Managed IT for UK SME manufacturers, engineering firms and distribution businesses where 'the system goes down' means production stops and forklifts pile up. ERP and MRP supported, shop-floor hardware looked after, OT and IT properly separated.
Inology IT supports UK SME manufacturers, engineering firms and distribution businesses across Greater Manchester with managed IT built around the production line, not just the office network. We support the ERP and MRP stack manufacturers actually run — Sage 200, Unleashed, Cin7, NetSuite, Epicor — with database back-ends, integrations and licensing. OT/IT segmentation separates production VLANs from corporate Wi-Fi, with documented firewall zones and CE+ scope exclusions. We hold standard configurations for Zebra, Honeywell and Datalogic warehouse hardware, complete Achilles and JOSCAR supplier-chain questionnaires, and provide shift cover via the 24/7 SOC tier.
MRP outages stop production. Most MSPs panic and call the vendor. We know enough about Sage 200, Unleashed, Cin7 and Epicor to triage properly — is it a network issue, a database issue, a licensing issue, or actually a vendor problem? Saves hours of finger-pointing.
If your CNC machines, scanners, ERP terminals and label printers are all on the same flat network as guest wifi and office printers, one ransomware infection takes everything down at once. We segment OT from IT with VLANs and proper firewall rules — same physical building, separate security domain.
Scanner, label printer, terminal, server PSU — production-line hardware fails at the worst moments. We hold a small buffer of standard models for clients who need it (extra fee), and we have logistics partners who deliver spares within 4 hours across Greater Manchester.
Insurers now ask specifically about OT segmentation, backup of production systems, and supplier-chain attack defences. Wrong answers void claims. We complete the questionnaire with technical evidence — and quietly fix anything that's currently 'no' but should be 'yes'.
We're not auditors and we don't pretend to be — but we know which IT-side evidence each of these standards expects, and we keep it ready.
Day-to-day helpdesk plus shop-floor hardware monitoring. Tickets routed to the right place fast.
Symmetric leased lines or FTTP with failover for sites where downtime stops production.
ERP database backed up to immutable storage. Tested restores quarterly. RPO/RTO documented per system.
Certification covering OT/IT scope properly. Production sub-network defined as in-scope, controlled exclusions documented.
Active clients include an SME engineering firm in Trafford Park, a distribution business in Tameside, and a family-run manufacturer near Denton. The case studies are in draft — but manufacturing clients are private about their tech stacks, and we want the proof to be theirs to share, not a marketing pitch.
Ask for a reference →We support the IT layer that ERP runs on (network, database, integrations, identity, backup) and triage issues before they become vendor escalations. Sage 200, Unleashed, Cin7, NetSuite and Epicor we know best. We're not the vendor's first-line replacement — but we know enough to spot when it's a network issue versus a database issue, and that saves hours.
VLAN segmentation between corporate and production networks. Separate firewall zones with explicit allow rules between them — no implicit trust. ERP terminal traffic on the production VLAN; corporate email and browsing on the office VLAN; guest wifi on a third, internet-only VLAN. Documented network diagram, audited annually. CE+ scope statement defines which side of the line each system sits.
Two paths. Complete tier (£85/user) gives you 24/7 SOC for security incidents. For full IT support coverage out-of-hours — early shift IT problems, weekend production runs — we add the OOH bolt-on (£250/month + £500 per 5-hour block used). We'll size it to your shift pattern; some clients only need it on Monday-morning early shifts, others need full overnight.
Realistically, yes. Industrial PCs running Windows 7 or XP for a CNC interface or a label-printer driver are common. We segregate them onto an isolated sub-network with no internet access, document the scope exclusion for compliance, and plan replacement when the production equipment refreshes. The pragmatic answer beats pretending the problem isn't there.
We complete Achilles, JOSCAR, supplier portal questionnaires and large-customer due-diligence packs as part of managed service. Maintained as a live evidence pack so when a customer wants you to fill in a 60-question security pack with 24-hour turnaround, we can.
Zebra, Honeywell and Datalogic scanners; Brother, Zebra and Toshiba label printers; rugged Windows handhelds; mobile workstations and forklift terminals. We know which ones survive a drop and which ones don't, which print drivers are stable and which aren't. We hold standard configurations for clients who roll out new sites.
Yes — and the playbook is sector-specific. First priority: isolate, preserve evidence, contain the spread between OT and IT. Second: assess whether immutable backups are clean. Third: clean-room restore plus communication to customers and suppliers about delivery impact. We run tabletop exercises annually with manufacturing clients because the real version is brutal and you don't want to be learning the playbook on the day.
First 30 days: full audit, network diagram, OT/IT separation review, immediate stability fixes, baseline rolled out. Days 30–60: tenant remediation, M365 hygiene, production-line monitoring deployed, first restore drill on ERP database. Days 60–90: CE/CE+ if needed, OT-specific scope work, supplier-chain pack assembled. We avoid kicking off major changes during your busiest production weeks — we'll plan around them.
Manufacturing & Distribution clients across Trafford, Tameside, Stockport. If you're outside Greater Manchester, we still might be a fit — see the service area.
Talk to Brett or Simon. 30 minutes, on the phone or video. No deck, no decision pressure — we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.