The Edmund Merl GmbH & Co. KG, together with the GUS Group, intends to realise a distinctly faster and more efficient product development. This specialty foods company, which is based in Brühl, has decided to use the GUS-OS product pass and, in addition to the Labor-Information Management System, will be using a further solution from the browser based GUS-OS product family.
Development is a very complex process. "It is not enough to have a product idea and to create the corresponding recipe", stressed Susanne Merl, the director of product development in the family business. For example, minimum durability tests must be carried out and repeated with every small change in the recipe. In addition, the purchasing of the ingredients, the release procedures, HACCP analyses, pricing, and last but not least, the development of the packaging have to be taken into account. And each step must be documented as required by law and commerce. "In order to become quicker and to obtain more transparency in the processes, we are now implementing the GUS-OS product pass solution to coordinate these processes."
With this application, which belongs to the Java based GUS-OS product family, the product development workflow will become more transparent and better coordinated. Currently, Merl is still working with different Excel tables that have to be tended manually. "This is very complex and involved. I want to be able to see where we are and who is doing what every day – without having to rummage through a pile of lists," explained Susanne Merl. Soon, the specialty foods company will have all the information in one entry mask. The application integrated workflow from GUS-OS product pass clearly facilitates process management. The solution arranges the tasks in individual user groups and consolidates them into so-called To-Do Lists. "Thus, we can see at a glance not only which employee is responsible for which task, but also whether the task has been completed. That saves time and increases security!" Furthermore, GUS-OS product pass supports electronic signatures, whereby the piles of paper, and above all also mistakes, can be lowered. Documentation of the entire process is automatic and according to FDA guidelines.
The Edmund Merl GmbH & Co. KG (www.merl.de) company manufactures fresh delicacies with no preservatives. Founded in 1933 in Brühl near Cologne, this family company produces premium specialty salads. The products from Merl are sold in leading supermarkets in Germany as well as in the Benelux countries, France, Spain, and in Switzerland.
