Oregon’s Wild Harvest produces certified organic and biodynamic herbal supplements sold through natural food retailers nationwide. Many of the herbs it sells are grown on its own Oregon farms, with the balance responsibly sourced from the finest organic suppliers in the world. Oregon’s Wild Harvest has mastered the ability to integrate the simple bounty of the earth with the sophisticated technologies available to businesses today. Sage X3 and The Answer Company are central to that integration.
Powerful Manufacturing Capabilities
The company’s business consultant made the recommendation to migrate to Sage X3 after support for its legacy manufacturing application was suspended. “We need manufacturing software capable of matching our workflow and processes,” says Lisa Ziomkowski, CPA and Sage X3 Administrator for Oregon’s Wild Harvest. “Product traceability, quality assurance, and formula tracking are critical for us. Our consultant with The Answer Company showed us that Sage X3 is built for food and supplement manufacturers like us— it offers the complete functionality we need.”
Quality Assurance and Traceability
Oregon’s Wild Harvest has an unwavering commitment to purity, quality and control that are evidenced in its comprehensive quality assurance and product tracking processes. Every item received is assigned a lot number and rigorously tested to confirm identity, purity and potency. Sage X3 both supports and enforces the workflow that ultimately allows only the very best specimens into the production chain.
Easing the Compliance Burden
The extensive product traceability doesn’t end as the herbs enter the production cycle. “We can track a single lot from the moment it is received all the way through to the customers we shipped it to,” says Ziomkowski. “While we’ve never had an actual recall, we routinely perform mock recalls to ensure we are prepared. Sage X3 provides deep capabilities in this area. In the event of an actual recall, we are confident we can respond quickly and efficiently.”
The company’s organic certification entails periodic audits, where it must provide evidence of a comprehensive tracking control system. “Demonstrating this compliance is very easy with Sage X3,” Ziomkowski says. “We can produce all the documentation required very quickly.”
Operational Efficiencies
From the production floor to the back office, Sage X3 is simplifying and improving operations, down to essential daily tasks. “Many of our major grocery chain customers pay for hundreds of stores with a single check,” notes Ziomkowski. “With Sage X3 recording that payment is a simple, straightforward transaction. In our old system, every store was a customer, so dividing that single check between hundreds of customers was laborious.”
Access to Decision-Making Data
Like all modern enterprises, Oregon’s Wild Harvest creates, collects and stores an enormous amount of data in its business management solution. Turning that data into actionable data is where Sage X3 excels for the company. “I can access every bit of data in the system,” explains Ziomkowski. “Which means I can assemble virtually any kind of report our people need to do their jobs more effectively. The reporting capabilities within Sage X3 are very powerful. Having that data available to us helps us make better, more timely business decisions.”
Powerful Platform for the Future
As the company continues to leverage the power in Sage X3 and extend its use to additional facets of its operations, the scalability, extensibility and flexibility of the solution become even more valuable. “We have some customizations planned that The Answer Company’s development team will work on with us,” says Ziomkowski. “The advantage of Sage X3 is that we can make those changes without impacting our ability to update the software. We can remain current and continue to take advantage of the features rolled out in new versions of the software.”
Ideal Partner and Product Combination
Oregon’s Wild Harvest is benefiting both from the industry-specific functionality of Sage X3 and from the expert consulting and technical services provided by The Answer Company. “We feel like we have the best possible combination,” concludes Ziomkowski. “We have a consultant we know and trust, and who knows our business. He is backed by the broad technical and engineering resources of The Answer Company. Combine those resources with Sage X3 and we have all the right pieces in place.”