Member Article

Fred delivers Increase in profits and record year

THE Tyneside tech company behind the most widely-used recycling software in the UK is celebrating its most successful year to date.

Increase Computers was established in 1982 purely as a software house, but rapidly expanded into offering integrated Sage business software solutions as well as supplying hardware, networks and support.

In 1985 the company produced a new software solution for two customers in the recycling sector. The product, FRED (Fast Remote Entry of Data), proved hugely popular and by 2012 when the fifth version of the programme was released, it was operated by more than 500 users daily across the UK. That figure now stands at more than 800.

“It is the most popular software solution in the sector by far,” explained Phil Short, MD of Increase Computers, based at HYpoint in Saltmeadows Road, Gateshead. Hypoint is part of the recent expansion of the Hoults Group.

“People think of FRED as just another member of their team – I’m sure partly because it has a person’s name. Wherever it’s used, it’s fully integrated into the organisation.”

The growth of FRED customers and their continuing success as a fully licensed Sage Business Partner and Developer has helped propel the company to its most successful year.

“We’ve had a fantastic year – we’ve enjoyed double digit growth and expanded our team to cope with increased demand and workload. We’ve added three members of staff to our team over recent months – Leanne Bell, a Sage consultant; Jill Dodds, our new Senior Tester, and accountant Louise Farrell. Our team is now 14 strong and we’re already planning to recruit further,” explained Phil.

“We have a rolling five-year business plan and we’re so ahead of what were ambitious targets that we’re having to rewrite that plan,” he added.

FRED was originally written for a client company who had an operator who had arthritis and the software solution was intended to make data entry far easier for him. It proved popular very quickly and is now widely used across the recycling and scrap metal sector.

In 2012 the Government introduced new legislation prohibiting scrap metal dealers from paying for scrap metal in cash.

“That was a key year for us as that legislation led to a massive increase in interest in FRED, which incorporates all the features a modern recycling facility requires, from stock control to invoice processing and everything in between.

“We have a really good relationship with Sage having worked with them for so long, and that side of our business is also progressing well.”

Increase Computers moved from Jesmond to the former Gear House in the late 1990s and now occupy three offices on the site, which was rebranded HYpoint after becoming part of the Hoults Yard expansion.

Other directors of the company are Paul Fairless, Technical Director and Aaron Matheson, Financial Director.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hoults Yard .