SPONSORED BY 123 INSIGHT
FROM A TO B:
Guy Amoroso 123INSIGHT AT 20
As manufacturing software developer
123 Insight marks its 20th anniversary,
co-founder Guy Amoroso becomes
chairman while Simon Badger takes on
the MD reigns. MM meets the new boss
CONTRIBUTOR 123 INSIGHT
Back in 2000 Guy Amoroso and Craig Grant decided
that the traditional approach to MRP system, from the
perspective of both the customer and the vendor, was
broken. Customers would pay a large up-front sum
for software that they had no guarantee would meet
their needs, would then pay maintenance and update
costs, with any further customisations commanding high costs.
Vendors would endure ‘feast and famine’, waiting for large value
orders to drop and then having to invest massive resources to
implement, maintain and support the system.
123 Insight (or Rent-IT Systems as it was originally known)
was founded to disrupt the industry and provided Software as a
Service (SaaS) before it was even a commonly-used term, with
a user-installable product that would suit any manufacturing
type or size. Fast forward 20 years and the company has seen
signifi cant growth, with customers in all industries covering SMEs
up to multinationals with 4500+ sta .
Inbound MD Simon Badger is not new to either 123insight or
the sector. Having worked in manufacturing for over 20 years,
he became a user of 123insight back in 2003. “The company I
worked for were facing exorbitant upgrade costs to our existing
MRP system and so we looked at moving to 123insight,” he
recalls. “I had some reservations back then about moving to
subscription, but this was quickly overcome after we completed
training and understood the scope of the system. 123insight gave
us a massive step up from our previous MRP at the time but had
a fraction of what our system o ers today.”
123 Insight’s business model removes all of the risk from the
selection and implementation process. Prospective customers
fi rstly attend a locally-hosted ‘Evaluation Workshop’ – a twoand
a-half-hour event that allows them to see the software and
ask all of their key questions. If they like what they see and are
ready to move forward they can attend the six days of ‘No-
Obligation’ training on the understanding that if they decide not
to move ahead they walk away with nothing to pay, but with a
lot more knowledge than when they started.
They are then in a position to make a decision
without committing anything fi nancially at that
stage. All pricing is transparent and published
on the website, with the low monthly
subscription fee covering software, support
and updates.
Simon joined 123 Insight as the company’s
fi rst customer care manager in 2011, visiting
customers after go-live and beyond to help
them get the most out of the software. He
notes: “Unlike the traditional sales approach
where an account manager is targeted to
cross-sell and up-sell, the customer care team
focus exclusively on bringing their industry
experience to help customers identify where
they can take further advantage of 123insight’s
features. Company growth happens naturally
as a consequence of good service. We now
have a team of four in Customer Care, headed
up by Emma Richards, all of whom have a
wealth of experience in manufacturing that
customers can tap into.”
In 2019 Guy took the decision to step back
from day-to-day running of the company, with
a year-long handover to Simon, providing a
seamless transition. His new role as Chairman
will allow him to focus on more long-term
business strategies. Last year also saw 123
Insight launch a book, How to implement
a manufacturing system, which provides
readers with a template that works for any MRP
system. Although available through Amazon,
123 Insight provide copies free-of-charge to
attendees of its Evaluation Workshops.
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