Eurostock, from Euroglaze, allows customers to receive instant updates on stock availability as soon as orders are placed.

Rosie Brennan, customer service manager, said: “When customers place an order, the stock informer module we have developed notifies us instantly if any item on that order is not in stock and allows us to offer the customer an alternative straightaway. This might be, for instance, because certain items of hardware are out of stock with our supplier or, as happened recently, we don’t have stock of a particular colour of sash horn.

“Crucially though, it means that if an alternative is not available and any item on a customer’s order will be delayed, that customer has advance notification of that and can plan their own work schedule accordingly. It saves customers time, hassle and frustration and means they are better informed at every stage.”

Euroglaze has also improved its own efficiency because no orders are ever passed to the shop floor that can’t be completed in full, and it has reduced its own stock outages through improved stock monitoring and analysis.

It has also addressed any potentially long-term shortages, with solutions such as custom spraying of white sash horns to any colour requested by a customer.

Eurostock also works with Euroglaze’s bespoke version of First Degree’s Window Designer software, ensuring that customers placing orders online receive the same stock information.

Euroglaze’s managing director Martin Nettleton said: “Every fabricator knows that stock shortages are sometimes unavoidable when you are dealing with third party suppliers. What we are doing though is proactively ensuring that our customers are not impacted by those shortages and can organise their own workflows knowing exactly what will be in every delivery we make to them.”