Evolution in order processing

Most fabricators transition gradually to Business Micros’ EvoNET business management software after several years using the Evolution manufacturing and order processing package, the company said.

However, Abacus Windows in Chelmsford went straight from the original Business Micros Winstar software to Evolution and EvoNET in one fell swoop last year.

Abacus, which fabricates in Halo PVCU, wanted to set up a machine link to its new Haffner Murat SBA-4 saw centre, so approached Business Micros to complete that link using Evolution.

Sales manager Chris Bailey discovered the company’s expansion plans meant they could benefit from installing EvoNET alongside Evolution, which the team embraced.

Business Micros’ technician Kevan Howarth completed the installation for Abacus and helped to train the team on both software systems. One year on, they are already seeing huge benefits.

General manager Cliff Evans said: “We were spending up to a day on production planning previously and now we can complete that in just an hour. We were also spending several hours on quotes, which we can now generate in minutes. That’s making us much more efficient and guaranteeing that we’ll see payback on this investment in record time.”

Since the installation, Business Micros has tailored the software to suit how Abacus is using it. They have, for instance, created a colour-coded display interface for the order inputting team which makes it easy for them to switch between the different products and systems being fabricated.

They have also added the despatch module within EvoNET which ensures that Abacus can guarantee that orders are delivered to customers error free and complete with all ancillaries.