Understanding our customers’ business imperatives and what makes them tick enables Siemens to offer complete, one-stop solutions that draw upon the expertise of all our groups.

By adding value in this way, we are able to develop genuine, long-term partnerships of mutual bene?t.

By coincidence, Centrica and Siemens both launched strategic relationship initiatives 18 months ago, focusing respectively on key suppliers and customers.

“Having a strategic relationship with a supplier strengthens communication across both companies,” explains Sarah Clarkson, one of Centrica’s Strategic Supplier Managers, “especially when you have, as we do, executive sponsors at the highest level on either side who can broker and forge initiatives.

“It allows us the time and opportunity to understand the whole capability of Siemens, as opposed to merely knowing what the company is currently doing for British Gas, the Automobile Association or any of our other groups.

“It saves us a lot of time knowing that Siemens has capabilities that might be of bene?t to Centrica.”

Since appointing Siemens as one of its top 20 strategic suppliers, both organisations have worked hard on developing the relationship and are already exchanging useful expertise.

Having recently undergone major changes in its IT and knowledge management processes, for example, Siemens has been able to offer Centrica practical advice on managing its own impending upgrades.

Employees bene?t too: Centrica staff may have an opportunity to purchase home computers from Fujitsu Siemens Computers in the future, while Siemens employees enjoy discounts on Centrica products and services, including membership of the AA