From Spreadsheets to Scale: Genie Insights’ Digital Transformation Journey
November 11 @ 12:00 – 13:00
Growth is what every business wants, but it can quickly expose the systems holding it together. For many small and growing manufacturers and suppliers, that “system” is a set of spreadsheets, and one person who knows how to keep them all working.
In this E-DATA Collaborative Network peer learning session, we’ll hear from Jan Willis, Operations Director at Genie Insights, about what happened when a period of significant sales growth outpaced the way the business was run. Order processing, checking stock availability, ordering stock, tracking deliveries, planning kits for assembly, arranging delivery slots with customers and installers, and making sure invoices were raised were all managed through a series of manually updated spreadsheets, with Jan as the glue holding it together.
Jan will share the real story of moving to a digital system: why the business decided to change, what the transition looked like in practice, and what it made possible. Almost all of those spreadsheets have gone, the business has been able to bring on more staff to take on different parts of the process, and a link to QuickBooks now means seamless invoicing. Rich, founder of Flowlens, will join her to add some wider perspective on what digital transformation looks like for SMEs, but this is a customer story, not a product pitch.
Dr. Justin Quinn from Ulster University will also outline how the E-DATA programme can support SMEs on their digital transformation journey. He’ll share practical examples of how businesses can use digital tools to automate processes, improve sales forecasting and strengthen customer management, as well as highlighting the free support available to help businesses identify and implement suitable solutions.
As with all Collaborative Network sessions, there will be time for questions, shared experiences and discussion of your own challenges.
Key takeaways:
· How to recognise when spreadsheets and manual processes are holding your business back
· What a practical, step-by-step move away from spreadsheets looks like, and what to expect along the way
· How better systems free up people to focus on growth, rather than keeping the lights on
· Funded E-DATA support for SMEs, including mentoring and digital tools to automate tasks, access key insights, improve productivity and business performance
Speakers:
Jan Willis, Operations Director, Genie Insights
Genie Insights is a Northern Ireland-based fleet technology business supplying solar solutions for commercial vehicles and fleet and workshop management software to customers across the UK and Ireland.
As Operations Director, Jan is the operational backbone behind its growth. She oversees stock management, order fulfilment, aftermarket support and customer service, and leads the support and admin teams. Known for her reliability and problem-solving, she keeps everything running smoothly from first order to ongoing support and stays calm while managing competing demands.
Rich Dale, CEO and Founder, Flowlens
Rich is the founder and CEO of Flowlens, a UK-based software company building MRP and MES tools for small and medium-sized equipment and machinery manufacturers. He leads the company’s product vision, helping manufacturers get real-time visibility of production, stock and orders without unnecessary complexity.
Having worked closely with manufacturing teams, he knows where digital transformation delivers value and where it stalls. He also hosts the Made To Grow podcast, speaking with manufacturing leaders about scaling and building resilient businesses. Based in Northern Ireland, he brings a straight-talking, practical approach.
Dr. Justin Quinn, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Engineering and Renewable Energy, E-DATA and Ulster University
Justin is the Director for the Centre for Engineering and Renewable Energy (CERE) and a Senior Lecturer at the School of Computing, Engineering, and Intelligent Systems at Ulster University Magee.
He has worked in research and industrial development for over 20 years, supporting manufacturing companies with projects such as introducing digital technology and automation for manufacture, assembly and inspection process through the use of robotics, visual systems, robust software and other electrical and mechanical equipment.