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Manufacturing Software and Service Set To Revolutionise the Composites Industry

SHD Composite Materials Ltd. is proud to be a leader within the composite manufacturing industry of “pre-preg” materials. These advanced composites represent the latest technological innovations. This company is also pleased to be able to offer a host of tools and pre-pregs intended for use within presses, curing ovens and autoclaves.

Having been trading since 2011, the company is considered to be rather new and yet, a staff of only six members has now grown to well over 50 dedicated employees. This has arisen from the ability to provide turnkey pre-preg solutions as well as superior levels of customer service. No task is too big or too small. SHD Composite Materials provides made-to-order carbon fibre pre-pregs which are suited for a variety of end-user requirements.

SHD Composites required a more robust manufacturing system to support such burgeoning growth. Operations Director Christine Massey observed that “I joined SHD Composites at the very start. At this time, we managed everything on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. I came from an environment where I was used to using manufacturing software and I knew that we couldn’t continue using an insufficient system. The old framework was unworkable. Performing day-to-day accounts was fine, but it wasn’t fit for purpose from a stock-keeping perspective, for handling additional inventory and for addressing Bills of Material (BOMs).”

Selection and Products

When examining the discrete selection process, SHD Composites naturally perused different vendors. Christine stated, “The owners of the company let me have the final decision. The choice was between ProgressPlus and 123 Insight. I very much preferred ProgressPlus. It is an extremely comprehensive package that covers everything you would need within a manufacturing organisation. It is a perfect and well-designed product. Also, we can continue to grow and know it will still be fit for purpose. It is important to us to be accredited to ISO 9001 quality management and it is even better that ProgressPlus is geared around helping us achieve this vaunted status.”

Service and Support

While a fully functional system that offers efficiency is critical within this competitive industry, client-centred service and support are just as important. Christine elaborated on this statement by saying that, “When making the final decision, maintenance costs were a factor. However, you don’t know how good the service is until you actually use it. We have been working with Berkeley Myles Solutions and I cannot emphasise enough how great the service is that they offer. Although this opinion is common, it is quite hard to rate until you buy it and begin using it”.

Some of the benefits that she observed included company-wide advantages such as:

  • Higher efficiency when processing and executing orders.
  • Operations are more streamlined.
  • ProgressPlus is highly intuitive, easy to use and employee training hours are therefore dramatically reduced.
  • Stock monitoring and inventory control offer additional cost-cutting benefits.

She continues to state that, “It has been important for us to continue to provide an excellent level of service. It helped us achieve the ISO 9001 accreditation and we have just been awarded the AS9100 accreditation. ProgressPlus is key when it comes to our audits. We don’t need a paper trail. It is all on ProgressPlus. We simply scan and upload all relevant data. Also, it links beautifully to all areas including sales orders, work orders and stock issuance. ProgressPlus flows nicely with superior levels of traceability. Without doubt investment has been returned the system. We couldn’t function without it”.

When supplying a product, service is paramount to success. Berkeley Myles Solutions excels within this sector. Christine concurred by stating that, “Support is fantastic. If I need anything, it is never an issue. Personally, I have built a relationship with James in the support and he is my first port of call however, I receive a brilliant level of customer service from all ProgressPlus employees. There has never been a time that a problem was unable to be solved quickly and efficiently.”

Best Software Company To Deal With

“Berkeley Myles Solutions is the best company to deal with our customer service issues. Nothing is too much trouble while everything is resolved quickly and easily. In the early days when you simply purchased a product, learning new software is a concern. With Berkeley Myles, I was never made to feel a nuisance; even if I asked the same question multiple times.”

She also affirmed that, “What is important is that the customer support team knows ProgressPlus inside out. They have a sound knowledge of how the product works. In contrast, we have another supplier for a piece of machinery and their support is appalling. No one is ever able to help you. It is a nightmare.”

Christine recently attended a client-centred seminar. She stated that, “I went to the seminar and I feel that it was invaluable. It is fantastic to informally sit with other industry professionals and discuss how they use ProgressPlus while recommending ways that it may be enhanced. Berkeley Myles are constantly looking at how they can make the product better for its users.”

In conclusion, she reiterated that, “overall, Berkeley Myles Solutions provides an amazing production package that covers everything we need to manage the manufacturing process from start to finish while enjoying second-to-none support levels. ProgressPlus has been the key to our growth.”

Why not take 30 mins and get a demo of ProgressPlus to see how it can transform your business into a well-oiled machine.

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