Hertfordshire-based Empire Manufacturing, which specialises in precision parts, mainly for the aerospace and automotive sectors, was founded in 2008 and has enjoyed steady growth after a tough start during a recessionary period.

There has been continuous investment in additional machining capacity and inspection technology, as well as in its PSL Datatrack production control software (www.psldatatrack.com).

Empire director Stuart Wade said: “We find that PSL Datatrack is much more than just an IT software service provider. As they deal with so many businesses, they are able to offer advice on practical solutions for the day-to-day running of the company.”

When Mr Wade started Empire, he was managing it single-handedly, while his father (Peter) was running a separate engineering company that already used PSL Datatrack.

When Peter subsequently joined him at Empire, Mr Wade decided to adopt this proven software, which was easy to use and had an industry-wide reputation.

The immediate requirement was for a single-user licence for sales order processing and invoicing modules, which would provide the level of business control required at that time.

As the company acquired a larger manufacturing unit to cope with increased business, the demands on Empire’s production and administration systems grew, so extra PSL Datatrack modules were added to cover quotations, purchase order processing and stock control.

Mr Wade said: “A major advantage for us is the time saved when preparing customer quotations. The ability to create new generations of existing customer quotes quickly and easily saves a huge amount of time.”

It was also important that works orders were organised properly, so further modules were added covering process layouts, document control and component drawings.

Since investing in basic PSL Datatrack modules at start-up, Empire Manufacturing has found it easy and affordable to add modules when needed, as the business has developed.

This lean approach has continually improved its internal organisation, helping to streamline the new processes that have been implemented.