Pailton Engineering drives growth and competitiveness with Infor

Howard Ward, financial director at the Coventry-based steering systems manufacturer, also believes that ERP Business will help deliver tighter, more integrated workflows across the business – cutting manufacturing costs as well as enhancing customer service through more accurate delivery and costing information. The company, which is set to double in size over the next four years as part of a strategy of aggressive growth, is replacing a DOS-based, customised Sage MRP system that, it admits, has been restricting growth, primarily due to a lack of cross-application integration. That led, for example, to isolated, labour-intensive workflows and a lack of confidence in the information available. Indeed, at present, delivery times and cost estimates often contain slack for contingencies, so damaging Pailton's competitiveness. Ward says that ERP Business will help Pailton be more confident about its project estimations, including delivery times and costing. He also anticipates a reduction in excess inventory and work in progress, currently held as a buffer against uncertainties. "This is very much an evolution from MRP to a complete ERP system," comments Ward. "Every corner you turn with Infor ERP Business produces an added bonus. We are now putting in place an ERP system that will enable Pailton to act like the global business it is and compete aggressively to drive growth," he continues. "Future plans include exploring Infor10 ION to integrate systems at our various locations and so increase our return on investment even further." And he adds that ERP Business will help accelerate reports and deliver faster, better quality information – citing sales reports that took a day and a half to prepare and that will soon be produced in seconds.