In early 2017, Newtech High Speed Turning Ltd decided to move to better premises in Kirkby and at the same time invest in PSL Datatrack production control software (www.psldatatrack.com).

Company director Alan Riley knew how this could transform a small company that was using an unsatisfactory combination of accounting software and spreadsheets, with too much re-entering of customer information, too many double entries and too much time spent on re-quotes. “Our move was the perfect time for us so to start afresh.

“The installation was handled remotely by PSL Datatrack, who simply took over control of my computer and led me through the installation. The training was the same, and the learning curve was not at all steep. There are two of us in the company who gained a thorough understanding of how to use the software in a matter of weeks.”

Newtech produces turned parts (in batches up to 20,000) for customers in industries that include defence, electronics, automotive, food processing and fabrication.

Many orders are repeats or have slight changes in material specifications or quantities.

These can now be dealt with much more easily, with previous orders called up and the required changes made before quoting.
In addition, the shopfloor staff now know precisely what has to be made and when — including what time has to be allocated on individual turning or milling machines.

“This helps us immensely in keeping to our delivery promises, and we can produce order acknowledgements for our customers, so that they are fully aware of when their delivery will be made,” said Mr Riley.

PSL Datatrack is used to manage a Kanban stock system, ensuring that material is readily available to fulfil the delivery of specific parts to any customer — and that instant information on the status of any order is always available.

“With PSL Datatrack, a works order to the shopfloor is accompanied by a quality inspection sheet that has to be filled out by everyone concerned in fulfilling the order. This makes a major contribution to ensuring full traceability.”