It is a continuous effort to insure that there are well-trained, reliable employees - that equipment is maintained, repaired and replaced - that the appropriate and correct quantity of ingredients are present for the schedule - that the correct procedures are on-hand and in use - that the process as prescribed occurs within the predetermined control limits - that the appropriate and correct quantities of packaging are present - the appropriate storage and handling facilities and methods for the finished product, and lot tracking is a only seconds away when needed.

Does going paperless sounds like a much too simple process to provide you the system needed to aid in the continuous effort described above?  It is, unless you have a system that can provide you the security of jobs being performed and performed correctly.  Transferring data to a database is not going paperless.  Using a spreadsheet instead of a paper form is not going paperless.  Going paperless is as much a mental leap as it is a physical leap to leave paper behind and move into the digitized world.

As much as everyone hates to see that stack of paper on their desk to be reviewed at the end of the production day, the first question asked of me is "Can your paperless system still print reports?", and I ask "Why"?

Why waste the time to print?  Why waste cost of the printer and supplies?  Why waste the cost of paper? Why waste the person's time required to order and receive these supplies?  Why worry about filing and the storage? However, we do provide a print option as needed. 

This is the first step in realizing what the advantages of paperless are and what going paperless means.  Data is gathered automatically, sometimes requiring the push of a button and at most, a simple entry onto a computer of some fashion.  Wireless instruments transmits data to Data Acquisition Units (DAQ's) that feeds servers that reviews the data sent to them against pre-set limits for each point being monitored.  The database analyzes the data as acceptable or out of tolerance.  All data goes to reports on the screen that are accessible at the click of a keyboard.  Data that is out of tolerance generates alarms and alerts.  Corrective Action forms appear, email is sent, pagers and cell phones are notified.  If you like, sirens can roar, lights can flash or we can shuts down the  production line.

Paperless is being able to sit at a computer anywhere and see what is happening on the production floor, in the QA lab, in the warehouse and even with suppliers and customers.  The restraints change.  No longer are you limited to a clipboard and a pencil.  A supervisor in the warehouse can be aware of what is happening on the production lines as well as the supervisor on the production lines being aware of what is happening in the warehouse.  Tying the entire plant together with information is a boon to productivity.

Ingredient inventory accuracy is greatly increased which allows schedule accuracy and fulfillment to increase.  Lot tracking is greatly enhanced and automated to assure that each ingredient in a batch is accounted for and identified by finished product.  Ingredients are added and depleted from inventory accurately rather than theoretically.  The ability to trace an ingredient from a specific supplier to a finished product and vice versa within seconds can provide a step-up to assuring food safe product for the consumers.

Procedures and processes are enhanced by aspects such as recording the exact weight of an added ingredient with its lot code, recording the exact temperature of a cooked product, automatically counting to provide quantities and rates for production.

Storage of ingredients and finished products can be monitored by pallet space, by temperatures of coolers and freezers with alarms for limit excess, by lot code tracking and other important information to your company.  When the product leaves storage for shipping, inventory depletion and lot tracking can be automated. 

The ERP's (Enterprise Resource Planning) and MRP's (Material Resource Planning) provide a tremendous amount of data for management to make short-term and long term decisions.  However, they do not operate in Real-Time, and they generally require someone to input data.  Transposition errors occur as well as missed data.  They also do not operate with the process on the floor to provide minute to minute information for decisions to be made.

FoodHorizon systems provide the answer to Real-Time data management via a stand-alone Sentry9000 system and/or to supplement data collection for ERP's and MRP's.  A combination of both can provide a comprehensive program from the process floor to the executives desk.  The key to a FoodHorizon solution is that it will affect the overall process because the different steps of a process are linked.  It will not require you to change the process, but it will increase the efficiencies and reduce the costs currently associated with every sheet of paper used in the process.   A Sentry9000 system is configured to meet the requirements of each particular plant.  You have been successful in doing what you do.  You don't need a data collection system dictating to you how to process.  A data collection system such as Sentry9000 adapts to your process. 

To print this report - 

1.  Go buy a printer

2.  Go buy paper and ink for the printer

3.  Load paper into the printer

4.  Print the document

5.  File the document

6.  When the file is full, store the document

7.  When you want to refer back to it, go look in the storage box

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or just look at  http://www.foodhorizon.com/news

The leap really isn't that far.