INTRODUCTION
Absolutely Natural is a successful, family-run business established in 1992 that specializes in manufacturing all-natural skin and personal care products. As a pioneer in the natural space, the company developed the first truly natural sunscreen.
Operating out of a 36,000-square-foot warehouse in Melbourne, FL, the company’s core business includes the branded baby/toddler lines Absolutely Natural and Zoey Naturals. However, the primary part of their operations is high-volume, white-label contract manufacturing for diverse clients across the resort/hotel, MLM, and tattoo industries.
As the company grew and began taking manufacturing fully in-house around 2011, President Danny Richards recognized the essential need for a robust manufacturing software system. The initial implementation of BatchMaster Desktop became integral to the business, allowing Absolutely Natural to comply with increasingly tight FDA and USP regulations, achieve ISO certification, and secure its supply chain.
The existing BatchMaster Desktop system provided critical functionality, including:
- Audit-Ready Lot Traceability and Expiration Control: BatchMaster enables Absolutely Natural to confidently manage its skincare manufacturing operations with end-to-end lot traceability, from raw materials through finished goods, along with robust expiration date management and automated flags for product removal. Compliance and quality audit reports that once required digging through years of paper files can now be generated in minutes, significantly reducing audit stress. Richards noted that this level of visibility and control provides true “peace of mind” even during the most demanding audits.
- Inventory Security: Use of the ROP (Reorder Point) system to automatically flag when raw materials need to be ordered. This is crucial for a significant contract client that sells on Amazon and cannot risk going out of stock, for whom Absolutely Natural moves close to 400,000 pounds of shea butter annually.
After a successful decade utilizing the Desktop version, Absolutely Natural is now migrating to BatchMaster Web ERP to access advanced features, further enhance efficiency, and ensure its operational platform evolves alongside its business growth.
SELECTING THE RIGHT PARTNER: BATCHMASTER’S STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
For Absolutely Natural, migrating to BatchMaster Web was not about evaluating alternatives; it was about building on a trusted relationship. After more than a decade of success with BatchMaster, the decision reflected confidence in both the technology and the people behind it. The move was a deliberate investment in continuity, efficiency, and future growth, grounded in a partnership that has consistently delivered value.
Long-Term Partnership: The relationship has been built on trust, with the BatchMaster team consistently providing support, resolving tickets, and never steering the company in the wrong direction.
- Institutional Knowledge: A critical factor was the familiarity of the BatchMaster staff. Richards noted that having employees who understand the system and business from the outset of onboarding saves crucial time that would otherwise be spent explaining the company to new support teams.
- A Strategic Investment: Richards views the migration as an investment in the future, likening the move to “getting an upgrade” on a great car, choosing “another brand new, great car, which is BatchMaster Web.”
A Proven Partnership: BatchMaster’s Strategic Advantage for Absolutely Natural
For Absolutely Natural, migrating to BatchMaster Web was not about evaluating alternatives; it was about building on a trusted relationship. After more than a decade of success with BatchMaster, the decision reflected confidence in both the technology and the people behind it. The move was a deliberate investment in continuity, efficiency, and future growth, grounded in a partnership that has consistently delivered value.
Key Objectives:
- Enhance Customer Transparency: Utilize the new customer-side login feature. This will allow contract clients to instantly view their inventory status, including stock on hand and committed units, 24/7, eliminating the need to rely on Richards or his team to generate and send reports.
- Modernize Batch and Reporting: Replace the previous use of aging batch-ticketing software (based on Crystal Reports) and move to the new web interface for simpler, easier report generation.
- Improve Forecasting Accuracy: Implement the forecasting module to move away from time-consuming, spreadsheet-based predictions. This new algorithmic tool will deliver more accurate projections for their large cosmetic clients, whose sales are tied to web and Amazon platforms.
- Future Operational Efficiency: Lay the groundwork for future projects, including barcode scanning and tracking of raw material lot numbers, and potentially integrating with the BatchMaster financial suite to move away from their current QuickBooks integration.
LOOKING AHEAD
Absolutely Natural is highly optimistic about the migration. Because their staff is already familiar with the BatchMaster platform, the transition is expected to be smoother, enabling employees to quickly gain a deeper understanding of the new features.
Richards summed up the decision: “I look at BatchMaster as an investment. I’m looking forward to the next decade with this new software. The ability to know that I can grow in a system that’s growing with me is what gets me excited about it.”
