Clearview South January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 46

TIMBERNEWS

Proving Essential
Seven years after purchasing Joinerysoft’s Joinery Management Software (JMS),
Jamie Rudd of Rudd Joinery describes it as the heart of the business.
A family business Rudd Joinery
is run by father and son,
Martin and Jamie Rudd, with
Mum Stella and a part time
clerical assistant in the office
plus 4 joiners in the workshop.
Based in Fakenham, Norfolk,
the company manufactures
bespoke windows, doors,
and staircases. Viewing JMS
Jamie was convinced that this
software was the way forward
for the business, but his biggest
concern was that he was not
into computers. The catalyst
for change for him was the
difficulties he faced recruiting
the right staff. It was more
and more difficult to find
joiners who knew what they
were doing. Jamie was used
to working from hand written
notes with rough sketches
illustrating the job. When he
started the business however, he
discovered that not all joiners
could work from sketchy
information, and found it
difficult to get experienced staff
that could.
Utilising JMS, Jamie has
seen a huge improvement in
the professionalism of the
information he can now provide
his workshop. “I am now free
to run the business and can
complete all the paperwork and
calculations in the office before
the joiners even start the job.
JMS allows me to get accurate
information to my joiners in a
professional way, helping them to
get the job right and making their
lives easier,” he says.
Jamie found JMS easy to learn,
adding, “The joinery terminology
made sense and was relevant.
It helped that the trainer was a
joiner himself. He used joinery
examples and sketched out cross
sections to illustrate how JMS

46

JAN 2014

worked.” After two days training,
Jamie was able to enter additional
pricing information and go it
alone. Thankfully he was never
completely alone with telephone
backup and remote access support
through Log Me In. He says,
“Customer Support has been very
good. Video Tutorials are also a
great tool because what you want
to do is in front of you so if you
are not sure you can just watch it
again!”
JMS has also significantly
improved Jamie’s ability to quote
accurately and quickly. Prices
used to be stored in Jamie’s
head, but now JMS can provide
accurate prices to the nearest
penny, protecting Rudd Joinery’s
profit margins and providing
visibility of costs. Most quotes
are now emailed to customers
allowing a very quick response
time. With true scale drawings
produced automatically and
wood, glass and fittings clearly
specified, Jamie can now provide
an order confirmation with
the quote and ask customers
to sign to avoid disputes later.
An added benefit of JMS is the
ability to provide u-values and
CE marking. Jamie says, “JMS
can automatically print u-value
certificates but I hold onto
them until the customer has
paid, which provides an added
incentive for prompt payment.”
Jamie adds, “With JMS we are
able to handle bigger jobs. I now
save approximately 50% of my
time due to JMS, time I can now
spend in the workshop.”
Wood and glass are ordered
directly from JMS printouts
when the order is placed. He
says, “We can now email the glass
order through to our supplier
requesting the delivery date we
want. The glass turns up on time,

and we sometimes deliver it
directly to the customer’s site — if
we are not fitting it ourselves.”
Jamie is confident that JMS has
helped his business grow, making
them more efficient and more
organised. “We have seen a 25%
business growth since purchasing
JMS.”
Jamie says that it is hard to
summarise the best advantage of
JMS, since there are so many. It
has definitely made Rudd joinery
more customer focused, providing
customers with professional
quotes, with quick turnaround
times. It also makes it easier for
the joiners in the workshop. With
each new update that Joinerysoft
bring out Jamie is able to alter

JMS and improve how they use
it. He says, “As a small firm I can
really see the benefit of JMS. As
well as making me compliant
with CE legislation the new
Factory Production Control
System helps me to easily keep
track of training completed by my
joiners and reminds me when my
machines need servicing with a
visible schedule.”

For Rudd Joinery Ltd,
contact: sales@ruddjoinery.
co.uk, tel: [phone],
www.ruddjoinery.co.uk. For
Joinerysoft contact: enquiries@
joinerysoft.com, tel: 01608
643302, www.joinerysoft.com

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