Escape Velocity Systems (EVS) was formed in 2001 to combine specific industry knowledge related to process manufacturing, distribution, and ERP implementations with cutting edge software development. The company focus is to create tools that enable mid-market enterprises to achieve their goals, focusing on lean processes and ROI.
In the feature entitled, Technology Solutions in Fruit Beverage Manufacture, Escape Velocity Systems (www. evs-sw. com) is profiled. In the current issue of International Food Safety and Quality Network, the article by manufacturing journalist TR Cutler, the author notes that, “In the citrus industry most juicers do not purchase pounds, gallons, tons of fruit; they purchase “pound solids. ” Essentially juicers are purchasing the sugar that is in the fruit, not the water content. Sometimes a trailer of oranges can be 5,000 pound solids; sometime the same volume can be 4,000 pound solids if the fruit has more water and less sugar. The difficulty is they will issue the fruit into a batch by weight or volume; The relationship from pound solids to weight or volume is not a linear relationship – therefore the technology solution must have the capacity to facilitate multiple, non-related units of measure on a lot basis. The O2 system is one of the very few technologies which provide this capability for juicers.
Customer / Item specification
According to Evan Garber, President of EVS (www. evs-sw. com), “Many times a customer will have specifications for a juice that is different than the company’s specification for the product…the company manufacturers orange juice with between 30-40% solids, a client may require that the orange juice that they get be 37%-40% solids. ERP solutions must allow a fruit beverage company to manufacture to the company’s specification, the customer’s specification or when picking for a sales order, perform a “best-fit” of existing products to meet the customer’s requirement. ”
Some juice manufacturers make Kosher and Halal beverage products. Garber suggested, “Any technology solution must indicate whether a formula is Kosher or Halal. O2 is one of the few batch or recipe process manufacturing ERP systems which allow a user to indicate formulas that are Kosher or Halal. Whether Muslim in the case of Halal certification or a Rabbi in the case of Kosher certification, both will typically review formulations as well as historical production to verify that kosher products have been used. The ability to print and view all formulas and ingredients that have a designation (Kosher or Halal) is vital and must be true of historical production batches. ”
Other ERP functionality for these two designations include the requirement of “source of ingredients” because of the direct relationship to lot tracking of raw materials from procurement through production to finished goods. The requirement of “status of production equipment” relates to machines that only run kosher or halal items (given the cleaning specification of both food designations). Garber noted, “Production planning (finite capacity) rules can be set to state that a section of formulas (kosher or halal, in this case) are only run on certain machines. If a planner tries to run on another line, the schedule board will prohibit it from moving. Production history can be updated for the machine indicating that a batch was actually run and received the required verification that batches were run on proper equipment. Indicators that the needed blessing has been made to a particular batch, item, or lot can be indicated. ”
The entire article may be read at http://www. ifsqn. com/articles_detail. php?newsdesk_id=388&osCsid=44a69b8813db8bfc9184638cf09896d2.
Escape Velocity Systems
www. evs-sw. com
Evan Garber
President
solutions@evs-sw. com
303. 494. 1765 x114
