How did your IT score?

When your business relies on technology to keep orders, people and production moving, even a small IT problem can cause a big headache.

Slow computers. Poor Wi-Fi on the factory floor. An unreliable internet connection. Software that keeps freezing. Staff losing access to files. Printers or scanners that won’t connect. An IT problem that was supposedly fixed last month coming back again.

At TST, we provide IT support for manufacturing businesses in Chester and the surrounding area, helping keep the technology behind your business reliable, connected and working as it should.

Instead of waiting for something to break, we proactively manage and monitor your IT so problems can be identified and dealt with before they become bigger disruptions.

Keep your people working. Keep your systems running. Keep production moving.

Is unreliable IT slowing your manufacturing business down?

You don’t need to be an IT expert to know when technology isn’t working properly.

You see it in the everyday frustrations:

• Wi-Fi that works in the office but drops out on the factory floor
• Slow PCs that leave employees waiting
• ERP, MRP or business software that takes too long to respond
• Servers and network drives that keep causing problems
• Barcode scanners, tablets and printers that won’t stay connected
• Internet problems affecting cloud applications and communications
• Staff repeatedly experiencing the same IT issues
• Ageing computers and equipment nobody knows when to replace
• New starters waiting for accounts, equipment or access
• Multiple sites struggling to access the same systems and information
• Managers losing time chasing IT problems instead of running the business

One problem might only cost somebody ten minutes.

But when IT issues repeatedly affect multiple people — or interrupt an important operational process — those lost minutes quickly become lost hours.

Your technology should help you manufacture efficiently, not get in the way of it.

Manufacturing IT support that keeps your business moving

Manufacturers don’t need more technology for technology’s sake.

You need the systems your business already depends on to work reliably.

TST provides proactive managed IT support for manufacturing companies, looking after the everyday technology behind your operation so your people can concentrate on their jobs.

We help with:

Slow computers and recurring IT problems

If employees regularly complain that their computers are slow, applications freeze or the same problems keep coming back, something needs fixing properly.

We monitor and maintain your IT environment proactively, helping identify issues before they turn into repeated disruption.

Factory and warehouse Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi in a manufacturing environment isn’t the same as Wi-Fi in a small office.

Large spaces, machinery, walls, racking and the distance between work areas can all create connectivity problems.

TST can install and manage business-grade Wi-Fi and networking to give your team dependable connectivity where they actually need it — from offices and meeting rooms to warehouses and production areas.

Business internet and connectivity

Your internet connection may now support everything from email and Microsoft 365 to cloud applications, communications and access to critical business systems.

When it slows down or fails, the effects can quickly spread across the company.

TST provides and supports business broadband, leased lines, networking and connectivity designed around how your manufacturing business operates.

Servers, PCs and ageing equipment

Not sure whether to repair, replace or upgrade ageing IT?

We help manufacturers plan their technology instead of waiting until old equipment fails.

That means understanding what you have, what your employees actually need and where investment will make the biggest difference.

Microsoft 365, files and everyday software

When employees can’t access email, shared files or the software they use every day, productivity suffers.

We support Microsoft 365 and the wider IT environment around your business, giving your employees somewhere to turn when technology stops them getting their job done.

Support when your team needs help

Sometimes things still go wrong.

When they do, your employees need to know who to contact.

Our support team can resolve many IT problems remotely, with onsite support available when the issue needs somebody there in person.

IT support that understands the cost of downtime

In manufacturing, downtime isn’t simply an IT inconvenience.

If someone in accounts can’t print for ten minutes, that’s frustrating.

If a connection problem stops employees accessing an important production system, that’s different.

The impact can spread to:

• Production schedules
• Order processing
• Stock and inventory
• Purchasing
• Dispatch
• Customer communication
• Supplier communication
• Employee productivity

That’s why our approach is proactive.

We monitor and maintain the IT behind your business to find potential problems earlier and reduce the likelihood of avoidable disruption.

The goal isn’t to give you more IT. It’s to give you fewer IT problems.

One IT partner instead of lots of suppliers to chase

When something stops working, the last thing you need is three suppliers blaming each other.

Is it the computer?

The network?

The Wi-Fi?

The broadband?

Microsoft 365?

The phone system?

For many manufacturing businesses, technology has grown over the years without anyone taking responsibility for the whole picture.

TST can bring your business IT, connectivity, communications, cloud services and support together with one local technology partner.

So when there’s a problem, you know who to call.

Protecting the systems your manufacturing business depends on

Good IT support isn’t only about fixing things when they stop working.

It’s also about reducing the chance of something going wrong in the first place.

We help maintain and protect your IT through proactive monitoring, patching, backup and layers of security appropriate to your business.

We can also help with requirements such as Cyber Essentials, IT governance and cyber-insurance requirements.

The important thing isn’t buying security products.

It’s making sure the technology your business depends on is properly managed, maintained, backed up and protected.

Growing, moving or changing your manufacturing operation?

Some of the biggest IT headaches happen when the business itself changes.

You might be:

• Opening another factory or warehouse
• Moving premises
• Adding a new production area
• Taking on more employees
• Installing new machinery
• Introducing a new ERP or MRP system
• Moving applications to the cloud
• Connecting multiple sites
• Upgrading old computers or servers
• Improving Wi-Fi coverage
• Changing phone or internet providers

These projects often involve several different technologies and suppliers.

TST can help you plan the IT requirements, identify potential problems and coordinate the technology needed to support the change.

That means IT becomes part of the plan rather than an unpleasant surprise halfway through the project.

Local manufacturing IT support from Chester

TST has been supporting businesses for more than 25 years.

Based in Chester, we provide remote and onsite IT support to businesses across Chester and the surrounding area.

We understand that when something is affecting your operation, you don’t want technical jargon or finger-pointing.

You want someone to understand the problem, take responsibility and get it sorted.

And we’d rather identify a problem before it disrupts your business than wait for you to tell us something has broken.

How it works

1. Tell us what’s frustrating you

We’ll start with a conversation about your business, your current IT and the problems your team is experiencing.

2. We’ll look at what’s really going on

We’ll review your technology and identify the problems, risks and areas that could be improved.

3. We’ll help keep your IT running

We’ll agree the right approach and provide ongoing proactive support, monitoring and management to keep your business moving.

Fed up with IT problems disrupting your business?

You shouldn’t have to spend your day wondering why the Wi-Fi has dropped out again, why systems are running slowly or why the same IT problem keeps coming back.

Your job is to run your manufacturing business.

Ours is to make sure IT doesn’t get in your way.

If you’re a manufacturer in Chester or the surrounding area and your current IT is causing more problems than it solves, talk to TST.

Let’s find out what’s slowing you down.