Case Study: CB Heating (EDF)
From once small beginnings, now part of the EDF group providing heat pumps nationally.
Introduction to CB Heating
CB Heating (‘CBH’) was established in 1999 by Clayton Browne, an apprentice-trained plumber by trade. Clayton saw a future in renewable energy whilst initially working with Thermal Solar Energy systems, over 20 years ago. As new technologies developed and emerged on to the market, he was keen to explore and embrace them.
Clayton installed his first air source Heat pump with an underfloor heating system on a beautiful barn conversion all the way back in the year 2000. Since then, CB Heating has installed over 1,000 more. Today CB Heating has a large Head Office building in Clacton-on-Sea and have recently become part of the EDF Energy Group, Britain’s biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity.
The Problem
CBH came on board with MPX in 2022, originally managing their business using just spreadsheets. As their operations grew, they found themselves bumping up against the limitations of static spreadsheets, struggling to keep pace with the scale of their expanding business. Recognizing the need for a change, they decided it was time to systemize, optimize, and streamline their workflows, business practices, and customer journey. They reached out to us following a recommendation from one of our existing customers, who had seen substantial improvements in their own operations. Eager to transform their business, they were ready to embrace a more dynamic and integrated approach with MPX.
The Solution
CBH have made significant strides in enhancing their operations with the implementation of MPX, integrating a comprehensive inventory system designed to manage the complexities of product dependencies, composite products, and multi-supplier automated purchase orders. Additionally, we have implemented quoting and invoicing systems that feature advanced business intelligence capabilities, supporting multi-stage invoicing and adaptable changes during the design process. To manage their expansive installer network across the nation, we’ve rolled out a suite of tools that streamline job offers, diary management, and onboarding.
Since implementing these changes, we’ve not only streamlined the processes surrounding heating system design but also introduced a fully integrated digital signature facility for customer agreements. Their internal communication features have been bolstered to unite their growing team and enhance the customer journey, complemented by a fully automated dropshipping solution that alleviates the pressure on warehouse operations.
Growing with MPX
There’s a running joke at MPX, that once a company adopts our platform, they're on the fast track to being acquired by a larger entity. CBH is a prime example of this, having been purchased by EDF Energy as a key addition to their green initiative. Our commitment to continuously evolve our platform to meet the changing needs of our clients is unwavering.
Alongside our regular ongoing development roadmap (constantly evolving and shifting to the companies changing needs), we're excited to embark on a year-long project centred on automation and streamlining business processes. This project will introduce customer portals that allow for self-quoting, enhance the synchronization between customer interactions and our technical assessor and installation teams, and integrate semi-intelligent automated reporting features to further enhance operational efficiency.
CBH and MPX – The Perfect Fit?
There's much to admire about CB Heating's remarkable growth, especially since they've managed to scale so significantly while maintaining the charm of a family-run business. This is precisely why we believe CBH and MPX make such a perfect match. At the heart of both our companies is a 'People First' philosophy, which resonates deeply with our team approaches. Our close collaboration has been so seamless that we often feel like an extension of the CB Heating team, working together to achieve shared goals and maintain that warm, welcoming business environment even amidst rapid growth.
Check out the video here on what it’s like to work with CB Heating, you’ll notice almost every time there’s a computer screen in the shot, MPX is front and centre:
“Having worked with MPX for a number of years now I can say that the experience has been full of exciting innovation. The MPX team deliver such a personal experience that it makes you feel that you are their only customer. They just understand what we need better than we do most of the time. I have learnt that it is better to just outline a problem, the solution the team present always exceeds expectations and even now, years in our team get excited for every new development.
The support is second to none, just pick up the phone and you are straight through to a familiar voice who gets any problem solved with great urgency. I could not recommend highly enough, there is no other IT solution that does or could provide the level of skill or service that the MPX team do.”
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