In its heyday, the giants of the British Film Industry effectively made Pinewood and Shepperton Studios their second home. Celluloid classics such as David Lean's "Oliver Twist", "Black Narcissus" and "The Third Man" were all filmed there, not to mention the much-loved Carry On series. Today, the studios are experiencing something of a revival, playing host to recent Hollywood blockbusters such as "Die Another Day" and "Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets", as well as TV productions such as Poirot and Spooks.

Originally owned by The Rank Group (of J Arthur Rank fame), Pinewood in Buckinghamshire was bought for £62million in 2000 by a consortium led by media mogul Michael Grade. A year later, Pinewood merged with nearby Shepperton Studios in Middlesex. Now run as a highly successful joint concern, Pinewood-Shepperton is Europe's leading film and television studios, offering 36 stages and back lots (including a water tank and the largest stage in the world, built for the 007 film, The Spy Who Loved Me), digital television studios, post-production and full production support facilities.

Besides wardrobes and props stores, this support includes Pinewood-Shepperton Stores which supply film crews with everything they require, from lunchtime snacks and branded merchandise to set-building materials such as cable, paint and gaffer tape. In addition to a large - and newly refurbished - warehouse at Pinewood holding over 2,000 stock lines, staff at the Stores will also source more unusual materials for film crews. In one instance, they were even called upon to find a bucket of soot from a local chimney sweep for one props department so that the set could be 'aged'. The facility is also used by members of the public and star names such as Simon Callow, Jude Law and even Brad Pitt, who want a souvenir of their visit to the legendary studios.

Before the buyout, the stores at both studios had used a paper-based management system which the new owners thought was more suited to a historical epic than the digital age. To rectify this, Pinewood-Shepperton invested in an EPoS system supplied by Shepperton Studios' IT consultants, 4S Services.

The solution consists of PayPoint EPoS and stock management software from Daventry-based APS, running on Epson's touchscreen Intelligent Registers (IRs) - two at each location. Designed to be functional and space efficient, the terminals have built-in thermal receipt printers and Magnetic Stripe Readers and there is additional system hardware in the form of barcode scanners and electronic signature pads so that customers can sign for goods. The system is also fully integrated with the Studios' existing Exchequer accounts system so that production companies can be properly invoiced for purchases on account.

"The tills are a brilliant concept and the touchscreen interface has worked really well - our staff adapted to them very quickly," reported Pinewood-Shepperton's Purchasing Manager, Carol Corne. "We are currently very busy at the studios - with five major films in production and another out on location in Prague - so it's important that we are able to support them by offering a fast and efficient service. The automated solution helps us achieve this."