Vegalene Maker Sprays Smoother With Sage PFW
Back in the old days, food stuck to grills and baking pans unless you smeared on plenty of grease. Then along came Vegalene®, a revolutionary food-release spray developed by Par-Way Tryson. Vegalene provided a healthy alternative to heavy oils and solved the problem of damaged products for commercial bakers.
A family-run business since 1948, Par-Way Tryson has numerous patents on exceptional packaging products for the food service and bakery industries. While its aerosol spray is most well known, products range from minute one-ounce packages for backpackers to 55-gallon drums for commercial bakeries.
Sticky Situation
Ten years ago, Par-Way Tryson noticed that things were getting sticky with its manual systems. They were stretched to capacity and could not sustain projected growth. It was time to automate both its manufacturing and information systems.
After a thorough software search, they initially selected Batchmaster for process manufacturing and Platinum for DOS for their business and accounting needs.
Overall operating efficiency improved and time previously spent on paperwork was reduced by at least 30 percent. Nevertheless, in many respects the two systems were still operating as separate entities. Upgrading to Sage PFW ERP offered end-to-end integration, innovative reporting tools, and a user-friendly interface.
The Right Formula for Success
“Sage PFW is ideal for a liquid production business like ours,” says Patrick Kerr, IT Manager at Par-Way Tryson. “We need a great deal of flexibility because we’re constantly changing sizes of formulas, and our labeling requirements vary so much. Sage PFW gives us everything we need in a seamless solution with rock-solid performance.”
Sage PFW streamlines the entire business of process manufacturing from order entry and pulling raw materials from the warehouse to invoicing, inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable-and all the way through general ledger.
“Although production has increased by 40 percent, we have not had to add staff in our customer service, order entry or accounting groupsthanks to the robust capabilities of our software.”
Roe Howell, production and inventory manager, could be considered a Sage PFW power user. “The system helps me create production schedules, a very complex task since we use more than 50 different formulas and sell products in various package types and sizes,” she explains. “Whether we’re doing a short run of pint bottles or a major undertaking with 2,500-pound liquiplex tanks on pallets, I can count on Sage PFW to calculate formulas and manage the job from start to finish.”
Howell stresses that she is not a “computer person.” Yet she has found Sage PFW very user-friendly. “The manufacturing and financial applications work together so smoothly. I’m even training people now, which says a lot for how easy it is to use the system. I’m very happy with it.”
She especially likes her new inventory system. Previously, a physical count with all its tedious adjustments was required every month. Now, since Sage PFW provides such accurate inventory records, cycle counts are only necessary every three months.
Mike Abts, Par-Way’s CFO, likes the refined financials he generates with Sage PFW. “With the upgrade, our reporting capabilities are greatly improved,” he says. “We can customize reports in many ways, pulling data directly from Sage PFW and selecting by date ranges or numerous other criteria. Whereas before we had merely text-based reports, now we can make them visually attractive.”
Par-Way’s managers believe that the firm’s exceptionally low attrition rate may be partially related to their willingness to provide state-of-the-art tools like Sage PFW-eliminating rote tasks, streamlining everyone’s workload, and ensuring good clean data for both internal and external purposes.
“Sage PFW and Vegalene are two things I definitely wouldn’t want to do without,” says Kerr. “Although production has increased by 40 percent, we have not had to add staff in our customer service, order entry or accounting groups-thanks to the robust capabilities of our software.”
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