International Food Safety & Quality Network

News & Press Releases

MES software system in North America

Date: Thursday 27 September, 2007

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S G Systems, LLC has entered into an agreement with Stevens Group Limited of Lancashire, England to bring the Vantage Management Execution System for ingredient handling to North America. This partnership is in response to ever increasing pressures to lower manufacturing costs through increased production line control as well as the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 Regulation 306 that went into affect January 1, 2007. S G Systems will be the exclusive provider of the Stevens Vantage MES software system in North America.

Optimizing materials and processes

S G Systems sees this business venture as a way to help North American manufacturers meet increasing demands to reduce production costs while maintaining accuracy and consistency, including statistical processing control (SPC) and quality standards demanded by its customers. At the same time, it will reduce or stabilize administrative costs in maintenance of lot numbers, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Management) and OSHA records. These combined effects improve profitability while reducing potential liability.

Matthew Raskiewicz, President of S G Systems says that: “All paper based systems are prone to the human error factor. Manual recording of data increases the risk of inaccurate data being recorded on the production line and then again when it is re-entered into the back office ERP System. Inaccurate formulation, inaccurate inventory records and inaccurate lot tracking can have costly consequences. While current ERP and MRP systems provide production requirements, they cannot enforce production procedures.

The Vantage system places and enforces the necessary controls on the production line. Vantage manages inventory balances and lot codes through the entire manufacturing process; this is performed electronically and is linked with ERP and MRP systems eliminating the hand entry of data. Vantage insures consistency each and every time it is used. You can be assured the standards that are set forth by management are followed on each and every batch. There are two words that every Q/A Manager and Production Manager in the food industry wants to hear: Accuracy and Consistency. This is what the Vantage MES software system delivers.”

Unparalleled Food Traceability

The Vantage system has been helping European food processors meet strict European Union ingredient regulations for more than sixteen years. Most notably, the Vantage systems superior traceability components helped European manufacturers respond in the wake of numerous recalls on products containing the EU banned coloring agent Sudan I – IV. The speed and accuracy of Vantage’s ingredient data is unparalleled in the North American market. By combining the inventory management and FDA compliance experience at S G Systems with the Stevens Group’s track record of performance in complex regulatory processes as well as their reputation for improving cost efficiency, Vantage is a product that will not only help food processors exceed regulatory compliance standards but also bring unparalleled efficiency to the food industry.

About S G Systems, LLC

S G Systems LLC, provides software solutions for Manufacturing Execution Systems for the food industry in North America. Principal staff brings over 200 years of collective experience in the development and design of production manufacturing systems. As the exclusive North American provider of the Vantage ME system, S G Systems customizes installation to fit each individual manufacturer’s needs. Vantage is available in multiple languages.

Based in Dallas, Texas, S G Systems assists companies wanting to improve their production line efficiency, become FDA compliant and increase their profitability.

The company has assisted customers with ISO, FDA, OSHA and HACCP compliance and certification. For more information, and to view a short informational video visit: www.sgsystemsusa.com

About Stevens Group Ltd.

Founded over 160 years ago in London by Charles Stevens, the Stevens Group Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of Food Traceability Systems, Food Weighers, Average Weight Systems and In-Line Checkweighers. Headquartered in Lancashire, England, the company employs more than sixty people and continues to promote the founder’s philosophy of providing customers with innovative and reliable ‘value for money’ products. The Stevens product range and stellar quality of service is now well established across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Europe. The Stevens Group is part of the Italian owned Dataprocess group of companies, which also has operations in France, Germany, Spain, Greece and Poland. Dataprocess is a market leader throughout Europe in the manufacture and supply of retail systems and industrial weighing equipment. www.stevensgroupltd.com