NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 IT IN FOCUS
FLEXIBLE ERP
Derbyshire sub-contractor CBE+
overcomes the challenges of COVID
whilst implementing a hosted version
of Exel’s ERP soultion, EFACS E/8
CONTRIBUTOR EXEL COMPUTER SYSTEMS
CBE+ is a specialist engineering sub-contractor
operating from a 9,300m2 purpose-built facility in
Chesterfi eld. CBE+ counts among its capabilities,
precision engineering, electroless nickel plating, gear
cutting, beam pumps and metal testing to create an
integrated supply chain proposition to critical sectors,
including oil & gas, medical and aerospace industries.
Planning system to control its production and
E/8 authored by Nottingham-based Exel
Computer Systems plc., which can be hosted
in the iomart cloud.
Implementation took place in the midst
of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown,
which meant project members from all
parties were unable to meet in person. There
was the additional challenge of key sta from
CBE+ working on the government’s Ventilator
critical parts to extremely tight deadlines.
Despite the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown restrictions,
Exel, iomart and CBE+ worked together closely to ensure the
installation of EFACS achieved the pre-COVID agreed ‘go live’
date. Over 10 years’ worth of information from two legacy
systems was transferred to EFACS and tested thoroughly.
Exel uses iomart’s enterprise cloud platform to provide
a secure hosted environment for customers wanting to
implement its ERP solution in the cloud rather than on
premises. This o ers Exel customers, like CBE+, the peace of
mind that their service is supported by a leading cloud service
provider and hosted in a secure ISO-accredited UK data centre.
CBE+ is an aerospace standards AS9100 accredited supplier,
so ensuring its own suppliers are accredited to industry
standards is vital in ensuring quality of service.
EFACS provides CBE+ with a comprehensive, fl exible,
browser-based ERP solution to monitor and control many
of the business critical processes, such as change control,
production planning and customer relationship management.
By hosting it on iomart’s cloud platform, the company’s 75
employees enjoy ‘anytime, anywhere’ access and are able
to log in from their o ces and homes, as well as the tablet
devices used on the factory fl oor.
Lindsay Atkins, group production manager for CBE+,
explains, “We identifi ed the need to combine and consolidate
a number of di erent ERP systems that were being used
across the group. Our need to centralise functions and access
multiple databases through one system led us to EFACS E/8.
SPONSORED BY EXEL COMPUTER SYSTEMS
“Hosting EFACS with iomart is a smart
and e cient way for the business to operate
e ectively. It allows our sta access to the
platform securely, 24 hours a day, whether
they are in the o ce or working from home.
This has been a vital requirement for the
business during COVID-19 and has played a
key part in ensuring CBE+ can continue
to operate”
Despite the logistical
challenges caused by
lockdown, and CBE+’s
commitment to manufacture
vital ventilator parts at the
start of the pandemic, iomart
and Exel worked closely with
their team to put the right
infrastructure in place and
implement a hosted service
that produced immediate benefi ts
for the business and will support its
future growth.
Hosted in a secure and ISO accredited
iomart data centre, the browser-based ERP
system provides the resilience, security and
fl exibility that Exel customers require to help
manage their supply chain with ease and
fl exibility - iomart provides each Exel customer
with a secure virtual environment that appears
as though it is on their local network.
This secure and reliable enterprise cloud
platform delivers cost e cient, monthly billed
access for Exel customers to run their EFACS
ERP solution. Added resilience and data
protection is provided through the Disaster
Recovery facility.
Jonathan Orme, sales & marketing
manager for Exel, says: “Working with iomart,
customers like CBE+ don’t have to worry
about security or future capacity. We can
instantly scale resource to meet demand.”
www.exel.uk
Due to consolidation of divisions within the business,
CBE+ wanted to move to a new Enterprise Resource
ensure complete traceability. They chose EFACS
Challenge, manufacturing tens of thousands of
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 33
/www.exel.uk
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk