How Continuant Serves as a “Natural Resource” to This Pacific Northwest Icon
Background
Founded in 1900 in Tacoma, Washington, by Frederick Weyerhaeuser, the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company (as it was known then) opened its doors in Longview, Washington, with just three employees and 900,000 acres of timberland purchased by 15 partners.
The solution
Takeover of day to day tasks regarding legacy systems
Maintenance and support for Avaya and Nortel systems at 47 locations
Vital assistance in system transition with Cisco support and staff augmentation
The challenge
Several remote wood processing facilities with disparate aging voice platforms
Internal changes demanding the focus of in-house telecom team
High costs and demand hinderingdevelopmentof future technologies
Uncertainty regardingtransitionto Cisco
The story
Fast forward 117 years to the Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY), one of the largest sustainable forest products companies in the world, boasting 9,300 employees around the world, 13 million acres of timberlands, primarily in the United States, and 2019 revenues of $7.4 billion. Weyerhaeuser is number 406 on the Fortune 500 list.
From the very beginning, founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser knew the value of focusing on sustainability and making wise use of the natural resources upon which his company was founded. “This [resource] is not for us, nor for our children,” he was often quoted saying. It is, instead, “for our grandchildren.”
For more than a century, the company has been committed to responsible management of natural resources, keeping an eye toward preserving the resource for future generations. Listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Weyerhaeuser now operates three main business divisions: Timberlands; Real Estate, Energy & Natural Resources; and Wood Products.
Weyerhaeuser’s locations are fairly spread out, as one might expect given the nature of the timber industry. Because of that, communication is important, and can be difficult to maintain. This became truer and truer as the company’s Avaya and Nortel systems began to show their age. Though Weyerhaeuser wanted to update its technology, the high costs the legacy system demanded prevented its internal team from pursuing this agenda. The uncertainty born from a potential transition coupled with the burdens of the legacy system made one thing abundantly clear: Weyerhaeuser needed help.
That help came at last in 2015, when Continuant came on to take on the day to day tasks the company needed done for the sake of its legacy systems. Weyerhaeuser trusted Continuant with 47 different locations, all in remote locations with disparate Avaya and Nortel systems. Even so, Continuant provided support for them all.
As Weyerhaeuser continues to migrate to Cisco, Continuant remains a vital part of this natural resources company’s ability to keep the lines open, assisting Weyerhaeuser with Cisco support and staff augmentation. The relationship has been, and continues to be, a "natural fit!"
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