MF Communications Autumn Newsletter
The dark evenings are drawing in and the early morning and late evening temperatures are starting to drop. That can only mean autumn is on its way and after a somewhat disappointing summer, it doesn’t seem quite right or fair somehow. That said, the team at MF Communications have been as busy than ever and there is lots of news to share with you.
Business news
We continually support businesses still operating legacy PBX telephone systems, with demand being particularly high in the Middle East. A recent contract involved $65,000 of telecoms equipment in this area. This follows a deal worth $45,000 of Ericsson and Aastra telecoms equipment and $18,000 of Nortel and Avaya stock in Saudi Arabia.
In fact, in August MF Communications had a record month for shipping phones and parts. In addition to the above, we shipped $90K of remanufactured Siemens IP telephones to a maintainer in South Africa and £35K of Avaya Blue (previously Nortel) legacy equipment to Asia. Multiple shipments went to nine countries, in addition to the UK. They included systems, system hardware and business phones.
As a global company, the list of countries we now deal with extends to over 100. We think that’s worth shouting about.
Celebrating 15 years!
MF Communications has been in operation for 15 years now, having grown from two staff members to over sixteen. Matt and Fraser have seen a great deal of change in the telecoms industry during their time in business, which added together spans over 40 years. The company started out as a reseller of telecoms hardware. At the time, the demand for business phone systems and hardware was high following the opening up of the telecoms market to competition from manufacturers other than BT.
Major changes in the way we communicate have seen a shift from traditional PBX systems to hosted/cloud-based solutions and use of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) for cheaper calls. Many manufacturers have discontinued production of their traditional PBX ranges, however, demand continues. A major part of MF Communications’ business is supplying fully remanufactured business phones and systems to companies that still prefer to use them.
In response to changes in the industry, as well as consumer demand, MF Communications evolved to become a full service telecoms provider. The company continues to sell new and remanufactured business phones, PBX systems, parts and spares from a number of major telecoms manufacturers, including Alcatel, Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Ericsson/Aastra, Matra, Mitel, Nortel/BT, Polycom and Unify/Siemens. In addition to selling hardware, MF Communications provides a range of services, including:
• Installation/de-installation and recycling, upgrading (hardware and software), maintenance and support and fault-finding
• Low cost line rental, including analogue, ISDN2, ISDN30 and leased lines, as well as business mobile contracts and broadband
• Hosted solutions including VoIP platforms
• Support to operators, utility companies and large organisations with core networking solutions, access and switching
With four new members of staff joining this year, MF Communications now includes a team of engineers, warehouse operatives, project managers, sales executives, account and admin staff and marketers.
New staff members
In July, we welcomed Terry Lane who joined the team as Digital Marketing Manager. Terry will manage online growth & development – overseeing the build of two new company websites, extending social output and improving digital output & communication.
A Kentish Man born in Gravesend, Terry has a BA (Hons) degree in Politics and an MSc in Advanced Information Technology, along with 18 years’ experience in website development, online marketing & project management. Terry’s interest includes music, from classical & jazz to dub reggae & punk through to electronic and experimental music. He also loves football & blogging (www.buzzinmusic.co.uk & www.buzzinfootball.co.uk), golf, tennis & gardening.
This summer Mark Davidson joined the team as a sales administrator. Mark’s main role involves supporting the sales team, including sourcing potential new clients, invoicing and setting up shipments. With a background in sales, customer service and journalism, Mark is used to handling large volumes of calls, dealing with people and working to deadlines. A local lad, Mark attended school at Sackville and St. Gregory’s and his interests include writing and film and Coventry City football club.
Martyn Bristow joined the engineering team in August. A Level 2 qualified Electrical Engineer, Martyn previously worked for a repair company, fixing and maintaining an array of electrical devices and computer systems. He also ran his own repair business, focussing on PC/Laptop repairs alongside mobile phones, tablets and other mobile devices. When he’s not dismantling and rebuilding electrical items Martyn enjoys various sports including football, tennis, snooker, golf and mountain Biking. In his spare time, he also enjoys watching films, socialising with friends and spending time with family.
MF Staff taking to the stage
Our head engineer, Jon Purvis, is a member of the Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society (TWODS). He will be appearing in their latest production of Sunset Boulevard at the Assembly Halls next month. The performances will run from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th November and tickets are on sale now. TWODS has been running for over 125 years and puts on extremely high standard, professional shows and as a non-profit making charity, we urge you to support them and Jon in their latest production.
