“BatchMaster will help us become a smarter, more customer-focused company.”

Julia Folk

General Manager

Brilliant Group, Inc.

Customer

Brilliant Group, Inc.

Industry

Chemical

Location

Richmond, CA

Solution

BatchMaster Web ERP

Systems Replaced

None

Brilliant Group Inc. Streamlines Operations and Gains Agility with BatchMaster Web ERP

Brilliant Group Inc. is a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of fluorescent pigments. With more than three decades of technical expertise and a philosophy centered on agility and customer responsiveness, Brilliant Group has become a trusted supplier for companies needing specialized pigments and deep application knowledge. Rather than requiring customers to adapt to rigid processes, Brilliant Group prides itself on “fitting into the customer’s world” and delivering solutions tailored to their needs.

The Need for an Integrated System

As Brilliant Group continued to grow and the global marketplace became more complex, leadership recognized that its existing systems could no longer support the speed and accuracy required. While Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable were managed in a familiar accounting system, critical operations such as costing, pricing, forecasting, production planning, quality control, and BOM management relied on spreadsheets and manual processes.

These manual workflows created bottlenecks and made it difficult to adjust quickly to shifting tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and changing customer requirements. “Our manual processes required specialized skillsets and a lot of time spent manipulating data outside the system,” explained General Manager Julia Folk. “We needed to save the team time and energy, and we needed better tools to keep up with customer demand.”

The company also needed a more modern, user-friendly platform that would enable new team members to be trained quickly, an increasingly critical need as the business expands.

Why BatchMaster Web ERP

Brilliant Group conducted an extensive evaluation, engaging eight vendors and completing in-depth demonstrations with five. BatchMaster Web ERP emerged as the clear choice.

Industry expertise was a significant factor. “BatchMaster personnel understood our processes immediately—they work with chemical manufacturers,” said Folk. “The system felt familiar, and it matched our functional needs better than anything else.”

Other key reasons for selecting BatchMaster included:

Real-time costing and tariff management, allowing the team to respond immediately to market changes.
Integrated Quality Control and BOM management, replacing manual processes and increasing accuracy.
Predictive planning tools, helping the company better manage supply chain complexity.
A modern, intuitive interface, reducing reliance on specialized skills and enabling faster onboarding.

Budget and scalability were also essential. BatchMaster offered the industry-specific capabilities Brilliant Group needed, without the complexity or cost of larger enterprise systems.

“BatchMaster fits where we are today and where we want to be in the future,” Folk said. “It gives us a platform to grow intelligently.”

What’s Ahead

With implementation underway, Brilliant Group is preparing to digitize core operations across purchasing, production, quality, and inventory. The company plans to use BatchMaster’s predictive planning, costing, BOM, and quality modules to improve visibility, automate manual workflows, and enhance decision-making.

Real-time costing and pricing updates will allow the team to stay ahead of supply chain fluctuations and tariff changes. Integrated quality and BOM management will replace spreadsheets, ensuring consistent, accurate information across the business. The new system will also support stronger forecasting and planning, enabling the company to maintain its agility as it grows.

“Once live, the system will give Brilliant Group the platform it needs to reduce manual work, strengthen accuracy, and support continued expansion into global markets through events such as NAPIM, CAD RETEC, ABRAFATI, Chinacoat, and major coatings shows worldwide.”

- Julia Folk, General Manager, Brilliant Group, Inc.

By choosing BatchMaster Web ERP, Brilliant Group is investing in operational excellence, better decision-making, and a future defined by agility and customer responsiveness.

About BatchMaster Software

BatchMaster Software is a leading provider of ERP solutions that help growing formula-based manufacturers streamline operations, reduce costs, and comply with stringent regulatory mandates. BatchMaster ERP is designed specifically for the Food, Nutraceuticals, Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals, and Specialty Manufacturing industries, and can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud.

Contact Us

BatchMaster Software | 9861 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 | 949-583-1646 |  sales@batchmaster.com

“From a program standpoint, you guys are phenomenal. You guys really figured out the manufacturing program side of everything; it just works. The programming of it is very smooth.”

Mina Mikhail

Project Manager

Miller Stephenson Chemical Company

Customer

Miller Stephenson Chemical Company

Industry

Chemical

Location

Danbury, CT

Solution

BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One

Systems Replaced

Proprietary In-House Apps

Specialty Chemical Manufacturer Automates and Gains Full Visibility with BatchMaster ERP

Miller Stephenson Chemical Company, a specialty chemical manufacturer established in 1955, needed to modernize its “legacy systems,” which were limited and did not support its growth. After signing with BatchMaster in January 2017 and completing implementation in January 2019, Miller Stephenson successfully transitioned to BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One. The unified system replaced multiple manual processes, giving the company real-time visibility and control to scale production and ensure compliance in a highly regulated industry.

OVERVIEW

Miller Stephenson Chemical Company manufactures a variety of specialty chemicals, including conformal coatings, solvents, oils, greases, and lubricants. The company also serves as the small-packaging distributor for Krytox, supplying products to half of America from its Connecticut facility. The complex nature of chemical manufacturing required a robust ERP solution that could manage production, inventory, and compliance in a single platform.

KEY RESULTS

Miller Stephenson sought a solution that encompassed all departments in one package and was specifically designed for manufacturing. They chose BatchMaster ERP, integrated with SAP Business One, because:

Increased Production: The smooth, automated production system sped up the entire process, allowing the company to meet growing demand and produce more products throughout the year.
Real-Time Visibility: Eliminated manual delivery of orders; sales, production, and shipping all see new orders instantly, enabling faster, proactive planning.
Lot Traceability: Gained the ability to trace every pound of raw material from the time it was received, and track products by lot number, allowing the team to investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.
Streamlined Compliance: Achieved rapid compliance by utilizing BatchMaster's flexibility to quickly customize documents and forms (like adding terms and conditions to invoices) to meet new chemical regulations.
Improved Purchasing: Better control over inventory and purchasing patterns, including tracking vendor lead times and setting reminders to prevent running out of critical items.

CHALLENGES

For decades, Miller Stephenson relied on two legacy, proprietary in-house applications for inventory and order processing, with all other accounting-related functions being outsourced or handled manually.

The “manual process” meant that a printed order had to physically move “around the building” from raw material to manufacturing, quality, and shipping, requiring a lot of manpower and causing delays. Production departments would often wait for paper orders to come their way.

Furthermore, reporting and compliance tasks were cumbersome. The company struggled to find a single program that could handle all parts of the value chain: sales, production, inventory, financials, and payment processing.

SOLUTION

Miller Stephenson sought a solution that encompassed all departments in a single package, specifically a manufacturing-focused solution. They chose BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One, because:

Manufacturing Focus: BatchMaster was a program “specifically for manufacturing” that provided the “full picture in one program.”
Flexibility for Unique Products: The system successfully handled the company’s “unique one-off products” and varied situations, which were a critical part of their business.
Strong Integration: BatchMaster's integration with SAP Business One was a significant benefit, leveraging a widely used platform with readily available online information.
Customization and Support: BatchMaster's team was willing to accommodate demands, such as changing invoices or documents for compliance, which other solution providers would not do or would charge heavily for.

BENEFITS

The implementation of BatchMaster led to a fundamental shift in operations, moving the company from its limited legacy systems to an agile, automated one.

Visibility, Planning, and Communication:

The system provided “visibility and communication between all of us.” The moment a sales order is entered, the production floor receives it immediately, eliminating the need to print or walk orders. This real-time view allows the company to accurately forecast and plan, build stock based on system orders, and eliminate delays caused by production waiting for work.

Inventory Control and Traceability:

Inventory is now “much more visible and accurate.” The system tracks stock levels and can notify staff when a mark is hit. More critically, the BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One solution enables forensic investigation of inventory. If raw material numbers are off, the system allows staff to trace batch tickets to purchase orders and receiving paperwork to identify the source of the discrepancy. This functionality also extends to tracking non-inventoried items, helping prevent problems before they become critical.

Compliance and Quality:

BatchMaster manages the requirements of a regulated chemical company by centralizing document control. When a new regulation or term needs to be added (e.g., terms and conditions on invoices), the change is applied once to the sales order template, making it visible on every subsequent printed order automatically. This replaced the tedious, manual process of updating thousands of individual documents. From a quality standpoint, the customized queries created by the BatchMaster team have saved “thousands of hours of work” by pulling required details from various reports into a single, accessible view.

Purchasing and Reporting:

All purchasing reports are centralized, allowing the team to compare vendor prices, lead times, and quality side by side, helping the company “spend wisely.” The ability to add indicators and reminders to items based on lead times and usage history helps prevent stockouts, a common issue before BatchMaster.

READY FOR GROWTH

Miller Stephenson Chemical Company is now poised for ongoing success, equipped with an intuitive, robust platform that supports its growth trajectory and complex manufacturing needs. BatchMaster ERP with the SAP Business One solution successfully eliminated manual, paper-based processes. It provided accurate visibility and automation across the entire value chain, from sales order to shipping.

“The functionality of the program does the job that we're asking it to do thoroughly and engages the users to do their job correctly because it's the proper tool for them to complete their tasks for the day.”

- Mina Mikhail, Project Manager, Miller-Stephenson

About BatchMaster Software

Contact Us

BatchMaster Software | 9861 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 | 949-583-1646 |  sales@batchmaster.com

“The BatchMaster support team worked diligently with us on all issues.”

Irene Jordan

Manager Information Technology

International Paper

Company Name

International Paper

Location

Memphis, TN

Industry

Paper and Packaging

Solution

BatchMaster Desktop

Systems Replaced

BatchMaster DOS Version

International Paper Improves Inventory Visibility, Formula Management, and Operational Efficiency with BatchMaster ERP

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global leader in paper and packaging with manufacturing operations spanning North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia, and North Africa. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company employs more than 50,000 people across more than 20 countries.

Within International Paper is a water-based flexographic ink division operating across 11 North American locations. This division supports customer packaging requirements through highly specialized manufacturing processes that depend on accurate formulations, inventory control, and timely production management.

As business volumes and operational complexity increased, the company recognized the need for a more advanced manufacturing and ERP platform to support real-time visibility, improved reporting, and better operational decision-making.

Challenges

Prior to implementing BatchMaster ERP, International Paper relied on a semi-custom mainframe-based system for inventory, sales, and purchase order management. Over time, the limitations of the legacy environment became increasingly difficult to manage.

1. Limited Inventory Visibility Across Locations

The company needed immediate access to inventory information across multiple manufacturing sites to support purchasing and production decisions in real time.

Inventory updates were often delayed because administrative staff entered transactions later rather than directly from the production floor, leading to inconsistencies and further delays.

2. Complex Formula and Laboratory Management

Thousands of formulations were being maintained through a combination of legacy systems and spreadsheets, making formula management difficult and time-consuming.

The company needed greater control, flexibility, and visibility into formulation data to support product development and operational consistency.

3. Increasing Operational Complexity

As customer order patterns fluctuated and production demands increased, maintaining safety stock levels and managing short material situations became increasingly expensive.

The organization needed better tools to improve purchasing decisions, reduce shortages, and increase overall operational efficiency.

4. Outdated Technology Infrastructure

The existing mainframe environment no longer supported the company’s long-term operational goals. International Paper wanted to modernize its technology platform, eliminate manual processes, and create a single, reliable source of operational data.

Solution

International Paper first implemented the DOS version of BatchMaster in 1998 to improve real-time inventory control across multiple manufacturing sites.

The company later transitioned to BatchMaster Enterprise, moving from a DOS and Btrieve environment to a Windows and Microsoft SQL-based platform. The migration was led internally by Irene Jordan and a small consulting team working closely with BatchMaster consultants.

The implementation allowed International Paper to modernize operations while eliminating outdated workflows that had previously been required to compensate for limitations in older manufacturing software.

BatchMaster ERP became the operational foundation for:

Real-time inventory management
Formula and laboratory management
Purchasing and procurement visibility
Quality reporting and analysis
Production and batch reporting
Operational dashboards and analytics

Key Results

1. Improved Inventory Visibility and Accuracy

One of the most significant improvements was gaining real-time visibility into inventory across manufacturing locations.

Inventory updates now occur immediately as production batches are closed on the manufacturing floor, eliminating delays caused by separate administrative entry processes.

This real-time visibility enabled purchasing teams to:

2. Increased Efficiency in Formula Management

BatchMaster ERP provided International Paper with far greater flexibility and control over formulation management.

The laboratory and formulation functionality allowed the company to manage thousands of formulations more efficiently while supporting ongoing product development and operational consistency.

The team also leveraged SQL-based reporting and queries to analyze formulation effectiveness, profitability, and ingredient usage.

This included:

According to Doug Miller, Product Development Lab Manager, “With BatchMaster, you’re limited only by your imagination when it comes to the business analysis and reporting capabilities available through the system.”

3. Reduction in Batch Reporting Errors

By enabling production personnel to enter data directly into the system at batch close, International Paper reduced manual reporting delays and minimized errors associated with duplicate or delayed entry processes.

The result was more accurate operational data and faster access to critical manufacturing information.

4. Enhanced Reporting and Business Intelligence

BatchMaster Enterprise’s Microsoft SQL foundation significantly expanded reporting and analytics capabilities across the organization.

The company developed custom Crystal Reports to support purchasing, inventory management, quality analysis, and operational planning.

Over time, dynamic dashboards further improved visibility into:

5. Strong Partnership and User Adoption

International Paper credited the BatchMaster support and consulting teams for helping ensure a successful transition to the new platform.

“The transition from DOS and Btrieve to Windows and MS SQL was certainly a challenge,” said Irene Jordan, IT Manager at International Paper. “But the BatchMaster support team worked diligently with us on all issues.”

As the organization continued to identify new ways to improve operations with BatchMaster ERP, additional licenses were deployed to support more users across North America.

Looking Ahead

Today, BatchMaster ERP remains a core operational platform supporting International Paper’s manufacturing, purchasing, quality, and inventory management processes.

By modernizing its technology infrastructure and improving visibility across operations, the company gained stronger control over production, inventory, compliance, and costs while increasing throughput and profitability.

Miller summarized the company’s experience simply, “I’m sold on BatchMaster Enterprise. It’s a robust application, and it works.”

About BatchMaster Software

Contact Us

BatchMaster Software | 9861 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 | 949-583-1646 | sales@batchmaster.com

“Also, having access to all the chemicals and their properties right within one system will be revolutionary.”

Misti Gerbensky

Director of R&D

Athea Labs

Customer

Athea Labs

Industry

Specialty Chemicals

Location

Milwaukee, WI

Users

Solution

BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One

Athea Labs Modernizes Operations and Unifies Processes with BatchMaster ERP

For more than 35 years, Athea Labs has manufactured specialty chemicals and private-label products for customers throughout the Midwest and surrounding regions. The company produces a broad range of products, including herbicides, insecticides, industrial cleaners, aerosols, and wet wipes, and also supports a significant private-label manufacturing business.

In addition to its manufacturing expertise, Athea Labs has built a strong reputation for research and development, quality management, and product innovation through its own Total Solutions product line and extensive customer-focused services.

As the company continued to grow, leadership recognized that its aging ERP environment and disconnected systems were limiting operational efficiency, visibility, and scalability. To support future growth and streamline operations across departments, Athea Labs selected BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One as its new integrated business platform.

Challenges

Before implementing BatchMaster ERP, Athea Labs relied on a 20-year-old ERP solution running on an AS-400 platform, along with several independent systems and manual processes developed internally over time.

1. Aging ERP Infrastructure and Disconnected Systems

The existing ERP system had become heavily customized and outdated, making upgrades nearly impossible. Several key operational functions were entirely outside the ERP platform, requiring departments to manage critical processes separately.

2. Lack of Integrated MRP and Production Planning

Without integrated MRP and MPS functionality, customer orders and production planning required significant manual effort.

3. Limited Lot and Inventory Visibility

Although Athea tracked inventory by lot number, the legacy system did not maintain a relationship between lot number and location. This made locating First Expired, First Out (FEFO) inventory time-consuming and inefficient.

4. Separate Systems for R&D and Quality Management

Although Athea tracked inventory by lot number, the legacy system did not maintain a Research & Development and Quality Management processes were managed outside the ERP environment through independently developed systems and spreadsheets, creating redundancies and limiting visibility across departments.between lot number and location. This made locating First Expired, First Out (FEFO) inventory time-consuming and inefficient.

5. Manual Financial and Workflow Processes

The company’s previous financial processes involved significant paperwork and manual handling, including outsourced invoice generation and manual approval workflows.

Solution

Athea Labs selected BatchMaster ERP with SAP Business One to consolidate manufacturing, inventory, quality, R&D, and financial operations into a single integrated system.

The company identified BatchMaster ERP as the ideal solution to support:

Lot traceability and FEFO inventory management
Integrated MRP and production scheduling
Formula and inventory management
Sample Management and R&D workflows
Quality Control and cGMP compliance
Workflow automation and financial management
FDA reporting and recall readiness

The implementation also brought departments together in a more collaborative, unified process, helping to align operations across the organization.

Key Results

1. Improved Manufacturing Planning and Inventory Management

BatchMaster ERP introduced integrated MRP, inventory visibility, and lot tracking capabilities that significantly improved manufacturing efficiency.

By connecting inventory quantities with manufacturing, sales orders, and planning functions, Athea Labs expects to reduce excess inventory levels while improving inventory turnover.

The new system also links lot numbers, expiration dates, and warehouse locations directly to pick slips, allowing manufacturing teams to quickly locate and issue FEFO inventory accurately.

“BatchMaster ERP is going to help us in manufacturing in a number of ways,” explained John Olson, Vice President of Operations. “Having the lot number with location on the Pick Slip will be huge.”

2. Automated Formula Consolidation and Material Optimization

Previously, Athea Labs manually grouped products with similar formulas using spreadsheets to optimize production runs and material usage.

BatchMaster ERP now automates these processes by balancing material requirements and combining finished goods with like formulas, reducing manual effort and improving operational efficiency. “BatchMaster ERP will balance our material requirements and combine finished goods with like formulas, which is going to make us so much more efficient,” Olson shared.

3. Streamlined R&D and Sample Management

Athea Labs’ R&D department gained major operational improvements through BatchMaster ERP’s Sample Management functionality. The company can now manage customer product requests, approvals, and sample workflows within a centralized system rather than relying on disconnected manual processes.

“Having the ability to enter a customer’s product needs into BatchMaster’s Sample Management is going to streamline our entire operation,” said Misti Gerbensky, Director of R&D. The company also benefits from centralized access to chemical information, formula management, and improved communication between manufacturing and R&D teams.

4. Centralized Quality Management and Compliance

BatchMaster ERP allowed Athea Labs to bring Quality Management directly into its ERP environment for the first time. Previously, the company maintained a separate, internally developed Quality Management System for quality testing, SOPs, inspection forms, and cGMP compliance.

With BatchMaster ERP, quality testing, inspection plans, checklists, SOPs, and lot-level quality tracking are now integrated into a single system, improving visibility and simplifying compliance management. “Integrating Quality Management within BatchMaster ERP will make tracking Quality for each item at the lot level immensely easier,” explained Dale Hamann, Quality Technical Director.

5. Enhanced Traceability and FDA Compliance

Lot traceability was one of the company’s highest priorities during ERP selection. BatchMaster ERP now provides complete lot tracking from purchase receipt through manufacturing and shipping, helping Athea Labs strengthen recall readiness and FDA compliance reporting.

“We’ve seen how the Lot Traceability Dashboard is a key compliance function within BatchMaster and will be essential for Mock Recalls and FDA Inspections,” stated Tom Jones, IT Director. The integrated system also enables faster validation of FDA reports and better visibility into product release processes.

6. Reduced Paperwork and Automated Financial Processes

By implementing SAP Business One as the financial core of BatchMaster ERP, Athea Labs significantly reduced manual paperwork and administrative overhead. Invoice generation, approvals, order management, and workflow processes are now automated within the system, eliminating many time-consuming manual steps.

According to CFO Kevin Behm, automating these processes will improve operational efficiency while helping the company continue to deliver strong customer service.

7. Greater Organizational Collaboration

The ERP implementation process itself also created stronger collaboration across departments. As teams worked together to replace disconnected systems and outdated workflows, the project helped unify operations and improve communication company-wide.

“This project has unified our team and will continue to improve our collaboration,”

– Tom Jones, IT Director

Looking Ahead

As Athea Labs approaches go-live with BatchMaster ERP and SAP Business One, the company is positioned to modernize operations across manufacturing, R&D, quality, inventory, and finance.

With improved traceability, integrated planning, centralized quality management, and streamlined workflows, Athea Labs is building a scalable operational foundation that will support continued growth, compliance, and innovation for years to come.