Grays Clip adopts manufacturing ERP ahead of ViperClip rollout

Northern Ireland, September 13, 2025

News Summary

Northern Ireland manufacturer Grays Clip implemented the MRPeasy manufacturing ERP system before taking commercial orders for its ViperClip cable fastening products. The six-month deployment now manages procurement, production planning, barcode labelling, invoicing and serial-number traceability, supporting subcontracted assembly of the ViperClip Gun. Founders moved to digital systems after a decade of development and recent investor funding to ensure quality control, smoother order fulfilment and clearer financial visibility as the business scales into international residential markets. Early benefits include improved inventory control, automated production scheduling, multi-channel pricing and faster returns and root-cause analysis.

Grays Clip adopts MRPeasy ERP ahead of market launch, backing ViperClip with Dragons’ Den funding and long-running development

In Northern Ireland, a family-led manufacturing venture has integrated an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system MRPeasy ERP before its first product hit the market. Grays Clip, a maker of innovative cable fasteners and power tools, completed a six-month ERP implementation to support the rollout of its ViperClip and ViperClip Gun after a decade of work. The move aims to coordinate procurement, production, and distribution across multiple channels while maintaining strict quality and traceability when parts are manufactured by subcontractors.

From concept to production: a decade of development and a pivotal ERP choice

Grays Clip’s founders transformed years of hands-on electrical work into a business idea that promises faster, safer cable fastening on construction sites. The ViperClip is a plastic, non-conductive staple made to replace metal nails in many installations, and the ViperClip Gun is a rechargeable tool designed to fire these plastic staples quickly. After ten years of development, the company decided to implement an ERP system before it began accepting customer orders to ensure smooth operations from day one. The ERP choice, MRPeasy, was selected because it balanced ease of use with robust functionality, a middle ground between overly complex systems and overly simplistic options.

ERP implementation and what it delivers

The MRPeasy deployment extended across the company’s planning, procurement, production scheduling, and order management. The system can automatically assess current inventory and capacity to generate manufacturing orders, helping the business align staffing and stock with projected demand. The platform also creates and tracks serial-number level data for each item, supporting strict traceability and efficient handling of returns. A key feature is the digital trail that connects procurement, production, and quality control into a single record for quick problem diagnosis, whether issues stem from internal processes or supplier performance.

Manufacturing model and quality controls

Grays Clip subcontracts the manufacture of the ViperClip Guns, making quality control essential. The company monitors supplier-provided quality data, performs extra in-house inspections, and uses serial numbers to trace each product. MRPeasy supports returns management and helps the team quickly address any hiccups that arise in production or from suppliers. A digital, end-to-end view of products—from procurement through delivery—has become a core advantage for maintaining high standards as the business scales.

Mobile-friendly labeling, pricing, and financial integration

Operational efficiency has benefited from MRPeasy’s labeling system, which generates product labels with barcodes that can be printed and affixed to packages. The system also supports multiple price lists to accommodate different customer scenarios, such as distributor bulk orders versus single-item purchases through an online channel like Shopify. Invoicing is handled within MRPeasy and automatically synced with the company’s accounting software, providing visibility into pending invoices and cash flow. The company emphasizes that the MRPeasy setup allows consistent stock and staffing planning to meet order demand as it grows.

Executive perspective: a safety-first, labour-saving approach

The ViperClip solution is framed as a labour-saving device for residential construction that can improve safety by eliminating metal nails in high-voltage environments. In markets that use 240-volt electrical systems—representing a large share of new homes annually—the fully plastic, non-conductive staple helps reduce risk on site, complementing the fast installation times. The show-and-tell narrative around the product highlighted a strong international opportunity, with markets like the 240-volt world and large residential building initiatives in China cited as potential drivers. Independent testing suggested strong interest from electricians, surfacing a broad addressable market through both 240- and 110-volt installations in different regions.

Investment and growth: Dragons’ Den and ongoing funding

In 2021, Grays Clip and its founder couple approached a well-known television entrepreneurship program seeking additional funding after years of self-financing through savings and personal sacrifices. The couple entered negotiations with the show’s panel, initially requesting £80,000 in exchange for a 15% stake. The panel made an offer that included the full amount but a higher equity share, and the couple accepted. The investment was widely described as a catalyst for expanding ViperClip’s reach to electricians around the world, enabling scale in both production and distribution. The narrative around the pitch emphasizes the product’s potential for global adoption and the value of safety improvements in trade work.

Market perspective, expansion, and investor ecosystem

Beyond the Dragons’ Den episode, a broader investor ecosystem in Northern Ireland has shown interest in early-stage growth companies. An active investor network has brought together angels to fund startups with high growth potential, with investments ranging from modest to more substantial sums. The network’s activity includes organizing quarterly events to review vetted companies, and its involvement has helped several NI businesses access early-stage capital for product development and market entry. Industry commentators note the importance of this ecosystem in supporting hardware startups that require capital for both product refinement and scaling manufacturing and distribution channels.

Operational highlights and future outlook

With MRPeasy in place, Grays Clip can forecast demand, manage production capacity, and schedule procurement automatically. The software’s multi-price-list feature supports different sales paths, while its labeling and barcode capabilities streamline packaging and shipping. The company’s approach demonstrates how a tightly integrated ERP system can help a hardware-focused business move from the design bench to mass production while maintaining traceability and quality. The ViperClip family’s move into markets worldwide hinges on continued attention to compliance, customer needs, and efficient manufacturing, aided by a platform that connects every step of the journey.

For readers seeking more information, the project team highlights MRPeasy as a central tool in coordinating operations prior to the first order and sustaining growth through production and delivery cycles.

Key features in brief

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Additional Resources

• SyncNI: NI couple strike big on Dragons’ Den with electrician’s invention
• Wikipedia: ViperClip
• The Irish News: Business Angels Network in call for new investors and more pitch candidates
• Google Search: Business Angels Network Northern Ireland
• Insider Media: Angel investment network marks busy first year after backing six companies
• Google Scholar: angel investment network ireland
• IEN: MRPeasy — Dragons’ Den winners implement manufacturing ERP before going to market
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Enterprise resource planning

Author: RISadlog