Graeme Bailey, Managing Director of Business Micros, discusses the attributes that tomorrow’s fabricator will need and brings forward some case studies of companies already meeting these challenges to succeed. Improved operational efficiencies, better management information and true online ordering are just some of the elements that will help make fabricators leaner and meaner.
We’re in a digital age whether we consider television, mobile phones, computers or the internet. We’ve helped make Bill Gates (Microsoft CEO), a multi-billionaire and arguably one of the most influential men on the planet and at the same time we spend £millions online with the likes of Amazon, Tesco and Marks and Spencer. But it’s not just a digital age we find ourselves in, but also an information age.
More than ever information is all around us, marketing companies have our information on file and thanks to Tesco’s club card, they even know what type of consumer we are and our respective buying habits. For the more technology-savvy companies, information is the means to better understand the customer and also to help streamline processes and this is equally applicable in the glass and glazing industries.
Once upon a time software was a means to produce simple manufacturing cutting sheets in the glazing industry and our own WinStar product dates back to the days when we made the upgrade from DOS to Windows 3.0. Since then not only have computers developed immeasurably but so too has software capabilities.
Our latest suite of Evo products are aimed at installers, fabricators and even composite door manufacturers providing not just manufacturing data but operational information for the company and sales/ordering information for their respective customers. Other industries have made rapid progress through such investments in software and IT infrastructure and our industry needs to embrace the same technologies to help face the demands of a changing market.
So which companies have already put in place the software and systems to make them lean and mean? VEKA fabricator Glazerite has adopted several Business Micros’ software solutions which includes the main Evolution processing package for manufacturing, costing and quotations. Alongside this sits a remote processing and pricing solution for installers which also allows them to provide a wide range of information to them quickly and conveniently. There are over 40 customers ordering regularly online, equating to over 30% of their turnover.
However it’s the development of a sophisticated yet easy to use management database system that provides the information in which decisions can be made to fabricators such as Glazerite, Heritage Trade Frames and A&B Glass. The system helps integrate the whole organisation in terms of sales, enquiries, production, despatch, barcode scanning, purchasing and stock control, staff administration and even customer relations. The Business Micros solution, EvoNet, stores and generates information for the entire business and gives access to real-time data at the touch of a button. It’s a case of decision-making made easy.
IT infrastructure can benefit any organisation, not just window fabricators, but also other companies within the glass and glazing industry. There’s even specialist software for composite door manufacturers which allows for the design online right through to the order processing and on to the electronic links with the CNC routing machinery. Information is everywhere in manufacturing though it has to be processed effectively, giving information that is both accurate and useful for decision-making purposes.
Such software investments reap returns right from day one and can be either purchased outright, leased or provided on a rental basis. There’s now no financial reason for fabricators not to invest in their software. If you look at some of the most successful fabricators in the UK they have all invested in their software for manufacturing and several have extended this to management database systems which nearly all of the major systems companies use in various guises.
Given the investment in specialist software, companies should be looking at longer-term support agreements as computers can fail, are replaced periodically and systems companies launch new products. It’s a potential time bomb not being in support and not having the latest manufacturing software. We’re ok is a decision for now, but acting upon your IT requirements is one for the longer-term.
Those fabricators that want to become leaner and meaner will need the software capabilities to achieve this alongside a comprehensive support agreement. Now is a perfect time in which to invest in your future.