CCL (Computer Consultants) Limited

Conveniently based next to the M1 in Derbyshire, Eurocell Profiles have a purpose-designed 55,000 sq ft extrusion and tool making facility and over 200,000 sq ft of warehousing.  Another 100,000 sq ft factory was opened in 2000 to provide a logistics centre for the extrusion building plastics operation.

Eurocell's window, door, curtain walling and ancillary systems now enable them to offer a total replacement and new build package.

The company's main business systems, Pegasus Opera and Operations, has been in place for over 8 years and in that time the business has grown by a factor of 10 and it was no longer appropriate to the size and scale of operations.  A variety of spreadsheets and add-on applications had been developed, to provide extra functionality, resulting in rather a mish-mash of systems.

Mike Beasley, Group FD of Fairbrook plc and FD of Eurocell Profiles, was aware that this situation, along with the fact that, long term, Pegasus would not continue to support their version of the software, meant that they would need to replace their systems.

Realising that external advice was needed, Mike was keen to identify an IT consultancy practice that was large enough to cope with the complexities of their business but at the same time was fully independent of the software supply market.  After research and the taking of reference, Mike selected CCL to conduct an IT Options and Strategy review.

The production and management of an ITT resulted in a shortlist with a good choice of options.  Eurocell was impressed that the prices quoted by software suppliers responding to CCL's selection methodology were considerably more competitive than any they would have achieved going to market in their own right.

Although Fairbrook plc has now decided that SAP should be implemented Group-wide, Mike is confident that the work put into the Options and Strategy report will be very helpful in this implementation.

"I wanted to work with Consultants who were independent, and not part of one of the large Accountancy firms, but were of a sufficient size to provide the support we needed.  CCL were able quickly to identify the factors that drove our business and I found the process very helpful in both defining what we wanted to achieve through a new computer systems and identifying areas of problems in the business.  Eurocell now has a much clearer idea of our objectives and the benefits that can be achieved through the successful implementation of new technology.  I would be happy to recommend CCL to anyone faced with similar issues."

Mike Beasley, Group FD & FD

Fairbrook plc & Eurocell Profiles Ltd