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Polytex Environmental (Netherlands) Inks Finds Holistic Process Solution with BatchMaster Manufacturing (BMM) and SAP Business One
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Chemicals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
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.
About The Customer
Polytex Environmental Inks, ltd. is a company that was established in 1943 by Joseph Landau to manufacture and supply industrial coatings. The company has been in operation for over 70 years and has grown to become a leading provider of industrial coatings. The company has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and has been at the forefront of developing replacement products for printing and conversion processes that comply with environmental standards. The company has a 80,000 square foot plant in the Bronx, N. Y. that includes Research and Development and Manufacturing. To strengthen its position worldwide, Polytex Environmental Inks established an R&D and Manufacturing site in the Netherlands in 1993 to provide local technical and service support for Europe.
The Solution
Just when the company determined that no one solution offered everything they needed, they learned of BatchMaster Manufacturing, an important component of the SAP Business One Partner Solution Suite. BatchMaster ERP, established in the 1980's, is the original process manufacturing and formula-based product development solution in the software industry. Early on, SAP identified BatchMaster as a key partner in the service of the process manufacturing industry. BatchMaster responded to their interest by developing the same functionality they offer in their stand-alone ERP package, integrated into the Business One solution. All the technical sophistication of Lot Tracking, Formula Development, Product Costing available in BatchMaster ERP are now available within SAP Business One, where previously this functionality did not exist. Before the change, Polytex utilized technology that offered functionality in finance and distribution, but with no connection to Lab (Product Development) and Factory (Production Management).
Operational Impact
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