The Attivo Blog

A few months back I wrote about MAX and compared its relationship with QuickBooks to a superhero duo.  I thought I had expressed my feelings towards MAX and what a cool product I think it is.  I thought there was nothing more that I could say. That is until I found out that MAX released its latest version 5.0.7 and I found out that it now offers User Designed Fields.  This gives the user the flexibility to create their own user defined database fields and add them to existing MAX screens and reports.  I ran to my computer like Usain Bolt ran the 100m in the 2008 Olympics to write this blog! MAX with User Designed Fields is like popcorn with butter, or ice cream with chocolate syrup.  It makes something really good even better and makes MAX that much more powerful of an application.

I think everybody can agree that knowing the expiration dates on our perishable food items is an important thing.  I remember a time when a buddy of mine in college reached into the refrigerator and took 2 or 3 large gulps of a milk carton.  I guarantee you he would have liked to known that carton was 2 months old! For food and beverage distributors, having no lot control or recall management system in place for your inventory can lead to bigger issues then just getting sick.   Not having a quality system in place can lead to compliance failure and possible legal liability.  That is why The Attivo Group is having a free online webinar on Oct 28th.  If you haven’t guessed already the topic is Lot Control & Recall Management. Join today if you are looking to learn more about this valuable topic or if you just want to avoid turning green after drinking a 2 month old carton of milk!

BatchMaster is the last but certainly not the least important of products that I have selected to write for my “fab five” of manufacturing applications series.  Although BatchMaster is just as important as its other 4 members, the product itself caters to a very different audience. Being different is not a bad thing.  After all, if every human was exactly the same, the world would be a pretty boring place wouldn’t it?!  What do I mean by different?  No, the audience that BatchMaster is catering to is not from a different planet and no they do not have 3 eyes!  I mean the audience that BatchMaster works with manufactures and distributes different products then MAX, JOBBoss, MISys, and ACCTIvate! BatchMaster is an ERP solution that deals with Process (recipe-based) Manufacturing.  So in other words, it is a product that helps manage liquids, formulas, chemicals, ingredients etc.  Whereas BatchMaster’s 4 other members deal with discreet manufacturing items, BatchMaster handles a much different industry and handles it very well!  It also integrates with Great Plains, MAS90/200, ACCPAC and QuickBooks. So if you are in the Food & Beverage, Nutraceutical, Cosmeceutical, Chemicals or Life Sciences industries, come knocking on BatchMaster’s door.  It will certainly provide the help that you need!

Well it’s a new week and time for another blog posting for the “Fab Five” of manufacturing applications that integrate with QuickBooks.  With the NFL season currently underway I think it is only appropriate that I talk about ACCTivate! You ask… what do the NFL and ACCTivate! have in common?  ACCTivate! is an application that easily manages your operations while providing you with full Inventory Control.  ACCTivate! handles the operational side of the business while QuickBooks takes care of the accounting. When I think of the NFL, players that come to mind are Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Brett Favre.  As you will notice all of the players that I mentioned are quarterbacks and we all know that quarterbacks are the ones who handle the operations on the football field. Another thing that is important to NFL franchises is its fans.  The NFL makes it a priority to cater to its fan base and give them value for the money they are spending.  Like fans, ACCTivate! realizes that customers are vital to any business.  That is why CRM is built into the product to provide everybody in the company with the required information to make the customer happy. With all that being said think of ACCTivate! as the quarterback for your company.  ACCTivate! delivers robust features that enable businesses to automate, oraganize and adapt for a sustainable, competitive advantage.  Sounds a heck of a lot like what Drew Brees will do for any NFL team!

A few weeks back I blogged about my 5 favorite manufacturing applications that integrate with QuickBooks and referred to them as the “Fab Five.”  Now if you follow my blog on a somewhat consistent basis you will note that I have already given JobBOSS and MAX their own postings.  Not wanting to be accused of nepotism (I was an employee of Exact Software for 5 years) I felt it was only fair to give the other 3 members articles of their own. I put Acctivate!, MISys and BatchMaster’s names in a hat and drew to see which one I would start with.  The winner was MISys which is an application designed to fit the needs and budget of small manufacturing firms.  Pretty cool to have an application that automates your manufacturing processes, integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks and is cost effective to boot! Another pretty cool feature of MISys is the fact that it is modular.  So in other words, you only need to purchase what you need from the package.  That is awesome for small businesses with manufacturing needs. So now that I have covered 3 of the “Fab Five,” I think it is safe to say that small manufacturers have plenty of options out there.  Stay tuned for more blogs on the “Fab Five.”   Please don’t let the anticipation for them keep you up at night!