Paul Bennett, Managing Director of Fascia Graphics explains the benefits of investing in an Enterprise Resource Planning system…
It has been a very eventful period since the UK voted to leave the EU. There has naturally been a period of scaremongering, but we continue to see relatively strong economic data. Towards the end of 2016, the CBI reported that the UK’s manufacturing sector had enjoyed strong order books throughout the year. However, it said that the industry does need to continue to invest in the latest technology to adapt to the fastest rise in factory gate prices for two years – due to the fall in the value of the pound.
Backing this up was a major survey released by the EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. The EEF pointed to early signs that the sector is now seeing opportunities from a resilient UK market and a brightening in export prospects as a result of Brexit. It said, that better conditions is seeing a turnaround in investment by the manufacturing sector to fulfil customer requirements and secure productivity gains.
And, if the good news coming out of these two influential bodies wasn’t enough, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its growth forecast for the UK from 1.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent for 2017. But (and this may be a sign of things to come) it downgraded growth expectations for 2018. These results and forecasts combined say one thing to me, much has not changed since the vote to leave, but as Article 50 is invoked, things will change and growth may be hampered – particularly if we leave the single market all together. Now is therefore the time to invest in new technologies that will drive efficiencies to deal with a potential slowing in growth.
Here at Fascia we believe in continuous improvement as a key to our success and as a result we have recently invested in a state-of-the-art UV Flatbed printer and a new MIETrak Pro ERP system. The new print line will ensure that we remain at the forefront of the market for high quality, fast-turnaround membrane keypads and graphic overlays – often used for pre-production, trade shows and exhibitions.
But, in order to fully capitalise on this investment, we needed a front and back-end system that would help us to respond to customer requests more quickly, simplify front and back office management and at the same time, improve visibility across every aspect of our operations.
In short, the new MIETrak Pro ERP system delivers just this. It has allowed our business to consolidate five separate software packages into one single system – providing enhanced visibility and control of all aspects of functions, by seamlessly integrating sales, accounts, production planning, purchasing, production, HR, and QA. Instead of having data distributed throughout several separate databases, all information is now located in a single location. Data is also kept consistent and up-to-date. It has eliminated repetitive processes and greatly reduced the need to manually enter information.
It also boasts unrivalled production planning visibility enabling our business to load and plan to capacity; ensuring products are turned around efficiently. The MIETrak Pro also records all aspects of material and labour usage, automatically analysing past manufacturing data to provide quotations that are more accurate (and very often competitive), and more precise production times for future work.
We’ve also found that we have been able to raise the bar of our already incredibly high-quality customer service using the MIETrak system. Sales and customer service staff can now interact more quickly and effectively with customers, as they now have more accurate access to customers’ information and history. There will also be a more detailed analysis of Fascia’s lean manufacturing programme, with overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and Bottle-neck analysis built in as standard.
The MIETrak Pro has also transformed our stock-control and purchasing with the ability to see the requirements for the coming hours, days, or weeks. This enables the business to automatically call-in material when needed without having to hold stock for longer than required and risk damaging or exceeding shelf-life. For suppliers, there is also the advantage of improved information on upcoming requirements.
When it comes to reporting, the new system has made it much easier and more customisable. With improved reporting capabilities, we can respond to complex data requests more easily. Users can also run their own reports without relying on help from IT – once again cutting time and cost.
In conclusion, having market leading front and back end systems are critical to future success, and our latest investments have ensured the service we offer to our customers remains the very best in the industry. A service we need to consistently offer to capitalise on all the benefits of operating in a post Brexit world.
The writer is Paul Bennett, Managing Director of Fascia Graphics. To find out more about MIETrak Pro and how MIE Solutions UK Ltd can help your business, visit: www.mie-solutions.co.uk
