Professional Fabrication Services Ltd (PFS Ltd) is an engineering, welding and fabrication business that grew out Rio Tinto’s decision to close their aluminium smelting plant in Holyhead, North Wales. After introducing Xero to manage their finances, PFS added TidyEnterprise in 2016 to help manage projects and costs.
Currently they work on mainly UK based projects, but Managing Director, Martin Davies has a vision to grow the business: “We would be more comfortable entering the international market place now that we have the right systems in place.”
"In the old days, using spreadsheets and bits of paper and whatever else when charging out to clients, we would sometimes feel like we were over charging or under charging clients, and that wasn’t a comfortable place to be in. Now, because everything is logged in TidyEnterprise, we know that what we’re charging is a genuine figure. And that would apply to international clients as well.”
Working with clients in the marine and nuclear industry, PFS has grown by three major jobs this year, including manufacturing four vessels for the British navy’s aircraft carrier. Martin explains how TidyEnterprise helps him focus on productivity: “It shows what I had planned to spend, what extras I’m spending, whether I’m profitable or not, based on set costs for labour.”
It also helps him challenge increased costs from suppliers: “It shows me what I previously paid for an item when I request that item again from a stockist,” Martin says. “As most of our work is fixed price, we’re able to be more rigorous in how we price it.”