An ageing file or production server, still running because it has always run, is one failure away from a costly stoppage, and the CAD and ERP data your engineers work from usually sits on it.
“Just as little downtime as possible.”
That is the whole brief, and we build to it.
We help Midlands manufacturers and engineering firms stop worrying about downtime, so production keeps running and deadlines stay on track.
For a production line, a design office or an engineering workshop, every hour of IT downtime carries a measurable cost, whether that is a missed delivery, idle operators or a stalled CAD environment. EPX IT looks after the whole estate, from shop-floor switches and IoT data loggers to the laptops your design engineers depend on.
The three things manufacturers keep telling us
“If the server goes down, the line stops.”
“We are on tight deadlines. We cannot afford a delay.”
Manufacturing and engineering firms rarely have slack in the schedule to absorb an IT problem, and a fault on a night shift cannot wait for the morning, so support has to cover your shift patterns and out of hours as well as the working day.
“A customer is asking about our cyber security and we are not sure what to say.”
Supply chain security questionnaires from prime contractors are landing on desks that were not built to answer them, and they usually ask to see Cyber Essentials and written supply chain assurance.
Over twenty years on factory floors
EPX IT has worked on factory floors for over twenty years, so we understand exactly what “just as little downtime as possible” means when a business is on tight deadlines.
We have seen what a single server failure does to a production line, so backup, disaster recovery and Cyber Essentials Plus security are the first things we put right for the manufacturers we look after.
Our engineers work on OT and IT convergence on the shop floor as well as the office IT, so a design office, an engineering workshop and a production line are looked after by people who have spent time in all three. That is what makes it possible to bring legacy machines, controllers and CAD workstations onto a modern, secure network without stopping production to do it.
A simple plan to protect your production line
1. A no-obligation review
A straightforward, no-obligation review of your current setup, so nothing changes before it is properly understood. We map what is actually running, from shop-floor switches and PLCs to CAD workstations and the servers behind them, and where the single points of failure sit.
2. The priority risks first
The priority risks addressed first, starting with backup and recovery, so a single server failure stops being a two day event. For most manufacturers that means a BCDR appliance holding a local backup on site alongside a cloud copy, which protects the CAD and ERP data that would take longest to rebuild.
3. Fixed monthly support
Ongoing support at a fixed monthly price, with automated monitoring across the production, design and warehouse systems that matter, so a failing disk raises a ticket before it stops a line.
What we look after, from the shop floor to the design office
A factory has more to look after than an office. This is what a fixed monthly support agreement with EPX IT covers.
Shift-pattern and out-of-hours cover
Support built to diagnose and fix problems quickly, including out of hours and across your shift patterns. Partners on a managed support contract have 24/7 out-of-hours cover, so a fault at two in the morning is picked up when it happens.
Legacy machines on a modern network
A plan to bring legacy machines, controllers and CAD workstations onto a modern, secure network, staged so production keeps running while the work happens.
CAD and ERP data protected
Protection for sensitive CAD and ERP data without slowing down the engineers who rely on it, with anti-virus and security services plus automatic security patching across your OT and IT estate.
Monitoring across the whole estate
Automated monitoring of production, design and warehouse systems, including SNMP monitoring of warehouse access points, IoT data loggers, PLCs and shop-floor dashboards, so a problem surfaces before it stops a line.
BCDR appliances and hypervisor clusters
Hands-on experience with BCDR appliances, custom hypervisor clusters and the built-in redundancy that business continuity depends on when one part of the estate fails.
Wi-Fi across the whole site
Wi-Fi designed for the warehouse, the factory floor and the design office, including warehouse Wi-Fi mapping, so coverage is planned around the racking and the machinery.
£140,000lost to one server failure and a two day rebuild.
A UK ingot manufacturer approached us because a legacy server had failed and their only backup was in the cloud. Rebuilding to a working system took two days and cost them around £140,000 in lost production.
On-site and cloud backup is now standard across the manufacturers we look after: a BCDR appliance holds a local copy so a failed server can be restored on site in hours, and the cloud copy protects against losing the building itself.
Why manufacturers trust EPX IT
Cyber Essentials Plus accredited
Our security is independently audited, not self-assessed.
Twenty years on factory floors
We have worked inside factory-floor environments, engineering practices and warehousing and distribution companies since 2005.
Supply-chain security you can evidence
We give you ready answers for prime-contractor security questionnaires, backed by Cyber Essentials accreditation and training.
Fixed monthly pricing
Your monthly price stays understood, with no surprise bills, and it is set by the level of support your operation needs so FDs and MDs can plan, budget and report with confidence.
Simple, fixed monthly pricing
One fixed monthly price that scales with your users, your devices and your sites. You choose the level of support your operation needs, so the cost is a line you can plan around. After the review you get a clear, itemised quote, so you know exactly what you are paying for, with no surprise bills.
Questions manufacturers ask us
Do you provide out-of-hours and shift-pattern IT support?
Can you support legacy machines and controllers alongside a modern network?
Can you evidence Cyber Essentials for our prime contractors?
Can you work alongside our own IT person?
Book your factory IT review
A no-obligation look across the production line, the design office and the warehouse at where a single failure would hurt most, and what it would take to keep the line running.
Book a factory IT reviewWhat an hour of stopped production really costs
