Chemical Manufacturing and Microsoft Dynamics GP
Posted Monday, August 29, 2011 by Peter Kelly
There are still chemical and paint companies in the United States that have the local market space to thrive. These types of businesses are the foundation to our economy and compete with the larger corporations for market share. They also have the same types of operations issues as the larger corporations but they don’t have the big budgets to implement an Oracle or JD Edwards and based on my experience they don’t want a big package that dictates the way they do business either. Small to midsized companies need a flexible system but also a one that requires less setups and runs their core processing correctly right out of the box.
Paint and chemical companies need formula management, formula security, multiple units of measure, physical property information, material data safety sheets, controls and documentation for hazardous materials, etc. that are easy to manage and give you accurate inventory costs. Margins are slim in this industry and inventory costs along with good customer service are a critical part of doing business.
Based on our years of working with these types of companies MRP understands these business issues. Microsoft Dynamics GP along with Vicinity Manufacturing is the perfect solution for paint, chemical, and any process manufacturer. Customers can get rid of MSDS Word documents; if their MSDS is dynamic and they have the need. Vicinity notifies the end user if a new MSDS needs to be sent based on changes to the formula. Of course input for raw material physical properties has to be accurate! And of course that feature is available in Vicinity.
Formulas can be secured and not accessible if they are still in R&D or other statuses. If a customer calls and wants to know what you shipped them last year, the software can tell you exactly what formula based on the batch ticket was made for that order. Formulas are called a bill of materials in discrete packages. Batch Tickets is often the terminology used by process manufacturers that the discrete manufacturer calls
a work order. The great thing about this solution is that a proven system such as Dynamics GP includes superior accounting and distribution with a total integration to Vicinity Manufacturing. Vicinity addresses the formula manufacturing team from the product developer and product planner to the production manager and quality control tech. There are many other items I could discuss such as lot traceability, complex pricing, etc., however the point I want to make is this; if you are a paint and chemical company take the time to look at Dynamics GP and Vicinity Manufacturing.
MRP Consulting is available for a 1-day onsite visit in which we will map out your current processes and measure them again your current systems. Sometimes a “tune-up” is all that is needed to keep your business running as it should. We can all agree that having the right software will not only improve internal processes and productivity, but will also improve customer relationships. It’s just that simple.
Give us a call today.
