Accelerating Digitalisation With Philtronics Limited
“We have gone through an extended period of growth and with the support of NHQ we are able to accelerate our digitalisation efforts (developing a strategy and roadmap) to match this success. We know exactly what we have to do in terms of investing in our systems, processes and most importantly our people in order to drive exciting change within the next 12 -18 months and NHQ are a core part of this journey”. Simon Pritchard, CEO, Philtronics
Philtronics are a Wales-based contract electronic manufacturer (CEM), offering outsourced electronic manufacturing services (EMS) to a range of customers. They have experienced aggressive growth over the past 24 months, doubling in both factory space and staff numbers. Revenue grew 20% over the global pandemic and they are ready invest in their core systems, processes and their people. They partnered with NHQ to evaluate their current position and understand what direction and steps they should take regarding technology solutions and their broader digitalisation strategy.
APPROACH
The NHQ team worked with the leadership team to map key business processes and identify areas of improvement. They evaluated current systems and where efficiencies could be delivered with integrations and new tools.
OBJECTIVES
- Map core business process in order to consolidate knowledge and identify areas for digitalisation
- Review existing systems and primary service providersMake recommendations for new technologies including document management system (DMS)
- Reduce paper-based processes on the factory floor via monitors, barcoding and PDAs
- Evaluate the level of digital literacy within the company and assess training needs
- Advise on skill and hiring requirements to support successful digitalisation
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Developed a comprehensive workflow for core business processes
- DMS recommendations aligned with business objectives and existing systems
- Identified under-utilised solutions and where they could deliver quick efficiencies
- Identified ’quick-win’ process automations across the business to save time
- Improvements to operating and security infrastructure
- Profiling for hiring of digitalisation team
- Digital skills training and upskilling recommendations
- Identify funding and support mechanisms to support implementation
KEY RESULTS
- Map key business process in preparation for digitalisation
- Recommend appropriate DMS to improve operations
- Delivered digital roadmap and action plan for implementation
Why It Worked
Philtronics didn’t just need new software. They needed to understand where they actually were before deciding where to go.
That’s the most common mistake manufacturers make. They buy a tool before they’ve mapped the problem. Then the tool doesn’t fit, nobody uses it properly, and the investment sits gathering dust.
The NHQ team started by mapping core business processes. Every key workflow. Every handoff. Every place where someone was using a spreadsheet or a piece of paper when they didn’t need to. That groundwork made the DMS recommendation meaningful — because it was built on real evidence, not a vendor’s sales pitch.
Leadership buy-in made the difference
Simon Pritchard, CEO, was involved from the start. That matters. Digital transformation stalls when it’s treated as an IT project rather than a leadership priority. When the person at the top is visibly committed, the rest of the organisation pays attention.
Philtronics had also just been through a period of exceptional growth — doubling factory space and staff in 24 months, with revenue growing 20% during the pandemic. That kind of growth creates growing pains. Processes that worked with 10 people start to creak with 20. Manual workarounds that felt manageable become bottlenecks.
The timing was right. The growth had created urgency. The leadership had the appetite. The job was to channel that into a structured plan rather than a shopping list of new tools.
Why DMS selection matters
A Document Management System isn’t glamorous. But for a contract electronics manufacturer, it’s fundamental.
Think about what a CEM deals with every day: customer specifications, revision-controlled drawings, supplier quality records, test reports, and non-conformance records. If any of those are on paper, buried in someone’s inbox, or saved in an uncontrolled shared folder — you have a compliance risk and an operational bottleneck.
The right DMS ties all of that together. It gives you version control, audit trails, and the ability to find any document in seconds rather than minutes. For ISO-certified manufacturers, that’s not a nice-to-have. It’s table stakes.
Getting the DMS wrong is expensive. Getting it right — matched to your existing systems, your team’s digital literacy, and your growth plans — is one of the highest-value infrastructure decisions a growing manufacturer can make.
FAQs
What is a Document Management System (DMS) and why does it matter for electronics manufacturers?
A Document Management System is exactly what it sounds like: a central, controlled place to store, manage, and retrieve business documents. For electronics manufacturers, that means revision-controlled engineering drawings, customer specifications, quality records, test reports, and supplier documentation.
Paper-based or uncontrolled document management creates three problems. First, version control breaks down — people work from old drawings and mistakes happen. Second, audit trails disappear — when your ISO auditor asks to see change history, you’re scrambling through email threads. Third, you lose time — finding a document should take seconds, not ten minutes of digging through shared folders.
For ISO 9001-certified manufacturers, a properly implemented DMS is the backbone of your quality management system. It makes compliance audits faster, reduces the risk of non-conformance, and gives every team member access to the right version of the right document at the right time.
How do you evaluate digital literacy before recommending tools?
Recommending a tool without understanding the team’s current skill level is how you end up with expensive software nobody uses.
The NHQ approach starts with an honest assessment of where the team actually is. That means talking to people on the shop floor and in the office, understanding which tools they currently use (and which ones they’re supposed to use but don’t), and identifying where the gaps are.
From there, training recommendations are grounded in reality. If staff need basic upskilling before a more advanced tool will stick, that goes into the plan. If there’s a need for a dedicated digital hire, that gets scoped too. The goal is sustainable adoption — not a flashy tool that collects dust because nobody was set up to use it properly.
What funding mechanisms are available for UK manufacturers looking to digitalise?
There are several funding routes worth exploring, depending on your location and stage of growth.
Made Smarter is the most directly relevant programme for UK manufacturers. It offers subsidised digital technology adoption support, match-funded grants, and access to technology specialists. It’s primarily aimed at small and medium-sized manufacturers in England, with regional programmes across the North West, Midlands, and other areas.
Innovate UK offers grant funding for innovation projects, including digitalisation. It’s competition-based, so applications need to be robust — but for manufacturers with a credible case for productivity improvement, the funding can be substantial.
In Wales specifically — where Philtronics is based — Business Wales and programmes such as the Flexible Skills Programme offer additional support for digital skills development.
GoSmarter helps clients identify which funding mechanisms apply to their situation, put together credible applications, and structure the project scope to meet funder requirements. The goal is to reduce the net cost of digitalisation — not just map out what’s needed, but help you pay for it.
Go deeper
- No-Code Workflows for Metals SMEs — how to digitalise without an IT department
- AI for Metals Manufacturing — a plain-English guide to AI in manufacturing
- Investing in digital technology lowers future operating costs
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