The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
NCR three priority plan hailed as a success
CONTACTLESS: New offerings show flexibility and ability to rapidly innovate
Self-service and ATM giant NCR has deemed its three-point priority plan during the Covid-19 pandemic a success as it unveiled second-quarter results.
The firm, one of Dundee’s biggest private employers, saw revenue fall by 13% to $1.48 billion and a 5% rise in recurring revenue for the three months ending June 30 2020.
Across the firms’ market segments, ATM hardware revenue fell by a quarter, while banking income dropped by 12%.
Hospitality revenue decreased 21% mainly due to the continued impact from the pandemic, while foreign currency fluctuations had an unfavourable impact of 1% on the revenue comparison.
NCR chief executive Michael Hayford said: When the pandemic began, we focused on three priorities; protect our employees, help our customers, and protect the company.
“We believe we have been successful on all three priorities and the actions we have taken have allowed us to manage during the crisis and advance our offerings.
“Customers across our markets are looking for new and safer ways to transact with consumers, and our contactless digital first solutions are increasingly gaining traction.
“Our introduction of new contactless offerings demonstrates our ability to rapidly innovate, the flexibility of our platforms and our commitment to adapting to evolving customer needs.”
Mr Hayford said the firm has a strong financial position and can continue navigating the “near term challenges.”
The firm has a research and development centre of excellence at Kingsway West in Dundee and is the largest player in the retail self-service marketplace in the UK, with all the ‘big four’ supermarkets using its technology.
In April, the base salaries of the company’s senior leadership team were temporarily reduced by either 100% or 50%, while salaried employees globally saw their pay temporarily cut by between 5% and 20%.
Other measures included limiting merger and acquisition activity, curtailing travel, the reduction of planned capital expenditure and a freeze on recruitment.
The firm said it will continue to navigate the challenges presented by Covid-19 with a sharp focus on safeguarding employees and helping customers, while its teams were “executing at a high level and further advancing our strategy”.
The Dundee NCR site covers all of the firm’s corporate functions, with research and development making up more than half the workforce.