Case Study: Cloud Migration with Swisstulle

Case Study: Cloud Migration with Swisstulle

When your product has been around since Georgian times, innovation has to be approached sensitively.

With the help of PKF Smith Cooper Systems, Swisstulle was able to upgrade their Sage 200 software and utilise the Microsoft Azure cloud – connecting their workforce and maintaining efficiency.

• Industry: Manufacturing
• Company Size: 60+ employees
• Sage Product: Sage 200 Professional hosted on Azure cloud

Who is Swisstulle?

Swisstulle is a fabric manufacturer based in Somerset. They are the world’s largest manufacturer of bobbinet tulles, a material that can be used for making wig bases, haute couture fashion wear and theatre design amongst other applications. The factory still uses traditional machinery and techniques to make the material, which dates back to the 1800s.

The project

Swisstulle had been using Sage software for 8 to 10 years at the point when they needed a migration. Their system had previously been based in the cloud for reasons of both practicality and cost. Therefore they decided to continue with this and host their new Sage 200 professional on the Azure cloud platform, as General Manager Lindsey Bristow explained:

“We’re based in a rural location in Somerset. When we needed a new server, we found the cloud cheaper and more reliable. Therefore, when we updated Sage, it made perfect sense to continue on the cloud.”

The longstanding relationship that we had with Swisstulle was also central to the successful completion of the project:

“We’ve worked with [PKF Smith Cooper Systems] for quite a long time, therefore the trust is there. When we have any issues, the Support Service is always there.”

Alongside migrating all of their existing data from Sage 200 Online to Sage 200 Professional, our Support Consultant Hiren Patel implemented bespoke reports and layouts for the new system. He was also responsible for heading up training sessions with the Swisstulle team on useful new features of Sage 200. Lindsey praised him in particular:

“The planning and communication of what was happening when was excellent. Hiren did all the bits and pieces. I had to be chased up a couple of times to sign a few bits off – this was done politely and in a timely fashion.”

End result

Though this was not an entirely new system we were installing, there were benefits on an individual and company-wide level Lindsey highlighted the updated interfaces and integrations:

“The main consensus is it is very similar to what we had before, but modernised. So for example, you can click on something and it will link to Google Maps or other data. Having the upgrade has been useful for the business because I can get in and look at sales data now whereas I didn’t before.”

For a company with employees based in two UK counties, and even on the continent, upgrading to Sage 200 Professional has allowed for more joined-up thinking, meaning it can continue pleasing its many customers for years to come.