Solutions for the Cosmetics Industry


  • Running a business is complicated. Maintaining numerous product formulas, adhering to industry regulations, keeping track of customers, managing personnel, and ensuring financial success are all critical. But how does a company manage it all? Many struggle using disparate solutions that do not work well together, but Sage PFW ERP can integrate these solutions—which can save time, money, and help your business succeed in a competitive marketplace.

    What is Sage PFW? From its earliest versions to the current release, Sage PFW ERP has been designed with technical completeness and functional richness. Cosmetics companies need to manage the manufacturing process, and Sage PFW delivers with modules like Formulas, Production, and Inventory. Sage PFW also offers a wide variety of other features and capabilities, all integrated to work together seamlessly. You can use Sage PFW to automate manufacturing and manage all of your financials, from standard accounting to multicurrency and multicompany requirements—frequently needed in the global marketplace.

    Learn more about Sage PFW by selecting the different sections below, then we invite you to schedule a no-obligation demonstration to see Sage PFW in action for yourself:

    Schedule a Demo

  • Specialized Functionality

    Sage PFW ERP provides the functionality you need to succeed. Below are a few of the areas within the manufacturing process that Sage PFW can assist you with:

    • Formula management
    • Handling of co- and by-products
    • Raw material specifications
    • Regulatory compliance
    • Full forward and backward traceability
    • Yield optimization
    • Process variability
    • Flexible units of measure
    • Laboratory management
    • Product and hazardous labeling
    • Quality control

    Industry Consolidation

    Every day, consumers around the world rely on personal care products to live better, healthier lives. From moisturizers, makeup, and fragrances to sunscreens, soaps, and toothpastes, these products are essential to today's consumer lifestyles. The personal care products industry is a global industry with more than $250 billion in annual retail sales. Staying competitive in this specialized market often requires consolidation in order to bring economies of scale into the mix. Sage PFW includes functionality to help when companies consolidate, like:

    • Comprehensive Quality Control—From formulas through production and ticketing, quality control is coordinated through the streamlined integration of modules
    • Customization Capabilities—These abilities provide enhanced batch-ticket functionality
    • Flexible Batch Status—Variable batch size and status options enable streamlined batch management
    • Insightful Reports—Extensive, instant reporting capabilities keep you on the pulse of your company's operations
    • Convenient Automation—Automated scheduling and lot-tracking capabilities ensure production stays on track
    • Extensive Formula Options—Widespread formula capabilities empower your technicians with the tools they need to develop and analyze formulations cost effectively
    • Powerful Formula Utilities—Numerous utility options extend formula management capabilities for maximum functionality

    Whether you are a public or private company, consolidation is a fact of life. Sage understands that in order to deal with consolidating competition, you need speed, flexibility, innovation, and superb customer service. That's why Sage PFW was designed to provide advanced functionality to "level the playing field" through:

    • Formula management with intermediates support (multilevel)
    • R&D support with formula optimization
    • Automated formula revision tracking
    • Regulatory compliance including Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), OSHA, and support
    • Lot/Bin/SSCC tracking with full recall and traceability
    • Multiple lot picking strategies with automation
    • Comprehensive inventory management
    • Quarantine and expiration date awareness
    • Robust quality testing and control
    • By-product management
    • Product costing
    • Unit of measure conversion

    Globalization of the Supply Chain

    These days, many cosmetics companies operate globally and would prefer to work with partners that also operate on that scale. As a global company itself, Sage is uniquely qualified to assist manufacturers with the complex demands that far-reaching supply chains place on vendor quality management, formula management, lot tracking, and EDI. Sage PFW provides many powerful capabilities through its advanced features to help cosmetics companies deal with global sourcing:

    • Multicurrency capability
    • Multilanguage
    • On-water tracking using Serialized Shipment Container Codes
    • Automated vendor lead-time management
    • Enterprisewide planning and budgeting
    • Vendor quality management
    • Electronic Data Interexchange (EDI)
    • Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
    • Lot tracking by lot number, bin number, and expiration date
    • Full AP integration
    • QC test results entered upon receipt
    • Contract management
    • Support for formulation and batch size adjustments for ingredient potency
    • Key performance indicator monitoring for currency fluctuations, outstanding payables, days inventory in transit, and more with business alerts

    Meeting Regulatory Demands

    Compliance issues represent another key strategic front in a competitive environment. Customers will outsource to companies that can ensure compliance with all environmental, safety, and FDA regulations. In support of companies with active participation in the industrywide Responsible Care® program and ISO 14001 certification for environmental management, Sage PFW provides cosmetics companies support for regulatory management with:

    • Streamlined MSDS Automation—From automatic MSDS generation and updates to physical property calculations, you'll experience a higher level of streamlined efficiency in MSDS compliance
    • Powerful Customization—Sage PFW puts you in complete control of the format and content of your Material Safety Data Sheets, including accommodating new regulations and supporting multilingual needs
    • Insightful Reporting—Extensive reporting capabilities include SARA Title III, Title Tier I & II, Boilerplate Masterfile Variance, Boilerplate Where-used in Override, and Supplementary

    Rapid Response to Customer Needs

    Customers want flexibility. They want suppliers that can produce small quantities—sometimes just a few kilograms for trials. They also want suppliers that will rapidly gear up for full production. Suppliers need employees, ERP software, pilot plants, and production facilities that are all flexible. Cosmetics companies also need to be reliable while getting products to market quickly. They want suppliers that can produce the right quantities and are efficient enough to keep costs down. Sage PFW is specifically designed to allow you not only to be faster and more accurate in operations, but also to be able to react flexibly to customer needs with:

    • Customer history
    • Contract data
    • Custom pricing tables
    • Production data
    • Inventory data
    • Substitution data
    • Option to launch batch orders from Order Entry
    • Advanced material planning features
    • Material shortage analysis wizard
    • Seven different methods of automated batch sizing
    • Automatic unit of measurement for formulation and batches
    • "Backflush" material requisitioning
    • "After-the-fact" purchase order processing for expedited purchases
    • Option for formulation adjustments on batch ticket
    • Automated MSDS maintenance and printing
    • Costing
      Quickly and easily adjust production costs to calculate how changes affect total product cost in order to maximize every last penny.
    • Formulas
      Track all aspects of your formulas with this powerful module, which also provides tight security so your secret ingredient information can only be accessed by authorized personnel.
    • Labeling
      Save time and ensure accuracy by automating your entire labeling process, including shipping, product, receipt, finished goods, and package labels.
    • Laboratory
      Transform ideas into products using powerful, reliable computerized formulation, which lets you perform "what-if" scenarios to analyze how changes impact physical formula properties.
    • Inventory Pro
      Access up-to-the-minute information on materials, containers, costs, and finished goods, in order to operate with unprecedented efficiency and profitability.
    • MRP
      Determine precisely when and how much material to purchase based on a time-phased analysis of sales orders, production orders, current inventory, and forecasts.
    • MSDS/Compliance
      Eliminates the complexities of MSDS processing by keeping your business in full compliance with virtually all government and industry reporting requirements.
    • Order Entry Pro
      Build or improve customer satisfaction and keep your customers loyal for life with quick access to all up-to-date customer information.
    • Production
      Minimize downtime and maximize production while enhancing quality, service, and product safety using powerful automation capabilities that expedite scheduling, simplify batch sizing, and improve inventory accuracy and costing.
    • Purchasing Pro
      Manage your purchasing processes efficiently to reap the benefits of lower costs, expedited deliveries, and enhanced vendor relationships.

  • Sage PFW ERP Software Configurations are modular and fully integrated, providing adaptability today and scalability tomorrow. Sage PFW manages the unique aspects of your enterprise, organizes resources, and provides the visibility necessary to improve bottom-line results. Additional Sage PFW Software Configurations include:

    • Core Accounting
      Sage PFW Core Accounting applications are the system’s heart - General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Bank Book, and Multi-Currency Manager.
    • Distribution
      Managing every phase of the distribution process with Sage PFW will reduce costs and increase profits.
    • Business Intelligence
      Customizable report writers, integration tools, business intelligence tools, and electronic printing solutions complete the Sage PFW business information system. FRx Desktop provides financial reporting (balance sheets, income statements, and more) and comes bundled with both versions of the General Ledger application.
    • Payroll, HR and Project Management
      Stay on time and on budget with payroll, HR, and project management tools that integrate seamlessly into Sage PFW.
    • eBusiness
      Transacting business over the internet is something your customers expect. The eBusiness application simplifies the technology barrier, giving you the flexibility to build a Web presence complete with security features to keep hackers out.
    • Technical Foundation and Security
      Like a building, a software application is only as good as its foundation. Sage PFW is written in Microsoft Visual Basic, the industry-standard programming language.

  • Sage PFW is helping companies like yours achieve their goals. Read some of our Success Stories to see how Sage PFW is helping companies facing the same challenges as the Cosmetics industry.

    • NuGEN Technologies, Inc. Lot tracking capabilities are essential in managing a recall. Sage PFW calculates requirements for each of NuGEN's 100 formulas, performs lot tracking, documents inventory numbers shipped, and provides data for detailed sales analyses.
    • Sierra Corporation. Formula management is extremely important to companies whose reputation is based on consistency. Sierra uses Sage PFW for all of its formulations for over 10,000 paints and coatings, relying on the system for calculations, production, and inventory, as well as material safety data sheets.
    • Welco Manufacturing Company. Providing an electronic interface to suppliers and customers is important to many businesses. Welco uses an EDI interface to accept electronic orders through Sage PFW, helping the company to remain competitive. Sage PFW also allows the Welco team to track inventory efficiently for significant time savings.
    • CapsCanada Corporation. Succeeding in the global marketplace requires additional tools from your manufacturing and ERP solution. Gelatin capsule manufacturer CapsCanada sells to the United States, Europe, Israel, and Mexico, in addition to Canada, relying on the Multi-Currency Manager module to convert funds quickly, prepare companywide financial reports, and pave the way for further expansion in international markets.