Bathroom Products Manufacturer Plans Overseas Expansion And 50% Growth With Exel ERP System

DLP manufacture bath and shower products for disabled and elderly people. They are to underpin their expansion into foreign markets with the Exel EFACS ERP system, currently being installed at its manufacturing site on the Isle of Man, UK.

DLP expects to increase its turnover by 40% this year. Foreign sales are the main focus of planned expansion in 2005.

The EFACS installation will be relied on to improve all aspects of management information and to enable DLP to produce a greater number of low-level and level-access shower and bathroom products whilst maintaining staff levels.

We are very ambitious and have set ourselves high targets, says Financial Director Philip Sherrard. Not only are we looking to win new foreign sales, we are planning to grow by up to 40% this year.

So we are installing a system that matches our ambitions and is as sales-focused as we are.

"The system will provide us with better management information and with the ability to communicate more clearly with customers and our own staff.

"It will also enable us to have tighter control on what we buy and make.

We will place great demands on EFACS and we are expecting a great deal from it. EFACS will run everything from ordering to delivering and all in between."

The system will integrate the information used by the companys five designers with shop floor workers and with sales and management personnel.

Previous years have seen DLP grow by an average of 30% and the companys overseas expansion plans mean that the 50% growth target for 2005 should be achievable. Turnover in 2003 was 7.7 million and turnover in 2004 is expected to be 11 million.

Exels EFACS replaces DLPs in-house management system.

Our own system was fine for what we were doing, but it would not have been able to drive us forward in the way we need, says Philip Sherrard. We looked at five main ERP vendors but Exel won the business, not only because of its system, but also its track record for service and customer communication.

We will measure the success of the system by our ability to deliver on the expected increase in sales both from abroad and from within the UK, without having to hire many extra staff.

We also may set up a stockholding facility elsewhere in the world and EFACS will be expected to take that in its stride.

Says John Ellis, Managing Director of Exel Computer Systems: EFACS has been designed to deliver a high standard of management information for all sizes of manufacturing companies. DLPs ambitions to have a remote site, as well as its need to drive up turnover whilst keeping costs down, makes EFACS a perfect choice.

"It is exciting to be closely involved with the growth of a company in this way and the Exel team plans to play an important role in DLPs growth.