Emplas/Pilkington Partnership brings new transparency to manufacturing process

This allows it to track each order as it passes through the production process.

Integrated with its Window and Door Designer tools, it means that customers cannot only create and place orders online but track their progress through Emplas’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

Now after a two-year project delivered in partnership with Pilkington, Emplas has established a new interface with Pilkington’s own factory management system.

This allows Emplas to pull-in data on glass orders from Pilkington, which means its customers can track the end-to-end progress of their order through Window Designer, including glazed units in addition to frames.

Mike Crewdson, Sales and Marketing Director, Emplas said: “Rapid turnaround is part and parcel of our business now, installers need that flexibility. The integration of Pilkington’s bar coding system with our own and with Window Designer helps us to deliver it.

“The benefits are twofold. Because the whole work-flow is fully integrated and because we can check or access any orders at any time, the manufacturing process becomes seamless. That makes us more efficient and flexible, and gives benefits that we can directly pass onto our customers.

“Through Window designer, installers get real time visibility of their order including frames and now glass. With more than half of all orders now placed online, it allows our customers to plan more effectively with absolute confidence that product will be with them when we say it will be with them.”

Accessed through its Customer Portal, Window Designer, launched by Emplas in 2013 and its new Door Designer launched earlier this year, allow installers to get instant quotes and place orders anytime and anywhere, via the web. It also automatically applies customer discounts, to provide an instant quote.

Door designer features additional functionality which also allows it to be used as an own-branded retail sales tool. Easy-to-use ‘circular’ navigation means that installers can build and ‘personalise’ a door in front of the prospect.

This includes from a choice of five solid styles, 21 glazed options, four side panels and four stable leafs from Nan Ya’s market leading range. It also allows homeowners to choose from a selection of standard or heritage finishes and glazing and furniture options.

Emplas also allows installers to ‘own-brand’ not only the platform but the range they offer – giving qualifying members of its Installer Partnership, the option to embed their offer in the community that they serve by renaming products after the local areas in which they work.

“We are committed to exploiting digital tools where we feel that they can add real value to our customers. The integration of bar-coding systems that we now have with Pilkington is a real advantage in that we can plan our own production and delivery schedule more efficiently but also in that those same benefits carry over to our customers”, added Crewdson.