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4 June 2016 -- In today's interconnected World, with intelligent automation replacing people, does location still matter for business services? Our answer: Absolutely. However, we predict the drive for intelligent automation signals the rise of intelligent site selection, with highly customized site selection linked to digital transformation of entire industries.
Business services location choices over the past decade years were frequently based on general criteria access a plentiful supply of backoffice and IT skills and the rise of hot locations and providers, usually operating on a model described as "low cost" and "offshore". These offshore locations and providers experienced enormous growth as work previously performed 'onshore' was transferred to global inhouse or shared service centres outsourced to providers often in remote locations. Today this model has changed radically with the digital transformation of businesses underway. The widespread availability of cloud-based technology and widening range of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) options means new operating models erase many of the requirements for large offshore pools of low cost talent. But the human element remains essential, and thus a highly rigorous, intelligent process is necessary to choose the 'right pond' and right mix for a specific company, strategy and investment project in this digital transformation landscape. This is backed-up by C-level executives, two-thirds of whom in a recent survey claimed finding the right talent remains their company's first or second priority. As advances in robotic process automation remove pure labour arbitrage motivations for location choices, companies will focus more than ever on combining digital and technology-enabled business models with access to the right talent and an eco-system that ensures the company continually engages, leverages, integrates the best of what is becomes "the cutting edge". Being part of the right ecosystems ensures a company is continually challenged to be innovation-driven, delivering value beyond lower costs. Getting back-to-basics, in the Autumn 2015 Rightshoring Supplement of Professional Outsourcing Magazine, we revisited the people, processes and data required for successful business services location projects in 2016. Visit our Research & Publications section for more. 19 April 2016 -- The CFO Journey to Glocalisation -- By 2016 the shared services and outsourcing sector had been showing signs of maturity, with universal calls for greater innovation. Finally the innovation seems to be arriving, and it is not surprisingly associated with what Joseph Schumpeter called "creative disruption" across the industry. As the value of existing business services models is increasingly challenged by cloud-based services, robotic automation, and outcome-based pricing for outsourcing, who brings the skills and scope of reach to envision and pilot the way forward? Seizing the new opportunities and delivering the next level of value is more complex than before and it is why CFO’s are increasingly taking control running projects to assess current models and value they generate, explore the opportunities and threats, and lead the putting in place of global-local and hybrid business services models. In a recent article co-authored by experts from Lumiu/IAFEI and ex TMF Group we discuss the CFO journey and trends and impacts for organizations. Outsourcing and shared services have been showing signs of maturity for some time. Now innovation is clearly causing disruption across the industry. Cloud-based services, data analytics capabilities, robotic automation, and outcome-based pricing for outsourcing, are just a few of the trends having the greatest impact. As organizations seek to navigate and optimize the value from the new business services landscape, who has the skills and scope to envision and pilot the way forward their organizations? Seizing new opportunities and delivering the next level of value is more complex than before and it is why CFO’s are increasingly taking control running global projects to benchmark and assess current models, understand new opportunities to deliver greater value, and generating and instituting new business models. Global-local and hybrid models leverage the best of competitive in-house provided services with strategic outsourcing and cloud services optimized to specific organization contexts. Experts from Lumiu/IAFEI/TMF discuss trends and impacts for organizations. 1 March 2015 -- As Portugal's business services sector continues to expand, the sector's leaders are collaborating to seize future potential. On March 12th at the Palácio da Bolsa in the Northern city of Porto, the symposium "Portugal Future Nearshore" will explore initial results from a project, supported by Lumiu Consulting, focused on creating the right framework, investment climate and promotional initiatives to broaden and accelerate the sector's potential for development. The Symposium explores the opportunities and challenges in Portugal to stimulate and support this rapidly growing sector, and will highlight success stories that are shaping the ability for businesses to seize value through global business services and investments delivered from Portugal. Lumiu consultants will be among the discussants at the the symposium hosted and co-financed by TICE, the Portuguese Platform for Information Technology and Electronic Communication, along with partners and stakeholders including the Portugal Outsourcing Association (APO), NOVA School of Business and Economics, Computer Graphics Centre and PowerData. 5 February 2015 -- Lumiu ranks again among the "Best Advisory Services Firms of the Year" at the 2015 Central and Eastern Europe Outsourcing & Shared Services Awards. For the second year in a row, Lumiu was shortlisted in the General Advisory/Location Advisory category, by an international jury of industry experts for the 2015 CEE Outsourcing and Shared Services Awards. More than 350 industry professionals participated in the Awards Gala and a Forum on CEE Shared Services and Outsourcing trends, organized by the business magazine publisher, BiznesPolska, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Warsaw on February 5th, 2015. Lumiu was recognized thanks to growing capabilities and portfolio of client projects in Poland and CEE region in 2014-2015, including leaders in their sectors such as Teleperformance Group, TMF Group, and the City of Katowice. The prestigious CEE Outsourcing and Shared Services Awards, now in their third year, recognize excellence across the business services sector in CEE, and the companies and individuals contributing most to the development of the business services sector across the region and having global impact. Along with Lumiu, other firms shortlisted in the general advisory category included: PwC Poland (winner), Deloitte Global Location Services, Accent for Professionals and Hickey & Associates. 10 November 2014 -- The Portugal Outsourcing Association (APO) has engaged Lumiu and Nova School of Business and Economics (NovaSBE) in a collaboration to analyze and promote Portugal’s business services industry worldwide. The project is an initiative of APO and TICE, the centre for building competitiveness across Portugal's information, communication and electronic technologies sector. The project aims to provide meta-level insights and recommendations Portugal’s technology-based modern business services industry includes more than 450 centres for shared services, ITO, BPO and customer services, and has been growing at double digit rates in recent years. In addition to domestic champions such as Portuguese IT leader Novabase, international companies such as Cisco, Teleperformance, HP and Solvay are currently providing services from Portugal and report plans for further investing and hiring. The growth reflects the evolution of global business services with companies increasingly preferring round-the-clock global operating models for central functions such as finance and accounting, HR, and IT. Captive multi-service centers now combine with selective outsourcing to expert external providers, all being delivered across strategic near-shore, on-shore, off-shore geographies. In this climate, experts point to Portugal as a rising star due to a skilled, multilingual workforce, world-class ICT infrastructure, and newly competitive costs within the European Union. As the leading association in Portugal of BPO/ITO/SSC leaders, APO intends for the collaboration with TICE, Lumiu and NovaSBE, to grow into a larger cross-sector partnership in 2015. The goal is to further develop Portugal’s resources and capabilities while positioning the country as a leader in the minds of decision makers influencing global business services, shared services, ITO and BPO. In parallel, the Portuguese one-stop inward investment agency AICEP continues to promote the sector including via information sessions across Europe, in cities such as Berlin, Brussels and Paris in coming months. Contact Lumiu for more on the Portugal business services sector information sessions, including in Paris 3rd December 2014. 30 June 14 -- Of all executive suite leaders, CFO's now have the greatest influence on decisions about business services, including IT, and the configuration of shared services and outsourcing for their organizations. New research from Lumiu and IAFEI, the international association of CFO's and Finance Directors, first published in the Summer edition of Professional Outsourcing Magazine explains different CFO approaches to leveraging transformed business services to support corporate strategy. We explore how Finance Director profiles have broadened to match increased demands for finance function support to deliver value to the business in addition to fulfilling the existing role in measuring and reporting the numbers. Transformed business services, including the leveraging of platforms of shared services and outsourcing, are enabling a better, faster, more complete picture for CFO's and business executives. 01 May 14 -- Lumiu associates to chair location optimization sessions at World BPO/ITO Forum at the New York Athletic Club 2-3 June 2014.
17 Feb 14 - Katowice ranked second best among 468 cities and regions for 2014-2015 foreign direct investment strategy in according to FdI Intelligence, just behind Glasgow. 06 Feb 14 - Professional Outsourcing Magazine reports on why companies such as IBM and Capgemini have created bases in such places as Katowice in Poland. Research from ABSL and Jones Lang LaSalle explain drivers including ability for more than a third of centres to operate in eight or more languages. 20 Jan 14 - Lumiu shortlisted "Best Advisory Services Firm of the Year" with PwC, Accent at CEE Outsourcing and Shared Services Awards 18 Dec 13 - IAFEI's Global study of Management Accountants and Controllers shows increasing role they play as strategic partners with top management to enhance the quality of corporate decision making. Despite technological advances, human intelligence seems best leveraged through Excel spreadsheets which remain the tool of choice. IAFEI Special Global Report on Management Control. 09 Dec 13 - European Outsourcing Association Belgium Annual Conference - "How to Ensure Alignment & Build Trust" - CapGemini, HP and MedZ Sourcing discuss Experiences shaping the future of ITO while leveraging nearshore capabilities in Morocco 20 Nov 13 - MedZ Sourcing and HCL partner with EOA Belgium for 3rd Annual Conference 11 Nov 13 - 6th European Economic Forum highlights attractiveness of Łódź as one of Poland's best investment opportunities 30 Oct 13 - Lumiu recognized for in-kind support helping voluntary associations and charitable organisations including EOA, IAFEI, Slow Food, Euro Gusto. |
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