Powder Coatings asked me to develop a new Production Analysis System to replace their old Metfin system which was written in DataEase. This project has resulted in a much smoother, simpler control package which assists the users in their various roles.

This company, based in Pembrokeshire, required a bespoke sales order entry system for their nametapes and labels business to replace an aging Dataease program. The programming, using UniVerse and SB+, was performed off-site and installed during their quieter winter months.The system is now used by three companies within the same building, all very similar but each with their own particular requirements, and I support the software on an ongoing contract. More than a million orders are entered, processed and invoiced each summer across the three companies.

Fine Tubes are a manufacturer of high specification precision metal tubing based in Plymouth. They have been using K3's Integrated Business System (IBS - commonly known as "Trifid") for approximately twenty-five years. I first worked with the customer when I was employed by Watchword Systems in the early 1990s to develop a production routing and scheduling module that worked alongside the manufacturing system. When they were asked by K3 to upgrade their system to the latest version Fine Tubes specifically requested that I be involved on the project due to my previous knowledge of their company. One of the aspects of that upgrade was to link the IBS software to the routing module which was still in use. IBS is written in SB+ on UniVerse and we also make extensive use of ODBC and UniObjects to link to external databases and systems.I now provide support and customer-requested modifications to this new version on a time and materials basis for K3. During 2015 we integrated the old routing module into the IBS package.Owing to my close association with the company I was asked to provide them with a new bespoke Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS) which was written in SB+ on UniVerse and installed in 2012.

I was involved in the development of a manufacturing package called "Mertex" which is targeted at the textile industry. The role involved a mixture of customer-specific modifications and product development. The software is predominantly written in SB+, with a small amount of DataBasic still in existence from the earlier System Builder V5 release of the product. The initial contract was for three months, and was extended on a number of occasions.Reflex have continued to ask for my assistance on an ad-hoc basis, particularly when projects have an urgent deadline or require significant liaison with the customer

Initially a six-month contract with a view to a permanent position, I elected instead to remain in a freelance role with this software house. The contract was subsequently extended on a number of occasions until we decided that a contract was unnecessary and I would work for them on an “as required” basis.The company, based in Cheshire, has been previously known as Trifid, Kewill Trifid, Kewill Systems, Maxima and Azur Business Systems and they sell a mature manufacturing product written in a combination of SB+ and DataBasic. The majority of my work with the company has been customer-specific modifications to the system but I have frequently represented the company at a number of customer sites and have also worked on their support helpdesk when required to do so.

Holland and Sherry are users of the Mertex package written by Reflex Data Systems. They asked me to provide additional software around the package, particularly with regard to transferring data to and from their in-house package iShowroom. The user still contacts me whenever they require my assistance. This tends to be around ten hours a month.

Macnaughton use the Mertex manufacturing system written by Reflex to control the production of their kilts. They contacted me when they required an addition to the basic Mertex package. I wrote the software on site to their own specifications and they have subsequently developed it further by themselves. I returned to the customer twice more to extend the original software and to specify and develop new programs to satisfy new requirements that they had identified. Although I have not been on site since 2008 we remain in contact and I look forward to spending more time there in the future.

I developed two separate packages for this customer which were both written with a browser interface for the users and utilising UniVerse and SB+ on their Windows server via UniObjects. The systems were both written off-site but developed in close conjunction with the users

I was asked by Maxima to work at Geopost as a contracted-out programmer during two separate periods in 2007. I worked on various systems and solutions at the company, particularly using DataBasic on UniVerse. The company use Redback extensively and a large amount of the programming required was linking to Redback objects for their web interface.

Capel Cure Sharp were a London-based stockbroker and I worked on their Fiscal helpdesk on a three month contract. The product is written in DataBasic. I was offered an extension by the company, but they were very understanding when I elected to work from home instead.

One of four middle management in an office of twenty staff, I was responsible for the management of a number of disparate projects relating to both the internal Unix-based UniVerse system and external customers. The company system was written in DataBasic, originating from Libra.

I was one of a team of analyst programmers within this software house that developed two software packages for hospitals - a Ward system for recording patient care and a Theatre system that enabled staff to control and charge for the treatment being provided. The two systems were written in DataBasic on a GA machine, and one of my major responsibilities was a conversion of the software to UniData.

Using McDonnell Douglas hardware running Reality, I was responsible for the development and maintenance of a number of bespoke packages for this software house.

This gold bullion dealer intended to develop an in-house sales order processing system using System Builder V3, and I was fortunate enough to be involved from the very start of the project. The SOP project was eventually scrapped two years after I left the firm, but the stock management systems that I had developed in conjunction with the users were incorporated into the package that was purchased as a replacement.

Starting as a Clerical Assistant in the Customer Services department, I progressed up the clerical ladder until I reached the position of Senior Data Processing Officer. It was at this time that I decided to pursue a career in computing.