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BatchMaster Helps Contract Manufacturer Control Inventory and Increase Efficiency
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Consumer Goods
- Pharmaceuticals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Manufacturing System Automation
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
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.
About The Customer
Cosmaceutical Research Lab, Inc., located in Surrey, British Columbia, is a contract manufacturer of liquids, lotions, and creams for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. The company's chemists have over 20 years of experience in the industry, including product formulation, reverse formulations, and research and development. The company, which started with four employees in a 1200 sq. ft. facility, has recently moved into a new 50,000 sq. ft. building housing its 41 employees. Cosmaceutical serves two industries, personal care products and OTC pharmaceutical products. As an end-to-end contract manufacturer, the company goes from research and concept development through to final packaging.
The Solution
In 2005, Cosmaceutical commenced its search for a new integrated system. After considering five software products, the company shortlisted three and finally chose BatchMaster ERP. The company started its implementation in January 2006, and appointed Ruth Ghuman, controller, as the project champion. They took the train-the-trainer approach, where BatchMaster trained Ruth on the software, and she then created training programs for all of their users. The company was ready to go live in September 2006, but as that was their busiest time of the year, they decided to wait until January 2007. Today, Cosmaceutical relies on BatchMaster to run its business. BatchMaster is used in every department throughout the company.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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