MRP Implementation At Mantec Engineering Ltd

Mantec Engineering Ltd, based in Openshaw, Manchester provide CNC precision engineering services, predominantly serving the rail industry. In 2000 the company’s direction was changing; previously the majority of their work was producing machine spares, but as they grew their CNC machining capabilities, they moved more towards larger production runs with a growing client base of blue chip companies that required more process and materials traceability.

General Manager Nick Kidd explained; “Previously we just had masses of paper and had no real control. Without measuring all of the materials involved in a job, calculating where they had come from and going through old purchase orders we had no accurate way to cost parts. Stock checks used to take me two days, checking each works order. Of the three systems I saw 123insight seemed to give me exactly what I wanted - others had loads of bells and whistles that I didn’t need, so much so that they could probably be used in other market sectors such as retail, but they were not as configurable as 123insight.”

Mantec selected 123insight in 2000 and was one of the first customers in the UK, going live with the system at the end of that year. Within a very short time benefits were apparent; paperwork was massively reduced and the company had real and immediate visibility of stock and work in progress. Nick noted; “I knew it was working well when the MD started commenting how easy it was for him to access reporting data. Reports that used to take me hours to create were now immediately visible.”

The company’s business continued to shift towards the higher end clients. They achieved ISO9000/2008 and LINKUP rail industry accreditations and are now ‘Safety Critical Suppliers’ to the majority of rail industry within the UK. Nick attributes 123insight to being key to maintaining these standards and noted the surprise of some of his clients, often themselves running high end ERP systems, when they see the depth of 123insight; “During regular supplier audits I am required to walk clients through our traceability and quality procedures. I take them through all of the processes, from the initial contract through to order placement, bills of materials, time capture, subcontract work, separate batch deliveries etc. Even the companies in sectors such as defence and nuclear power are amazed at the system’s capabilities.”

Since going live the company have seen several version updates, all of which are received at no additional cost under the monthly subscription. Nick added; “Over the various versions used we have seen the product get progressively better. Version 5 saw a major leap in productivity when they moved to .NET, with the MRP taking just seconds to run. Overall we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in time to perform functions such as order processing, material procurement placement and general visibility on the shop floor.  Each new version always has major benefits that we can take advantage of.”

One feature that has been enhanced is the alternate routing of a bill of material.  Mantec have doubled up on each machining process type; useful if a machine reaches over-capacity or is down for service or repair. Within 123insight they can specify an alternate routing for the other machining type, meaning that it can be immediately switched when required. Visibility and traceability are maintained, with staff instantly able to see revised workloads for each machine.

Mantec have suggested feature enhancements and have seen several appear in later releases of the software. “I have been very impressed with the drive and enthusiasm of the 123insight team - they are constantly striving to develop and improve it for the good of all customers, not just one or two. I’ve suggested features and they’ve taken them on board. Other firms we deal with are old school by comparison.”

With over a decade of experience of using 123insight Nick is clearly a confident user, but knows support is there when he needs it; “When I started I had limited computer and networking experience, but we got up and running relatively easily. Support from 123insight has been fantastic. - I cannot fault it. I’ve never been left high and dry - it’s testament to the stability and reliability of the product that they don’t need a large call centre to support it.”

The company has recently adopted the 123insight CRM option and plans to use it company-wide. Nick finalised; “Currently we are using CRM within the sales department but we intend to use it much more as we expand the business. Despite the recession we are increasing our skilled workforce, as we are now in a position where we can compete in foreign markets. 123insight has given us everything we need, and we know that there is more that we have yet to fully utilise.”