Sales & Production Automation Portal
One portal for sales and production - replacing a legacy desktop app, spreadsheets and paperwork, with a CO₂ emissions dashboard built in
Overview
Crystal Doors manufactures bespoke vinyl-wrapped doors and accessories for kitchen, bedroom and bathroom retailers, with a clear aim: a more sustainable way of manufacturing.
Their sales team relied on a legacy desktop application, while production followed orders through a mix of Excel spreadsheets and paperwork. We replaced both with one web-based Sales and Production Automation Portal that tracks every order through the process - and added a CO₂ emissions dashboard, so the business can see the environmental impact of how it runs.
The challenge
Orders passed between two very different worlds. Sales worked in an ageing desktop application; production worked from spreadsheets and paper. Following an order through to completion meant piecing information together by hand, which made progress hard to track and left room for mistakes and wasted materials. The business also wanted to measure its environmental footprint, not just talk about it.
The solution
We built a single portal used by both the sales team and production. Orders are tracked through each stage of the process in one place, replacing the desktop application, the spreadsheets and the paperwork, and giving production the clear information it needs to help lower waste. The portal is integrated with Xero, so invoices are created automatically from the orders, without being keyed in again.
Alongside it, we built a CO₂ emissions dashboard that brings the factory's energy and emissions data together: energy used, energy produced by the on-site solar panels, emissions from the delivery vans, and the biomass heating. We have continued to develop the platform with Crystal Doors since 2021.
What we delivered
- 01Sales portalSales orders managed in a web-based portal, replacing the legacy desktop application.
- 02Production order trackingEvery order followed through production in one place, instead of spreadsheets and paperwork.
- 03Less wasteClear, shared order information between sales and production, helping to reduce mistakes and wasted materials.
- 04Xero invoice automationInvoices created in Xero automatically from the orders in the portal, with no re-keying.
- 05CO₂ emissions dashboardEnergy used and generated by the solar panels, van emissions and biomass heating, tracked in one dashboard.
- 06Ongoing developmentNew features and improvements as a long-term partner since 2021.
