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GAZIANTEP LOCAL · FOOD PRODUCTION AND LABORATORY

Gaziantep food software that records the analysis of every lot from sample to dispatch

In food, the real issue is not production but proof. Which raw material went into which lot, what was that lot's analysis result, who approved it, which customer received it. When that chain is split between Excel in the laboratory and paper ledgers in production, an audit or a complaint finds you without a complete record. Without touching your accounting software, we gather that chain in one place. We start at your plant in Başpınar, standing at the sample reception desk.

The picture in Gaziantep
  • In our own field research we classified 145 of the 1,108 companies in the Gaziantep organised industrial zone (OSB) as food producers — the second-largest sector we classified after textiles with its 257 companies. Flour, bulgur and pulses, oils and confectionery all work side by side in the same district.
  • By our sub-segment estimate there are around forty-five flour and milling plants among them. The figure is not exact — it is an estimate drawn from field data — but it shows the weight of Gaziantep's flour and pulses side. And in a mill, the laboratory is not decoration; it is where the blending decision is made.
  • A quarter of the companies in the research — 294 — turned out to be verified exporters. In food, exporting means being able to produce the analysis certificate, lot number and traceability record the buyer asks for, the moment they ask. When those records are scattered across Excel, every request turns into a separate shift of work.
  • Of the companies we recorded, 236 are micro and 413 small businesses. On the food side the laboratory is usually run by one or two people; any system installed must reduce those two people's workload, not add to it.
  • Our office is in the same city. We reach Başpınar or Şehitkamil the same day; standing at the sample reception desk and watching how the records are kept says more than ten remote meetings.

If the laboratory runs on Excel, the middle of the traceability chain is broken

  • Everything from sample reception to analysis results lives in a single Excel file. The file sits on one person's computer, backups are irregular, and two people cannot open it at once. When that person goes on leave, the laboratory's memory goes on leave too.
  • The link between analysis results and production lots is made by hand. Which raw-material lot went into which production lot is written on paper; when a trace-back is needed, pulling files from the archive becomes a long job.
  • At raw-material intake, the supplier's certificate of analysis is never compared with your own measurement. Which supplier's declarations hold up, which one keeps arriving at the limit — without that distinction, the purchasing decision comes down to price alone.
  • The recipe is kept in more than one place: a sheet in production, another record in accounting, a third version with the technical manager. Which one is current is a matter of debate, and when the recipe changes, not everyone hears at the same time.
  • Real cost cannot be worked out. Raw-material prices change constantly, wastage is not measured, yield is not recorded. Product cost is calculated from an old spreadsheet instead of the current recipe.
  • Shelf-life tracking is on paper. Which lot's expiry date is approaching, which goods in the warehouse should be moved first — with no system alerts, that control depends on someone's attention.
  • HACCP (the hazard analysis and critical control points system for food safety) records, critical control point measurements and cleaning forms sit in separate binders. When an audit arrives, the files are gathered, and any gaps are filled in retrospectively. That is both a risk and wasted labour.
  • When a complaint arrives, where the affected lot was distributed cannot be established easily. Even in a recall drill, with the information not held in one place, assembling it takes too long.
  • The accounting ERP holds stock and invoices but sees nothing of quality. A blocked lot looks sellable in the system; the only thing standing between it and dispatch is the storekeeper's memory.
  • The calibration schedule and instrument maintenance live in a separate notebook. Which instrument's calibration has lapsed, which analysis was run on an instrument past its calibration — the answer only starts being sought after the fact.

We build a layer that connects the laboratory into production

What we want is not to put a new burden on the laboratory, but to have the information already being written down entered once, in the right place. Once the records are gathered in one place, traceability, the audit file and the cost report stop being separate jobs and become different views of the same data.

Sample reception and analysis tracking

Every incoming sample is registered, the required analyses are assigned automatically, and results are checked against specification limits as they are entered. An out-of-spec result flags itself; who entered what, when, and who approved it is on record. The scattered Excel file disappears and the data lives in one place.

Lot traceability

A single lot number travels from raw-material intake through the production lot to packing and dispatch. On a customer complaint you can trace, in both directions and on one screen, which raw materials the lot came from and where it went. Recall drills run from the same place.

Supplier raw-material scorecard

The supplier's certificate of analysis and your own measurement sit in the same record. Over time it becomes visible whose declarations hold up, who keeps arriving at the limit and whose rejection rate runs high. The purchasing decision stops resting on price alone.

Recipes, yield and cost

Recipes are versioned and held in one place; who changed what and when is clear, and production always sees the current version. Actual consumption is compared with the recipe, and yield and wastage are measured. When raw-material prices are updated, product costs update with them.

Shelf life, blocking and warehouse discipline

Every lot carries its production and expiry dates; approaching dates raise early warnings, and first-in-first-out is supported by the system. A lot blocked by quality does not appear sellable in stock and does not show up on the dispatch screen.

HACCP records and the audit file

Critical control point measurements, cleaning and hygiene forms and the instrument calibration schedule are held in the same system. When an audit arrives, the file for the requested period comes out ready; the scramble to fill in forms retrospectively disappears.

How we work

  1. 01

    Initial call

    We talk about what you produce, which analyses your laboratory runs, which certifications you are subject to and what you currently keep where. A short conversation, at no charge — and if we think we are not the right fit for you, we say so.

  2. 02

    Laboratory and site discovery

    We come to the plant. From the sample reception desk to the production line, from the warehouse to dispatch, we watch where each record is born, and talk separately with the quality lead, the production chief and the warehouse manager. We also review your current Excel files exactly as they are, because the system's real requirements are written there.

  3. 03

    Specification and flow design

    We put your product and raw-material specifications, analysis lists, approval authorities and lot-number scheme in writing. This step comes before any software; no traceability system works unless the lot numbering is built properly first.

  4. 04

    Module-by-module development

    We usually start with sample reception and analysis tracking, because that is the most labour-hungry and most fragile part. At each stage we have the laboratory try a working version; we do not move to the next module until they are comfortable using it.

  5. 05

    Go-live, training and support

    While the system goes live, Excel runs in parallel for a while; we do not switch the old way off until the two records match. Maintenance and development support continue afterwards. The source code and all the data stay with you; you can carry on with another team later if you wish.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a LIMS? We don't know the acronym.

LIMS stands for laboratory information management system — software that records the laboratory's work from sample intake through analysis results to reports. What we build is that, connected to food production: the laboratory does not stand as an island on its own; results link directly to production lots and dispatch.

Will we have to replace our current accounting software?

No. Whether you run Logo, Mikro, Netsis or anything else, your receivables, stock and invoicing side stays where it is. The quality and traceability layer is built alongside it, with data flowing between the two. We have previously built a production layer alongside an existing ERP without touching it at all; the setup here is similar.

One person runs our laboratory. Will their workload increase?

The aim is the exact opposite. Right now the same information is written in several places: on a form, into Excel, then into a report. With the system in place the information is entered once, and reports and certificates are generated from that record. There is a temporary spike of effort during go-live; we say that up front too.

Will it help us in an official inspection or a customer audit?

It will, because what an audit wants is records and consistency. The critical control point measurements, analysis results, calibration schedule and lot-tracing records for the requested period come out of one place. The auditor makes the compliance decision; what we ensure is that the person making that decision is handed a complete file.

Can results be captured automatically from our instruments?

It depends on the instrument. If it offers a data interface or a file output, we can read from it. If not, we set up manual entry — and even then, results pass through limit checks, so a mistyped entry is caught. We tell you which is possible during discovery, after looking at your instruments; we do not make promises up front.

We are millers. Is it suitable for flour and pulses too?

It is. In a mill the laboratory is already the decision centre of production; the blending decision is made on analysis results. The system records which data that decision was based on, and holds yield and wastage tracking in the same place. Our field research showed the weight of this sector in Gaziantep as well.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

It depends on product range, number of analyses and plant size. We split the work into fixed-scope phases; the first phase is usually sample and analysis tracking. Timeline and price are put in writing up front, and after seeing the result the decision to continue is yours. We also have a separate guide explaining how our pricing is built.

Where does our data live?

Wherever you choose: on your own server or in a cloud environment opened in your name. The source code and all the data belong to your business. In food, records are an asset that must be kept for a long time; they should not be left at the mercy of a supplier.

Let's start at the sample reception desk

Let us see on site where each record is born and where it breaks, from raw-material intake to dispatch. Let us review the Excel your laboratory keeps today exactly as it is; the real requirements list is already written there. You end up with a plan that moves in phases, without replacing your current software.

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