A flexible internet underlay for industrial manufacturing

This European industrial group with 600+ manufacturing sites didn't need another global carrier pitching the same model. Instead, it needed a new regional provider who could match its sourcing strategy, work alongside its overlay partner, and adopt a similar agile pace to its constantly evolving organization.

That's the brief GNX got. And it is why we're now around 80+ services in, across Europe, with another 40 in the pipeline, using high-quality, reliable local fiber owners.

A multi-vendor model that demands flexibility

The customer is a European industrial multinational. Their procurement model is built on a simple rule: at least two regional providers per region, so they're never locked into one. As the company expands and consolidates organically and through acquisitions, that flexibility isn't a nice-to-have, it's how the network keeps up with the business.

Their IT setup is already advanced. They've operated SD-WAN for more than eight years and cloud security services for more than four. A single global partner governs the overlay. What they needed from GNX was the underlay: well-sourced, flexible local internet access that performs the way modern cloud and SD-WAN traffic demands.

Why they chose GNX

We weren't asked to redesign the network. We were asked to build along.

GNX stood out for a few reasons:

• Local ISP sourcing, not telco contracts: better pricing, better routing for cloud apps
• Flexible contract terms aligned to the site type: Site-specific diversity matched to the customer's site classifications
• Local entity ordering, where required, with centralized invoicing
• A procurement model that the customer didn't have to rewrite

Crucially, GNX could coordinate directly with the overlay partner. Every new site, every change, every optimization is delivered in step within the broader WAN architecture.

The GNX solution

The customer classifies sites in several categories — from low-throughput offices to 24/7 operational sites. Each category has its own connectivity topology. So instead of a single blueprint, GNX designs per classification.

Most sites run on a single dedicated or broadband service. The critical ones get diversity in the form that suits them: full path diversity in the UK, technology diversity in Italy, or other combinations elsewhere. Diversity is matched to the use case, not bolted on by default.

Behind every service selection, the same logic applies: optimize for cloud. GNX looks at direct peering with hyperscalers, internet exchange presence, and upstream provider quality. Not just headline bandwidth.

The rollout is steady, governed by a dedicated GNX project manager working with the customer's regional teams across Europe. There's no big-bang migration. Sites come online as the business needs them, and we stay on call to new requirements.

The result

With GNX, the customer can rely on a regional provider that fits inside their multi-vendor sourcing model and can consolidate services from local ISPs they wouldn’t have access to.

The benefits:

• Local ISP sourcing that avoids vendor lock-in and improves cloud routing
• Site-specific diversity matched to each of the site classifications
• Local entity decision-making and ordering with consolidated and single centralized invoice
• Flexible contract terms that adapt as sites are added, changed, or divested

As the company continues to acquire and consolidate, the connectivity model flexes with it. New sites slot in. Old ones come off. The underlay keeps pace with the business, and the overlay keeps doing what it does best.