Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler profiled New Role for QA Managers in the Food and Beverage Journal. According to Cutler, “More than half of all Quality Assurance (QA) Managers in food manufacturing do not currently interface with their company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The Bioterrorism Act, passed in 2002 to ensure the safety of the US food supply from a terrorist attack, is quickly changing the role that food quality professionals play in the selection and utilization of ERP software. ”
ERP selection was often left to a small committee that included the CEO, CFO, Operations and Purchasing Managers. ERP packages were designed to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all department needs. ERP software, at its best, combines the enterprise into a single, integrated solution that runs off a single database so various departments can easily share information and communicate. When running at an optimum, this integrated approach has a tremendous payback. Until regulations were mandated by the government, QA Managers were rarely considered in the ERP selection process or even utilization of the integrated system.
The Bioterrorism Act makes lot traceability documentation a requirement by law, not merely an option or desirable ERP feature. According to Rebecca Gill, vice President of Technology Group International, a software development house, “Compliance with the Bioterrorism Act means full tracking of raw material lots through manufacturing and of finished good lots through shipment to customer.”
Gill says complete reporting on lot genealogy, showing all usage of lots from vendor to manufacturing to end-user is also a must. The system should also provide the ability to query end-user sales orders and see all raw materials and finished good lots used for specific shipment; evaluate lots from vendors or manufacturing to see all the end-users who received shipments; and track lot properties with allowable “criteria” for each lot.
The complete feature article may be viewed at: http://www.fepsearchgroup.com/fbj/articles/article024.htm.
About Technology Group International, Ltd.
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Technology Group International is a proven technology leader delivering Tier 1 application software functionality at a price performance level that can be readily accepted by organizations of all sizes. Specializing in software solutions for small and mid-market manufacturing and distribution companies, TGI’s integrated Enterprise Series software suite is a complete business process management solution. The product offering includes Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Warehouse Management System (WMS), Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS), Decision Support System (DSS), Business Intelligence (BI), Manufacturing Execution System (MES), and eCommerce. TGI implements, maintains, enhances, and supports its packaged distribution and manufacturing software solutions directly and via its channel partners.
Posts Tagged ‘Profiled’
Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler Profiled New Role for QA Managers in the Food and Beverage Journal
Thursday, July 29th, 2010Qc Software Wcs Profiled for Food and Beverage Sector
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler contributed to the current issue of the International Food and Safety Quality Network (IFSQN); the feature titled, “WCS Expands to Food & Beverage” details the decision-making process often conducted by food and beverage distributors and manufacturers.
According to Cutler, “There is a significant shift between (Warehouse Management Systems) WMS and WCS (Warehouse Control Systems) in the area of merging local data warehouses into an enterprise data warehouse. There are suites of software products that provide the tools necessary to efficiently and economically operate a warehouse or distribution center.”
According to Jerry List, vice-president of QC Software (www.qcsoftware.com), “First we have to understand the core competency of the Warehouse Control System (WCS). The WCS evolved from the Warehouse Management System (WMS) due to the fact that the WMS was just trying to do too much and technology just could not keep up. Routing, sorting and processing cartons through a conveyor system are very different than tracking inventory and orders. In the food and beverage arena it is imperative (a central to quality control) for goods to be picked, packed and shipped in an expeditious fashion due to the spoilage factor. A WCS must be able to process cartons efficiently avoiding any recirculation in the process of processing thousands of cartons an hour.”
Traditionally, a Warehouse Control System (WCS) executes instructions provided by an upper level host system, such as an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system or a WMS system. True Tier 1 WCS software provides advanced management capabilities including inventory control, resource scheduling and order management. The best-of-breed WCS systems are modular in nature, easily configurable, platform independent, with a scalable architecture to satisfy the needs of any size warehouse.
Unlike a typical WMS software solution, WCS directs real-time data management and interface responsibilities of the material handling system as well as provides common user interface screens for monitoring, control, and diagnostics.
The focal point for managing the operational aspects of the material handling system, WCS provides the critical link between the batch-time data host and the real-time Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) material handling system.
The PLC coordinates the various real-time control devices to accomplish the daily workload. At each decision point in the distribution process, the WCS “determines” the most efficient routing of the product and transmits directives to the Equipment Controllers to achieve the desired result. The decision-making process is often controlled by two separate utilities, the Sort Manager and the Route Director.
WMS systems are designed to manage information; they are planning systems versus execution systems, yet it is fair to say that the WCS is the MES for the warehouse because it directs the tasks.
The solutions provided by QC Software enables companies to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry ensuring increased corporate profitability.