Creating Opportunity in Adversity

Implementations, homeworking and enhanced functionality to support your business

 

This year has been a difficult one but many of our clients have taken the opportunity to move forward with plans that, perhaps under normal circumstances, they would have struggled to resource.  For example, we have seen clients implement homeworking for sales teams, new business intelligence modules to provide access to information allowing faster business decisions to be made (see the article below) and taking advantage of some of the new automated modules in iMetal to improve productivity.

We have also seen 3 new customers who have used the furlough option to train staff, and once returned have gone live on iMetal positively enhancing their businesses. These implementations have been successfully completed via remote delivery, including group classrooms, electronic homework, training videos and also onsite visits carried out with risk assessments and PPE.  Proving that there are always opportunities even under the current taxing circumstances.

We have also seen customers with difficulties and done our best to support them through negotiation and introducing new ways of working to allow them to manage through the challenges they have faced.

While we’ve been busy implementing and supporting we’ve also continued to enhance the functionality in iMetal particularly in the areas that may help with the challenges our customers will face going forward.

This has resulted in enhancements to our 2-D and 3-D optimisation programs providing faster response times to customers.  We have also invested in new shop floor data collection programs as discussed in previous newsletters which provide customers the ability to send and gather data from tablets reducing the requirement for paper. This is being improved with modules that allow goods on vehicles to be confirmed electronically and we have even launched an electronic proof of delivery module that is in testing with customers as we speak.

For customers looking to gather data and cost production processing, we have also introduced a new module that allows process costing and production data to be recorded in greater detail providing analysis of processes and material consumption. Details of this will be in our next newsletter in the meantime should this be of interest please contact your account manager.

Not only have we been busy in the UK we have also expanded our operation in the US.  In addition to our offices in California, we now have an office in Michigan, Toronto and Florida. This has been in response to the growing success of iMetal in the United States and Canada, where we had a successful implementation at Kimco Steels a large Canadian processor and distributor, along with an ongoing implementation at Mandel Metals.

Whilst we have seen growth in the US we are also expanding the team in the UK to support a growing customer base. Despite the current conditions we have seen a number of start-ups in both the general steels and trading business with Hakara Trading being the most recent client to join the iMetal family.

But it’s not been all work, members of the Metalogic team have taken time out to support their community, raise funds and learn new skills!  Geoff Kendell is raising funds with a 100 mile cycle ride for the Alzheimer’s Society, Lynda Middleman is supporting Relay for Life Warrington Cancer Research and Nigel Johnson has taken up flying lessons! 

We have also had one or two new arrivals in the team including developer team member Martin Brown becoming a grandfather, although due to lockdown and the fact his grandson was born in Sydney Australia he has yet to meet him in the flesh!

 

 

 

 

With homeworking becoming normal for many of us we have been busy providing consultation and presentations to groups of companies who have been looking to move workers out of the office into a homeworking environment.  As a company we started homeworking back in 2006 and now our whole Jonas Metals group which has over 50 employees, 6000 users and nearly 500 sites worldwide all work from home. Using this experience of supporting clients from a single user up to nearly 300 users we have provided procedures, technology and applications advice to assist companies in their journey from office to home office.

As we enter a few dark months with a fair amount of uncertainty for many, please be assured that due to the investments we have made in our homeworking technology, our staff training and our ongoing commitment to supporting you we are here to help.  Please do contact either our support desk or your Account Manager if there’s anything you would like to discuss in relation to technology or some of the challenges of homeworking.

Featured image courtesy of Razvan Chisu @nullplus