Organica Biotech is a small but flourishing company, doubling its revenue in the past year. Its close knit company culture and commitment to success have enabled this 16-person company to develop and manufacture more than 350 earth-friendly organic solutions for both the homeowner and professional markets.

Organica has been successful as a business-to-business company since it was founded in 1994. Several national brands have used Organica Biotech's naturally derived biochemistry and plant-based materials in their products for over a decade. More recently, however, Organica brought this biotechnology direct to consumers throughout the country when it launched its own brand of organic consumer products. This new market has created additional challenges for the growing company.

Lynn Ceritano, Organica’s director of operations, believes that a strong foundation is the key to a successful business. “My primary role is to manage our internal daily operations, such as accounting, order processing, production and shipping. But of course, for those daily functions to work smoothly and to be seamlessly integrated, the systems we use need to be compatible and able to grow with our company.”

Organica’s rapid growth strained its existing QuickBooks software. Most processes were done manually and were hindering the company’s productivity.

Laying the Groundwork
Focused on building a strong foundation, Ceritano began searching for a more comprehensive system to address not only Organica’s current demands, but also support its growth as it further penetrates the consumer market selling into large retail stores. “Although we don’t do it today, we will need the sophistication to interface with these large retailers’ systems in the not so distant future. Without planning for that growth, we would be throwing away this investment and that would be a costly mistake.”

Organica took a year to research ERP systems based on both its long and short-term goals before selecting CompuData and the Sage MAS 90 software system.

“My decisions are pivotal in determining whether Organica will be a company of excellence or a company of mediocrity,” stated Ceritano. “Our infrastructure – order processing, customer service, on-time shipping record – determines our reputation and ultimately how we’re perceived by our vendors and customers – a direct reflection on the Organica brand.”

Sage MAS 90 Creates a Healthier Environment
“MAS 90 is providing a solid foundation to help us meet both our immediate and future demands,” said Ceritano. “By automating all of our processes with MAS 90, the entire company can view necessary information in one nice, neat package, increasing our productivity and enabling us to concentrate more on strategic initiatives.”

“We were accustomed to our manual processes and had to make major changes to all areas of our operations,” said Ceritano. “MAS 90 has only been installed for about six weeks and our processes are already flowing well. We are more organized with our internal functions and have eliminated the guesswork, helping increase customer and vendor satisfaction levels.”

When the inventory of more than 350 products was being handled manually, guesswork was an everyday challenge for Organica employees. Now, with all 350 products bar coded in Sage MAS 90, Organica has streamlined its entire warehouse process. This distribution management system enables Organica to keep in touch with its inventory status at any point in time.

“MAS 90’s ease-of-use is tremendous,” added Ceritano. “From our scientists, to our sales people – everyone is using the system. At tradeshows, our sales team can access the MAS 90 Inventory Management module and immediately know what products are in inventory and what they can commit to.”

Using the Sage MAS 90 StarShip module, tightly integrated with inventory data, Organica has also significantly reduced the time and effort involved in shipping and tracking orders. “Before it took 15 to 20 minutes to track an order, now the information is available at a touch of a button – even for off-site sales people,” said Ceritano.

Organica also uses the Sage MAS 90 Credit Card Processing module. When a sales order is taken, a charge to a credit card is automatically generated, immediately getting pre-approval on the payment and processing it directly into MAS 90. Ceritano expects this feature to significantly reduce potential lost revenue from bad credit cards.

In addition to the Sage MAS 90 implementation, CompuData installed Organica’s virtual private network as well. “I’m not an IT guru,” explained Ceritano. “I told CompuData what I needed to be able to do and they walked me through the options, the selection, and handled the implementation of new technologies.” Organica now has remote access, enabling its off-site sales team and other employees to securely access the Sage MAS 90 system from any Internet-connected computer.

The Right Move at the Right Time
“CompuData understood our needs and helped us accomplish our goals,” explained Ceritano. “Their staff fit in incredibly well with our team and became a part of our family.”

“With our recent growth, it was critical that we made this move when we did,” explained Ceritano. “There is an electricity in the air with the new system, and it is fueling energy among our team. It was the right move at the right time.”

Organica Biotech’s CEO, Eric Hill, has the philosophy to empower employees to make decisions and that giving them effective tools to make the right decision is the difference between success and failure.

“MAS 90 is the right tool to help us succeed. It will keep our operations and processes running efficiently,” commented Hill. “With information at our fingertips and the solution’s real-time data integration, the system provides us with the necessary checks and balances to keep us honest and more efficient. MAS 90 has given us the strong foundation we need to work effectively now and well into the future.”