BrightBridge customers enjoy agility, responding to COVID-19 rapidly

While 2020 may not have turned out the way any of us imagined, the unprecedented challenges coronavirus has presented to businesses great and small on a global scale has forced them to adapt to a new economic landscape, and fast. At a time like this, having business processes that facilitate flexibility can mean the difference between shutting up shop for the lockdown period, or being able to navigate the plethora of challenges to overcome. Whether it’s coordinating entire workforces from their respective dining room tables, changing business direction, adjusting manufacturing levels and stock or accessing loans to keep the business going, these are all greatly aided with an agile approach that a robust business architecture can provide.

During this era of uncertainty, Oracle NetSuite’s high and unrivalled functionality drives many a business transformation, helping SMEs adapt to a changing world while remaining agile, and most importantly, in control. Having business functions such as financial management, and planning and budgeting processes – or order, production, supply chain management and procurement – on one cloud-based platform, gives both company owners and employees greater visibility that helps the business meet the needs of its customers. At a time of great uncertainty, having a system that empowers businesses to make quick decisions with confidence, based on reliable insight, is a true asset.

As one of the top five partners of NetSuite in EMEA, we’ve never been more honoured to play a part in that, proud to support a diverse portfolio of businesses up and down the UK. What’s more, we’re even prouder to hear their unique stories in the face of uncertainty, and the many brilliant ways they’ve chosen to evolve in response to this crisis – often in aid of those most in need.

Accora

As leading manufacturers in assisted care equipment, this Cambridge-based business certainly rose to the challenges posed by COVID-19 – producing emergency beds for the NHS in as little as five days. Designing a special treatment bed in just 36 hours, Accora is manufacturing 5,000 beds a week (and counting) – with the aim to scale up to 10,000 by the end of April.

Rail Delivery Group

From Network Rail to HS2, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is a partnership of the many companies running Britain’s railways. Following the collapse of Flybe in March, RDG declared that free rail travel would be offered to staff and customers struggling to find their way home, while a partnership between Women’s Aid and train companies launched ‘Rail to refuge’ to assist women and children fleeing domestic violence during lockdown.

Greensill

In a radical move to help staff get paid daily for their shifts, we were delighted to hear FinTech firm Greensill has offered NHS workers free access to its instant pay app ‘Earnd’. Working with multiple NHS trusts across the country, Greensill has made it possible for frontline workers to access their wages quicker (as opposed to waiting several weeks for funds to land in their bank accounts), which is free for both employees and the health service to use.

Borg & Overström

Responding to the threat of COVID-19, drinking water specialist Borg & Overström was swift to offer advice to vendors via its social platforms – from how to decommission water dispensers while out of the office to workspace hygiene tips. For those without access to handwashing facilities, it also raised awareness around World Water Day.

Onfido

At a time when digital access has never been more crucial, photo ID and facial biometrics verification specialist Onfido announced support for non-profits and charitable organisations providing relief from the outbreak. One such project included the on-boarding of volunteer partner Florence, connecting independent nurses and carers with care homes across the UK. The tech firm has also facilitated a surge in use from online pharmacy and healthcare practices – as well as remittance and payment platforms – eager to adjust to the new climate as safely as possible.

ACC Aviation

Aviation consultancy and commercial aircraft charter ACC Aviation was on hand to provide evacuation and repatriation flights for customers belonging to its airline partners, as well as a commitment to keeping critical supplies moving. With the aviation sector now facing an uncertain future, ACC CEO also took the opportunity to dedicate this month’s MVP award to the entire team for showing ‘remarkable resilience’.

M3 EU Limited

As the world’s largest network of doctors, M3 allows its 5 million global members to engage on a local level, delivering centralised campaigns designed to reach communities. Helping doctors to connect and support each other, its Doctors.net.uk forum provides a space for both clinical questions and general discussion. In addition, M3 has kept its members up to speed with thorough research reports every week, as well as on-going analysis across the pandemic.

Astleys

Family-owned business Astleys (established in 1703 no less!) has remained fully operational to enable them to continue to deliver cleaning and hygiene products to those that need them the most throughout the pandemic. Astleys also specialises in PPE clothing and protective footwear, previously serving 4,000 customers from a single purpose-built warehouse.

These are just some of the good news stories to emerge in this time of economic emergency – all of which have been able to step up (in part) as a result of having a robust cloud ERP architecture in place.

As a certified NetSuite partner, BrightBridge continues to support businesses on this journey with a fully integrated ERP solution designed to streamline a multitude of business processes in a wide variety of sectors. Manufacturers producing vital equipment such as PPE, medical supplies including ventilators or even beds might struggle to manage production, procurement of crucial items, monitor inventory and ensure machinery is kept functioning, without employing an intuitive ERP system such as Oracle NetSuite. Likewise, warehouses working on fulfilling distribution of essential goods would be hard pushed to efficiently manage stock, packaging, resources and distribution channels manually, or by trying to marry disparate systems. For businesses with teams working from home, who may need to collaborate, having access to business dashboards 24 hours a day from any location, giving live visibility across a system that updates with every adjustment for every user, means nobody gets left behind. From call centres to warehouses, and retailers to business consultancies – a cloud-based approach to business management processes is a lifeline in these challenging times.

If you’re thinking about ways to build your company’s resilience to change, to find efficiencies to get back on track and to better understand every element of your business in real-time, contact us and we can offer you our unique insight into ERP solutions.