How M-TEC Group built a scalable route for engineering data exchange.
M-TEC Group moved beyond email and FTP to support a growing engineering operation, maintain oversight of project data and exchange an average of 20–40 files each day with customers, suppliers and remote teams.
M-TEC needed a data-transfer route that could support a growing multidisciplinary engineering team without adding unnecessary software overhead.
The group develops interior and exterior products for high-profile OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, while also working across rail and medical projects. Its exchange process therefore needs to accommodate different customers, formats, locations and project teams.
Direct VPN links remained useful for selected larger clients, but M-TEC needed a scalable route for the many exchanges that sat outside those dedicated connections.
01Building a specialist engineering business
M-TEC has more than twenty years of experience providing resourcing solutions to the automotive and engineering sectors from Birmingham. In 2010, the company expanded with the formation of M-TEC Group, a stand-alone engineering and design centre based in Coventry.
The group grew to a team of 50 programme managers, lead engineers, design engineers and engineering-support staff focused on taking product ideas from concept through to realisation. Alongside automotive work for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, it diversified into the rail and medical sectors.
02Recognising the limits of email and FTP
M-TEC had direct VPN connections into some larger customers, but other exchanges initially depended on email or FTP sites. During an intensive global project, one customer introduced the team to a branded version of MX for transferring large files through a web-based process.
M-TEC recognised that the same approach could support its own engineers, customers and suppliers. Working with Majenta Solutions, it introduced customised MX access for secure exchanges with remote offices and external companies.
03Choosing an exchange layer that could scale
The attraction was not simply file speed. M-TEC valued a proven route that did not require third-party software to be installed and managed on every participant's device, and that could be used from different locations through an internet connection.
For organisations facing a similar mix of dedicated customer networks and ad hoc transfer requirements, a controlled corporate file-exchange layer can sit alongside existing systems rather than forcing every workflow through one tool.
With secure 256-bit encryption, fast data transmission and the added advantage of no third-party software to install and manage, MX is exactly what we need. With an internet connection we can use it anywhere in the world.
A transfer process that supports daily engineering work, quality procedures and continued growth.
M-TEC's experience shows how a secure exchange platform can become part of the operational process rather than remaining a specialist tool used only by the CAD department or IT team.
Broader engineering participation
CAD designers and lead engineers can raise transfer requests as part of their responsibility for delivering approved project information.
Central oversight
A primary designated user acts as a gatekeeper, retaining an overview of the information flowing into and out of the company.
Scalable administration
New users can be added with basic contact information, supporting growth without an unnecessarily complex onboarding process.
The exchange workflow became an extension of M-TEC Group's quality procedures.
Design data is not simply sent as soon as it exists. Designers confer with lead engineers, models are critiqued and information is confirmed before a transfer request progresses through the controlled route.
The designated gatekeeper gives the business a consistent point of oversight while allowing the wider engineering team to remain responsible for customer delivery. This balance supports accountability without creating a single departmental bottleneck.
Detailed movement records also give the IT Manager up-to-date visibility of files being sent and received. That traceability is particularly valuable when many exchanges are active at the same time.
All that our admin needs is the name and email address of a new user and MX does the rest. The system is very easy to administer and extremely easy to use. It's a cost-effective and truly scalable solution and is a major part of our growth strategy.
Daily volume demonstrates why the platform became more than a contingency route.
Although M-TEC continues to use direct VPN connections with several larger OEM customers, it still reports a substantial requirement for MX, averaging between 20 and 40 files sent or received each day.
That level of activity makes visibility and repeatability important. The platform provides an organised route for different counterparties while giving the IT Manager reliable, up-to-date details of data movement.
Organisations handling similar file volumes can explore how My MX Data approaches large-file exchange without public-link workarounds.
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