Hovat: replacing a 1970s stock system with MRPeasy

Hovat has been making printed packaging and labels for the food industry since 1972. Flexographic and digital printing, foil wraps, adhesive label conversion, much of it for the dairy sector. Two manufacturing sites, an in house design department, a large warehouse, 75 full time staff and turnover above £11 million.

Until 2024, all of that was being run on stock control software that was almost as old as the company. This is how Hovat replaced it with MRPeasy, with our consultant on site through the implementation.

Software from the 1970s, on eight bit computers

When Colin Britton joined Hovat as Head of Finance in 2023, one of his first jobs was to get the company off its legacy system. He describes it better than we could.

“When I joined, they used software developed in the 70s. It was originally used to record stock for the Vietnam War! The system was running on ancient eight bit computers, and since the parent company had lost most of its clientele over the years, the cost of running it was pushed onto the few remaining clients. So, we were paying around £2,500 a month for the package. It was a no brainer that we needed to move to something more modern.”

Colin had used several manufacturing and inventory packages before, so he looked at those first. None made the cut. One was too expensive, one too complicated, and one lacked the traceability a food industry supplier cannot do without.

He found MRPeasy through a web search. Cloud based, sensibly priced, easy to use, and with the comprehensive traceability Hovat needed. A demo was enough to convince him.

Why Hovat chose an assisted implementation

The project started in September 2023. Hovat is a sizeable, complex operation, and management decided early on that they wanted help with the implementation rather than doing it alone. MRPeasy runs a programme of authorised consultants, and we are one of its long standing UK partners, which is how Colin came to us.

Our consultant went on site and, with Colin, mapped the production set up, talked to every department and built a proper understanding of how the business actually operates. We then set up a test database, tried MRPeasy’s functions against Hovat’s real processes, connected it to the company’s chosen accounting platform, Xero, and gradually brought more staff into the process.

That gave Hovat’s production management team time to get comfortable with the system and practise on it before the switch. The transition completed in May 2024.

“Many of our employees have taken to using MRPeasy very well,” Colin says. “One of the production staff has become so competent at it that he’s the go to guy if anyone needs any help with the system.”

Thousands saved on postage in under a year

Ask Colin about the biggest benefit and he starts with communication, between departments, contractors and suppliers.

“Previously, there were no options to send out customer orders, quotes, or invoices easily. Everything was done by printing hard copies. We had a massive archive full of dot matrix printouts. The printers would start printing at six every morning to get a pile of printouts for the day. Now we can email suppliers purchase orders or copies of drawings straight within the system. We’ve saved thousands of pounds on postage alone in less than a year since moving to MRPeasy.”

Traceability, the thing the rejected systems could not do, is now a report. “It’s a lot easier to trace anything now. Just a simple report, accessible straight within the app. We’re saving hours and hours compared to the old way of tracing any item.”

Real margins, not theoretical ones

For Colin personally, being able to log in and manage the finances of two sites from anywhere has changed how he works. “I took my computer to Australia on a business trip, and I could work from halfway around the globe.”

Cost accuracy has improved just as much. Under the old system all invoicing was done monthly, so nobody knew the true margin on any product. “It’s a lot easier for us to see where cost increases are eroding a customer’s margin with MRPeasy. We can deal with actual margins now, not theoretical.” That gives Hovat real control over selling prices and shows where efficiencies are hiding.

Audits are simpler too. The old system could not export anything without a lot of manual work. “Because we couldn’t export anything to Excel before, analysing things was difficult for the auditors. Now, they can get any report on the screen and pop it out as a CSV if needed.”

Colin’s advice on choosing help

Colin has implemented three software systems in recent years, and his conclusion is about people rather than products.

“The most important aspect, for me, has been partnering with the right support company to help out. You should get a consultant with a deep understanding of manufacturing, not just accounting or computer expertise. If you go it alone without understanding what needs to be done, you can get in trouble fast, because there are so many ways to set a system up.”

With the old infrastructure gone and MRPeasy set up properly, Hovat overhauled its production, stock and cost control in a matter of months, and is far better placed for the growth it wants next.

Running a food packaging or print operation on an old system?

Traceability, margin visibility and getting rid of paper are the three things we hear most from packaging manufacturers. See how MRPeasy handles them, or contact us to talk through an assisted implementation like Hovat’s.