The UK’s leading software developer for the transport and logistics sector is celebrating its 40th birthday in style by moving to new offices in Bromsgrove.
Vigo Software, which supports more than 5500 users to manage their business processes, fleets and customers, has invested £500,000 into relocation to Topaz Business Park, creating a modern workspace for its rapidly expanding team.
Backed by the ERDF funded Birmingham City Council Business Growth Programme 2 Grant, the company has taken on twelve new people and grown revenues 14% over the past twelve months and, with new solutions to improve efficiency to be released in 2022, the expectation is that sales will rise to a record-breaking £4m.
Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and MP for Bromsgrove, was invited to take a look at the new surroundings and enjoyed a tour of the 5000 sq ft office, chatted to staff and witnessed a demo of the firm’s Mobilise software.
“Our old offices were a series of barn conversions, which was starting to hamper team collaboration. To build exciting new products and solve problems faster we needed to develop a creative space,” explained John Vickers, Managing Director of Vigo Software.
“We needed additional space and a property where we could shape our own environment that enhances the way we work. There are also some cool features that encourage collaboration, innovation and ensures staff have the opportunity to excel.”
He continued: “The Topaz Business Park offices are all open plan but zoned as a nod to our old Tardebigge base. We’ve invested in motorised adjustable desks for standing or seating options, installed enterprise grade WIFI to facilitate hot desking and, importantly we now have a Technology Scrum area to encourage product development and cross-functional collaboration.
“Customers will also benefit from superior meeting space, new server and comms technology to provide a robust, stable service and additional space to hold larger product user groups. Early feedback from everyone who has visited has been excellent.”
Vigo Software has specialised in the logistics software market for 40 years, designing, building and deploying software and technology for the logistics, haulage, warehouse and pallet network markets.
The company combines over 150 years’ experience of supply chain operations with extensive knowledge of how technology can be harnessed to achieve operational benefits for an enviable customer base.
It offers three main products, starting with ‘Connect’, a powerful business tool that enables clients to connect to their customers and provide real time visibility of order progress to the delivery point.
The software works by accepting order input in multiple ways (inclusive of EDI and API connectivity) and this drives management of consignments, monitoring progress and handling documentation, such as proof of delivery (PODs).
Seamlessly integrating with ‘Connect’ is Transport Management Software (TMS) ‘Manage’, which is Vigo’s backbone system. Trusted by a wide range of companies within the logistics and haulage industry, the system delivers all the tools customers need, from order processing through to a feature rich planning tool that raises those all-important invoices quickly and accurately.
Finally, there is ‘Mobilise’, which delivers a mobile workforce solution that gives companies the ability to provide drivers with all the information they need to provide an efficient delivery service.
Connecting in real time to the rest of Vigo’s products, it feedbacks on the progress of consignments, proof of delivery signatures when required and additional information, such as photos and notifications of any damage.
The company is also about to launch a fully integrated truck friendly SatNav with the Mobilise solution.
John went on add: “We are pallet network specialists, so much so that our software runs the operations of one of the biggest pallet networks in the UK, providing hub technology, a customer portal, transport and warehouse management systems.
“This is just the start. A lot of time and investment is going into developing additional features for existing platforms and, importantly, a brand-new technology stack that will allow us to launch a new solution for the logistics and supply chain sectors.
“To deliver great products and services we have recognised we need great staff. I’m really proud of our team and we work very hard to ensure we attract and retain the right people.
“We’ve created twelve new jobs in the last year and are continuing to recruit for more software developers and technical engineers.”
Sajid Javid, Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove, concluded: “It was fantastic to officially open the new offices of Vigo Software, tour the impressive site and speak with their dedicated team.
“Local businesses, such as Vigo, are a powerful driver of innovation and employment and I wish them the very best in their new home.”