IT Update: Strengthening Security, Systems, and Innovation Across GracoRoberts

We are proud to announce that Silmid has successfully achieved a Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification, a significant milestone that reflects our continued commitment to safeguarding our systems, our people, and our customers. This accomplishment is the result of dedicated collaboration across our teams, as achieving CE+ is no small feat. It requires not only technical expertise but organization-wide participation. Throughout this process, colleagues across Silmid and the wider GracoRoberts enterprise played an essential role in updating devices, enabling multifactor authentication, adopting new processes, and participating in the audit process.

Achieving Cyber Essentials Plus is more than just a compliance milestone, it brings real benefits to Silmid. It boosts customer trust, especially in sectors like aerospace and defense, by assuring them of our high security standards. The certification also gives us a competitive edge, opens doors to new business opportunities, and strengthens our supply chain reputation. Internally, it lays a solid foundation for future security initiatives and has fostered a culture of greater cyber awareness across the company.

Thank you to every individual who contributed to ensuring we met the high standards required for CE+ certification. We are proud of what we have achieved together and excited for what this enables us to do next.

Bringing Sky Mart into GracoRoberts' Information System

The integration of Sky Mart has officially begun. GracoRoberts’ teams are working closely with Sky Mart's to align workflows, ensure tools are accessible, information systems are secure, and they are positioned for scalability and future growth. This integration will enable Sky Mart to seamlessly collaborate with other business units while benefiting from the technology, governance, and operational frameworks that GracoRoberts has built.

As GracoRoberts continues to expand its family, several cross-functional initiatives are now underway to strengthen alignment across all sites.

Creating a Clear Process for Changing Data Across All Business Units

It has become increasingly important to standardize how product and customer data changes are requested, reviewed, and approved. A new Cross BU Data Change Process is being developed to bring consistency, clarity, and accuracy to data management across the enterprise. 

This effort will help ensure that all business units maintain compliance with Safety Data Sheet (SDS) regulations, while also reducing operational friction and strengthening data reliability across all systems.

Rolling Out AI Tools to More Employee Groups

GracoRoberts is expanding its controlled testing of new AI tools by adding more employee test groups in a careful, step-by-step rollout. Each group helps us learn what works well so we can improve training, adjust use cases, and make the tools more reliable. This approach helps us keep data safe, protect our systems, and make sure the tools provide real value. The lessons we learn along the way are helping us build a strong, responsible AI framework that boosts productivity while protecting our business and intellectual property.