April 26, 2004 — Bellevue, WA — ITTIA software has solved another data access dilemma for a large company. InBatch from Wonderware (a division of Invensys, PLC) is used in production facilities worldwide. This batch management software has streamlined production in fields including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers and food production. One of their customers is Maryland-based Washington Quality Foods, who uses Wonderware solutions for many tasks, including helping maintain both FDA and kosher standards.
As a company bent on improvement and growth, Washington Quality Foods needed to make sure that they were receiving the most use possible out of their IT assets. The company recognized that they could increase administrative efficiency by summarizing materials inventory requirements for currently scheduled batches. They could also better manage inventory with an in-depth analysis of the recipes stored in InBatch.
Most software has a built-in method for data portabilityâ - i.e. so maintenance cost can be charted against plant uptime, or running costs of individual machines can be compared to plant productivity. Though other standards exist, such as XML, most database software still uses the proven Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) standard. This standard is supported by Microsoft, Oracle, Crystal Decisions (maker of Crystal Reports) and every other major software developer.
Though Washington Quality Foods was very pleased with InBatch, the software lacked data integration standards, and the information they needed was hidden or compartmentalized.
ITTIA offers a variety of database solutions for customers worldwide, including software and consulting. ITTIA's product, ITTIA ODBC, was a readymade solution to Washington Quality Foods' problem. Their software can make InBatch's embedded data available via ODBC.
"ITTIA ODBC was easily installed and we were able to connect to the InBatch database and connect ODBC tools to generate reports," said Tony Murray, Director of Information Technologies for Washington Quality Foods.
Taking full advantage of available data assets is critical in today's difficult marketplace. Washington Quality Foods sets an example by their proactive use of data and technology to ease and streamline administrative tasks.
"Keeping track of data from various sources can aid in reporting, decision making and certification," said Sasan Montaseri, President of ITTIA. "We've found a large market exists of companies that want to leverage all of their data assets, or don't want to lose legacy data when migrating to a new application."