Custom Solutions
Do you need a custom report or feature added to TechWizard™ or Production™ Wizard? Do you need an application but cannot find one that meets your needs? Owl Software can help. Owl Software has over 20 years’ experience providing affordable custom solutions.
How does Owl Software help?
First, we review what you need. If this involves information that you wish to keep confidential, then a non-disclosure agreement is executed. Next, we provide an estimate of what it will cost to provide your custom solution. The new feature or application is developed and implemented. It’s that simple. Custom solutions typically fall in one of these categories: Custom Report, Shared Feature, Data Transfer, Auxiliary Application, or New Application. The following are examples of each type of custom solution.
Custom Report
Both TechWizard™ and Production Wizard™ come with a number of report formats. Some of the built-in reports can be customized with corporate logos and configured to display pertinent information. However, you may need one or more custom reports to showcase products, assist with manufacture, or meet other needs. We would be happy to help. We can work with you to develop a custom report that meets your needs.
Shared Feature
Clients often have great ideas for our applications. Sometimes, a client needs a new feature to be pushed to the top of the Owl Software “To Do” list. This is a special case where both the client and Owl Software agree that the feature should be developed, the feature itself does not involve confidential information, and it will be available to all users of the application. Owl Software prepares an estimate of the cost of developing the new feature. The cost is shared evenly between Owl Software and the client. Development of the new feature is expedited.
Data Transfer
Many of our clients are looking for a means of having their alphabet soup of software programs such as PLM, ERP, LIMS, CMMS, and/or SCADA communicate with Owl Software applications. We have experience transferring data to and from ASCII files, text files, spreadsheets, documents, and SQL databases to name a few. The following are some examples of data that can be transferred in and out of Owl Software applications: BOM (bill of materials), inventory, formula, ingredient pricing, ingredient composition, storage tank, recipe, batching and allergen information.
Auxiliary Application
The following describes the development of an auxiliary application. The goal was to utilize ingredient and formula information available in TechWizard™ along with other information to create product specification documents. Owl Software developed an application to edit and store additional product specification information. The application leverages the formula development and nutrition labeling features in TechWizard™ to create custom specification documents.
New Application
Sometimes our clients need a new application based on Owl Software’ technology. The following are some examples.
Product Manufacture Example
The goal was to develop a standalone application to create least-cost recipes that meets set constraints. The application is maintained and provided by Owl Software. The application communicates with an external enterprise software application to obtain inventory and pricing information. Bill of material information is created and output for manufacture. The application is based on Production Wizard™ with some major enhancements. It includes help documentation and training modules.
Global Product Management Example
The goal was to develop an application to obtain information from a number of other applications and maintain a global product database. The application is maintained and provided by Owl Software. The database provides for evaluating allergen content for different localities around the world, creating nutrition facts panels, and specialized ingredient statements.
Custom Training
Regardless of the type of custom solution, it results in a new software component that is not covered by typical Owl Software applications training. Owl Software can provide custom modules to quickly train your staff how to use the new features. Contact us to find out more.
