Lab Device Manufacturer Replaces Outdated ERP, Gains Better Control

When Oxford Optronix hit a wall with its legacy ERP, the team found a user-friendly, flexible, and affordable alternative. “We think it’s wonderful how much easier MRPeasy is compared to manual methods or Sage Manufacturing,” says Steve Douglas, Technical Director.

A small business that combines research and manufacturing

Oxford Optronix is a UK-based manufacturer of specialist instrumentation for life sciences research. Headquartered in Oxfordshire, its product range includes tissue oxygen monitors, microvascular blood flow monitors, hypoxia chambers, imaging systems, and automated colony counters. Their instruments are used by scientists and clinicians at universities, hospitals, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech businesses around the world.

Oxford Optronix was founded in 1991 by physicist and entrepreneur Dr. Andrew Obeid, growing out of his academic and research work in biomedical science and optoelectronics, and initially operated from Obeid’s home. Today, the company remains privately held and develops and manufactures its instrumentation in-house, with a team largely composed of engineers, scientists, technicians, and other R&D-focused staff, generating £1-2 million in revenue each year.

Sage Manufacturing started causing issues

Until 2025, the company used Sage Manufacturing to manage operations, but the system became increasingly difficult to use.

“Critically, the integration with the accounting side was causing stock discrepancies; it felt dated and awkward to navigate,” says Steve Douglas, Technical Director. “Plus, support for the platform had been phased out, which made troubleshooting especially difficult.”

The team defined their requirements and began looking for alternatives, identifying several potential new systems. While most of those were geared toward larger organizations and came with a substantial price tag, one seemed to fit their organization perfectly.

“Pricing, scalability, and upfront costs were all important considerations,” Steve states. “MRPeasy looked fairly flexible and seemed like something that would fit our needs and the size of the business.”

A gradual implementation instead of a big-bang switch

Oxford Optronix began implementing MRPeasy in spring 2025, after a period of relying on manual processes while moving away from Sage Manufacturing.

It brought in independent manufacturing and ERP consultancy Smart Manufacture, an authorized implementation partner for MRPeasy, to support the implementation.

Rather than trying to move the whole company onto the new system at once, a decision was taken to adopt a gradual approach, starting with one product line and adding more products, parts, and purchasing activity over time.

That approach also helped employees get comfortable with the system at their own pace. As purchase orders were raised, missing parts were created in MRPeasy, and more activity shifted away from the manual process. Steve says adoption is constantly improving as users become familiar with the interface.

“We think it’s wonderful how much easier MRPeasy is compared to manual methods or Sage Manufacturing,” Steve says.

Better visibility and easier day-to-day manufacturing control

Barely a year into using MRPeasy, Oxford Optronix is already seeing substantial benefits, including better visibility, stronger stock control, and greater efficiency in purchasing and production management.

“It makes the whole operation visible to designated people within the organization, providing everyone with accurate, real-time data to work with,” Steve says.

Importantly, the new software helps ensure the correct materials are where they need to be when production starts. Instead of resolving shortages one item at a time, MRPeasy shows all missing materials together, making discrepancies easier to identify and address.

“You can see in one list what can be booked, what can’t be booked, and that can be printed out as a report and dealt with quite easily,” he says.

The company is also using serial number tracking and expects to extend traceability further for certain products, particularly its medical devices.

Start with the basics and learn by using the system

Steve recommends that manufacturers considering MRPeasy begin with a trial account and spend time using the system rather than trying to understand everything before getting started.

“It probably looks a lot scarier at first sight than it actually is,” he maintains. “The best way is to actually play with it.”

Steve’s broader recommendation is to introduce functionality in stages rather than trying to use every feature from day one. Oxford Optronix is still expanding its use of MRPeasy, adding more advanced capabilities as they become relevant to the business.

“The basics in MRPeasy are really easy,” Steve says. “More advanced features take some effort to set up, but the software is generally very straightforward. We are very happy with it as it’s doing exactly what it should.”