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| Whats New With MBS7 |
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| Minotaur is always looking for new ways
to improve functionality and user friendliness.
We are currently in the process of
adding tabs to the various master files,
such as the Item Master, Customers and
Suppliers. Our latest version of MBS7
includes tabs on the Item Master screen.
This allows the user to access the
screens they want directly, rather then
having to click through all the screens.
For example, the user can open the
locations screen by simply clicking on
the Locations tab rather then having to
click through the Attributes and Pricing
screens to get to the Locations screen.
Users can now move between the various
screens with the click of one button.
If you haven’t already made the move to
MBS7, call us now and we would be happy
to give you the information you need. |
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| Demos Now Available On Line |
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Minotaur’s touch screen production module with live weigh scale monitoring and bar code capable label printer is an efficient
way of recording weighted product, as it is being made. Especially valuable
in environments where using a keyboard is too slow, production areas are
messy and wet or operators are wearing thick gloves.
Using Minotaur’s handheld interface, you can automate your warehouse and
production area feeding live information to your Minotaur system through the use
of bar code capable handheld computers or PDA’s with terminal server capability.
For more information check out our online demonstrations of the Touch Screen
module and the Hand Held Interface on the respective module page on our
website. http://www.minotaursoftware.com/ |
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| Allergen Tracking in Minotaur by Judith Kirkness |
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As a Board Member for the Women in Food Industry Management Association (WFIM), I make a point of attending
as many of their events as I can. Our February speaker, Marilyn Allen, a Consultant of Anaphylaxis Canada
and a specialist in Allergens, told our group about the death of her daughter 18 years ago in their own home.
She had a severe peanut allergy. She has dedicated her life since to educating consumers, schools and the food
industry about food allergies and food allergen safety programs. I learned that there are currently guidelines on
food labeling of allergens as well as food label claims such as “Peanut Free” and “May come in contact with
nuts”. Speaking to a room of producers and distributors, she explained the importance of testing and traceability
in component raw ingredients for foods that make allergen claims. One critical control point for the introduction of
allergens in food manufacturing is during ingredient substitution. If supply of a normal ingredient is interrupted
and product development staff advise a substitution, it is important to ensure that the substitute meets the same allergen
claims as the original ingredient. Marilyn also shared some data for the one year period ending March 31, 2006 which showed
that there were 82 recalls in Canada due to undeclared allergens. The priority allergens that are required to be declared on
your labels include: Peanuts, Tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, etc), fish, shellfish/crustaceans, eggs, milk, soy, sesame
seeds, wheat, kamut, spelt, rye, barley, oats triticale, and sulphites. Your Minotaur system can produce detailed product
labels including bar codes to your specifications for application on your finished products.
Minotaur can help you with tracking both product specs on lab tested products as well as allergen claims tracking. You can
add non-inventory item codes for lab specs and when entering your Production runs, you can enter the lab results associated
with that lot. If you don’t have the results right away, you can always edit the applicable Production run and add the specs
later. Your Minotaur system can produce Certificates of Analysis to send to your customers based on the specs from the lots
that you ship them.
For allergen tracking, you can use Minotaur’s item attributes to define what attributes each ingredient possesses. Minotaur can
provide a great tool for tracking the needed information for your Allergen Risk Management program. For example, you can
indicate a raw ingredient is 1) certified organic, 2) gluten free and 3) peanut free. Then you can create a Bill of Materials
(recipe) including a bunch of raw ingredients. You can report on the attributes about each finished good and if all the ingredients
were certified ‘gluten free’, then your finished product, subject to appropriate testing, could be similarly declared ‘gluten
free’. If you need to make an item substitution, you can investigate the attributes about the proposed replacement item to ensure
it too meets the ‘gluten free’ requirement.
Give Minotaur a call today if you’d like to discuss in more detail how we can help with your labeling and organic/allergen tracking
program. If you’d like more information about WFIM, visit their website at www.wfim.on.ca or give Judith a call. You could
be her guest at an upcoming event.
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| Minotaur Launches New User Forum Site |
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| www.minotaurforums.com |
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| Minotaur is pleased to announce the launch of its first ever user
forum site. The site offers users the opportunity to connect with
other Minotaur users and exchange ideas on how get the
most out of their Minotaur system. Share your knowledge of
the Minotaur system with other users by posting your
tips\tricks or post your questions online and get answers
from other Minotaur users. |
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| Minotaur is always looking for ways to improve the system.
Share your thoughts on how we can better the system by posting your ideas in the suggest box.
Register today at www.minotaurforums.com and you will also gain access to other helpful features such
as our electronic manual and test alerts. And don’t forget to check out Richard’s blog for up to date information
on what he is currently working on.
To register, simply click on the Register button. Enter a user name, password and a valid email address.
An email will be sent to you from the site administrator confirming your registration information and
giving you access to the customer forum. |
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| Planning Ahead by Wendy Pineo |
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| Whether you want to establish traceability back to your Supplier or use scanning throughout your facility, many
companies will need to re-label at least some of their incoming goods with readable barcode labels. You may
wish to consider adding one of the following options to your Minotaur receiving screens. |
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Option 1: Receiving Label Printing
Labels can be generated per line item on the receiving. While on the line item, the user will use a function key
to open the print label window.
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| Based on information contained in the item master, the system
will suggest the number of labels to be generated. In this case,
product is ordered by kg and the average weight in each case is
20kg. This format can also be used for receiving catch weight
product where you may receive in 1000.15kg but you are not
applying a case/weight specific label to each individual case.
For customers that want to label each incoming case with the actual weight, this can be achieved using Minotaur’s touch
screen interface. The above scenario posts the receipt upon saving the inventory bill as in the standard receiving. Therefore,
you may need to provide staff some internal controls so as to prevent mislabeled product. i.e should a receiver
print labels and go back and change something or you experience a failure in your system, Minotaur will not be
aware of the labeled product. Depending on your situation, the dock receiving solution may be more appropriate. |
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Option 2: Dock Receiving
The dock receiving option provides more system control and is the preferred method as the information is posted in Minotaur
as each item is processed and the labels printed. However, this configuration does attract a higher cost. On receiving,
staff will select the item to be received, either by viewing items on
the PO or selecting from all items in your system. You can print case
labels as in option 1 or pallet labels using a field in the item master to
identify the number of cases/bags on a pallet. With the dock receiving
option, the generated labels and the information in Minotaur will always
match. Having the drop box for item selection, makes it very easy for
the receiver to receive in a pallet of item A then item B and another
pallet of item A. Consolidated item information is available on the
screen.
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This configuration is set to post the partial receiving in Minotaur as each label is printed. This is particularly useful for customers who receive in pallets of product and need to move that product right away to stock locations or use it in production before the remainder of the truck is unloaded.
Whether you want pallet labels or individual case labels, a variety of options are available for labeling incoming goods. Speak with your project manager about your specific needs and get scanning! |
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| Did you Know... |
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| Minotaur’s Attribute system allows users to define attributes of inventory items. Attributes are an extension of the
category fields on the item master and allow you to store text, numeric, date and yes/no information about an item. For
instance, you can identify whether an item is kosher or certified organic, specify the default picking location, the cost of
storing that item for a month, etc. There is a screen to define what the attributes are, and several means of defining
values for an item or items. The user simply lists each attribute that they want to define. The allowable data types are: |
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| YN – A yes or no (Boolean) value |
DLR – A dollar amount |
DTC—A Date |
UP – Text, forced upper case |
| INT – An integer (whole number) |
NUM – A numeric amount |
ANY—Any text |
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| Attributes can print on documents and be used as filters in reporting such as identifying all wheat-free inventory items
when considering an item substitution for your manufacturing or new product formulation. In addition they can trigger
events to take place such as always printing a certificate of analysis with the shipping documents. For more information
on incorporating attributes into your system, please give Judith a call. |
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| Minotaur Stays Involved |
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April 17, 2008, Mississauga Convention Centre
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The Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA) is an affiliate of the International Association for Food
Protection. Their mission is to provide food safety professionals with a forum to exchange information
on protecting the food supply.
Minotaur recently participated in their spring technical meeting held at the Mississauga Convention
centre.
OFPA members include food safety professionals from every facet of the food industry: Meat and Poultry, Bakery,
Brewery, Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Meats, Dairy, Snack Foods, Foodservice, Beverage, Fish and Prepared
Foods. In addition, suppliers to this industry, such as Minotaur, are also members. To learn more information visit
www.ofpa.on.ca.
Minotaur is also a member of the following associations: |
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| March’s Contest Winner |
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Congratulations to Larry Fawthrop of Dryvit Systems Canada for winning our March newsletter contest. Larry has won a $50 gift card
from Laura Secord. Dryvit Systems is a manufacturer of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS). Energy efficient and attractive
finishes for commercial and residential buildings. Larry is the General Accountant and has been with Dryvit for over 5 years.
We hope you enjoy your Gift ! |
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| Server Cabinet for Sale |
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Need to Organize Your Server Area?
We have just the thing you need to help keep your server area neat and functional. Minotaur is selling a Server Cabinet for
rack-mounted components. We will sell it to the highest bidder, with no reserve.
For more information please call Richard Kirkness at ext. 107. |
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| Out of the Maze is published to inform our current and potential customers of the latest events and happenings at Minotaur. |
| The information in this newsletter is provided to customers to use at their own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. |
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