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Case Study: Atlantic Precision Engineering

“Our IT is in good hands with Medhurst, I trust them to deliver the right solution for our business at the most cost-effective price. It’s the people that sold me on Medhurst. Every member of the team has been very helpful and nothing is ever too much.  And of course, it saves us employing a full-time IT manager that the business simply couldn’t justify right now.”

Robin Kitchen, Manufacturing Systems Manager, Atlantic Precision Engineering.

 

Customer Profile

Atlantic Precision Engineering provides a precision manufacturing service to most major industrial sectors including aerospace, formula 1, pharmaceutical and oil and gas markets. The company employs 32 highly skilled and experienced craftsmen and engineers using the latest CAD/CAM technology from its 18,000 sq ft factory. In 2006 the company decided that the existing hardware and IT system had reached the end of its useful life and put its IT requirement out to tender. After review of the proposals and costings, Atlantic Precision appointed Medhurst to install the entire system including hardware, routing of cables and server build.

Business Needs

All of Atlantic Precision’s clients contact them via the internet, making IT critical to the business. Atlantic Precision receives client designs in CAD models using Catia CAD/CAM/CAE software which the company uses to program its machines to deliver the finished engineered product. The company uses IT across all of its departments from craftsmen and engineers to sales and back office functions.

In 2012 following six successful years of support and operations, Atlantic Precision accepted a server upgrade proposal from Medhurst to deliver a new secure and responsive virtualised IT environment with both onsite and online backup of its company-wide IT functions.

Solution

The strategic direction of the business, its plans for growth and the specific technology and engineering needs were thoroughly analysed during the scoping exercise.  Consequently, Medhurst installed a Hewlett Packard server to host the virtualised individual network services and Microsoft Windows Server Small Business edition in late 2012.

The new systems are backed up both on-site with a NAS device and remotely on-line to provide a robust and protected environment.

Results

With the new virtualised system and using specialist manufacturing control software, Javelin Jobshop, Atlantic Precision can now rely on its IT infrastructure. The new system provides a complete process management system from initial communication with the client, through to order collection, processing, raising of appropriate documentation and invoicing.

The new network now also provides Atlantic Precision management with a holistic view on the company’s business from back-office operations to the engineering department.

Robin Kitchen, Manufacturing Systems Manager, Atlantic Precision Engineering, explains,

“We would have no hesitation in recommending Medhurst to other companies that need help with their IT management and support. With the new system in place, we are now able to provide our clients with a faster and improved service. Knowing that Medhurst is also on hand to manage any issues and provide IT strategic planning if necessary, means that we can focus on the future growth plans of our business.”