Manufacturing
Case Study
For more than three decades, Monarch Education Furniture have established a distinctive position in the education furniture sector by providing friendly customer service and exceptional lead times that are unparalleled in the industry. Their factory, located in Nottingham and designed specifically for this purpose, spans 96,000 square feet and produces an extensive range of standard units as well as custom projects tailored to the unique requirements of education, healthcare, and public sector markets.
Find out more about how we helped Monarch Education Furniture drastically improve productivity below.
Project Details
- Client: Monarch Education Furniture
- Original: Multiple spreadsheets
- Solution: Web Application - Production Planning
- Project Duration: 3 months
- Client Website: www.monarchuk.com
The Challenge
Monarch relied on a set of interconnected spreadsheets to manage production planning and transport scheduling. The main transport spreadsheet controlled the process, with separate sheets for production planning and metalwork linked behind the scenes.
These spreadsheets contained a large number of macros, including integrations with SAGE 200, many of which were no longer used or fully understood. This made the system difficult to maintain and risky to change.
Planning production required working backwards from delivery dates to calculate capacity and scheduling. This was time-consuming and relied heavily on manual input, making it difficult to respond quickly or adapt as demand changed.
The Desired Outcome
Monarch needed a single system to replace the spreadsheets and bring production and transport planning into one place.
The system needed to support multiple users, track changes, and provide a clear, reliable view of production capacity. It also needed to be easy to maintain, as production planning is a critical part of the business.
The Solution
We built a web-based production planning system backed by a central database, creating a single source of truth for all operational data.
The system consolidates production, transport, and workforce data, allowing users to plan capacity more efficiently. Automated calculations replace manual planning, ensuring that production schedules are consistent and based on real data.
Users can manage key data such as drivers, staff, and factory schedules within the system, with updates immediately reflected across the workflow.
The Impact
The new system improved speed, accuracy, and visibility across production planning:
- Faster planning – production capacity can be calculated instantly for any given day.
- Improved accuracy – automated calculations remove manual errors and inconsistencies.
- Better coordination – information is shared in real time across teams.
- Greater flexibility – users can update resources such as staff, drivers, and schedules without breaking the system.
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