The company recent concluded a deal with California-based sports nutrition startup Simpson Labs to use its ProcessPro Premier ERP software solution to support its nutraceutical manufacturing operation. Startups are a significant source of demand for ProcessPro’s software packages, said Daniel Erickson, director of product strategy.
“Startups are an important market for us. One of the benefits of our product is that it is scalable, so we would pursue a startup just as we would an established company,” Erickson told NutraIngredients-USA. “We have been doing this for 30 years. Our staff is very knowledgable about the industry. If you have an issue we’ve probably heard about it already, and with that comes best practices.”
Simpson Labs founder Eric Simpson has 16 years experience in the industry, having worked for companies like Robinson Pharma in the past. The company’s expanding operations and previous end user experience with ProcessPro Premier led their purchasing decision, ProcessPro has said. Premier offers an ERP solution that aids in quality control, production planning, physical inventory with the integrated use of the Automated Warehouse Solution (AWS), and lot traceability.
“I have many years of experience with the software from previous employment, and it has changed operations for the better by keeping track of our inventory, orders, accounting, and with the use of AWS, which bar codes everything,” Simpson said.
Quality management
Erickson said using the integrated ERP systems his company offers aids companies not only in keeping the books, but in adhering to the highest quality standards.
“Companies need to be able to demonstrate compliance for things like SOPs (Standard Operating Practices). You need to be able to show you are following GMP practices. You need audit-ability across those concerns so that you always know where your product is at,” Erickson said.
“Along with that comes the sourcing of raw materials that can be a concern in this industry,” he said. “Companies could be sourcing raw materials from overseas with long lead times, and you need to make sure you managing the quality of those incoming materials.”
Erickson said that even now, years after GMP rules were put into place, a number of companies in the dietary supplement industry are still trying to meet those requirements with ad hoc systems that include a hodgepodge of software packages and the widespread use of clipboards, paper forms and pencils.
“It’s amazing to me how many are companies are coming to us with disparate systems. Within this space you tend to deal with a lot of first-generation companies. Maybe you’re still dealing with the founder. A lot of these companies are working with a variety of spread sheets, and they might be using Quick Books, too. You can be compliant with that methodology but it’s not efficient,” Erickson said.