter Strong, Executive for Internet Marketing for Group Direct, said, "What could have taken months will now be delivered in weeks which means we can bring the product to market faster and launch much earlier than expected. This should allow us to commence writing business sooner which will ensure the impact is seen on our bottom line well in advance of original estimates while protecting us for future growth in the sale of this product by having a scalable solution managed and supported by an industry expert in Kewill."
Debbie Baker, Business Unit Director - Insurance, commented, "The MessageBroker solution will be hosted by Kewill on behalf of Group Direct delivering to Group Direct a low impact solution that is constantly monitored, supported and maintained through one of Kewill’s state of the art hosting centres based here in the UK. Group Direct is following the direction of many of the leading Insurers and Brokers today entrusting their business-to-business connectivity to an external specialist in Kewill."
Jacquie Boast, Chief Operating Officer, Kewill Solutions Europe said "Kewill specialises in the collection, transformation and delivery of information electronically in order to minimise costs and increase business process efficiency. The insurance sector requires streamlined business processes that deliver accurate information in a timely manner to be able to comply with industry regulations and compliance requirements. Group Direct’s business requirements fitted perfectly with Kewill’s MessageBroker solution and we are delighted to support them in meeting their business objectives".
About Group Direct
Group Direct was founded at the beginning of 2001 to focus on the provision of insurance products specifically for light commercial vans. The business grew from small beginnings to its current broad range of activities and associated companies. The insurance broking business remains the driver behind the group, but they have diversified into a number of other areas including underwriting and banking.
The group has over the last 5 years taken turnover from £189,000 in 2001 to nearly £20.5 million in 2005, with a Group-wide profit level in excess of £3.5 million. The growth of Group Direct and its associated businesses has been achieved by bringing together determined entrepreneurial vision with motivated executives. The key to controlling this has been to maintain awareness among the personnel of the big picture and a non-negotiable system of financial control operated centrally for all the businesses.
About Kewill Systems Plc
Kewill Systems Plc is a leading international company dedicated to the development and provision of software and services to manage complex business-to-business supply chains.
With over 34 years experience in the supply chain space, Kewill Systems is a long-time innovator of Supply Chain Execution software focusing on order management, transportation management, international trade logistics, Ecommerce and visibility solutions for global trading communities.
Over 55,000 customers have trusted Kewill Systems Plc for the management of their supply chain information including household names such as 3663, A.N. Deringer, Bhs, Brakes, DHL, Debenhams, Fedex, General Motors, General Electric, Glasgow City Council, Hastings Direct, Insurecom, JD Williams, Littlewoods, Marks & Spencer, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Panalpina, Philips, Polaris, Pratt & Whitney, Nisa Today’s, Sainsbury's, Texas Instruments, The Bodyshop, TNT, Toys R Us and UPS.
To find out more please contact:
Anne Staunton Tel: +44 (0) 845 056 0534 E-mail: anne.staunton@peak-marketing.co.uk
Nicky Godfrey Tel: +44 (0) 845 056 0534 E-mail: nicky.godfrey@peak-marketing.com