Stakam is a chemical manufacturing company founded in 2016 in Scotland that specializes in offering custom chemical manufacturing solutions.
While chemical manufacturing to specific customer requirements is not a new business model as such, Stakam has taken this recipe a step further. The company hails itself as the world’s first craft chemicals manufacturer, lending the term from craft breweries wherein small companies can take on large producers by offering superior production flexibility and an ability to scale up to commercial volumes in record pace.
Need for manufacturing software that aligns with the flexibility of operations
Knowing the complexity inherent in bespoke chemical manufacturing, Managing Director Alistair Watson always knew that a versatile manufacturing software platform is a must in ensuring long-time success with a scaling business that needs to keep its production workflows flexible. Since Stakam started off small, affordability was a key requirement from day one, next to versatility.
Having decided squarely in favor of the cloud-based accounting platform Xero early on, Watson only looked at providers that promised a native Xero integration. “I looked at what apps Xero recommended for my requirements,” he says. “There were a few, but I decided then and there that MRPeasy seemed the best fit.”
Rolling out functionality as the use case evolves
From day one, Stakam appreciated MRPeasy’s modular design and incremental feature deployment. Given the company’s unique needs and scaling aspirations, being able to layer in functionalities step by step was paramount. This ensured a smooth adoption process, allowing the team to adjust to the new system without getting overwhelmed.
“That’s the great thing with MRPeasy,” Watson says. “You can make it work for you quite easily and then add more advanced functionality as you get to it.”
A manufacturing software companion that facilitates growth
One of the pivotal decisions in Stakam’s MRPeasy journey was integrating the platform with Xero right from inception. For others looking to implement, Watson asserts, “I’d wholeheartedly recommend integrating MRPeasy with an accounting solution like Xero straight away. Without this synergy, you’re leaving much of its intrinsic value on the table. For us, the synchronization between the MRP system and our accounting platform is invaluable. In fact, integration with Xero is so essential that we’d prioritize it over a sophisticated MRP that didn’t offer such connectivity.”
Watson further extols the software’s adaptability, exemplified by Stakam’s contract manufacturing undertakings. “The system effortlessly handles our varied manufacturing needs. For instance, when clients provide us with raw materials at no cost for contract manufacturing orders, MRPeasy allows us to mark them distinctly while at the same time maintaining separately priced raw materials for other Bills of Materials. This is simply astounding.”
Stakam’s usage of MRPeasy has evolved into more than just software adoption, it’s also about finding a strategic advantage in the manufacturing realm. Watson expresses this sentiment vividly, “I feel like we struck gold with MRPeasy. It’s become such an asset that I often grapple between wanting to keep it as our secret weapon and the desire to showcase our robust systems, which have unlocked more flexibility to drive client acquisition.”
All in all, Stakam hasn’t just found a capable software solution in MRPeasy—the Scottish company feels it has secured a partner that echoes both the company’s growth aspirations as well as its operational intricacies.
For more information, visit www.MRPeasy.com.