Digital Advanced Control elevates efficiency with integrated Sage 200 and IT systems from Pinnacle

Currently celebrating its tenth anniversary, Digital Advanced Control is a family business, owned jointly by Mandy and Yan Phoenix. Mandy explains why the company migrated to Sage 200, implemented by Pinnacle.
“We had been using a Sage 50 package linked to our manufacturing software. We could, feasibly, have continued along that path, but came to realise that a more powerful, integrated system would help us to manage our business and support our future growth.”

In the pursuit of increased efficiency, Digital Advanced Control needed a system that would help streamline its processes, minimise reliance on paper and eliminate manual working.

The company reviewed the market for enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and met with two potential Sage Partners, one being Pinnacle. Pinnacle’s expertise in manufacturing was a decisive factor in the eventual selection.

The decision to go with Pinnacle was only the start of in-depth discussions on the precise needs of the business and how Sage 200 would fulfil them.

“It was a massive leap for us, including upgrading to a new server,” says Mandy. “Perhaps if you’re starting with a blank sheet it’s easier, but we were an established business with established processes and a database to migrate. We met with Pinnacle over many months to analyse our requirements and define the right solution.”

Working closely with Digital Advanced Control, Pinnacle developed an ERP solution that would bring everything into one system, with customer relationship management (CRM), bill of materials and Sicon manufacturing being among the key elements. Complementary solutions, such as a third-party product for order processing and a Pinnacle module to import spreadsheets into Sage 200, were tightly integrated into the core system to meet specific requirements.

The system went live in April 2018. Today, all the information users need is stored on Sage and it supports every stage of a customer order: from quoting on Sage 200 CRM for products such as a new lift controller; to converting the quotation into an order acknowledgement; to the work specification and work order for engineering, and stock control; to the eventual dispatch and invoicing.

Mandy sums up the benefits, saying, “Nothing sits outside Sage. Where we used to have three separate systems to operate and manage, we now have a single integrated system. It’s much more efficient.”

Digital Advanced Control had previously experienced issues with connectivity and backups, so one of the priorities for Pinnacle was to provide a robust, secure platform. With users across the business now completely dependent on the new system, it was vital to balance ease of access and availability with safeguarding valuable business data.

Pinnacle recommended and installed a tried and tested third-party solution for backup and replication, along with a centrally managed cloud solution to fully protect the company’s IT infrastructure against the all-too common threats of malware and ransomware.

Mandy praises the support received from Pinnacle in the lead up to the implementation, during the go-live and beyond. “The Pinnacle team were absolutely fantastic, advising and supporting us throughout the implementation; so much so that we’ve entrusted the maintenance and support of our whole IT infrastructure to their safe hands.”

Pinnacle proactively monitors the company’s IT infrastructure remotely and provides on-site IT support when required. As part of the drive to continuous improvement, Pinnacle has also performed a Microsoft Office migration from on-premise to Microsoft 365 in the cloud.

Once the system was bedded down and users started to become familiar with it, Mandy booked extra training with Pinnacle. As expected, it proved very helpful, and there are plans to hold another session in a few months’ time.

She notes, “It’s such a big system, there was no way we could get to grips with all its capabilities straightaway. Fortunately, we have a good relationship with our Pinnacle consultant, who helps us to maximise the beneficial impact of Sage within the business. In fact, the Pinnacle team as a whole has added such value that I’m always happy to provide a reference to any business deliberating its choice of Sage Partner.”