Interview with Matthew Jones, Founder at Electronic Construction Exchange: Open ECX

Matthew Jones

Open ECX was established in 2012 and operates on a global scale, with a large international client base spanning across 16 countries. Open ECX works with many of the major names in the construction, manufacturing, engineering, wholesale and distribution supply chains.

We primarily focus on B2B transactional delivery, but we have now grown our platform to encompass the entire Purchase to Pay process. Fundamentally we help automate key businesses processes between buyers and suppliers which allows organisations to implement a digital strategy, take cost out of their back-office processes and move to a more efficient & eco-friendly way of working.

As a trusted partner to our customers, ECX is continually developing new solutions to drive further efficiencies and smarter ways of working and we’re passionate about delivering innovation to our customers and the industries that they work in. This year has seen a terrific amount of growth for our business. We are already partners to some of the biggest names in construction such as Sir Robert McAlpine, VINCI, Wolseley, and Grundfos and 2021 was another great year for Open ECX with new customers such as NG Bailey, Taylor Woodrow, James Donaldson, HG Construction and Scott Parnell becoming part of our ever-growing community.
 
 
Open ECX (@openECX) / Twitter
 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
Having worked in the construction sector and its supply chain for over 20 years, I wanted to bring technology solutions to this critical and vital industry.

I started Open ECX because I saw a gap in the construction industry for a level of digital innovation that just didn’t exist at the time. I also wanted to develop a platform that was truly open and agnostic to all businesses irrespective of the sector they service, position within the supply chain and existing systems that they operate.
 

 

How has the company evolved during the pandemic?

 
Obviously like millions of others, Open ECX had to adapt overnight to a policy of hybrid working, which I’m extremely proud to say we managed to do and were able to continue to provide a valuable service to our clients. In fact, I would say that our offering to clients became even more valuable during the pandemic.

Almost overnight, the industry had to adopt or fast-track its plans for a digital strategy. Critical business processes such as procurement accounts payable and customer sales had to rapidly transition to automated ways of working.

By being able to swiftly offer our customers a way of integrating their key business processes and relationships, we have created a truly global network of over 6000 active trading relationships.
 

What can we hope to see from OpenECX in the future?

 
At Open ECX we’re always evolving our solutions to ensure that they’re industry-leading and relevant to the needs of our customers and the industries we service. Our solution continues to win awards and this year we expect our Marketplace and wider e-trading solutions to bring even more benefit to our customer partners.