On a quest to raise the efficiency of a growing manufacturing operation, innovative Eco Toy company Dr Zigs has found an invaluable asset in MRPeasy.

A world leader in eco-ethical Bubbles

In 2011, entrepreneur Paola Dyboski noticed that her two-year-old son Ziggy really loved playing with bubbles. Inspired by the amount of fun that bubble toys were bringing to Ziggy as well as to everyone else she talked with, Paola decided to create an Eco Bubble Toy start-up from her kitchen table. The company was aptly named Dr Zigs and set off on a mission of making the world a better place, one bubble at a time!

With a dedicated manufacturing unit in North Wales and 5 full time employees, the company has, by today, grown into a full-fledged manufacturing operation. It exports its produce to 18 countries and sells a wide variety of Bubble-related products. Dr Zigs’ selection of goods includes various Bubble mixes of different concentrations, colours, and scents; different sized and coloured bubble wands; Bubbles for hire; party kits for various occasions, and even Bubbles for pets. The company puts a lot of thought and effort into the eco-friendliness and moral integrity of its products. All the company’s goods are completely biodegradable, ethically sourced, and vegan friendly. As the owner puts it – Dr Zigs aims to make bubbles fit for the 21^st century.

Not only is Dr Zigs a successful business, but it is also a company that strives for social responsibility. In its 11 years of operation, the manufacturer has started and participated in many social initiatives, including their Bubbles not Bombs program, through which Dr Zigs supplies bubble kits to children in conflict areas around the world. Owner Paola Dyboski adds: “We also make toys for dogs, Bubbles for funerals, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, for children with learning disabilities and acquired brain injury. We are in a lot of hospitals and hospices, and I was just on the BBC talking about our work with refugees.”

New challenges for a growing manufacturer

After a successful start-up phase, the business volume of Dr Zigs shot up considerably. With that, the production management of the growing operation started proving increasingly challenging. They initially adopted a multiple spreadsheets approach but eventually found its limits in keeping up with the rising complexity of the manufacturing process. “We were being let down by our spreadsheets. They obviously were not efficient enough. Either the spreadsheets had to grow, or we had to do something else,” says Paola. In particular, it was a need for more efficient stock management as well as a better overview of critical on-hand, and looking for a system that would set them up for further growth, that prompted Dr Zigs to look for a more comprehensive production management solution.

Paola thus set out to find a software companion that could help Dr Zigs sort out existing shortcomings as well as to keep up with the growth and rising complexity of the manufacturing process. “We started looking into whether we are going to invest in something bespoke – creating our own system, or something off the shelf,” she explains.

Having no prior background in manufacturing, this is when Paola discovered MRP software.

The task of getting acquainted with MRP systems proved quite arduous at first. There was a wealth of software solutions with various degrees of complexity to choose from. Paola did a lot of research, weighing the pros and cons of many providers, before finally deciding to commit to MRPeasy. “The software seemed to be the most user-friendly and the best fit for our needs. The brand name is also great – the “easy” bit really spurred me on!” she says. Among other selling points were the many integrations that MRPeasy offers. In particular, Paola loved the seamless Xero integration, crucial in helping to support the company’s growth strategy.

Wealth of on-site materials ease implementation

Implementing MRP software can be a complex undertaking as inventories, bills of materials, suppliers, and other key parameters all need to be aligned. Integrations, workstation setups, and back-end functionalities must also be set up properly. After about a year of implementation, Dr Zigs has MRPeasy set up to handle invoicing, purchasing, stock management, as well as end of year accounting. They have also embraced integrations and even tweaked in some bespoke back-end additions.

Like in many other smaller companies, Paola opted to assign ownership of the implementation process to one member of staff and make it their responsibility. Key in this were MRPeasy comprehensive on-site resources, as well as a ticketing system to aid with both implementation practicalities as well as day-to-day use.

As core functionality was set up, the production manager started interacting with the software on a daily basis. Dr Zigs also took on a freelancer in the very first stages of implementation, who helped set up integrations and even did some custom coding, possible thanks to the full API accessibility available in the program’s Unlimited price tier. This helps MRPeasy “talk” to the company’s shipping programs and labelling system. Overall, the staff have responded very positively to MRPeasy – another crucial aspect of successful implementation.

Today, the company is consistently adapting and integrating more capabilities of the software with their work process. Paola explained: “We could still use it more for pricing and pricing analysis. There is definitely more functionality to roll-out and I am sure we will implement further as need arises and our use-case and ability grow. Because MRPeasy grows with you, you can decide as you go, how much you want to implement and then do it in stages.”

Productivity on the rise

Being a predominantly B2C company, Dr Zigs has not received a lot of customer feedback on their success with adopting an MRP solution. The rise in efficiency and a more streamlined manufacturing process have improved business considerably however, bringing greater satisfaction to both the customers as well as the workforce. “MRPeasy has increased our efficiency fantastically. It is a distinct part of each weekly meeting, and we could not imagine working without the program,” Paola states.

With manufacturing running smoothly thanks to capable management and a reliable software companion, Dr Zigs has big plans for the future. Already a world leader in sustainable Bubble Toysoys, the sky is the limit for the UK based company. Dr Zigs is continuing to develop new products and getting ready to participate in and organize new initiatives, as well as to keep working toward a more sustainable future. MRPeasy is helping Dr Zigs to make the world a better place one Bubble at a time.