BatchMaster Software

Westwood Laboratories, a contract manufacturer of liquid-based personal care products, was using an older version of BatchMaster integrated with Sage PFW accounting to run their business. However, Sage retired PFW accounting and with it, the older version of BatchMaster used by Westwood Laboratories. This posed a challenge for Westwood Laboratories as they needed a solution to continue running their business efficiently. Additionally, as an FDA licensed company, Westwood Laboratories needed to track inventory lot detail for every inventory item they received into the plant and keep detailed records of all QC testing and results. They needed a solution that could help them manage these requirements and be compliant with FDA regulations.

International Paper, a global paper and packaging company, was facing challenges with its manufacturing system. The company's water-based flexographic ink business was struggling to meet customer requirements due to major fluctuations in customer order patterns. The company had to maintain sizable safety stocks or pay premium prices for delivery of short items to meet customer requirements. As the scale of business grew, so did the severity of this problem. The company realized that the manufacturing system then in place, a semi-custom mainframe-based inventory, sales and purchase order management system, was no longer adequate to support their business. They needed a system that provided immediate access to inventories from all ink manufacturing sites within the company and updated inventories as batches were closed at the various plants.

Cosmaceutical, a contract manufacturer of liquids, lotions, and creams for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, was facing challenges with its existing non-integrated systems. The company was using a series of Microsoft Office tools including Excel spreadsheets and custom applications written in Access. As the company grew, these systems became a limiting factor. Duplicate data entry and accuracy were becoming a problem. The systems covered all aspects of the business, but they didn't communicate with each other, leading to islands of information. One department didn't know what another department was doing. The company needed an integrated system so that anyone in the company could see what was happening with a product at any given time.

International Coatings Company (ICC) was in need of a new system to support its growing business, protect margins in a competitive market, control costs, improve inventory control, and reduce shortages. The company, which specializes in textile screen-printing inks and industrial intermediate plastic compounds, was vulnerable to price fluctuations due to its reliance on petroleum-based raw materials. The company was also looking to improve its inventory control and reduce shortages. ICC had been a longtime user of BatchMaster software, starting with the DOS version in 1995. However, the company decided to upgrade to the Windows version in 2002 to support its projected growth and take advantage of the many new features that the Windows version offered.

CoValence Laboratories, a custom topical application developer and manufacturer, was facing challenges with their existing 'Out-of-the-Box' accounting package that supported a discrete manufacturing model. The system was not able to meet the growing sales and production needs of the company. Customizing the existing system to enable even the most basic functionality was proving to be a significant investment. Moreover, the company was also facing increasing compliance demands in their International Market requirements. The company realized that customizing their original accounting system would cost too much in meeting their business growth or the increasing compliance demands in their International Market requirements.

Polytex Environmental Inks, a company established in 1943 to manufacture and supply industrial coatings, was facing a challenge. With the growing concern over air quality and the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, industries were forced to turn their attention to new technologies. This accelerated the need to develop inks and coatings that comply with changing environmental standards. To effectively support the printing industry, Polytex established a 80,000 square foot plant in 1986 in the Bronx, N. Y. to include Research and Development and Manufacturing. To strengthen its position worldwide, Polytex established an R&D and Manufacturing site in the Netherlands in 1993. However, in 2008, the European arm of the organization began a search for a solution that would support not only manufacturing and distribution of their products, but that included full support for their R&D needs. After some initial research, Polytex identified solutions from Microsoft, Infor Global Solutions and SAP that offered support for some or most of their business needs. Unfortunately, none of them fully met their needs for product development, production management and distribution.

Diversified Foods and Seasonings had been using Sage PFW for many years to manage formulas, costs, and inventory within their ERP solution. However, when Sage announced their plans to retire PFW, Diversified began to review replacement ERP solutions. They evaluated nearly 15 ERP systems during their review period and selected BatchMaster Mfg. because it could fill every need they had. They were looking for a solution that was designed for formula-based food manufacturing companies and had specific functions such as Quality Control and Assurance, a Formula Approval process, and MRP/MPS integrated functionality.

Langlinais Bakery, a family-owned business that has grown significantly over the years, was facing challenges due to its outdated Sage accounting and other independent software products. The company needed to upgrade its software to meet the growing demand for its products and to comply with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. The company initially moved to the SAP Business One solution, but soon realized that it did not address key manufacturing functions such as batch ticket management, raw material inventory control, and lot traceability. The company needed a solution that would provide more control and greater visibility into its operations.

Bar Bakers, a private label manufacturer of baked and cold process cookies, wafers, and nutritional bars, was experiencing exponential growth. The company needed a system that could manage the entire flow of inventory, from work order and demand to purchasing, receiving, A/P, and material consumption. They also needed a system that could provide rapid lot number traceability, crucial for their commitments to food safety and their pursuit of a BRC food safety certification. The system also needed to provide document management throughout the company for transparency and ease of access to information. As a rapidly growing company, Bar Bakers needed a system that could scale with them and support their operations.

Andy’s Seasoning, a family-owned and operated dry blend seasoning manufacturer located in St. Louis, MO, needed a solution to run its manufacturing operation. The company, which began operations in 1983 with a single product, had grown to become a nationally known firm. However, it lacked a comprehensive system to support its continued growth. The company needed a solution that could automate its processes, manage growth, and help it operate efficiently.

Custom Ingredients, Inc. is a privately held company that supplies the Southern California food and nutraceuticals market with high quality flavors. The company's primary goals are dependable service, trustworthy relationships and up-to-date regulatory standards. However, when the company first started blending flavors, they relied on tools such as Excel to record formulations and inventory, with inventory tracking done manually. This was not efficient and did not allow for optimal inventory control and lot traceability. The company needed a formula-based manufacturing solution that could handle these tasks and more.

Cain Food Industries, Inc., a Dallas-based company that produces and supplies micro-dose ingredients for the wholesale and retail baking industries, was facing several challenges with their previous business operation software, Process-Pro. They often encountered problems in lot traceability, an essential requirement of their customers who need this information for regulatory compliance. Due to the lack of availability of real-time information of inventory and finance, it was very difficult for them to assess their current status and make the best use of the available inventory. In addition, they had to spend considerable time in calculations for their formulas. Their formulas are based on the bioactivity of enzymes, which is one of their main raw materials, and its bioactivity, which varies from lot-to-lot. To remain competitive in the current challenging economic environment, and to retain and expand their customer base which demands food ingredients in compliance with regulatory requirements, Cain Foods decided to search for an affordable software solution, which could satisfy these needs.

Athea Labs was operating with an outdated ERP solution that had become so specialized for their needs that updates to current releases were no longer possible. The old ERP solution lacked key functions such as MRP and MPS, which were needed to drive Inventory and Manufacturing requirements. This led Athea to develop many of their own functions outside the old ERP solution. The old ERP solution maintained Production Work Orders and routings, but without Planning. The old ERP solution did not maintain a Lot Number/Location relationship for their items and since they inventory all their chemicals and finished goods by lot number, the process of locating the First Expired, First Out (FEFO) quantity of their chemicals could sometimes end up being a long and tedious process.

Nu-Well Physicians, a new business venture in the organic cold-pressed juice manufacturing and distribution industry, was in need of an ERP software solution that could be implemented in tandem with the construction of their manufacturing facilities. The company had a tight schedule to adhere to, with the aim of having their ERP software ready to go as soon as their facilities were operational. The challenge was to find a flexible solution that could accommodate their unique needs and circumstances, including the need for remote training and consulting.