Mancuso Chemicals binds it all together with OSAS

Mancuso Chemicals of Niagara Falls, Ontario, supplies a variety of specialized products for coatings industries. They are experts in creating resins that go into industrial paints, such as the tough paint used for lines in the roads, street signs, and appliances. They also make binders chemicals for the foundry industry, which goes into sand to make breakable molds for custom metal pieces.

With so many special chemicals, product recipes, and variations in formula, managing the inventory and costing is a special challenge. Tracy Brewster, bookkeeper for Mancuso Chemicals, conquers this challenge with Open Systems Accounting Software (OSAS) from Open Systems, Inc. Mancuso has used OSAS since 1989, taking advantage of updates and improvements over the years.

Making full use of inventory functionality

Mancuso started using OSAS inventory when spreadsheets weren’t cutting it. “The reason we started using Inventory is because we weren’t getting a proper growth margin,” says Brewster. “Our cost-of-goods percentages were all over the map.”

Mancuso moved from hand-entered calculations to using OSAS to analyze the information, saving time and increasing accuracy. “Every month, the cost-of-goods is spit out automatically, which is just wonderful. When we get this margin, we’re getting a really good feel for which of our products are working best for us.”

Bill of Materials keeps the recipes in order

With countless incoming and outgoing inventory items, chemicals, and products, Mancuso uses their Inventory and Bills of Material applications to keep it all straight. “When we’re recording a batch in the bill of materials, we sometimes have to tweak the percentages,” says Brewster. “We’re working with liquid chemicals and other products that can be affected by factors like the humidity in the air, or even the time of year.” With easily adjustable functionality, OSAS is an indispensible tool in Mancuso’s formula arsenal.

Productivity reports give the pulse of the company

Excel still has its uses, and Brewster found this through the OSAS Productivity Reports. “We recently started using the Productivity Reports, which are really helpful for me,” she says. The Productivity Reports allow Brewster to easily refresh and sort the data in Excel spreadsheets to get the most out of critical business information. “I group them by product or by customer or by year... I love that.”

Open Systems provides smooth transitions, onsite training

As longtime Open Systems maintenance subscribers, Mancuso moved to the latest version of OSAS without much fuss. Using the latest version ensures smooth operation as well as new functionality. Brewster says that they are making use of the updated report chooser that allows individual account selections without having to see “all the accounts or the accounts in between in a range.”

Mancuso has also taken advantage of the on-site trainers available through Open Systems. Both the regional representative and special trainers have paid visits to the Niagara Falls site, helping the company take care of offsite database juggling and making use of Productivity Reports.

Growth after a quarter of a century

Brewster is pleased to report that, through special product focus, industry expertise, and attention to improving processes, Mancuso Chemicals is still growing after 26 years in business. Open Systems is pleased to be a continual partner in their success, and looks forward to supporting them into the next quarter century.