About us
“Our Vision is your Business Success”
Background
Company History:
GW Thompson Ltd was founded in 1994 by the current Managing Director Gary Thompson to provide a software labelling solution for the Sandwich Industry. At the time the Sandwich Industry was just beginning to evolve into the £8 billion market it is today. Many of our original Customers, whom we have known since their humble beginnings, have now grown into multi-million pound turnover organisations supplying large multiples with a variety of products.
We were the first Company to develop a solution for calculating and printing nutrition panels without the need for expensive laboratory analysis, and the first to allow for the automatic calculation of the composition of ingredients in the correct legal fashion. We also led the way for allergen declarations, %RI and Front of Pack information.
We now have a family of products that totally integrate to provide a complete turnkey solution for the food industry as a whole under the brand name “Food Management Systems".
What We Do:
We write software for the food industry. We deliver products that are designed to save our customers' time, money and improve their procedures and practices.
Food Management Systems is a modular suite of software that can be built to suit individual needs. It is easy to use, easy to implement and surprisingly cost-effective. Each module is designed to provide specific solutions, each may be used in isolation or bolted together, building into a completely integrated enterprise-wide solution.
Strategy & Vision
Vision Statement:
“Our Vision is your Business success”. Our main driving forces are Customer feedback, changes to legislation and changes in technology. We continue to be innovative and strive to deliver the best products on the market enabling our Customers to have a competitive edge.
Mission Statement:
“Software for the Food Industry”. Our clients range from the sole trader to large multiples across a broad spectrum of the food industry in the UK, Ireland, Europe and Australia. We liaise with Organisations such as the BSA, BRC, Dept. of Health, NHS and local enforcement officers to ensure our products conform to all current and proposed food legislation.
Our objective is to provide a comprehensive solution for each department within a busy, modern food company in a simple to use integrated system.
Values:
We pride ourselves on our integrity and the confidentiality each of our clients' demands. In our business family, each member is as important as the next. We appreciate the commitment our Customers make to us and reciprocate to develop long and mutually rewarding relationships.
Business goals & objectives:
We strongly believe that we have developed a suite of products that will help our customers to address the large number of demands placed on them by the ever increasing burden of legislation.
Our goal is to reach as many prospects as possible, and the main objective is to ensure that each Customer derives a quantifiable benefit from the use of our products.
Growth strategy:
The core software engine was rewritten during 2012-13 to accommodate the forthcoming changes to the Food Information Regulations (FIR 2013). We invested heavily in upgrading the company IT infrastructure at the end of 2014 and during 2015 we invested heavily in new development tools to take advantage of emerging technologies.
2016/17 saw the development and launch of our online labelling system, which complements our existing products, and means that we now have a complete and comprehensive product offering to suit all FBO’s whatever their requirements.
Our advertising budget has doubled for 2018/19 and our marketing department has been tasked with building the brand across all sectors of the food industry.
We have established links with several hardware manufacturers (notably Continuous Inkjet Printers, Flow wrap printers, Standalone printers, tills, Weighing machines, Print and apply equipment and full colour roll label printers), each promoting or using our products.
We work closely with several service providers (notably Disposable Suppliers, foodservice Companies, Label suppliers and Catering suppliers) again each promoting or selling our products.
Further trade associations have been developed with third party software providers such as Sage, EDI providers including RBS e-invoicing, Fourth Hospitality, Caternet and e-commerce websites, providing integration with FMS products.
Business competitiveness:
Our greatest asset is being able to adapt our products to work the way our Customers work, rather than our Customers adapting to work within the confines of the software. We own the intellectual property, copyright and all the source code for all our products.
Our products have a proven history, are extremely flexible, completely reliable, easy to use and continually evolving. Our solution often provides the opportunity to consolidate many different systems and databases into one.
Personnel
“Every successful Company we have ever dealt with owe their success to the people involved. Good people will deliver a good product and a good service, and ultimately a good business.
We are no exception and rely on the qualities of our dedicated staff to continually deliver first-class products and a first class service. Our people are bright, clever, vibrant with a range of commercial and technical experience and an abundance of enthusiasm”
- Gary Thompson MD
In the community
GW Thompson Ltd are proud to support our Customers and their charities and have amongst others recently supported...
LATCH Welsh Children's Cancer Charity
The Clock Tower Sanctuary for homeless people
Marie Curie Cancer Care Nurses
The Make a Wish Foundation
The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance
As well as making regular donations to our own charity of choice - Great Ormond street hospital, we also work with local schools providing free software and support.