Founded in 1807, Daniel Thwaites is a well-known Lancashire-based hospitality business with a rich heritage and a modern approach.
They Operate Thwaites Pubs & Brewery as well as a growing collection of Hotels, Inns and Luxury Spas. Thwaites (formally trading as Shire Inns) has expanded across the North of England, now with an estate of over 250 tenanted pubs from Birmingham to Carlisle and North Wales to Yorkshire.
Remaining true to its brewing roots, Thwaites recently invested in a state-of-the-art brewery in the Ribble Valley, blending tradition with innovation. Their northern roots, integrity, and forward-thinking attitude underpin every aspect of the business from the brewery to the inns and mirror the longstanding partnership they have built with DocTech over more than two decades.
Exceptional staff retention in both businesses has meant the relationship has been able to truly flourish.
When Thwaites became a DocTech client in 1999, the goal was to digitise their document storage with a simple on-premise DocuWare system for ten users and a CD Maker for archiving. This created their first digital document repository, replacing paper-based filing with secure, searchable storage.
Just two years later, in 2001, Thwaites were already pushing boundaries becoming one of the first UK organisations to integrate DocuWare with their finance system, Great Plains.
This early adoption of automation demonstrates Thwaites’ innovative mindset and marked the start of a continual journey of digital transformation which has seen huge evolvement of their DocuWare solution and almost 200 of their staff using it as one of their business systems. 
By 2019, Thwaites’ accounts payable process had evolved significantly, but like many businesses, there were still paper-based steps. Invoices received digitally were being printed, manually stamped, and physically approved before being scanned back into DocuWare.
While advanced when first implemented, this workflow was becoming inefficient as invoice volumes increased and digital invoices became the norm. Recognising the opportunity to go fully digital, Thwaites once again led the change.
In 2019, they implemented a fully electronic accounts payable process with DocuWare at its core. Using an email connector, the accounts team could store both emails and attachments directly into DocuWare.
DocuWare Intelligent Indexing could now automatically capture and suggest key data fields, eliminating timely manual entry. The information could flow seamlessly into Thwaites’ Finance and ERP systems, with inbuilt approval workflows and all documents retained in line with retention policies.
No printing, no manual stamping. A completely digital, auditable, and efficient process benefiting every team involved.
Thwaites’ appetite for innovation continued in 2023, when the business rolled out integrated, legally binding digital signatures across multiple processes.
The solution, built directly within DocuWare, supports:
Documents are now created, signed, and tracked entirely within DocuWare, complete with reminders, retention rules, and full visibility. Thwaites have integrated digital signatures for all kinds of processes and document types.
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In the 25 years since first implementing DocuWare, Thwaites have:
The hybrid environment offers the best of both worlds - the power and control of on-premise with the flexibility and scalability of the cloud. One of the most exciting additions is DocuWare Forms, which Thwaites now use for customer-facing interactions. Guests at their luxury spa venues, for example, complete digital spa waiver forms powered quietly in the background by DocuWare.
Over the years, Thwaites’ internal IT team has developed a strong command of DocuWare managing much of the system in-house while drawing on DocTech’s expertise when needed.
DocuWare integrations now extend to key business systems including:
These integrations ensure smooth data flow across finance, hospitality operations, and guest management, enabling staff to work more efficiently and giving management a unified view of information.
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Our relationship with DocTech now spans over 25 years, and throughout that time their service has been consistently excellent. The team are always responsive, knowledgeable and genuinely interested in helping us get the most from DocuWare. Their guidance has supported us through every stage of our digital journey from our very first on-premise system to the hybrid solutions we’re implementing today. It’s a partnership built on trust and shared innovation.
info@doctech.co.uk
0161 647 7040
