Goodfellow targets growth after largest ever digital transformation project

A UK supplier of advanced materials and metals has accelerated its digital transformation journey after implementing a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. Goodfellow has completed the integration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 into its business, which supplies a 170,000-strong product range to clients in more than 30 countries across the globe.

Together with the company’s e-commerce website and enhancements to its CRM (customer relationship management) system, the new ERP will provide long-term operational efficiencies and allow it to launch new materials quicker. In addition, Goodfellow expects to strengthen further its levels of customer service.

Importantly, it will also give the firm the capability to scale as the company looks to embark on a proactive acquisition trail. This trail accelerated with the recent purchases of US-based Potomac Photonics, Suisse TP in Switzerland and, closer to home, The Bureau of Analysed Samples (BAS).

“This is the biggest transformation project we’ve completed as a business this century – that’s the scale of what the team has successfully achieved,” states Simon Kenney, CEO of Goodfellow. “We now have an ERP system that gives us real-time access to every facet of our operation. Cash used to be king, but that is quickly changing to data as it allows us to make informed decisions on purchasing, post-processing manufacturing and sales – all with the aim of supporting our customer base in the best way possible.”

He continues: “There’s not many businesses like ours that supply up to 170,000 different products, so to migrate these to Microsoft Dynamics has been a huge task. It will help us introduce products quicker and we’re currently in the process of announcing two new lines in the coming months.”

Goodfellow, which received an investment from Battery Ventures in 2021, supplies a wide range of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, compounds and composites. The company has built a strong reputation as a trusted supplier to firms involved in R&D, advanced engineering, space and the scientific sector, with subsidiaries across Europe, North America and China helping extend its global reach. From its HQ in Cambridge, the material specialist also provides a range of post-processing facilities, including rolling, electroplating, sputtering, heat treatment, disk punching/turning and guillotining/sawing.

Chief Technology Officer Richard Wilson says: “We’re at an exciting stage of development, with organic growth and acquisitions all in the pipeline. To get to where we want to be, we need a technology platform that can help us scale globally. In Microsoft Dynamics 365, Adobe Commerce and Salesforce, we now have that in place.”

He concludes: “I’m proud of the team’s achievements in implementing these new technologies and we’re all looking forward to leveraging future benefits from these best-in-class systems. Whether it be through AI supporting product recommendations or data insights to aid stock management, Goodfellow is set-up perfectly for a digital future.”