Vicinity Manufacturing

The first new process manufacturing application in a decade, Vicinity has been designed from the ground up to meet the business challenges unique to process manufacturers. From formulation to compliance, scheduling to production, Vicinity software automates and streamlines operations. Many everyday tasks such as Material Safety Data Sheets, Quality Control, formula development, inventory control—as well as just producing the product—become easier and more efficient. Built on Microsoft's® .NET™ technology, Vicinity tightly integrates with Dynamics GP. Its power can be used at one location or extended across multiple facilities, giving you ultimate flexibility for improving your manufacturing operations.

Product Developer

Formulation requires equal parts speed and knowledge. Vicinity speeds the formulation process—and helps you quickly find the best starting point—by:

Cataloging all formulas in the company's history as templates for future formulas
Allowing templates to be appended with dozens of descriptive characteristics for fast, intuitive searches.
Enabling the formulator to define production process for automatic inclusion in a batch ticket.
Safeguarding formulas in-progress, so only authorized formulas go into production.

Quality Control Technician

Quality Control means ensuring specifications are maintained from the time the raw materials arrive until the packaged product leaves the plant. The better a product stays in spec, the better off for everyone.

Vicinity not only helps QC technicians perform and record tests in production, it allows the QC technician to improve the formula itself. Powerful real-time recording and analysis tools allow the QC technician to understand ramifications of all the adjustments made during production. That knowledge gives Quality Control the power to refine the original formula and process.

Product Planner

It's the responsibility of the production planner to maintain the delicate balance between supply and demand. Vicinity helps by:

Providing real-time insight into production capacity, material and labor availability.
Allowing the creation of a master production schedule based on both dependent and independent indicators such as customer orders and forecast.
Using the master schedule to automatically drive MRP needs for all demands Coordinating the capacity of all production cells across multiple locations.

Production Controller

The production controller succeeds or fails by the accuracy and completeness of the batch ticket. Vicinity ensures a smooth process by:

Providing instant visibility into the location of every batch.
Matching generic process steps defined by product developer to the capabilities and availability of equipment at each location.
Allowing the production controller to see the disposition of any batch at any time on the shop floor.
Tracking "Raw Material Usage" data, automatically annotating the batch ticket, adding to the quantity of finished goods and subtracting the amount of raw material at hand.

Now every batch can be delivered efficiently and within spec— all the way through final packaging.

Operations Controller

The operations analyst faces the big picture questions of what markets and customers to serve and with what products. Vicinity adds surety to the job of guiding the business by allowing the operations analyst:

To drill down into information regarding plant operations, product lines and customer histories.
Use visual tools to make comparisons and draw conclusions about revenue, profit, potential growth and legitimate risks.
Generate reports that summarize data and support the decision making process

Compliance Officer

The purview of the compliance officer can extend beyond regulatory requirements to include customer requirements. Suddenly, the role can move from document processor to process improver. Vicinity can get you there.

From Material Safety Data Sheets, to certificates of analysis and ISO certifications, Vicinity makes important information conveniently accessible online. Now customers, suppliers and other authorized parties can request compliance documents on demand. Because documents are generated dynamically, they are always up-to-date. And because Vicinity does the work, your compliance officer can focus on people and procedures, instead of paper.

External User

From the shipping worker to the company president, from customers to vendors, you have external users that require specific information. In the past, this may have been the black hole in your production system as you tried to respond to an unlimited number of requests for varying reports—delivered through different system interfaces.

Through innovative .NET technology, authorized external users can now have convenient access to data from virtually any Web-enabled computer. This can be a great self-service tool for external users and a time-saving tool for your computer group.

What we can do for you

At Custom Information Services (CIS), we understand that each business has unique requirements and how to use software technology to meet these challenges. For more information contact Nancy Phillippi at 817-640-0016 x109 or email NPhillippi@customis.com.

I have been extremely pleased with CIS from the very beginning of our ERP project. CIS’s staff is very knowledgeable and contentious of our needs. They were unlike many companies that are just looking to sell you a product and walk away. CIS took the time to understand our business needs and worked with us to find a solution. They worked with us from the design stage through post installation configurations. Microsoft’s GP product seemed to be a good fit for our company. I look forward to a long working relationship with CIS. - IT Directory, Large Entertainment Venue