Process Manufacturing Software

Overview

Process manufacturing software is designed for the unique needs of food and beverage, chemical and coatings, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutriceutical and other process manufacturers that produce formula or recipe-based products. For example, these systems have capabilities for lot tracking, batch control, and shelf life tracking, which will prevent inventory expirations and spoilage and thus lessen the risk of recall. 

Additionally, many systems feature a formula production management module to develop products, maintain revision control and calculate yields. These modules help process manufacturers improve the planning of their order rates, decrease the total cost of quality, and increase product traceability over a number of multi-faceted delivery channels.

Process manufacturers will need to choose between stand-alone MRP systems, manufacturing execution system software and accounting software, or an integrated ERP software suite that encompasses all three and ties in supply chain management. For industry-specific process manufacturing systems, check out our food and beverage manufacturing software guide, chemical manufacturing software guide or pharmaceutical manufacturing software guide.

Important Considerations

• Can the system manage your sales order processing and purchase order receiving?
• Can the system handle version control? If your formulas or recipes will be changing constantly due to customization needs or uncertain markets, you’ll need your software to log previous version data for future reference and manage new data inputs.
• Will the system assist with profitability analysis through automated product costing?