A precision engineering firm from North Wales is celebrating its expansion across lucrative markets and a 20% increase in revenue over the last 12 months, thanks to an overhaul of its IT infrastructure to improve cyber security and gain efficiency and cost savings.
Ahead of the game
“In our industry, it’s imperative that we are one step ahead so we felt we should align our business operations with our reputation for delivering high quality components”, says Josh Harris, IT Manager for Flintshire-based Tarvin Precision. This forward-thinking approach is vital, as the company is well regarded as a key link in the supply chain for industries that rely on optimal performance such as defence, motorsport, aerospace, marine, and the scientific and medical fields.
Harris, who was formally an engineer with Tarvin, explains that after accessing one-to-one support via Superfast Business Wales, the firm started looking seriously at the changes it could make to its business. It wanted to bring part of its IT capability in-house and use someone that understood how their business worked so, it made sense to support Harris to study for a degree in Computer Science and Cyber Security at nearby Glyndwr University.
“We were advised to move all of our machines across to the Windows 10 operating system, which has not only given a degree of consistency but also improved cyber security within the business. This is business-critical for the aerospace and automotive industries, and we are in the process of obtaining our Cyber Essentials accreditation to demonstrate our commitment in this area.”
Cutting costs
As a large number of Tarvin’s clients are global, upgrading to a Superfast Broadband connection to increase download speeds to more than 80Mbps has made their communications far more reliable. This translated into a 50% cost saving for their annual telecommunication budget, which will increase to 75% once the cost of financing the investment has been met in around 12 months’ time.
Improving customer satisfaction
These capabilities have driven efficiencies in other areas of the business, including inbound call handling, marketing and the day-to-day management of client data, which can now be sent and received easily regardless of how large the data files are. This has been particularly important to several key client accounts, who have also been reassured by the secure connections for staff to access its server remotely.
“Efficiency savings in these areas has given us more time to invest in other initiatives, like the introduction of a bespoke Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software system. Although it isn’t internet-based, the decision to upgrade from the old system that combined paper-based files and accounting software to track customer orders, deliveries and marketing communications, has been a very positive development.”
Installed by engineering software specialist Emax Systems, the CRM system has already started paying dividends. Tarvin can quickly track and monitor each order through the entire customer journey which saves time within the customer service department. And, importantly allows the in-house marketing team to use the system to run targeted campaigns that generate up to half of all new customer enquiries coming into the business.
Competitive edge
The next phase of investment, according to Harris, is likely to be the introduction of a new server, together with a cloud storage facility. “It’s imperative that we are always one step ahead to remain competitive. Once a cloud storage facility has been put in place, we will be able to review our external IT support again, as well as looking into other ways of maximising the potential that a cloud based system can bring in areas like document sharing, collaborative working and extending remote access capabilities for staff.”