Among the many challenges faced by manufacturers during the coronavirus pandemic, implementing a new ERP system during the lockdown was not the highest priority. With many companies forced to switch production due to decreased demand and adjust to a mostly remote work force, an ERP implementation project would seem to be an extra complication to manage during the crisis.

But Vertical Aerospace is not just any manufacturing company. The British aerospace firm successfully implemented Rootstock Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Cloud Platform during the pandemic lockdown period and has been receiving positive media coverage for it.

Vertical Aerospace is a leading innovator in the electrical aerospace market, having launched its second full-scale all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototype in 2019, the Seraph. The eVTOL aircraft performs a vertical takeoff, moves into wing-born flight and then transitions back to a vertical landing. The company plans to build the latest model by the end of 2020, and have it certified for passengers by 2024.

Vertical Aerospace is a great example of the kind of leading-edge manufacturers that are choosing Rootstock Cloud ERP to give them the agility they need to succeed in the dynamic business and health climate we now live in.  Here is a quick summary of the articles about Vertical Aerospace’s implementation of Rootstock Cloud ERP.

TechTarget

The recent TechTarget blog post, ”Cloud-based ERP rollout benefits from remote work,” focuses on how Vertical Aerospace leveraged its remote workforce to successfully implement Rootstock Cloud ERP. The shift to remote work actually helped the implementation project.

When the U.K. ordered its coronavirus lockdown in March, Vertical Aerospace had already started its implementation project. Because the company had put an aggressive production schedule in place for its Seraph vertical take-off and landing aircraft, they had to shift gears immediately and manage the implementation project remotely.

The project stayed on schedule and working remotely turned out to be a surprising benefit. According to Vertical Aerospace Head of Programmes Steven Baxter, the loss of in-person interactions in a normal work environment turned out to be a good thing.

Baxter observed that working remotely gave a lot of people a lot more time to focus because there are fewer distractions.

Enterprise Times

Enterprise Times covered the company’s implementation success story in some detail in the article “Rootstock Flies High with Vertical Aerospace.” The article describes why Vertical Aerospace needed a cloud-based ERP solution, their search and implementation processes and the benefits the company has enjoyed as a result.

The company had been using Microsoft Excel to keep track of the nearly 500 separate components of the Seraph aircraft, with no tracking and tracing. They also needed a modern, scalable ERP system to help them manage their inventory and supply chain requirements.

Asked why Vertical Aerospace chose Rootstock, Head of Programmes Steven Baxter had this to say:

“It met our requirements and was a one-stop shop, capable of handling production, purchasing and finance – all from one cloud rather than multiple platforms.”

In addition to gaining complete visibility into its supply chain, purchasing, inventory, delivery, costs and operations, Vertical Aerospace also likes that it can leverage the Salesforce platform as needed. This includes the ability to expand the solution with other apps on the AppExchange as well as customize Rootstock Cloud ERP using Salesforce’s drag-and-drop “clicks not code” interface.

TEC Blog

In “See How Rootstock Cloud ERP Software Adapts to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a recent blog post by TEC (Technology Evaluation Centers), Rootstock Software Chief Marketing Officer Tom Brennan was interviewed about the effects of the pandemic on its customers.

Brennan talks about how Rootstock customers are grateful to be in the cloud because of the sudden shift to a remote workforce. Not only were companies like Vertical Aerospace able to successfully complete their implementation projects, but other companies were able to take advantage of Rootstock Cloud ERP’s ability to run multiple modes and its agility to be able to add new products quickly.

The interview also covers other Rootstock customers who were able to quickly shift producing PPE for healthcare providers and their patients. Thanks to Rootstock Cloud ERP, Unionware and Matouk had the agility to be able to shift producing reusable gowns, face masks and face shields.

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Vertical Aerospace is just one manufacturing company that hasn’t been stopped by the pandemic. Thanks to the advantages of Rootstock Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Cloud Platform, companies like Vertical Aerospace have been able to move ahead with their business plans and continue growing.