Douglas Gill International Limited based in Nottingham
provides high performance clothing for the sailing and
biking markets. The company has over 25 years experience
in designing technical and leisure clothing for people
who require performance. Initially providing ultimate
performance, comfort and weather proof clothing for
the sailing environment the company expanded its expertise
into bike wear offering an extensive range for various
cycling environments.
Business Process
The company borne through its founders enthusiasm
for sailing has developed from a traditional UK manufacturer
to a brand focused company who sources manufacturing
from abroad. Garments for the European market are
shipped to the UK warehouse for distribution whilst
garments for other countries are shipped direct to
numerous distributors around the world.
The Challenge
Gill knew of Datel in the market and approached Datel
outlining their requirements. The company needed a
stable, secure and flexible solution that could evolve
with the company along with functionality to fit and
enhance its business processes. Along with these requirements
the business system needed to be up and running in
less than four months.
The Solution
John Deverill, Managing Director at Gill explains,
‘We looked at several generic solutions from
straight forward upgrades to bespoke software. The
beauty with Protex was the integration of the process
from start to finish and speaking to people who understood
the industry, I didn't need to explain what CMT meant.'
Datel implemented the Protex enterprise management
solution covering, raw material management, costing,
source purchasing, distribution, inventory control,
finished goods, critical path management and financials.
Protex is used across the company incorporating users
such as senior management, sales, planning, warehouse
and finance.
Benefits
John describes, 'When sourcing so much is in the hands
of others and gaining visibility and control is vital,
lack of control results in customers being let down
and costs being incurred. Once a source order is entered
in Protex we can track it through the production and
despatch phases. The Protex technology has made the
process of communicating and control with numerous
sourcing partners easier. Along with individual source
orders being tracked supplier performance can be monitored
providing information on which suppliers are reliable
and those who are not. This close control enables
us to manage the impact on customer orders as problems,
delays, and issues arise.' |