More profit for UK manufacturers!

Citation

(2001), "More profit for UK manufacturers!", Work Study, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2001.07950faf.006

More profit for UK manufacturers!

More profit for UK manufacturers!

Keywords: Profit, United Kingdom, Businesses

ManuSoft, the specialised Australian developer and supplier of high performance resource control software for manufacturing and associated industries, has announced that it is to expand its operations into Europe. The first step has already been taken with the opening of a UK-based sales and customer support office in the Midlands. A system has already been installed at Laserform, a manufacturing company headquartered in Ireland. The system was operational within two weeks and within eight weeks productivity gains were being achieved.

Established in Sydney in 1987, ManuSoft has since grown to become the leading supplier of manufacturing software, support and systems to the industrial sector in Australia and New Zealand. The company's software has been developed to help manufacturing and process type businesses, in areas ranging from light and heavy engineering to any style of manufacturing business. These include aerospace supply, bus manufacture, electronics, screen printing, sign making, plastics, electronics, sheet metal, and tool making; in fact any business where staff and manufacturing processes need to be controlled.

The UK operation is a joint venture with the recently appointed managing director, Alan Matthewman, who has previously had managing director experience with engineering and electronics manufacturing businesses. He explains that, "Manufacturing in the UK faces some tough challenges, with new employment legislation, tax changes and the continuing strength of the pound making it increasingly difficult to remain competitive and protect profit margins. In addition, British managers and shop floor staff currently work long and often unproductive hours in an effort to meet increasingly tight customer deadlines.

"The key issue for many manufacturers is to gain control of the production process. When this is achieved then British manufacturers will compete admirably with overseas companies not only enabling them to protect the British manufacturing industry but also get important exports business. Profits, quality and productivity will all be dramatically improved, to ensure that the future of the UK manufacturing base is maintained.

"Our software and support systems are designed to put manufacturers back in control, giving them the tools to manage and effectively integrate, in real time, the planning, costing, production, administration, and delivery of the product and finally the financial accounting processes."

ManuSoft software enables companies to focus on and control a wide range of business functions, including estimating bills of materials and process routings, quality control and reject analysis, production scheduling, purchase orders, raw materials and inventory, plus all reporting including financial accounting. This is achieved in real time, with information in full or part being available to all appropriate managers and shop floor staff, using Windows-based software and touch screen displays in the factory.

Alan Matthewman adds that, for customers in Australia, "Our software is playing an important role to boost productivity, reduce shift working, cut overtime and, in more than one instance, to allow senior managers to cut their working week from seven to three of four days and yet still achieve substantially much higher profits and better quality control with greater customer and staff satisfaction."

More information is available at www.manusoft.org