Alpeco

CASE STUDY: Alpeco Limited is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of liquid handling equipment to the road tanker and industrial petrochemical industry. The company has over 25 years experience of identifying and meeting the needs of this complex and ever-changing market place. Alpeco operates by taking ‘best of breed’ products from world-leading suppliers, and packages them together with products that it manufactures itself. This ensures its customers get optimal solution for their specific requirements.

Burgeoning requirements

Having started out many years ago with just one PC and a rudimentary accounting system, the company found itself out of its depth on the IT front once its business grew. In order to keep up with its ever-expanding operations, it suddenly needed an integrated accounts system and a network supported by a central server.

Lasting relationship

Having looked at several different IT suppliers, Alpeco appointed local company Boffins. And it clearly made the right choice because more than a decade later Boffins is still providing the group with IT support and hosting its server. “For as long as I can remember Boffins has taken care of all our IT requirements,” says Alpeco Managing Director Stephen Penn. “We have a very good relationship with them. We know all the staff there - in fact, many have been there helping us from the start. So everything works very well and they consistently demonstrate a real empathy for how our business runs and our particular requirements.”

Just a phone call away

Stephen says that Boffins ensures Alpeco’s IT system runs like clockwork. They come into the office once a month to check everything over, carry out upgrades and make sure the group’s IT needs are being adequately met. On the rare occasions that problem s occur, support is carried out remotely, where possible. But if required, Boffins can be on site in less than two hours. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time we don’t need them because everything runs so smoothly,” says Stephen. “But in that one per cent situation that you do need them, they are there. It’s just a case of picking up the phone. There have been a couple of occasions over the years where we have had urgent problems and each time Boffins was here within half an hour.”

Cost-efficiencies

Boffins recently helped Alpeco with its move to Aylesbury, installing and supporting a new phone and server system, while keeping things as cost-effective as possible by maintaining existing hardware.

Final verdict

“Having used Boffins for all this time, I would, of course, recommend them to any company,” says Stephen. “The peace of mind that we get from knowing they are taking care of our IT needs is invaluable.”