In the fall of 2004, American Sugar Refining, Inc (ASR) began an investigation to determine the requirements for implementation of a standardized Certificate of Analysis (COA) system across the various ASR refineries (Baltimore, MD; Yonkers, NY; Arabi, LA; South Bay, FL), as well as multiple transfer stations, and numerous third-party warehouses. In less than twelve months, the team at ASR developed and implemented an automated COA system at four refining / production facilities using the Quality Management (QM) module within SAP. Rollouts to the remaining facilities were completed by mid 2007 and implementation at the more recent acquisitions (C&H Sugar Company, Inc., Crockett, CA; American Sweeteners Corp.; Redpath Sugar, Toronto, Canada) is ongoing. ASR facilities using the automated COA system consistently reap the rewards and benefits of the system which continues to operate successfully with limited support requirements. The various stages of the project from initial assembly of the design team, development of a standard operation scheme applicable to each facility, selection of the system platform through final implementation and ongoing support are reviewed and discussed.
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