Business software group Access Technology has strengthened its Supply Chain Solutions division with the acquisition of Production Modelling Ltd.

The move by Access, which is based at Stratford St Mary, between Ipswich and Colchester, is part of a strategy to add complementary integrated solutions to its core range.

A number of its customers already successfully integrate Production Modelling’s Orchestrate software, which provides planning and scheduling for manufacturing companies, with Access’s own Supply Chain package.

Chris Bayne, chief executive at Access, said, “This is the perfect technological fit for us, adding functionality to our manufacturing solutions which we previously had to bring in with a partner.

“We’re familiar with Orchestrate and its capabilities as we have a number of common customers already benefitting from its integration with our own manufacturing software.

“We’ve been very impressed with the team and the Orchestrate software. It gives us more opportunity to provide our customers with a solution that delivers all of their manufacturing requirements.

“Orchestrate is capable of automatically constructing a plan and understanding the business constraints including people, machines, tools and parts, allowing our customer to better schedule their resources.”

Mike Straiton, director of Production Modeller, which is based in Coventry, will join the sales team at Access.

He said: “We’ve been working with Access as a preferred supplier for some time now, and our software integrates seamlessly with theirs. Our customers will benefit from great software that will quickly offer a return on investment.”

Mr Bayne added: “Our strategy is to provide customers with a range of integrated business management solutions. The acquisition of Production Modelling means we can deliver a manufacturing solution that includes quality planning and scheduling functionality.”