Client Background

Founded in 1985, our client is a prominent manufacturer of beauty and lifestyle products, supplying major high street brands. Initially starting as a family team of four, the company has grown to employ 130 people as of 2024, evolving into a design-led business focused on supplier and product sourcing. Their journey includes several rounds of investment, driving rapid growth and expansion.

Challenges

The company faced several operational challenges during its rapid growth:

1. Disparate Systems: The company used a mix of bought-in and in-house software solutions that did not integrate with each other.
2. Spreadsheet Dependency: Extensive reliance on spreadsheets to support operational requirements, which often led to issues.
3. Legacy ERP System: The existing ERP system was outdated and did not communicate with other systems.
4. Operational Inefficiency: Spreadsheets were not multi-user friendly and frequently broke due to complex functions or were locked because someone had left a file open.
5. High Costs of Solutions: Attempts to resolve these issues with external software development agencies resulted in complex and costly solutions.

Solutions Provided

In 2015, during a routine meeting, an Altido representative, Steve Eyre, identified the critical issue of locked forecasting spreadsheets causing operational delays. Despite the company’s previous experience with high-cost quotes for resolving this issue, Steve proposed developing a solution using Altido Cloud. He committed to presenting a working demonstration within a week.

Steve returned with a functional solution that addressed the spreadsheet issue, which has been in use since its implementation.

Building on this success, Altido developed additional modules over time, including budget management, product development, stock code creation, and comprehensive reporting systems, integrating seamlessly with the company’s ERP platform.

Implementation Process

The implementation followed an iterative, agile development approach, with regular feedback sessions to ensure the solutions met the company’s evolving needs.

Starting with small, focused solutions, the Altido Cloud repository expanded with each new product release, demonstrating the flexibility and scalability of the platform. Continuous development and customisation have solidified the company’s investment in Altido, yielding significant benefits.

Results and Benefits

The Altido solutions have transformed the company’s operations by connecting disparate teams and systems, both internally and externally. The integration has enabled staff to access information quickly and efficiently, centralising data and processes.

This transformation has provided a single source of truth for critical business metrics such as profit, stock, and cost, previously calculated differently across various systems. With everything centralised and accessible via a simple dashboard, the company now enjoys improved operational efficiency and enhanced connectivity with suppliers and customers.

Client Feedback

The client’s confidence in Altido has been expressed in numerous ways, including their retained development services and continued investment in multiple solutions on the Altido Cloud platform.

Over nearly a decade of collaboration, the client has consistently chosen to expand and enhance their use of Altido’s offerings. Their commitment is further demonstrated by their adoption of our corporate licence approach, ensuring that Altido Cloud is accessible to all staff, reinforcing the central role our solutions play in their daily operations.