Situated in Tonyrefail, South Wales, Softgel Solutions is a manufacturing and tooling company with over 20 years’ experience specialising in pharmaceutical solutions.
Offering a range of services from brand-new tooling to enhancement and refurbishment of existing tooling, Softgel Solutions has a consistent requirement for high-quality raw materials including plastics and non-ferrous metals. As the company has developed, sourcing the required materials has become an increasingly time-consuming process for Managing Director, Dean Marsh.
Seeking a solution, Dean became an early adopter of Matsource. Buoyed by some significant successes, he now manages all of Softgel Solutions’ material procurement through the platform.
Last-minute material successes
Until recently, Dean was spending his time during the day working machinery at the production facility and his evenings sourcing materials to stay ahead of demand. Now, he can enter his requirements in the morning and check back for quotes periodically during the day, saving a great deal of time.
“We’ve been quick to adapt to using Matsource at Softgel Solutions – I look after most of our procurement, and it’s definitely put time back in my day. I’ve sourced a range of different materials, mainly stainless steel and bronze in various formats but also certain plastics,” commented Dean.
“Being able to compare prices at a glance is a major benefit, and it’s also put me in touch with suppliers I wouldn’t have considered before. In fact, most of my procurement has been outside of my traditional suppliers recently, and the overall experience has been easier than ever!”
One of Dean’s major successes while using Matsource came on a bank holiday Friday afternoon – due to a breakdown elsewhere in the supply chain, a Softgel Solutions customer urgently required a piece of phosphorous bronze. Seeking a solution through Matsource, Dean found a supplier capable of delivering before 10am the next day in order to keep the project within the agreed timescale – and having supported the customer through a difficult situation, Softgel Solutions was awarded a significant ongoing contract.
Improving procurement processes
Using Matsource has secured additional benefits for Softgel Solutions – especially in terms of managing cash flow.
“Whereas before we’d be arranging payments to numerous suppliers at the end of each month, now we only have to make one payment to Matsource. From there, our individual payments are managed onwards by the Matsource team,” explains Dean. “This is especially helpful given how many new suppliers we are working with. It’s fair to say Matsource is saving us time in more ways than one!”
Casting a wider net for material quotes has opened up new opportunities for Dean and his team. Softgel Solutions has recently received aluminium billets from a tubing manufacturer, and plastics from a supplier mainly associated with non-ferrous metals. Dean has also successfully sourced sought-after aerospace-grade aluminium.
“Before using Matsource, they simply wouldn’t have won our custom on those jobs. Using the platform has really opened up new avenues for us, not to mention an easier way prioritise price or delivery speed on a case-by-case basis.”
To find out more about how Matsource can support your business, find out more about sourcing materials or visit our dedicated supplier landing page.
