Increasing Efficiency with a Comprehensive ERP Solution

Nufox is a specialist manufacturer of rubber extrusions, gaskets, and other fabricated rubber products. With a strong focus on bespoke manufacturing, Nufox delivers complex made-to-order solutions to their diverse customer base. The company provides a full end to end service, from initial concept and material selection through to final product, with their innovative and experienced team able to provide solutions for even the most complex projects. Over Nufox’s 30 years’ of trading, the company has incorporated a number of established rubber manufacturing brands into the Nufox Rubber family. This investment has enabled the team to draw on many years of rubber manufacturing experience, dating back to the early days of the UK rubber industry. This, in conjunction with the team’s expertise craftmanship and extensive knowledge, has enabled the company to build an enviable reputation as a leading manufacturer, both in the UK and further afield in Europe, the USA and Australia, across a range of industries, in particular, the Construction, Defence and Marine sectors. Their state-of-the-art production facility in Manchester offers an extensive range of manufacturing capabilities, which, combined with their robust quality processes and industry leading after-sales support, provides Nufox clients with best in class solutions.

Nufox encountered several challenges with their previous ERP system, which led them to seek a new solution in 2018. The most significant issues included disjointed processes and the use of multiple systems and spreadsheets to manage different aspects of their operations. This fragmented approach resulted in inefficiencies, duplication of effort, and difficulties in accessing and utilising critical data. Kelly Bainbridge, Services and Systems Director at Nufox, highlighted the issues they faced, stating, "We did have an ERP system which advertised itself as being all-encompassing, so that everything was in there, including accounts, but we also had various other spreadsheets and manual systems and processes for different tasks. We wanted everything in one system and get access to all of it from that one system. We didn't get that from the previous system we had. The information that was in there, we couldn't really get it out in a format that was helpful." Furthermore, the lack of effective support from their previous ERP system provider added to Nufox’s challenges. This limited support meant that issues were not resolved promptly and efficiently, which in turn affected the company’s overall productivity. The need for a more comprehensive and user-friendly ERP system became evident to Nufox, prompting them to explore alternative solutions that could integrate all their processes into one individual system, output the necessary and provide the necessary support they required.

After evaluating various ERP system providers, Nufox ultimately chose E-Max ERP as their preferred solution. Kelly mentioned: "One of the main reasons for choosing E-Max was the promises of support that we were given when Nick [E-Max Sales Director] came to see us. We knew we would be able to achieve what we wanted by getting everything into one system." E-Max’s support model played a crucial role in their decision-making process. Kelly stated, "Nick painted a very good picture of the company, and one of the key issues we had with our previous system supplier was support. It just wasn't really there, and we felt that we were going to get better support from E-Max, which we have had." The decision to choose E-Max ERP was also influenced by various factors, including the system's cost-effectiveness and flexibility. E-Max ERP also addressed Nufox’s bespoke needs. The E-Max team was receptive to developing bespoke parts of the system to cater to Nufox's specific requirements, such as costings and reporting. This level of flexibility further solidified Nufox's confidence in choosing E-Max ERP as their comprehensive solution. After initially implementing E-Max ERP as an on-premise (desktop) solution, Nufox made the decision in early 2023 to move to the web-based software to take advantage of newer technology, additional features and to future proof their business for years ahead.

By implementing E-Max ERP, Nufox experienced a range of significant benefits. One of the most notable advantages was the further streamlining of processes across the organisation. E-Max ERP’s capabilities allowed Nufox to consolidate their manual processes and systems, and resulting spreadsheets, into one single platform, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced duplication of efforts. Kelly mentioned, "The efficiencies in having everything in one place, the ease of access to data, and the dashboards, are some of my favourite features. With E-Max, anything that you want, the data is there, and you can extract it in a format that suits." The dashboard functionality of E-Max ERP has also improved productivity within Nufox. “Each user has a personalised dashboard which is built around their particular regular daily tasks, so when they access their dashboard, they can see all their tasks to be carried out or produced.” advised Kelly. E-Max's powerful reporting and analytics capabilities have been very well received by the Nufox team: “We can create our own views and in effect create our own reports, export them straight into Excel and generate a KPI report with graphs at month end for the management team. E-Max allows us to do that a lot quicker and more efficiently than the older systems.” This ability to create custom views and reports enables Nufox to efficiently track key performance indicators (KPIs) and cost analysis, essential information for the successful operation of the business. Kelly stated: “We do lots of KPI reporting here because a lot of what we manufacture is bespoke, so we don’t have a set of costings and we don’t know this is exactly right. We have to estimate, and we need to know, did we predict what this was going to be correctly? E-Max ERP helps with cost analysis.” Nufox Technical Sales, Simon White, highlighted E-Max ERP’s traceability functionality, which offered a level of traceability that was missing from their previous ERP system. Another favourite feature was E-Max’s price calculator and costings structure, which has been easy to use and offers better visibility into costs and product composition. The move to the web platform has provided better accessibility for remote work and offered further flexibility to Nufox's management team, allowing them to access the system from any device, including phones, tablets and IOS devices.

The implementation of E-Max ERP has brought about tangible results for Nufox. The most significant outcome has been the improved overall efficiency of their processes. By consolidating their systems and accessing critical data with ease, the company saved valuable time and resources. Kelly stated, "Across the board, from doing a quote, to chasing up a quote to booking something in from production - all of the processes are a lot quicker than they used to be when we were using disjointed systems. [E-Max ERP] has made it a lot easier to monitor processes and make sure everything is where it is supposed to be." Additionally, E-Max’s enhanced reporting capabilities allowed Nufox to gain better insights into their operations and make data-driven decisions. This was particularly valuable for a company specialising in bespoke manufacturing, where accurate cost analysis and traceability are crucial. The benefits of E-Max ERP significantly contributed to Nufox's ongoing efforts to maintain efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and adapt to future challenges and opportunities. Kelly sums up with “Our experience with E-Max has been great. Everyone has been really helpful plus the visibility and flexibility within the system, the views that you can create and the information that you can get out. We look forward to continuing to build on what we’ve already begun with E-Max.”