ISE Forges a Lasting Relationship with Brampton Brick

"With ISE, we have been able to better analyze our business and capture information so that our senior managers can make better decisions. As a result, we are able to generate better data and results, which provide good insights into the performance of our business. ISE got us here, and they keep it running."

Peter Shepard, Director, Information Systems & Technology

About Brampton Brick 
Since 1871, Brampton Brick has been helping to mold the skylines of major towns and cities. With one of the most advanced brick-making facilities in the world, Brampton Brick produces over 300 million clay bricks a year, in addition to an unsurpassed selection of elegant paving stones, retaining walls, and other environmental products. From quality control to distribution and customer service, Brampton Brick uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure that their products are made to last.

Lacking a Trusted Partner 
With such a large-scale operation to maintain, it became essential for Brampton Brick to have the backing of the right technologies to maintain their competitive edge. This included the ability to make changes to their dynamic and comprehensive ERP system. What they didn’t have, though, was a partner they could trust.

“When we went to purchase an upgrade or module, we never got what we wanted from our previous partner,” Brampton Brick’s Manager of Information Systems and Technology, Peter Shepherd, explained. “We always had to add on, build more, and pay more overall. We felt we weren’t a priority and received poor service because we were out of their geographical area. It was a bad overall experience. We knew the importance of feeling comfortable with who we were working with.”

As a result, the hunt for a new partner began.

The Building Blocks of a Great Partner
Brampton Brick had an idea of the characteristics that their ideal technology partner would possess. Their perfect candidate would seek to understand the software side of their business alongside their business goals and objectives. Additionally, their new partner company would have the hardware and software talent to act as one source for both vendor and consulting needs.
The last requirement was accessibility. Knowing their location was off the grid, Brampton Brick needed a partner that could offer a great customer experience without being within the same city, the same state, or – in the case of ISE – even the same country.

ISE Proves to be the Ideal Partner 
ISE entered the picture after a brief introduction from Infor. “ISE set to work, assisting Brampton Brick with their technology needs. Brampton Brick knew that updates and alterations had to be made to their ERP to remain competitive in the marketplace. They worked hand-in- hand with ISE experts to develop a plan to implement the right solution for their business. What then commenced was the start of a beautiful relationship built on trust and mutual respect.

Planning a Smooth Implementation 
“I went to ISE to buy software and hardware,” Peter Shepherd explained. “After taking the time to learn our systems and needs, the ISE team knew exactly what we were trying to do. As a result, they sped up the process of implementing a new iSeries box. They didn’t just make it work; they made it better, even down to the licensing, which is important to get right to keep costs down.”

ISE then helped Peter and his team add a partition and software that allowed them to replicate their servers onto a secondary disaster recovery site.
Communication between ISE and Brampton Brick during this project was seamless. “We always had a schedule to manage our services, programming, and consulting,” Shepherd stated. “We still do. I speak with ISE weekly and even more than that when things go hot or we have a project going on. The team at ISE gets us the answers we need – even if that involves putting us in contact with the right experts at Infor. ISE’s strategy from day one has been to avoid the games and just build a relationship with our company. They respect us, and we respect them.”
~ Mandy Marlatt,

Continuing to Reap Success
Since implementing the first iSeries server, ISE has assisted Brampton Brick in upgrading three additional iSeries systems. In the eight years ISE and Brampton Brick have been working together, a long and stable history has unfolded.

“From a business perspective, our company has put in a corporate strategic plan within the last few years,” Shepherd explained. “ISE has worked with our business leaders to match the right technology, partners, and solutions to that corporate plan. They work to understand our particular business and give solutions to match business needs. Their solutions are always well thought-out and never off-the-cuff.”

Overall, ISE has assisted Brampton Brick in a multitude of projects that include everything from upgrading to XA 9.1 and implementing maintenance management systems software, to customized software programming, remotely installing and integrating systems, and beyond. During the most recent three- year, aggressive, six-figure project, ISE has helped Brampton Brick remain within the project scope and time frame.

Forging a Great Partnership 
“ISE is a partner that helped get us through the bumps,” Peter Shepherd concluded. “They get the right people involved to get things done. Without a strong partner and this strategic plan, we would have been spinning our wheels and stuck in the clay.”

ISE continues to work with Brampton Brick on their large-scale, three-year implementation plan for new integration and automation technologies. These new innovations will support a centralized, common system. With one version of truth, Brampton Brick officials will be able to find everything they need in one place while continuing to structure and standardize their business.


Discover how our team can help your business design a perfect-fit, enterprise-grade solution that will support and improve operations for years to come. Reach out to an ISE expert today!

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