
Unlike the majority of manufacturing software, Sage PFW ERP is the only software of its kind that was developed from the ground up to address the unique challenges of process manufacturing. Not only does it speak the language of process manufacturing, Sage PFW ERP has been specially designed to help managers get the insights they need to maximize productivity and efficiency, and enhance overall performance.
Sage PFW ERP features a robust and seamless suite of applications that provide the most comprehensive process manufacturing solution available for mid-market companies. Capabilities include material requirements planning (MRP) purchasing, inventory, lab analysis, formulating, costing, production, quality control, government compliance, sales order entry, bills of lading and a full range of integrated financial applications.
The powerful automation features of the Purchasing module vastly improve efficiency and enhance information flow of various purchase processes.
Accrued Receipts and Calculations of Landed Costs allows you to accrue and post received purchase orders (including lot tracked POs). While the on-hand quantity is immediately reflected, the liability won't be until the actual cost is determined. An accrued receipt is tracked by PO number plus Backorder Level, so multiple accruals can occur against the same purchase order.
Lot Tracking
When you select purchase orders for receipt that include items you have flagged in Materials/ Inventory for lot tracking, you'll assign it lot numbers, bin numbers, or SSCCs. These numbers can be used to restrict the availability of lots in Sage PFW Production module. Since all lot profiles are automatically recorded in production history, information is always available when you need it.
Orders Management
Back orders and recurring purchase orders can be automatically scheduled. "Blanket" orders can be generated for the quantity and delivery date you specify. Item units of measure, order quantities and prices can all be automatically converted in any unit specified. The Lead Time Utility automatically updates your Materials/Inventory lead time data, based on the actual lead times from your purchase history files. The Vendor/Item Lead Time Utility updates the lead times quoted to vendors based upon the actual lead times from your purchasing history files. When you generate "return shipment" purchase orders to vendors, Sage PFW Purchasing automatically deducts the item and quantity from your inventory.
Shipping
A special drop shipment feature allows you to ship goods directly from a vendor to your customer.
Powerful Customization
While the MSDS/Compliance module provides several standard, predefined MSDS master formats including ANSI and U.S. Government standards plus Canadian English and Canadian French, it is also designed to allow you the greatest flexibility to meet your specific needs. Should regulations change, or your state or locality have special reporting requirements, you can easily modify one of the master formats or create a totally custom format. Details such as hazardous material ratings, manufacturer's name and address, reportable components, occupational exposure limits, SARA information, product physical characteristics, and assorted standardized blocks of text can all be optionally included based on the specific product for which the MSDS is being printed. Material percentages can be listed exactly, rounded to any accuracy, expressed as ranges, or any combination of the above. In addition, any number of occupational exposure limits per component can be included. To support your presence in the global marketplace, the MSDS may also be printed in various languages. Powerful customization maximizes efficiency and puts you in control of MSDS management.
Streamlined Automation
The MSDS are generated automatically per your scheduling specifications and any changes you make to your formulations are instantly incorporated. Formula physical properties, such as density, specific gravity, percent volatile, Volatile Organic Content (VOC), boiling range, flash point, and upper and lower explosive limits are automatically calculated and printed in the specified location on the MSDS. Warnings and other standard text that are used on most of your MSDS can be set up as boilerplate paragraphs. These paragraphs can be keyed to certain materials, formulas or whole classes of materials or formulas, so that the appropriate boilerplate paragraphs are automatically matched and included on the corresponding MSDS. You can further expand your custom calculations capabilities by pairing this module with BatchMaster's Laboratory module. Either way, you'll capitalize on the streamlined efficiency of MSDS compliance.
Insightful Reports
Two powerful reports (MRP Detailed Report and MRP Report) provide the essential insight you need for more strategic material requirements planning.
Powerful Forecasting
MRP powerful "what-if" scenario capabilities empower you to analyze the impact of proposed production schedules and material costs. You can change the date or size of scheduled production orders to determine how those changes would impact material requirements and costs over time. MRP helps you make decisions with the insight that will help you lock in your competitive edge.
Master Production Schedule
MRP offers various powerful and easy to use scheduling options to help ensure that your master production schedule is current. For instance, production orders may be scheduled based upon current customer orders and/or inventory levels, thus accommodating both "make to order" and "make to stock" procedures. With built-in scheduling formulas, MRP automatically reads your Order Entry files as well as your inventory location files. If there are open work orders, or you have set minimum inventory requirements, MRP will schedule the most efficient production orders to fill them.
Costing Control
Knowledge is power and the valuable costing insight that you'll get from Sage PFW Inventory will help you take control and maximize profits. Average, standard, LIFO and FIFO costing, batch costing, formula costing, fixed and variable costs for both labor and overhead are easily managed. You can also enter your starting costs at the same time that you enter and set your items, including base price, standard cost, market cost, carrying cost and reorder cost.
Precision Inventory and Lot Tracking
Sage PFW can manage item specific information such as status, class, specifications and quality control data. It allows nearly unlimited user-defined physical properties on every raw material including those relevant to food or chemical ingredients (such as may be required to generate material Safety Data Sheets or Nutrition Facts labels). You can also track user-defined quality control test and target values for each inventory item and automatically maintain the results by lot number.
Sage PFW precision inventory and lot tracking saves you money by reducing the costs of overstocking and waste, and prevents expensive production delays caused by inventory shortages. You can track inventory by virtually any specification, including on hand, on order, committed to sales, committed to production, minimum, maximum, reorder points, class, lead time, vendors, base price, and last, average, standard costs and item status. Inventory items purchased with a lot number can be tracked by lot through production and into finished goods. Each batch can be tracked based on actual material, container, labor and overhead usage. Complete lot tracking of all inventory items includes material and product expiration dates, quarantine dates, quality control status, SSCCs and lot strength factor.
Flexible Formulas
Sage PFW Formulas is designed for maximum flexibility and functionality. Your formulas can include an unlimited number of raw and intermediate materials, manufacturing instructions, lab or overhead costs and quality control data. Loss factors can be assigned to the formula as a whole, and/or to individual materials, to account for various losses during manufacturing. Sage PFW equips your lab personnel with both the time and the critical data they need to focus their talents on the aspects of product development that are most likely to become your new profit centers.
Powerful Automation Scheduling
Keep production on track by automatically scheduling batches based on customer orders posted in Sage PFW Order Entry module, on minimum stock levels, or any scheduling parameter that you define.
Lot Tracking
Lot tracking has never been easier or more efficient. Automatically track raw materials and finished goods lot numbers, bin numbers, and serial ship container codes (SSCCs) through the production cycle. Utilize multiple lot numbers for single material requirement. Refer to the comprehensive lot number tracking history when you need to determine which raw material lots were used in which of your products, and
where they were shipped. The Material Lot Number Explosion report and Finished Goods Lot Explosion report, which allows you to trace lots from either end of the production cycle, provide more detailed analysis of lot activities
Flexible Utilities
Flexible utilities enhance analysis capabilities. The Formula Loss Adjustment option allows you to fine-tune your formula loss factors for greater accuracy and less waste. It also updates your formula loss factors based on the historical losses found in the Production History data file. Every time you perform Product Cost Analysis, Sage PFW calculates product costs based on the top-level formula. Each raw material in the formula is analyzed by last, average or standard cost data from its Materials/Inventory Item Location (INLOC) record. If you make intermediate (pre-mix) formulas, they will be analyzed by their INLOC cost data, just like any other ingredient, regardless of any changes, which may have occurred to the intermediate formula(s), or the cost of their ingredients. Update Finished Good Costs Utility calculates the last, average, and standard costs of your finished goods and updates their Inventory cost data.
Powerful Properties Analyses
Sage PFW's Laboratory module calculates the physical properties of your formulas, based on the physical properties of the ingredients that you have defined in the Materials/Inventory module. You can change the quantity of an ingredient, or add a new ingredient, and immediately gauge its impact on the formulas. You can also enter target values for desired physical properties, and calculate the changes required in material quantities to meet those target values. The most salient feature of Sage PFW's Laboratory module is its ability to perform an instant analysis of any "what-if" scenario for any physical property that you define for any of your formulas. Comparative properties analysis between two or three formulas are also a snap. Extensive analyses capabilities empower your lab technicians with valuable formulation insights