The EMEA Cash and Payments Seminar at the CICC in Cape Town, hosted by Currency Research, opened with an evening Reception. This followed a day of transporting and building up our modular desktop machines, the V series and X range. Visitors started to flow during the Reception and our machines, which we had running, started to gather an audience.
Day 1 highlights – nonstop demo’s and a dynamic presentation
David Hawkins, Head of Product was kept busy for much of the two days with demo’s, with Shawn Ashdown, MD of CPS South Africa and Angus Edy, CPS Contracts Manager EMEA, also stepping in. With the EMEA Seminar having a strong focus on Central Banks, it was the V that was kept running almost continually.
Barrie Foley, CEO of CPS took to the main stage for a dynamic and convincing presentation on how and why the CPS V Series is the sustainable solution, using a variety of data points in the machine to deliver the insight. The message which came across above all was how, as an industry, we can change the face of banknote sorting to deliver performance but in a much smaller footprint, along with being modular to allow any bank, regardless of size to start making efficiencies now, by harnessing the data capabilities within the machine, and across multi-machine, multi-site for banks with larger estates. Harnessing data is the only way to create real efficiencies, as it defines deliverables and enables KPI setting and attainment.
Day 2 highlights – working in partnership and a fantastic thought leadership Panel.
CPS and software company ECM fostered their strong partnership by working together on opportunities. CPS’s sustainable approach is all about the data, the domain of ECM, and CPS’s compact desktop range are built with analytics in mind. With a steady flow of visitors crossing from CPS to ECM and vice versa, both companies strived to get the message home.
A further opportunity to take to the centre stage came with Jamie Cockerell, MD of ECM, hosting a Panel of industry speakers, who discussed their own experiences with business transformation, from software and/or hardware technology implementation, to changing cultures and leveraging data. The Panel included long established customers – Louter Vosloo of FNB South Africa, and Leon Naude of SBV Services, in addition to Barrie Foley, CEO of CPS. While the Bank of Ghana were unable to attend in person, Jamie had permissions, due to the longevity of the relationship, to present their ECM software implementation.
Common threads ran across each panellist. Leon Naude, of SBV Services, shared their major issue with decentralised legacy architecture, and highlighted the mindset of “technology enabling the process, not leading it”, as being essential for shareholder buy-in. He commented that “centralisation is the single most important benefit. SBV are a complex organisation offering a multitude of services to the banking and retailing community, and ECM have been instrumental to providing that centralised control as an enabler of business growth.
Louter Vosloo of FNB shared what he termed their “optimisation journey”, bringing data into the equation for measurability, demonstrating impressive KPI’s over a period.
CPS took on the mantle of business change, echoing SBV, but with an emphasis on the power of data to counter cost and driving efficiency pressures inherent in every business today. Referencing Industry 4.0, particularly aerospace and automotive, Barrie talked in terms of improving efficiencies on the machine itself using 6 Sigma technologies and continuous improvement, in addition to getting more data from the banknote and continuing to learn from this. Citing the Bank of Ghana case study, Barrie talked about customer and supplier partnerships built on learning and collaboration. Such business value is not built overnight, but over time, with all panellists lucidly explaining their thoughts and approaches, providing breadth to this shared experience.
A fantastic business and social event by Currency Research
Currency Research provided many networking opportunities to break up the presentations, with local cuisine delivered to the large exhibition room, providing a convivial environment. The whole team enjoyed a night out organised by Currency Research to experience local food and dance performances, in a very lively evening.
All in all, the Seminar provided a thought-provoking, forward-looking event and we were delighted to take our part on the centre stage.
