Satisfying Top Gun Technology’s Need for Expansion at Speed
Introduction
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, popularly referred to as Top Gun, is known for producing the world’s finest fighter pilots. They set the highest standards and are go-to fliers when the stakes are high. In the tech world, technicians possessing the highest attainable expertise are similarly known as “top guns.” They’re the elite force that technology superpowers send in to get critical servers or networks back online quickly.
In 2007, a select group of IBM expats decided to push this concept to new heights when they formed Top Gun to provide the highest caliber of infrastructure and maintenance support for mission-critical operations everywhere.
The Challenges
Facing down tough odds in winning jobs & doing the job.
The Top Gun team set sky-high standards and performance expectations for themselves: 4-hour delivery of critical spare parts and service — and going global at the speed of sound. Getting spares and technicians to a site and fixing problems in a matter of hours is hero’s work.
Making that happen is what Top Gun lives for — and what end customers demand in today’s uber-competitive marketplace. As their growth continued, they knew they needed to enhance their global coverage for rapid deployment of mission-critical spare parts in order to meet customer demand and manage cost. They also knew the CAPEX needed to build their own spare parts network was heavy and would decrease profitability.
“They’re growing faster than before because they can sell into these new regions knowing we have their back. The proof is in the FSLs they’ve quickly set up and got up to speed serving clients — and in the contracts they’ve won…”
– Brian Dunleavy | Flash Global Director of Business Development
The Solutions
Finding a wingman with an established network of technicians and locations.
PARTNERSHIP
Top Gun knew they needed a trusted partner who could help them scale their services
without compromising Top Gun’s elite standards.
EXPANSION
Flash provides Top Gun access to a network of 750+ forward stocking locations in 140 countries worldwide, along with expert trade compliance management needed to ensure spare parts can move seamlessly across international borders.
OPPORTUNITY
Immediately after Top Gun partnered with Flash Global, prospects started clearing Top Gun for takeoff.
SUCCESS
As a result, Top Gun can deftly demonstrate the ability to provide the exact mainframe, server, storage or networking part and service by an elite technical engineering team anywhere within 2-4 hours or the next day.
“By partnering with Flash Global, the industry leader in global supply chain lifecycle solutions, Top Gun is expanding our trusted, proven and reliable third-party Mission Critical Support Services throughout the world.”
Joel Owens
CEO | Top Gun Technology
The Results
Doing the impossible was all a matter of partnership.
In less than a year, Flash Global has opened several more FSLs in the United States for Top Gun. Each location was quickly stocked with the spare parts needed to support their customers’ hardware — easily accessible replacement parts that were ready to be deployed in a matter of hours. Going with Flash gave Top Gun the capability to fulfill on the world’s toughest service level agreements in some of the highest stakes situations. It’s also given them the confidence to expand globally without hesitation because they know they can leverage Flash’s infrastructure and expertise everywhere.
