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BFS Pressrooms roll out streamlined operations to modernise their manufacturing with Sicon Additions for Sage 200

BFS Site Director Jonathan Whitehead, along with Aztech MicroCentres Director Steve Brown and Sicon Sales & Marketing Director Steve Jemmott, explore how BFS Pressrooms have modernised their business processes and gained better control of their manufacturing operations.

“With our partner Aztech and Sicon, we’ve developed a manufacturing system that has managed to condense all information and data into one system, which is now working a lot more efficiently for us. Since introducing Sicon Manufacturing, we are fully running on tablets and computers, so everything is digitised – we’ve managed to alleviate around four hours a day of someone’s time in the office by having systems available for the manufacturing team to capture information whilst running jobs.”  – Jonathan Whitehead, Site Director (Rollers) – BFS Pressrooms

Founded in 1986 by John Hope, BFS Pressrooms has been a family-run business for nearly four decades. With the anticipated end-of-life of Sage Manufacturing, BFS began searching for a new solution that would not only support their ongoing manufacturing operations but also offer opportunities to modernise and streamline their business processes.

What needed to change?

• Their existing setup was falling short – struggling to integrate with other systems and lacking key functionality. Additionally, the absence of shop floor data capture meant that information was being gathered from multiple sources, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of confidence in the data output.
• One of the major challenges BFS faced was material bottlenecks at the point of entry, which impacted shop floor movement and productivity. To overcome this, they needed improved traceability and accurate, real-time data to optimise workflow and reduce delays.
• Given the bespoke nature of their products—each roller manufactured to customer-specific dimensions—BFS required a flexible system capable of adapting to constantly changing demands. Streamlining operations and improving responsiveness became a top priority.

It became clear that a more robust and capable solution was needed to manage their complex business processes and controls. Coupled with the knowledge that Sage Manufacturing was approaching end-of-life, BFS recognised the need for a future-proof solution—one that would not only support their manufacturing processes but also enable them to modernise and streamline operations across the business.

That’s where Sicon Business Partner Aztech MicroCentres stepped in. Established in 1986, Aztech is a leading provider of PC network solutions for SMEs across the Thames Valley. With extensive knowledge of the Sage software and a trusted partnership with BFS spanning over 16 years, Aztech was ideally positioned to help BFS transition to a more integrated and future-ready system.

“The significant gains in production efficiency we are now seeing following the introduction of Sicon Manufacturing has made the move from Sage Manufacturing extremely beneficial.” – Jonathan Whitehead, Site Director (Rollers) – BFS Pressrooms

The Solution – Transforming Operations at BFS Pressrooms

Following the implementation of Sicon Manufacturing, BFS experienced notable improvements in production efficiency. The shift from Sage Manufacturing has proven highly beneficial, streamlining operations and enhancing overall productivity.

One of the most impactful changes for BFS was the adoption of Sicon CRM. Unlike the previous system, Sicon CRM integrates seamlessly without requiring scheduled processes. It offers enhanced functionality for managing company and contact details, cases, opportunities, tasks, notes, and reminders. The ability to access the system via both desktop and web clients has further improved usability. With Sicon CRM, management now have clearer visibility into each salesperson’s pipeline and can capture more detailed information about machinery at customer sites. The high level of integration between Sicon CRM and Sage 200 enables end-to-end tracking from enquiry to sale—something that was difficult to achieve with the previous solution.

Both Sicon Works Order Processing (WOP) and Sicon Material and Resource Planning (MRP) have empowered BFS to efficiently assess component demand and generate Works Orders or Purchase Orders to meet both customer and internal requirements. The daily MRP run, which is scheduled to run at 5am ready to be reviewed at the start of the business day, is now significantly faster and more efficient—saving between 30 minutes to an hour each day in business processing.

The introduction of Sicon Shop Floor Data Capture has further enhanced operational visibility. Using Android devices connected via the Sicon Web API, operatives can clock-on and clock-off specific tasks, allowing the team to monitor who is working on what in real-time. This has significantly reduced information loss and improved traceability across the production process.

Aztech, alongside Sicon Partner Technology Partners Limited, delivered tailored enhancements, including custom Excel integrations that feed directly into the Sicon modules. These bespoke tools have enabled BFS to streamline processes and improve data flow across departments. Through close collaboration with Sicon and Aztech, BFS has successfully implemented new controls and systems that support their evolving business needs.

“We’ve been working with BFS for years, we provide them with all of their software, their hardware, network infrastructure and ongoing support.” – Steve Brown, Director – Aztech MicroCentres

Future Projects between BFS Pressrooms, Aztech and Sicon

• Speeding up the order processing is the next step for them, potentially utilising the Sicon Web API.
• Sicon Documents to work in line with and improve their current business requirements.
• Sicon Barcoding & Warehousing and Sicon Courier Integration to allow greater control and management of the inventory for the non-manufacturing parts of the business.
• Expand the use of Sicon CRM to help with the marketing function of the company, with targeted email shots to specific customer profiles.
• Sicon Fixed Assets to gain a real-time understanding of their asset position.