Leading the project is Chris Bailey, who has recently been promoted to the new role of group IT director, solidifying the partnership between the UK and US Crown Roof Tile brand.

Crown Global Equity acquired Russell Roof Tiles in 2011 and in 2013 it further expanded its operations with the acquisition of Crown Roof Tiles, Florida.

Since then, Russell Roof Tiles has seen £17.3 million invested in its Burton and Lochmaben sites, continuing to increase efficiencies and capacity to meet demand, as well as an £18.5m investment in a major new plant site in Burton.

Alongside this, the company has invested in upgrading and improving technology, including IT systems and software, which Chris has taken a lead on since joining the team in 2019 as IT manager.

Having managed the upgrade from Infor’s SyteLine v9 single tenant to the more cost-effective v10 multi-tenant cloud solution, in 2023 Chris successfully led the international roll-out of SyteLine to the sister company in the US.

SyteLine is a leading manufacturing ERP software solution that streamlines data collection across all aspects of the business. The Infor software, used by over 65,000 organisations worldwide, collects and analyses data for machinery, production, orders, documentation, and delivery, enabling smoother operations and more informed decision-making.

Now, in his role as group IT director, Chris will be exporting his knowledge and expertise of Infor SyteLine and sharing with the team at Crown Roof Tiles, ensuring that the manufacturing sites in the US are operating at the same high level as Russell Roof Tiles.

Chris said: “It’s particularly rewarding to step into this role at a time of significant investment and growth for Russell Roof Tiles. We’ve made huge strides forward since implementing SyteLine, ensuring we’re getting the maximum capacity out of the software so it’s only right we share this knowledge with the rest of the Group, ensuring that the whole group continues to be known for its innovative and superior solutions.”

Chris’s responsibilities extend beyond Infor’s SyteLine to encompass all internal IT and communications across Russell Roof Tiles and Crown Roof Tiles.

Andrew Hayward, managing director at Russell Roof Tiles, said: “I’m pleased to announce Chris Bailey’s promotion to Group IT Director. His dedication and expertise have proven to lead Russell Roof Tiles down a path of growth and innovation. I look forward to seeing his continued success.”

As a testament to his expertise, Chris is scheduled to speak at the upcoming SyteLine User Network (SUN) conference in Tampa, Florida this April.

The two-day conference is expected to welcome around 900 attendees, who will be gathered for information-filled sessions from End Users, Vendors, and Infor Presenters.

His session, which will be held on Tuesday 16 April, will give attendees an overview of a collection of projects which combine to transform the operations of both businesses through document management, automation and reporting.