Amillan

About Alstom

In the UK, Alstom is active in the rail, power and electricity transmission sectors, operating from 30 sites and employing more than 6,500 people across the country. Around a third of all rail journeys in the UK are made on Alstom rolling stock, their generating kit powers half of the UK’s power stations, and they operate the only large-scale transformer manufacturing facility in the UK.

Their sites in Stafford and Rugby have been at the forefront of engineering developments since the 19th-century and continue to produce cutting edge technology for projects across the world.

Alstom sought a new solution that would allow it to introduce a single IP based solution to meet all of its telephony needs in the UK.

Due to the nature of Alstom’s business, the chosen solution would need to be implemented across a diverse assortment of sites, from traditional office environments to engineering labs, workshops and even live worksites on the London Underground and UK Mainline train networks.

Our Relationship

Alstom decided that the Amillan’s solution would be the best fit for the organisation’s needs, providing the perfect balance of robustness and flexibility to meet their diverse telephony requirements in the UK.

The IP telephony solution would encompass all of Alstom’s 2,800 extensions across 30 UK sites. The Alstom Rugby system was rolled out to accommodate around 1,400 users.

Amillan’s extensive experience of project management and deployment of solutions at busy industrial sites allowed for a fast implementation, with minimal disruption to Alstom’s normal business operations.

Amillan and Alstom continue to work closely together, with Amillan providing on-going development, maintenance and day-to-day support for their telephony environment.

Extensive Infrastructure Imagination Technologies
By Amillan Enabling Innovation at Global Scale

Imagination Technologies is one of the world’s leading semiconductor and software design companies. Its processors and graphics IP sit at the heart of products we all use every day – from smartphones and laptops to car infotainment systems, digital radios, and game consoles. Though often behind the scenes, Imagination’s technology powers experiences for global brands such as Apple, Sony, and NVIDIA.

With a workforce of over 2,000 specialists spread across the UK, Europe, Asia, and beyond, Imagination operates at the cutting edge of design and simulation. Their engineers don’t just consume IT services – they push technology to its limits, running simultaneous high-value projects for multiple global customers, all of whom demand absolute protection of their intellectual property.

Meeting these demands requires more than a traditional network. It requires a resilient, secure, and agile platform capable of enabling advanced design and simulation at global scale.

For more than a decade, Amillan has been Imagination’s chosen partner, trusted to deliver this platform and to evolve it continuously as the business grows.

The Challenge
Imagination’s requirements went far beyond a conventional infrastructure refresh. They needed:

Extreme resilience – a single dropped connection could lose a day of work on a year-long, multimillion-pound project.
A high-performance “grid” environment – powerful emulators that let engineers test processors virtually before silicon is manufactured, avoiding costly runs of flawed chips.
Strict IP segregation – ensuring that simultaneous projects for Sony, Apple, NVIDIA, and others remain completely siloed while still delivering administrator-level performance for their engineers.
Global consistency – the same secure, high-speed user experience whether working in London, New York, or worldwide.
Lean operations – a handful of highly skilled IT staff managing a worldwide infrastructure that consists of thousands of users.
Rapid scalability – the ability to take a design from informal conception to full production to where having it running in production within days, sometimes turning around multimillion-pound-impact projects in weeks.

The Solutions

Amillan designed and delivered a modular, flexible, and highly resilient infrastructure for Imagination, encompassing:

Data Centre Transformation at Scale – migrating to new-generation switching fabric, designed with multiple redundant paths for uninterrupted operation.
Acceleration of the Emulator Grid – expanding the capacity and network speed of Imagination’s hypercomputing environment, stream-lining productivity enabling jobs that once took 12 months to be completed in just one month. This immediately freed capacity to support more customer projects and paid back the investment almost instantly.
Global Secure Connectivity – deploying consistent, resilient wireless and network solutions across campuses worldwide, so every employee experiences the same high performance regardless of location.
Siloed Project Environments – designing secure network architectures that allow multiple customer projects to run side by side, completely segregated to protect their client’s IP while maintaining performance.
Lean Operations Enablement – streamlining management so that a specialist elite IT team can operate a worldwide enterprise-class infrastructure, designed and supported by Amillan’s dedicated Professional Services division.
Agility in Delivery – from rapid-response high-value upgrades to long-term strategic expansions, Amillan has delivered projects on time, within budget, that meet the business goals of Imagination Technologies.

The Results
The partnership has delivered outcomes far beyond that of purely infrastructure projects:

Massive Performance Gains – critical simulation tasks accelerated from months to weeks, unlocking new revenue opportunities.
Resilience Without Compromise – multiple redundant paths and high-availability designs ensure uninterrupted service.
Immediate ROI – infrastructure investments paying for themselves within weeks by freeing up capacity for new projects.
Global Consistency – every site worldwide now delivers the same secure, seamless experience to engineers and partners.
Trusted Partnership – Imagination continues to review vendors but has consistently chosen Amillan for over a decade, recognising the unique value of a partner that combines deep expertise with flexibility, agility, and trust.

Customer Testimonials

“Amillan aren’t just a supplier – they are an extension of our team. From carefully planned global rollouts to last-minute requests that demand something extraordinary in days, they consistently rise to the challenge. Their combination of deep technical expertise, agility, and genuine collaboration makes them an invaluable partner. Amillan gives us the confidence to innovate at speed, scale securely, and focus on pushing the boundaries of design.”

— Quote from Paul Alexander, Imagination Technologies

“Working with Imagination Technologies isn’t about building a standard IT network – it’s about enabling one of the world’s most advanced design environments. Their emulator grid, global teams, and stringent IP protection requirements operate on a scale few companies could even attempt to manage. What makes this partnership unique is the trust and agility between us. The synergy between Amillan and Imagination Technologies, combined with a modular architecture of active network, management, and cabling systems, allows us to adapt dynamically to evolving business needs. The result is resilient service, higher efficiency, and measurable revenue impact. Amillan has become an extension of their team – helping them innovate faster and more securely across the globe”

— Quote Nigel Cowie, Technology Solutions Architect, Amillan Limited

Why Amillan?

This case study shows more than technical capability – it shows what true partnership can achieve.

Amillan has supported Imagination Technologies through multiple generations of growth and transformation, enabling one of the world’s most advanced semiconductor innovators to design faster, collaborate securely, and scale globally.

Few organisations can claim to deliver enterprise-class networks for customers of this calibre, under conditions where time is literally worth millions. Amillan can.

Unified Communications – James Cropper
By Amillan Limited, Your Trusted Managed Services Provider
James Cropper is a globally recognised manufacturer of advanced materials and specialist paper products, based in the UK with operations spanning over 50 countries. With a strong reputation for innovation, sustainability, and quality, the business supports sectors ranging from luxury packaging to aerospace composites. Amillan has extensive experience working in the manufacturing vertical, with a deep understanding of the sector’s specific communication challenges and operational requirements.

The Challenge

As James Cropper continued its innovation-led growth strategy, the company required a robust and flexible communications platform that could support collaboration across multiple global locations. Their legacy systems
lacked scalability and did not offer the level of integration or visibility needed to support modern workflows—particularly in support of their R&D and international client engagement teams.

The Solution

Amillan delivered a comprehensive, fully managed Unified Communications and infrastructure solution designed to meet James Cropperʼs multi-site, high-security, and safety-critical requirements. The deployment combined state-of-the-art IP telephony, collaboration tools, mobility services, and resilient data networking into a single, integrated environment. A cornerstone of the project was the consultative design and deployment of James Cropperʼs LAN and WLAN infrastructure. During the pre-consultative exercise, Amillan carried out a full wireless profile of the busy manufacturing site, identifying potential sources of interference and developing a bespoke design tailored to the operational environment.

This approach ensured that the deployed solution could:

Prioritise critical traffic for production and R&D applications.
Minimise latency for voice and collaboration tools.
Safeguard core production activities from disruption.

Amillan successfully implemented a new enterprise data networking solution at the main UK campus, delivered on time and within budget. Building on this success, Amillan supported the expansion of the LAN and WLAN infrastructure to remote sites worldwide, creating a consistent, secure, and scalable global network environment.

Key Elements of the Solution

Data Network Infrastructure

This approach ensured that the deployed solution could:

Prioritise critical traffic for production and R&D applications.
Minimise latency for voice and collaboration tools.
Safeguard core production activities from disruption.

Cabling Infrastructure

A high-availability telephony core was deployed using a virtualised architecture, providing redundancy, scalability, and future-proofing for James Cropperʼs expanding global operations.

Resilient Virtualised Unified Communications Platform

A high-availability telephony core was deployed using a virtualised architecture, providing redundancy, scalability, and future-proofing for James Cropperʼs expanding global operations.

Full IP Telephony Across All Locations

Modern IP handsets and soft clients replaced the legacy systems, delivering consistent call quality, centralised management, and the flexibility to adapt to different working environments.

UCaaS and CPaaS With Microsoft Teams Integration

A UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) platform was deployed as a softphone and a CPaaS ( Collaboration Platform as a Service), offering presence, instant messaging, audio, and video capabilities. Partial integration with Microsoft Teams ensured a seamless user experience for employees already working within the Microsoft 365 environment.

Full-Site DECT Coverage

Wireless DECT infrastructure provided robust site-wide mobility, enabling employees to stay connected across manufacturing floors, warehouses, and office spaces with guaranteed voice quality.

Man-Down Services For Lone Workers and Hazardous Areas

Specialist DECT handsets with man-down functionality were introduced to safeguard lone workers and staff operating in potentially dangerous areas, automatically triggering alerts in the event of falls or inactivity.

Deployment and Support

Amillan carried out a full network readiness assessment before implementation, ensuring the infrastructure could support the increased demands of voice, video, and mobility services. Post-deployment, Amillan provided comprehensive user training and continues to deliver 24/7 proactive monitoring and support, giving James Cropper centralised visibility, operational resilience, and peace of mind.

Benefits Delivered

Seamless collaboration between departments and remote teams.
Reduced reliance on disparate systems and improved productivity.
Centralised visibility and simplified management through Amillanʼs 24/7 support services.
Reliable and scalable infrastructure supporting future expansion.
Enhanced support for hybrid working and external communications.
Enhanced safety for lone workers through man-down services.

Customer Testimonials

“The support from Amillan has transformed the way we collaborate across global teams. Their understanding of our sector and proactive support model has been key to the smooth rollout and ongoing success of our communications strategy”

— Quote from Alistair Belshaw, IT infrastructure & Security Manager, James Cropper

“Working with an innovation-led manufacturer like James Cropper is a perfect fit for our approach. Our goal was to deliver a secure, scalable platform that supports their collaborative workflows and future growth.”

— Quote from Darren Greally, Account, Sales Director, Amillan