CUSTOMER: Bomark Ink, Inc.
www.bomarkinks.com/

CORPORATE PROFILE
Type of Business: Inks and coatings
Number of Locations: One
Number of Employees: 30
Size:$5 million

SYSTEM PROFILE
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows NT 2000 and 98 with workstations on Novell server
Users on System: 8

Sage PFW ERP Modules
. Costing
. Formulas
. Laboratory
. Materials/Inventory
. MSDS/Compliance
. Order Entry
. Production
. Purchasing

Platinum for Windows by Best Modules in Operation
. Accounts Payable
. Accounts Receivable
. General Ledger

Cartons, corrugated boxes and cardboard containers throughout the Los Angeles area carry messages printed with Bomark Ink ?§C especially those with vibrant colors, bold graphics and highquality display work. Since 1961 Bomark has provided water-based inks and coatings to the flexographic packaging and corrugated box industries. It was the first ink company in the country to own and operate a fully computerized dispensing system, and also the first to install a fully operational business system in its box plant.

Bomark offers more than just ???stock ink.??à Its labs prepare special color blends to customers' exact specifications using sophisticated matching techniques. And Bomark is fast. Orders are normally delivered in less than four hours after they come in.

THE CHALLENGE
As early as 1986, Bomark realized the importance of automating all of its systems through networked PCs. The existing AS400-based business software did little to manage manufacturing or warehousing operations, could not store formulas or prepare batch tickets, and required half of the company's work to be done by hand.

"Before implementing our PFW - Sage PFW ERP system, we worked on a waste ratio of between three and five percent. Now waste is so minimal we don't even bother to track it." Lori Haight, Office Manager of Bomark Ink, Inc.

Then Bomark's executives discovered Platinum DOS and BatchMaster software and became an early adopter. BatchMaster is a process manufacturing application that ties production data directly into financial data. The company upgraded to Platinum for Windows (PFW) and Sage PFW ERP.

THE SOLUTION
The PFW - Sage PFW ERP system has automated both the accounting and process manufacturing functions at Bomark Ink. When a customer calls in an order, the system calculates the weight of each pigment that will be required using preprogrammed formulas. Ingredients are dispensed by machine at the plant for perfect color matches and accurate quantities of product. This is no simple task. Besides determining amounts of powders, liquids and resins, each formula must also account for properties like density and specific gravity.

"We have almost no mistakes now, since the computer does everything for us, and much greater consistency between batches," explains Lori Haight, Bomark's office manager. "Before implementing our PFW - Sage PFW ERP system, we worked on a waste ratio of between three and five percent. Now waste is so minimal we don't even bother to track it."

PFW and Sage PFW ERP provide an end-to-end system for Bomark's manufacturing operations. Once an order is entered into the system, a sales order and batch ticket are created. The ink goes into production, and inventory is relieved as soon as the product is finished. After a QC check, a close ticket prompts an automatic release from inventory. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) documents are printed, too, and sent when the product ships, so customers are in full compliance with OSHA requirements.

"The MSDS/Compliance module is a big one for us," Haight says. "The government makes us do a separate safety sheet for each color. I can't even calculate the number of hours the module has saved us. Plus we're now safe from the heavy fines OSHA can levy for poor record-keeping. Our customers can request a detailed report if they get audited by OSHA. We can run a year-end summary for them too, so they don't have to keep their own records. We never could have provided this service without the new system."