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Migrating to RedSky ERP in January 2026 will improve efficiency for a Belfast-based repair, renovation and environmental remediation expert.
Having decided to move on from RedSky legacy product AXiM, AES Marconi Managing Director Paul McEvoy took the opportunity to explore the range of systems available on the wider market.
He said: “We’d been with RedSky for more than 20 years, and it has been a positive relationship. Twenty years is a very long time in IT, so I asked many fellow finance colleagues about their experience of using other systems.”
Upscaling
Having considered the pros and cons of various systems from a user’s perspective, Paul narrowed down the list of potential providers to three main contenders. Although all three were offering what he considered to be “broadly similar” functionality, it was the ease and cost of upscaling that proved to be the differentiating factor.
Paul said: “I discounted one of the providers early on because they didn’t have the capacity to scale up if we needed to. I chose not to go with another because upscaling would require us to switch to their advanced package – and of course to pay a lot more.
“With RedSky, we knew that upscaling would be feasible, because it has far larger customers than us. RedSky was easily the best and most cost-effective option in terms of futureproofing the business.”
Trusted partner
Paul believes it’s hugely important for the AES Marconi team to build long-standing relationships with customers and suppliers.
“When you’ve done business with people and organisations over many years, you build up a knowledge of how they behave,” he said. “We like doing business with people we know and trust, like RedSky.”
RedSky ERP is a modern system, but it’s built on a similar foundation to AXiM. Paul views this as a big advantage.
He said: “The staff are already RedSky users, which will make their transition far easier than would be the case with a new system from a completely new company. They will be more comfortable with it from the outset and there will be less training required.”
Futureproofing
In recent years Paul has had some bad experiences linked with providers being acquired by huge organisations. “Each time they promise great improvements that don’t materialise,” he said. “Then, six months in, they change the customer agreement and put up their prices.
“Given what I’d experienced, I made a point of discussing corporate ownership at one of the RedSky ERP presentations. That put my mind at rest; it helps me to know that RedSky will continue to be our partner, long into the future. That will be beneficial to us.”
The initial preparation meeting with RedSky has taken place. Paul said: “It gives me comfort to know that the RedSky team has done hundreds of migrations already, so will be able to give us a clear roadmap for our migration, along with plenty of advice about pitfalls to avoid and tips to follow.”
Paul is keen to get cracking with the migration to RedSky ERP: “Next year we’ll have a more modern system with less repetition of work, better checking and better functionality.”
About AES Marconi
Established more than 40 years ago, AES Marconi Ltd is based in Belfast and employs a direct workforce of 45 property and environmental professionals.
The company has earned a strong reputation in Northern Ireland for reliable services to the insurance repair and renovation sector, which represents around 80% of its turnover. AES Marconi also specialises in environmental remediation (on average, it cleans up more than 350 domestic and commercial oil spills a year on the island of Ireland) and asbestos removal.
