Denroy
Inforlogic helps precision plastics injection mouldings provider to diversify and embrace Industry 4.0 with Infor SyteLine.
Industrial Manufacturing 
Inforlogic helps precision plastics injection mouldings provider to diversify and embrace Industry 4.0 with Infor SyteLine.
Industrial Manufacturing 
Established in 1972, Denroy is a world leader in the design and manufacture of engineered polymer components and solutions.
Offering an integrated design, tooling and manufacturing operation, Denroy provides clients with a single-source solution from concept design to full-volume production. With extensive knowledge and expertise in processing a diverse range of polymers from the most common polypropylene grades to the high engineering grades of PEEK and PPS used in the aerospace industry, the company also manufactures the Denman range of hairbrushes and combs and, more recently, PPE, including FFP3 masks, for the healthcare industry.
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Digital represents the foundation from which to adapt to rapid change, and having used SyteLine as our core ERP system, supported by Inforlogic for many years; we had every confidence that we could embrace the opportunities presented by the events of 2020.
CEO, Denroy Group
Having deployed Infor SyteLine through Infor partner and business software consultancy Inforlogic in 2019, the pandemic, which ensued 12 months later, resulted in a seismic shift in Denroy’s business.
While its aerospace division stalled for obvious reasons, its hairbrush business took off. In response to consumers being locked down, self-care and hair care moved up the priority list and saw a record year for Denman, with volumes increasing from around 3 million per annum to over four million. And while this part of the business was traditionally B2B, it exploded into the direct-to-consumer market.
In parallel, Denroy’s certifications and accreditations in the aerospace sector meant that it represented a solid candidate to produce quality PPE, including FFP3 masks, for the health service in Northern Ireland. As a result, Denroy created a new business division, DenPro PPE, to meet demand in this area. Having received its first orders in May 2020, production was up and at full capacity by December 2020.
Denroy was able to pivot quickly and adjust to soaring demand for Denman and a new direct-to-consumer model while creating what was essentially a new business from scratch in the form of DenPro. This included a new distribution centre and production facilities, which was made possible through several factors.
Firstly, extensive experience in different sectors, a dedicated focus on best practices, and the right certifications were instrumental. Secondly, this diversification was made so much easier by having a robust, manufacturing-centric, flexible platform in the form of Infor SyteLine. This capability made adjusting to new levels of demand, switching to a new business model, and spinning up an entirely new business straightforward, delivering visibility, agility and scale from which to capitalise on these new opportunities, as CEO Kevin McNamee explains:
“Digital represents the foundation from which to adapt to rapid change, and having used SyteLine as our core ERP system, supported by Inforlogic for many years; we had every confidence that we could embrace the opportunities presented by the events of 2020.
“SyteLine is an excellent ERP system, which allowed us to set up new systems quickly and easily and extend these to the new company for product costing analysis. This enhanced visibility and management information allowed us to make better decisions on numerous aspects of the business as we scaled up Denman and started up DenPro,” Kevin points out.
“For our Denman business, we quickly established a pick, pack and ship operation to meet soaring B2C volumes. In supporting this, Infor and Inforlogic developed a transaction solution to complement SyteLine and expedite this set of processes. We also needed a means of dealing with Amazon warehouses and their consignment structures as how they hold stock necessitates a dedicated system to manage.”
Throughout the shift, SyteLine enabled consistent processes across all divisions, supporting sales, capacity planning, quality management and inventory.
The visibility of demand, scheduling, and capacity meant that Denroy could easily and confidently provide customers with the most accurate updates and projections on orders based on Bills of Materials and lead time schedules. SyteLine has also enabled Denroy to uphold its SC21 Gold Standard, which always requires quality and delivery rates of 99-100%.
“Building on this capability, we upgraded to SyteLine version 10 earlier this year,” Kevin reveals. “This was a substantial project because of the number of customisations within the solution. However, it went incredibly smoothly, with no issues at all, largely thanks to how the platform is designed. The core software remains unchanged, with modifications sitting on top. Rework is, therefore, restricted to the development layer and not code within the system’s fabric. Our in-house team, supported by Inforlogic’s consultants, did an amazing job completing the project on time and within budget.
“We’re now looking to get more from version 10, particularly the BI aspect, to strengthen capacity planning, drive further efficiencies, and supercharge our Industry 4.0 initiative.”
As a business, Denroy is currently focused on extending its digital journey to capitalise on the benefits of Industry 4.0, a major driver of which is integration and connectivity across all core systems.
“SyteLine, as our ERP platform, sits at the centre of this programme. Therefore, it has the flexibility to connect to our systems, warehouse management, monitoring equipment, and machines and process all the data to help inform insights. Decision-making is a massive advantage,” Kevin explains. “Every aspect of production can communicate with SyteLine, from sales orders to job, machine and warehouse operations, using a data lake to process and contextualise all the different data formats. These can then integrate with our BI capabilities for full visibility of the entire factory, not just the silos.”
In terms of demand, Denman volumes have tailed off by around 20% since the peak of the pandemic, but demand remains significantly higher than it was pre-pandemic, and the direct-to-consumer business model is thriving. The team has added a packaging and wrapping machine to expand its products and bring greater innovation to the range. While its PPE business will slow down significantly this year, Denroy will retain some manufacturing in this space.
“There is a lot of talk around the need to be agile, but in these last four years, we’ve lived and breathed it, proving that with the right resources, processes and platform, it is possible to capitalise on new opportunities, pivot in the face of adversity and leverage the power of digital to drive profitability,” Kevin concludes.
“The team at Inforlogic is great to work with, responsive and professional, and their in-depth knowledge, diligence and expertise is so valuable as we continue our digital journey.
“They truly understand the need for resilience and capacity to accommodate the rapidly fluctuating market dynamics which have become commonplace in the current era, and whenever we have a query, we have confidence that Inforlogic’s consultants will be on hand to help.
“In partnership with the team, and with a best-in-class ERP system embedded in our business, we look forward to embracing whatever challenges and opportunities the coming years bring.”
For more information about Inforlogic or how we can help your business benefit from Infor SyteLine, get in touch or call us on 01606 720499.
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