Tamlin Software Creates Real-Time Manufacturing Software Solutions

Scott Cytron: Your business seems very specialized; what does Tamlin do?

Linda Bryan: We primarily work with small- to medium-size manufacturers, food processors and distributors, providing accounting, customer relationship management, shop floor control, scheduling, MRP and enterprise optimization solutions.

      Although we have clients in other industries, our core business is based on Manufacturing Conductor™, a program Tamlin developed as an add-on to AccountMate that handles all aspects of manufacturing including inventory, quality control, time and attendance, and full traceability. Smaller manufacturers and food processors really like our system because it gives them all the integrated functionality required to automate and grow their business at a very affordable price. Quality control documentation and bar-coding capabilities are built into the base package, offering a very sophisticated solution that does more than most of the larger, more expensive ERP packages.

SC: Other that the ability to know where something is within a manufacturing facility in real-time, why would companies want to trace their inventory?

LB: It’s all about compliance. Whether mandated by the government, customers, third-party auditors or quality standards such as ISO, companies must prove their ability to track and trace inventory, goods and other items in order to remain compliant and competitive in the local and global marketplace.

      Let’s say, for example, there’s a recall on corn because a certain crop is contaminated. Now consider a food processor, such as Campbell’s, which includes corn in many of its soups. If the FDA were to ask Campbell’s to trace the origins of a particular corn shipment used at its plants, the company would have to trace the origin of that shipment, which lot it was used in and which stores had the lot.

      This task would be nearly impossible if Campbell’s did not use technology to trace the original arrival of corn, from the moment it arrived at the plant to the moment it was sent to a particular grocery chain.

      Now imagine the same scenario for a smaller food manufacturer that makes one brand of mustard. Without something like Manufacturing Conductor in place, the company would have to figure this out manually instead of electronically. Hours and days of lost work time would be incurred because the company would do the recall or mock recall by hand. With Manufacturing Conductor, the time is reduced to minutes, ensuring the food processor’s customers “brand protection.” Several of our customers have won new business and new customers simply by showing them the quality control and tracking systems they have in place with Manufacturing Conductor. 

SC: There are lots of accounting software vendors. Why did you align yourself with AccountMate?

LB: We like AccountMate because of its range of solutions, option to purchase source code and its core strength in inventory control. This fits in really well with our shop floor control solution and our own customers. I’ve admired David Dierke and his team for years, and appreciate their responsiveness to our needs.

      I know you profiled David last year on AS411.com. AccountMate also has several customer case studies on its site that reflect the work we’ve done with our own clients, including U.S. Armor Corporation, a manufacturer of ballistic vests and an example of a non-food related client that had similar needs to track inventory.

SC: How did one of your clients use Manufacturing Conductor?

LB: Renfro Foods is a good example. In 2005, Renfro, a specialty food processor of salsas and sauces in Fort Worth, Texas – Mrs. Renfros Chow-Chow being one of its brands – moved from a manual-based system to real-time traceability. The new system enabled this family-owned company to integrate technology with its proven manufacturing processes. The result allowed for business growth, increased market share, and compliance with new food regulations and standards.

      Like other manufactuers, Renfro maintains a best-practices approach by conducting mock recalls. With the change in software, mock recalls are now performed in minutes versus hours, and possibly even days. The key is to collect all needed data in real time, through bar codes, that provide all the necessary information, regardless if the information comes from accounting or on the production floor.

      In addition to meeting the initial goal of compliance with the Bioterrorism Act, Doug Renfro told us the new software system provided his company with much more information about the production process than it’s ever had – all without adding a single staff position. In addition, the software processes and reports are a key part of impressing prospective new customers for Renfro’s branded and private label business.

SC: I understand Human Resources, including time and attendance information, is a key element of your real-time traceability capabilities. Can you expand on this?

LB: In addition to capturing in-process quality control data, live, on the shop floor, the system provides a complete audit trail and quality control results detailing what employees worked on what and when they worked. Management uses the real-time shop floor management data for payroll, finished good costing, scheduling and purchasing, while real-time bar-coding drives employee time tracking and inventory movement.

      Another key benefit not necessarily related to human resources is the ability to go completely paperless. In our continued awareness of the green environment, what company wouldn’t want to go paperless? I think it’s a no-brainer!

SC: Tell me about your growth strategy.

LB: Of course, there can always be more business! However, we’re very fortunate in that AccountMate and our current clients are great sources of referrals. Once we get in front of a prospect, Manufacturing Conductor kind of sells itself – unless there are objections or road blocks beyond our control. We talk about the value associated with real-time traceability, paperless processes and other benefits.

      Last fall, we acquired three Los Angeles-area software companies: Charterhouse Software Corporation, Albany Business Systems and TaskMan Industrial Consulting. Like us, Charterhouse and Albany were Elite Resellers for AccountMate, as well as resellers of Tamlin’s Manufacturing Conductor software package. There are quite a number of prospects on the West Coast; our still-new presence in Los Angeles will help us capture more of this business.

SC: Who is your favorite author and why?

LB: That would be Ayn Rand. I first read Atlas Shrugged when I was 16 years old. I was awed by what, for me, were brand new ideas, as well as a passion and an intensity for life that I could easily identify within myself. Her writings are very thought provoking. and although I don’t agree with all of her ideas, I remain inspired by her vision of the human potential: noble.