Efacs ERP systems developer Exel Computer Systems is celebrating its first quarter century since its formation by Dr John Ellis, who is still chairman of the company today. It's a staggering thought that the first mobile phone call was made in the UK in 1985, when Exel was born. In that same year, the first .com website name was registered and Microsoft launched a new program called Windows Version 1.0. .
Ellis says he recognised a market need for capacity planning systems, whilst working on research projects at Pera. This lead to the development of the first version of Efacs, a Unix and Informix based software solution for capacity planning and manufacturing.
The Efacs solution started to make significant moves in the market for manufacturing companies when, in 1997, it moved onto a Windows platform, and by 2003 Exel was utilising browser-based, platform independent technology.
During the past 25 years, Exel has supplied some of the best known manufacturing companies worldwide – such as Royal Crown Derby, Naim Audio, TT Group, Selex Communications, SCA Packaging, Laura Ashley and Magellan Aerospace.
Interestingly, many of the company's earliest Unix-based customers have now upgraded to the latest browser-based version to benefit from Exel's newer technologies. Renold Gears, for example, which had been running the Unix version since 1991, is now in the process of implementing the latest version, with capacity planning, MRP, product configurator, document management and workflow modules.
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