A SYSPRO 6.0 ERP system from McGuffie Brunton is expected to play a central role in helping military security specialist, Allen-Vanguard, restructure its manufacturing operations and develop new products. The company, whose main business is producing a range of products to counter terrorist activity such as remotely operated vehicles (ROV's) for bomb disposal technicians, found that prior to the selection of SYSPRO the existing ERP software was holding up dynamic changes taking place within the company. In a phased implementation programme, Allen-Vanguard is installing a suite of mainly SYSPRO manufacturing, financial and CRM modules that will begin to go live by the end of 2006, at the company's impressive 2,500 square metre manufacturing, research and development centre in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK.

As well as supporting the company through a planned strategic re-structure of its manufacturing operations, SYSPRO 6.0 will enable the firm's management to better control changes to the product mix and to develop new products for its specialist markets.

'Our current system does not meet the needs of the business in terms of flexibility.

We have to work around the system and fight it constantly, and work the way that the system demands,' claimed Gerald Harris, deputy managing director of Allen-Vanguard.

The company is looking forward to using SYSPRO's reporting capabilities and further plans to use SYSPRO to manage the quotation and selling process with more continuity.

Crucially, the firm's senior management was also looking for a system that would constantly meet the needs of a company that is rapidly growing.

'We have taken a long term view with SYSPRO with future proofing of our IT needs in mind,' concluded Harris.