Customer Case Study

Helping Networks Grow
Abergavenny Fine Foods Limited is one of Britain's foremost independent specialist food manufacturers.  The family owned company, based in south Wales supplies cheese made from both goats and cows milk to all of the major UK supermarkets  and to many specialist cheese sellers both home and abroad. 

 As the company has grown, so has its' dependence upon its' IT systems, despatching seven days a week to its' customers means that there is little or no leeway for their systems.  As every aspect of their processes, from recipe to despatch is computerised, the loss of computer power cannot be tolerated.

Growth has also brought with it the necessity to enlarge premises and to take on extra remote facilities to accommodate the manufacturing and storage capacity which the increased business demands.  This, in turn adds further complexity to their system requirements.

With sales all over the world, mobile access is essential for the Commercial team who need to access up-dated cost and stock data, as well as communicate with the manufacturing and administrative teams in the head-quarters.  Reliable and secure access from anywhere in the world means that orders can be processed quicker, and that proposals to customers can be accurately costed without the need for a return to base.

Cheese manufacturing is a tough business.  Fresh ingredients must be processed quickly to allow maximum shelf-life, orders for today are either shipped or lost - no second-chances.  That means no second-chance for the IT infrastructure either.  It works, or Abergavenny Fine Foods loses business. 

 

   Our association with Abergavenny Fine Foods Limited has been a long one.  Originally called in to administer their Microsoft NT3.51 based network, they have since grown through Windows Small Business Server 4.5 to Windows Small Business Server 2003 with a Windows 2003 Standard server to provide Terminal Services for remote offices and mobile users.

The reliability of the SBS2003 server is further assured by the hourly backup of  essential data, utilising the open file backup capability of the built-in backup facility (with Shadow Copy). 

AFF had developed their own Intranet system on the SBS4.5 server, and this has been brought over to the SBS2003 server, and runs alongside SBS's own SharePoint Services to provide a superb collaboration tool for all users.

Manufacturing in a food environment brings special requirements to the bear on the IT equipment. Thin-client technology enables the smallest footprint system while ensuring adequate power to the users.  It also has the effect of 'locking-down' the system in a vulnerable environment.

All the IT equipment in the world does not make good cheese; only passion, commitment and knowledge can do that.  If you want to know if the Craske family have those vital ingredients - just taste their cheeses!

 

 

Richard P Evans & Co