SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Smart CT has acquired 10,000 spare parts, increasing the Reading company’s stock by almost a third.

The additional items have passed quality assurance and are being distributed across more than 50 stocking locations in Western Europe and the US. The expansion will support Smart CT’s work maintaining, replacing and repairing IT infrastructure for manufacturers serving sectors including data centres, government, retail and financial services.

The enlarged inventory brings Smart CT’s total spare parts holding to about 40,000 items, according to Chief Executive Officer Andy Morgan. He said the company had made several purchases over the past year to increase stock in line with customer growth.

Smart CT operates through a partner network that includes manufacturers, managed service providers, system integrators and IT outsourcers. Its field operation now includes 65 engineers positioned to respond to incidents within four hours in some cases, or by the next working day.

The stock expansion comes as Smart CT reports a run of contract wins covering more than 65,000 devices across the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia. The agreements cover end-user networking equipment, switches, routers and Wi-Fi access points used by public bodies, retailers, health organisations, utilities and industrial sites.

New contracts

One contract will see Smart CT support 50,000 end-user networking devices and switches used by 70 government organisations, banks, airports, councils, fire and rescue services, and water and delivery companies. A second covers 12,000 devices for 279 health bodies and retail outlets in the UK, Italy, the Czech Republic and South Africa.

The third agreement covers 5,000 routers, switches and Wi-Fi access points for a global soft drink company at production facilities in Europe, Indonesia and Australia. The Australian work marks the company’s entry into a new market.

Morgan said Smart CT moved to secure extra stock after identifying an opportunity in the market.

“We saw the opportunities to add to our stock over the last 12 months and moved in to secure them,” said Andy Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Smart CT.

He added: “We have made several significant purchases, and it means we now have around 40,000 essential items dispersed across more than 50 warehouses in Europe. This allows us to keep pace with our steady growth in new customers and give even more assurance to our customers across different technologies, including networking, server and storage, and retail point-of-sale technologies.”

“A recent contract win means we also now have 65 engineers strategically placed and ready to respond within as little as four hours. Because we understand our customers so well, we recognise how business-critical it is to get technology connected quickly, so all of this makes us even better prepared.”

Service model

Smart CT said its operating model combines warehouse stock placement with software used to direct engineers and parts to callouts. Morgan said that approach supports the company’s maintenance and repair work for organisations that depend on uninterrupted IT systems.

“Having the right resource in the right place is one matter; having the digital tools to manage this is another. Our platforms guide us on the exact location and timing, and whether to send the most suitable engineer or source the appropriate spare parts, to ensure our maintenance offering is robust and assured,” said Morgan.

“The large enterprises we deal with need to feel confident that they are in safe hands.”

Smart CT said it ended 2025 with a series of contract wins that added tens of thousands of devices under support across retail, government organisations, health bodies and water companies. It also pointed to its service-level performance and its use of repair and parts reuse as part of its operating approach.

“We’ve grown because we have a track record of delivering excellent customer service and reliability,” said Morgan.

“We have a 99 per cent score in our SLAs because we can get engineers out quickly to deploy or replace devices and, where we can, we repair devices or reuse parts to keep them out of landfill, so we are truly part of the circular economy.”

On the latest contract awards, Morgan said one had taken significant effort to secure and described the Australian business as a first for the company.

“We’ve been chasing these deals for quite a while, particularly one of them, and the new business in Australia is a first for us, so I’m delighted to get them all across the line,” said Morgan.

“We were only able to manoeuvre into position to win both deals because of the strong and consistent internal support, so it has been a brilliant team effort,” he added.

Nio has opened a new research and development centre in Witney, Oxfordshire, its latest milestone in 10 years of engineering in the UK.

The 9,460 sq ft facility brings together more than 40 engineers under one roof and consolidates the company’s UK operations.

Nio Europe Vice President Hui Zhang said: “For a decade, our Oxfordshire team has been an integral part of NIO’s global R&D network, contributing to multiple vehicle programmes and engineering innovations across our global portfolio.

“As we celebrate this milestone, we thank the team for its dedication, expertise and contribution to NIO’s development over the past 10 years.

“The opening of our new Witney R&D centre reflects our long-term commitment to the UK, Europe and international collaboration in advancing smart electric mobility.”

The site consolidates Nio’s operations at Begbroke Science Park and Bicester Motion, and includes a computer-aided engineering workspace and a vehicle laboratory.

It has contributed to the development of Nio’s global vehicle portfolio, including the EP9 electric supercar and the flagship ET9.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), attended the opening ceremony.

He said: “This investment highlights the UK’s enduring strength as a centre of automotive collaboration and engineering excellence.

“NIO’s decision to consolidate its R&D activity here in a new, state of the art facility also reflects the depth of British talent and expertise in next-generation vehicle technologies.”

Nio currently operates R&D centres and manufacturing facilities in more than 10 locations.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

RIB Software has launched its Unify platform in the UK, initially targeting civil engineering and infrastructure projects.

The AI-native, cloud-native system is designed for construction teams, combining document management, process management, analytics and estimating in a single platform.

RIB is positioning Unify as a replacement for paper-based processes, spreadsheets, legacy desktop tools and separate point systems that often split information between site teams and office staff. The software is intended to support the full project lifecycle through a browser-based environment with mobile access for field workers.

UK focus

A central part of the UK rollout is the collaboration suite, which combines document and process management tools. These functions are intended to improve the flow of information between contractors, managers, subcontractors and other project participants, while offering an alternative to consumer messaging apps for work communications.

The platform includes embedded AI through RIB’s Omni AI system, alongside integrated analytics and workflow tools. According to RIB, this is intended to give project teams access to live project information and support faster commercial and operational decisions.

Rolf Helmes, Chief Product Officer at RIB Software, outlined the thinking behind the launch.

“Construction projects rely on collaboration between a vast network of stakeholders, disciplines, suppliers and delivery teams,” Helmes said.

“One of the industry’s biggest challenges is ensuring that every stakeholder has access to the right project detail at the right time. Unify has been designed to solve exactly that problem, creating a connected environment where project intelligence can move seamlessly throughout the project and across stakeholders.”

Estimating tools

Alongside collaboration features, RIB has placed a strong emphasis on estimating. Unify Estimating includes reusable estimating frameworks, direct links between take-off and estimate data, supplier and subcontractor workflows, built-in analytics and multi-user working on bids.

Quantities are connected directly to estimate items so design changes are reflected in cost data as they happen. This is intended to give teams clearer visibility of resources, wastage, utilisation and commercial drivers during bid preparation.

Helmes said market demand in Britain had shaped the launch priorities.

“We are seeing particularly strong demand in the UK market for document and process management capabilities to support bi-directional information flow and improve decision-making speed and accuracy,” Helmes said.

“Construction businesses need immediate access to reliable project intelligence and key documents to make informed commercial decisions, expedite timelines and maintain best practice across delivery.”

Sector pressure

The launch comes as construction groups face growing pressure to tighten control over project data, contract workflows and cost management across large, fragmented delivery chains. Civil engineering and infrastructure programmes in particular often involve multiple parties working from different systems over long timelines.

RIB said Unify was developed as a multi-tenant software-as-a-service platform, with scope to expand into other construction segments through additional modules. That suggests the UK launch is both a product introduction and a test of demand in one of Europe’s larger construction technology markets.

The company also framed the software as part of a wider push to help customers adopt AI-based tools within established project processes rather than as standalone applications.

“Being AI-native is fundamental,” Helmes said.

“Construction organisations are investing in technology that not only solves today’s challenges but also gives them confidence they are prepared for the future. Unify provides a foundation customers can continue to grow into as new workflows, modules, automation capabilities and AI-driven opportunities emerge.”

Long history

RIB said the launch draws on its more than 50 years in construction software. The company argued that this experience informed the platform’s design around the working practices and commercial pressures of building projects.

“For five decades, RIB Software has worked alongside the construction industry, evolving with its challenges and opportunities,” Helmes said.

“That depth and breadth of experience is embedded in Unify. This is not technology designed in isolation; it is a platform shaped by the realities of construction projects and the people delivering them every day.”