Pinnacle Communications Services
Global Teamwork Means Project Success
As vice president of operations for Pinnacle Communications Services, Joe Licursi thrives on challenges. So when Pinnacle landed a unique cabling project overseas, he and the company met the challenges head-on — and the challenges were numerous. Pinnacle's client Technicolor Film Services, is the world's largest processor of motion picture film, with locations in the United States, the UK and Italy. Pinnacle and Technicolor had worked together for several years, and Pinnacle had helped establish Technicolor cabling standards in the United States.
The new project involved completely rewiring the film lab at Technicolor's Film Division in Rome. The primary objective was to convert from direct Twinax connectivity to a local area network-based platform. Technicolor also needed other corporate computing resources, such as LAN-based email for the end-users in Italy. Last but certainly not least, Technicolor wanted the installation to adhere to cabling standards already set and installed in the United States.
According to Avo Amirian, president and CEO of Pinnacle, one of the initial challenges was trying to figure out from across the ocean what resources were needed for the project. "First, we had never seen the job site. And the second thing was that because of the timing — we had so many other projects going one — there was no way I could have sent out four or five key people."
Amirian and Licursi knew that while Pinnacle could handle the installation, a local vendor was also needed that could help support and maintain the system after the project was completed and the Pinnacle experts had gone back to the States. Amirian explained the situation: "We contacted all of the leading cabling system manufacturers, and no one could provide the same level of support and global installer network as Siemon. We contacted Siemon's CI support services and they in turn put us in touch with Technodata, a Siemon Certified Installer in Florence."
The project team thus consisted of Technicolor's network services director from Camarillo, California, LAN support staff from the Film Division's UK office, local IS staff from the Rome office, two wiring specialists from Pinnacle, including Licursi and Sal D'Agostaro, its cabling manager, as well as the two support staff from Technodata.
Everyone moved quickly, trying to stay on top of Technicolor's deadlines. "I think we had 48 hours to finalize things — to get pricing approval and everything else," Amirian said. "And that is unheard of. There was no way we could have come up with the project plan without everyone working together. Some companies would have taken two weeks just to give us the OK on the pricing. The Siemon Company immediately approved it and said 'let's get the ball rolling'."
With the team in place, the Pinnacle crew flew to Italy, arriving on January 2, 1997. They had just 15 days to complete the project. The pressure was on. It was a matter of balancing and judging, of carefully assessing the situation, and doing it quickly — all things Pinnacle, as an experienced Siemon CI, knew well. And rather than be deterred by the challenges and obstacles that confronted them, they surged ahead.
The language barrier was easily resolved, for instance. Both Licursi and D'Agostaro speak fluent Italian. That helped put Technicolor officials at ease. "Language problems are always the first hurdle to overcome," noted Clementine Finch, Technicolor's information systems director. "I was fortunate in having cabling staff from Pinnacle who spoke Italian. They were responsible for managing the entire cabling aspect of the project, and coordinating our needs with the Technodata staff from Florence."
The building itself presented some unique cabling challenges. Dating back to the early 1900s, the antiquated structure had 12-inch thick concrete walls and cavernous basements, and it lacked drop ceilings. But coordinating efforts with staff from Technodata proved beneficial since they were familiar with that type of construction and could provide valuable advice from their own experiences. Surface mount raceways were used to route the cabling. "We were coming from an environment that construction-wise is a lot different from theirs," Licursi noted.
Technicolor was also pleased by the teamwork. "Having the local expertise of a company to work with my California vendors was invaluable," Finch said. "Knowing that the same quality products I receive here were also available and certified at my European site gave me the security to know that I wouldn't have to worry when I returned to the States." The new system used a variety of Siemon products: Cat 5 patch panels and patch cords; Cat 5 couplers; faceplates; 19" cable managers and wrap-around cable managers. Siemon offers faceplates that are styled to match electrical fittings throughout the world, including Italy.
"Pinnacle and the team we brought together solved a rather important and complicated problem," Licursi said. "Technicolor trusted Pinnacle and Siemon Company because of our past track records in the United States." As a result of their global teamwork, the project was completed on time and met all specifications. Both client and vendor were pleased with the outcome.
"Everybody was happy," Amirian said. "We were happy and the client was happy. We always look at the customers' interests first. And in the long-term we win because we get long-term clients who are satisfied with the quality of our work.
And Joe Licursi was happy too, too. "I got a trip back to my home country. What more could you ask for?" he joked.
The way the Siemon Company cane into play, how they coordinated the activities, is a prime example of how they create and maintain a relationship with a CI," Amirian said. "They could have just told us, 'Here's the number, you call.' But first of all they found the person, they conference called them online, stayed on the line and followed through."
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