JVD Engineering Ltd, a subcontract precision engineering company with over three decades of industry experience, has evolved the administration of its entire production process following investment in a PSL Datatrack production control system.
Before taking on the modular software, JVD had been experiencing a number of challenges stemming from its “job table” system, which had been in place for around 18 years. This system, with material/drawings in priority order, posed hindrances in job tracking, workflow stage identification and accurate time estimation – an obstacle affecting both office and shop floor operations.
The impact of JVD’s investment in PSL Datatrack has been transformative. The system provides real-time insights into the company’s schedule, empowering better capacity planning across all departments.
“Enhanced visibility into project statuses, accurate time estimation and easy retrieval of historic information has improved our ability to quote for new jobs with precision, resulting in streamlined delivery timelines and overall organisational efficiency,” comments Matthew Abraham-Thomas, Managing Director of JVD.
Based in Leeds, JVD has been a pillar of quality and reliability since its establishment in 1991. The business has held ISO 9001 accreditation since 2008 and is now a team of 15 skilled professionals, specialising in machining and fabrication. Its expertise spans from crafting one-off items to managing large-scale production runs.
Four main departments are housed in the company’s 20,000 sq. ft. facility – the Machine Shop, Fitting (including the Paint Shop), Fabrication, and Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) – with over 20 machines running across the factory.
On its journey of continual improvement, JVD recognised the requirement for a comprehensive solution to streamline its business and production administration. This quest led them to PSL Datatrack, a renowned provider of production control software with a great reputation in the industry for adaptable modules and a user-friendly interface.
“PSL Datatrack were very approachable and helpful throughout the sales process. They took the time to listen to what we really wanted from the system and helped us create a package that worked extremely well,” says Matthew.
PSL Datatrack offered a demonstration of the system to JVD which was carried out via Zoom. “We had researched other software options prior to this, however none really felt like a good fit. After the demonstration from PSL Datatrack, we knew this was the solution to our scheduling problems,” Matthew continues.
Once the decision to invest was made, the software was installed, training provided and JVD were quickly live with the software. The implementation was straightforward and carried out remotely, as was the training. If JVD require any assistance, PSL Datatrack’s UK-based support team is always happy to help.
The software is now utilised throughout JVD, meaning office-based staff have crucial business data at their fingertips and production staff have access to the modules they require in order to book on and off of jobs, and see which are next in the queue. “The system is very different to how the factory used to run, but we have had very few teething problems which shows that PSL Datatrack is a perfect fit for us,” comments Matthew.
Alongside the Sequential Scheduler module, which ensures works orders are correctly prioritised and materials ready, PSL Datatrack’s Status Boards have emerged as a gamechanger, dynamically displaying live operations across all departments. These boards automatically update as operations complete, offering a clear and comprehensive overview of ongoing jobs and eliminating the need to decipher handwritten notes or rely on outdated information – a previous pain point for JVD.
“We ultimately decided to go with PSL Datatrack because the software allowed us to choose the modules we felt would be beneficial to the scheduling of our workload. Our plan was and still is to run it alongside our accountancy software and this is working well,” Matthew says.
JVD Engineering Ltd’s goal is complete customer satisfaction built on the firm foundations of competitive pricing and outstanding service. Its investment in PSL Datatrack therefore marks a pivotal moment in the company’s journey; it is a testament to its dedication not only to maintain, but to enhance operational efficiency within the subcontract precision engineering sector.
“PSL Datatrack has given us the ability to improve on delivery times, allows us to be aware of capacity in all of our departments and gives us a clear picture of our workload looking forward, which is a great help when quoting for new jobs. As we continue to explore additional modules and further refine our processes, PSL Datatrack will remain at the cornerstone of our evolution,” concludes Matthew.
Find out more about PSL Datatrack on their member profile page here
Member-created content 10 months ago | From members