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Manufacturing and engineering

IT and software for manufacturers

Two things come up again and again with manufacturers. A customer wants proof of your security, and a process has outgrown the spreadsheet it runs on. We are unusual in being able to answer both.

Manufacturers get sold two things they do not need: a security product for a risk they do not have, and an ERP system priced for a company several times their size.

What actually helps is narrower. Get through the certification your customers are asking for. Replace the one process that is held together by a spreadsheet and somebody’s memory. Keep the old machine running safely rather than replacing it because of its control PC.

We support IT, do the security work and build the software, which means when the real problem turns out to be the planning spreadsheet rather than the server, we can say so and then do something about it.

What we see

What this sector is up against

  • The security questionnaire from a bigger customer

    Supply chains audit downwards. A large customer sends a questionnaire asking what certifications you hold, usually with a deadline attached, and usually to somebody who has never been asked before. Cyber Essentials answers most of it.

  • A process the software was never built for

    Off-the-shelf systems are built for how most factories work. The reason customers use you is often the bit that is not standard, which is exactly the bit the package cannot handle.

  • The office does not know what the works is doing

    When a customer rings to ask where their order is, somebody has to walk out and find out. That is a traceability problem long before it is a software problem.

  • Old kit that cannot be replaced

    A machine running a control PC on an operating system nobody supports any more. You cannot just upgrade it, so it has to be isolated and managed rather than ignored.

What we do about it

In the order it usually matters

  1. 1

    Cyber Essentials, handled

    We check your setup against the five controls, fix what fails and handle the submission. Fixed scope with an end date, not an open contract.

  2. 2

    Production and stock systems built around your process

    Scheduling, stock, order processing and shop floor capture, built for how your plant actually runs. The alternative quoted to most manufacturers is an ERP priced for a company several times the size.

  3. 3

    Segregating the machines you cannot upgrade

    Legacy control PCs put on their own part of the network, so an old operating system is a managed risk rather than an open door.

  4. 4

    Support that understands downtime costs money

    A line standing idle is not the same as somebody waiting for a password reset, and it should not sit in the same queue.

Your understanding of the technology available coupled with detailed discussions on the desired outcome has produced a system with capabilities I did not imagine a business our size would be able to achieve. We have gone from a paper system, to a fully traceable production process. This has enabled our office staff to be able to communicate far more confidently with our customers.

Duncan Reynolds, Managing Director, Odlings Group

Read the Odlings Group case study

Manufacturing and engineering: common questions

A customer has sent us a security questionnaire. Where do we start?

Usually with Cyber Essentials. It is the certification most larger companies ask their suppliers for, and it covers the five controls that stop the majority of common attacks. We check what you have, fix the gaps and handle the submission.

We run production on spreadsheets. Is bespoke software realistic for a business our size?

Often, yes. The cost is driven by the scope, not by the size of your company. A focused system that does scheduling and shop floor capture costs a fraction of a full ERP licence, and it fits how you already work rather than the other way round.

We have a machine running an operating system nobody supports. What do we do?

You do not have to replace the machine. We put it on its own segment of the network with tight rules about what it can reach, so it is a controlled risk. Replacing a working production machine because of its control PC is rarely the right answer.

Do you work with our machine suppliers?

Yes. A lot of production problems sit between the machine supplier and the IT, which is where they tend to stay unresolved. We would rather be in that conversation than either side of it.

Start somewhere

Find out where you stand

Want a straight answer about your IT?

Tell us what is not working. We will tell you what we would do about it, with no sales pitch and no obligation.

Book a free IT review Call 01482 586 550