In 1997 we realised that no conventional management information system could cope with the scale and complexity of our operation. So we invested £30m in a strategic partnership with SAP to develop a unique solution. NewsWorks was the result.

NewsWorks is designed to meet our stringent operational and management objectives, allowing us to respond to the needs of the smallest publishers and the largest distributors with the reliability that our business demands. It has transformed our business, providing dramatically improved levels of service and unrivalled levels of accuracy and efficiency.

We now offer NewsWorks to other, non-competing wholesalers. We have just produced a whole new SAP system for Newspread in Eire and already work with magazine distributor COMAG.

Mike Mirams of COMAG said: ‘The work we have done with Smiths News based on SAP and their NewsWorks technology has delivered an industry-leading copy management solution for our business.

The result has met all our extremely high expectations and I was also pleased with the professional way in which this project has been managed by our two businesses.

For an IT development of this scale to be delivered on time and on budget is almost a miracle and is testament to the dedication and professionalism of people at both Smiths News and COMAG.’