Aberdeen-based James Aiken Engineering Solutions (www.jasm.com), a sheet metal fabrication company, is using digital technology to transform the way it schedules its workload.

The company has made a £70,000 investment in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software from Glasgow-based E-Max Systems Ltd (www.emax-systems.co.uk) to track all aspects of its work — from initial inquiries to job resources and completion dates.

The integrated ERP package is the latest development to streamline the way James Aiken operates, following the introduction of new procedures to the office and workshops and an overhaul of the company’s health and safety, environment and quality management systems.

E-Max enables an at-a-glance analysis of each job on the company’s production schedule, including time spent quoting for work and the status of a job at any given time in the production and installation process.

The production team now has up-to-the-minute information at its fingertips, enabling it to identify how best to allocate time and resources to make sure each job is delivered within its agreed completion and installation date.

James Aiken director George Paterson said: “Introducing ERP software to the business has been a watershed moment, and the benefits are clear to see, now we’re using the system across both our engineering and machining teams.

"From operating in a traditional way to being able to analyse and interpret time spent on quotes and production work is a big step for us.


"It means we can identify the most effective way for our estimators to work, as well as planning and scheduling time for the machining and fabrication teams on the shopfloor.”