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Company Name
Highland Laboratories
 
Location
Mt. Angel, OR
 
Industry
Class 1 Pharmaceuticals Dietary Supplements
 
Employees
50
 
“BatchMaster ERP contained specific features that attracted us, as a Nutraceutical Manufacturer, that we couldn't find elsewhere.”
Candy Scott,
CEO
 
“The ability to add and reference comments in the sales order entry process is important. We needed the ability to not only see what was communicated to the customer, but in many cases have that print on sales order, production orders and other critical shipping documents.”
Jody Reubesam
 
“We needed a system that could account for the fact that scrap product could still be used elsewhere and had value. We also needed to maintain lot control. It appears BatchMaster was the right decision to meet that need.”
John Harris
Director of Quality Control
 
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Highland Labs employs BatchMaster ERP to Support their “A” certification for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)
Highland Laboratories (Mt. Angel, OR) produces superior quality dietary supplements exclusive to the natural health food industry.  As a proud recipient of the Natural Products Associations “A” certification for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), Highland has served the Nutraceutical industry for over thirty years. 
This “A” certification, according to the NPA, requires extensive third party audits of “Personnel, Plant and Grounds, Sanitation, Equipment, Quality Operations, Production and Process Controls, and Warehouse, Distribution, and Post-Distribution Practices.”
“Highland Labs has put more than 34 years of care into its product line. I will continue to place the highest value on quality, integrity and on establishing a real, human connection” says Candy Scott, CEO.
As a licensed Class 1 Pharmaceutical manufacturer, private label contractor and a distinguished brand, Highland has established a deep knowledge of what it takes to be successful and maintain high standards in this fast paced market.
Time For A Change
Like much of the Nutraceutical industry, especially those with a 30+ year history, Highland Laboratories started out with a system custom designed to their needs.
Because their system was originally developed for discrete manufacturing, it required a significant investment to customize it to enable even the most basic business processes.   
By the time Highland realized their old system could no longer cope with their business growth or the increasing compliance demands of the Nutraceutical industry, they also confirmed the technology that supported their system was outdated, and support was virtually unavailable.
What Highland needed was an industry-standard technology platform for sales, production, planning, testing and finance, that understood the requirements of the Nutraceutical industry. 
Highland chose BatchMaster ERP because it allowed them to grow as a company without the distraction of maintaining homegrown technology.
The critical consideration in Highland's choice of BatchMaster ERP centered on functionality.  “BatchMaster ERP contained specific features that attracted us, as a Nutraceutical Manufacturer, that we couldn't find elsewhere,” says CEO Candy Scott. 
Functionality found in the production recording process allowed Highland to accurately account for rework and scrap.  Tools in finance allowed them to create drag and drop financial reporting.  Features in Research & Development allowed them to develop in micrograms, pick raw materials in kilograms and produce in milligrams.
All of these were key in identifying BatchMaster Software, Inc. as the ideal vendor to manage a Nutraceutical Manufacturer's business model.
After close consideration, Highland Labs determined that they could trust BatchMaster ERP to keep pace with the industry's evolving customer and regulatory demands.  Additionally, Highland knew that BatchMaster ERP was built on widely available, industry-standard technology, and would keep pace with the tech-sector as well.
Sales & Marketing
The dynamics of the Nutraceutical marketplace force Highland to compete in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.  
While some products remain staple items in the marketplace, others are rarer. 
Though many Highland products bear the company name, some do not. 
A single sales order often contains stock items, items to be packed off, and even custom items that require long lead times  to acquire raw materials. 
Meeting these fluctuating requirements necessitates not only a staff, but a system that can understand and adapt as changes arise.
Additionally, the system needed to support the complex discounting structure and management permissions associated with discounting procedures.
With this type of volume, and isolated departmental locations, it was important for Highland to choose a system that would improve productivity.  BatchMaster ERP reduced the amount of time their employees spent calling and visiting each other in order to get sales through the facility.
“The ability to add and reference comments in the sales order entry process is important,” says Jody Reubesam.  “We needed the ability to not only see what was communicated to the customer, but in many cases have that print on sales order, production orders and other critical shipping documents.”
BatchMaster ERP allows all departments of an organization to clearly communicate and share this information.  Where necessary, BatchMaster ERP makes the most important data part of the printed records used in the plant and sent to the customers.  Some of these documents included Material Safety Data Sheets, Certificates of Analysis, Bar-coded Sales Orders, Back Order Reports, Pick-Lists, and Bills of Lading.
Production / Quality Control
Because of the nature of the industry, it's necessary for most Nutraceutical Manufacturers to have Research & Development, Production, and Quality Control Departments work closely together to meet market demand.
Whether it's a new product being ordered, an existing product being modified or simply a shift in raw material availability, these three groups rely heavily upon quality information and tight controls.
 “Often times, production orders are already underway, when someone realizes that something went wrong, or a substitution is needed.” says Director of Quality Control, John Harris.  “We needed a system that could account for the fact that scrap product could still be used elsewhere and had value.  We also needed to maintain lot control.  It appears BatchMaster was the right decision to meet that need.”
Most importantly, Highland Laboratories needed a way to electronically capture critical Quality Control data at multiple points of the receiving, manufacturing and distribution process. 
Because BatchMaster closely understands the needs of process-based manufacturers, the product supports all types of QA / QC.  Whether a product needs a battery of in-house or third party tests in receiving, in-process QC, Finished Goods Analysis or even Field Stability Testing, BatchMaster fills this gap with electronic validation and auditability.
Planning
Nutraceutical Manufacturers face changing dynamics.  It's important to leverage the data from an ERP system investment to drive planning engines. 
For Highland Laboratories, the need for Master Production Scheduling (MPS) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) were essential concerns in selecting BatchMaster ERP.
Plant Manager, Tonya Chernishov, states “We needed a system that allows planning and purchasing to operate independently, while trusting we were providing accurate data to each other.”
“I don't have to worry about the production schedule or the incoming sales orders,” says Purchasing Manager, Michelle Brumer.  “BatchMaster gives me the confidence to do my job without worrying about what's going on elsewhere.”
Finance
Every aspect of a Nutraceutical Manufacturer's business is tied to accurate costing and accounting.  Competition is fierce and margins are often thin. 
Due to these factors, it's easy to lose large amounts of money with very simple mistakes.  “The cost of one raw material can make or break you,” says CEO, Candy Scott.  “The price you paid three months ago and the price you pay today may vary drastically.  Even if you have the item in stock, you have to know the market cost to replenish it, or you won't profit from a batch.”
BatchMaster provided Highland with the tools to avoid these simple, yet critical mistakes.  With the ability to analyze Last Cost, Standard Cost and Market Cost in a single screen, Highland can make real-time decisions on whether or not to take customer orders and at what price.
“BatchMaster gave us lots of great reports, but the analysis tools allow me to get at data we never thought of initially,” said Jolyn Rothgery, Finance Manager.
Additionally, BatchMaster's integrated financial engine allows Highland to analyze financial activity and the success of their decisions with drag, drop and drill down solutions for financial reporting.
Jolyn Rothergary, Finance Manager says, “I'm constantly getting requests for new reports that span multiple departments.  BatchMaster gave us lots of great reports, but the analysis tools allow me to get at data we never thought of initially.”