Case Study: Dragons’ Den winners manufacture confidently thanks to MRP software

Innovative cable fastener and power tool manufacturer Grays Clip implemented manufacturing resource planning software even before their product hit the market. Now the MRPeasy system helps them ensure high product quality, efficient planning, and full traceability.

David Gray is an electrician-turned-entrepreneur from Northern Ireland who invented a new power tool that would change the lives of electricians worldwide. His inventions – the ViperClip and the ViperClip Gun – make fastening electrical cables during construction quicker, easier, and safer compared to traditionally used cable clips that are hammered in.

David and his wife Julie put their whole lives into bringing their products to market: they funneled all their savings into the business, developing the product for 10 years before starting to manufacture and sell it. In 2021, they only had a thousand pounds and very few options left when they applied to participate in the TV show Dragons’ Den (known as Shark Tank in the US and elsewhere) to secure extra funding for their dream. The dragons saw treasure in their invention and provided the two with what they needed to bring ViperClip to electricians around the world.

Fast-forward to 2024, Grays Clip has recently launched its products to the general public and employs 5 people to manufacture the clips in-house while subcontracting the production of the clip gun and its accessories.

Business analyst experience drove to integrated software

As an experienced business analyst specialising in software selection and implementation, Julie Gray knew they needed a system in place that would integrate the whole operation.

“We wanted a system that would connect everything together, automatically exchange information between different departments, and reduce the amount of data duplication needed to keep everything up to date,” she says.

Julie got into evaluating different software offerings, but felt they were either too complex or too simplistic for their operation. Then, an acquaintance recommended MRPeasy and it clicked right away.

“MRPeasy is sat right in the middle in terms of ease of use and functionality,” she says. “While it doesn’t do absolutely everything we need, it covers most of it and as a software consultant, I know that you have to make compromises to arrive at a balanced decision.”

Implementing the software before taking orders

Julie wanted the system to be up and running before they started accepting orders as she felt implementing while they were already fully operational would have been much harder. “I felt it was important to take that jump because otherwise, we’d always be in catch up mode,” she says.

Implementing the software was a joint effort between Julie, their Operations Manager Alex, and their product development consultant, Oliver. Each of them worked on their specific area of the software and came together regularly to make sure everything was in alignment between departments as well. As the software implementation was done concurrently with the manufacturing process development, it took longer than usual for the solution to go live.

“The implementation took around six months,” Julie says. “But it was not due to the complexity of the software, rather delays that we were having on our end.”

New system ensures quality and traceability

Now that the system is implemented and products are being shipped, Grays Clip uses MRPeasy to track each item’s journey from procurement through production to final delivery. As they subcontract the manufacture of the ViperClip Guns, it is especially important to make sure customers receive a functional product.

“Quality is very important to us,” Julie says. “We keep an eye on both our subcontractor’s quality data and perform extra quality inspections in-house. Serial numbers allow us to track the details of each product.”

The company also uses MRPeasy to manage customer returns. Having a digital trail associated with each product helps the team trace back quality inconsistencies from customer complaint to the root cause of the issue. This enables the team to quickly fix any hiccups in their processes or clearly communicate when a problem lies on a supplier’s side.

Accurate planning and seamless processes

The new software has also introduced meticulous planning into the company. After determining their projected demand, they can create manufacturing orders for whatever quantities of the product are needed. The software then looks at current inventory levels and production capacity and automatically calculates what needs to be ordered, when production can start, and how long it will take.

“We can always make sure we have enough stock and staff to fulfill orders,” Julie says. “That planning aspect in MRPeasy is very important to us.” Julie also likes the fact that MRPeasy integrates with many other systems vital for their business such as ShipStation, Shopify, and Xero. “The integrations ensure that our processes are seamlessly connected from end to end,” she says.

Price lists and labeling make day-to-day easier

As Grays Clip sells its products through various channels and to different types of customers, they also hugely benefit from MRPeasy’s price list functionality. This enables them to create different pricing systems, e.g., for bulk orders by distributors versus single items ordered through Shopify. Invoicing is also done via MRPeasy, which then synchronises the info with their accounting system and provides a convenient overview of pending invoices, cash flow, and other financial metrics.

“Another small everyday thing that has made our work more efficient, is MRPeasy’s labeling system,” Julie says. “The software automatically generates labels with barcodes and other product info that we can then easily print and stick onto our packages.” To other manufacturers that are looking to implement manufacturing software, Julie suggests a gradual approach, taking on one area of functionality at a time. And even to people not used to working with computers, she whole-heartedly recommends MRPeasy. “MRPeasy is just easy to wrap your head around,” she says. “It’s a nice, simple, and clearly laid out system.”