The FileMaker platform to me represents the lifeblood of the company.
It has allowed us to streamline processes and really thrive.
I’m Guy Halligan: Lead FileMaker Developer here at Harvey Water Softeners.
So: Harvey Water Softeners is the largest domestic manufacturer of water softeners in Europe
and we are also the number one brand in the UK and we have 400 staff here working.
We started using the FileMaker platform over 20 years ago: we use it across every facet of the business.
Our partnership with FileMaker is definitely a bet that’s paid of.
So when I joined the company 20 years ago: there was no real sort of automated system.
It was all done on paper: it was all disconnected: there was a lot of manual repetition.
There was an early version of FileMaker running a stand alone file
and we looked at it and I thought well that’s got potential.
So now we have over a hundred custom apps controlling every facet of the business.
As a company: obviously we have explored other offerings from other vendors
but: you know: we find FileMaker gives us the best return of investment, really.
It’s so extensible and scalable as a platform, we estimate it saves us
in process control, over £1 million a year.
Our warehouse crew, obviously, uses it for stock and inventory
We use iPads just to help pick stock and manage stock and inventory, so we never run out.
Our installations teams use iPads to manage their routes and installing the softener with the correct parts.
I think the biggest improvement that we’ve seen is through our sales department
because we’ve gone from a traditionally, paper-based process, for years that we were doing
to a fully digital process through iPads and office-based systems
that have basically allowed us to have a 40% growth year on year
since we introduced it in 2013.
FileMaker has been innovating and developing its platform
and every new set of tools it gives us allows us to innovate and grow our company.
It really gives us the tool set as developers we need to do the job that we need to do.
You can’t really call yourself a workplace innovation platform without practicing what you preach
and that’s exactly what FileMaker does.