CoreFX Ingredients Reaps the Benefits of Cloud-Based Software from Aptean

As an innovative and growing manufacturer of dry lipid-based nutritional oils, CoreFX Ingredients serves the health, wellness, sports nutrition and pet nutrition markets with formulations optimized for both flavor and functionality. The organization is dedicated to its mission of promoting health through nutrition with a customer-centric approach and ingredients that deliver in terms of both taste and performance.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, CoreFX has established itself as a leader in spray drying, spray coating, liposomal and nanoencapsulation technology in just a few short years. All of the products in the company’s four lines—HealthiCoreFX, SportsCoreFX, NutriCoreFX and PetCoreFX—are manufactured at a dedicated production facility in Orangeville, Illinois.

Considering the advanced and highly specialized methods used in the creation of the ingredients the business produces, it’s fitting that the CoreFX leadership team collectively decided that implementing a modern, purpose-built tech stack was a smart investment to future-proof operations. Joshua Britt, CFO, was already familiar with Aptean as a provider of top-tier business software when this digital transformation initiative was set in motion, which made vendor selection easier.

“I had 10 years of experience with Aptean prior to joining CoreFX, so when we were looking for a solution, I really knew that Aptean would be a great partner,” Britt said. “The commitment to product improvements and continuing development made the choice clear.”

CoreFX began the process by deploying Aptean Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), which allowed the organization’s maintenance professionals to eliminate outdated spreadsheet-based service plans in favor of a comprehensive system that keeps the total cost of equipment ownership low while boosting reliability and uptime. Then, the business rolled out Aptean’s cloud-based, industry-specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to act as a “single source of truth” across all stages of manufacturing.

As a result, CoreFX has realized a number of substantial benefits—but you don’t have to take our word for it. Let’s take a look at what Britt had to say about the advantages of choosing Aptean for the company’s software needs.

Improved Visibility and Better Decision-Making with Unified Platforms

Aptean’s EAM and ERP systems are the unified, centralized platforms that CoreFX was looking for to improve the visibility of critical information. Whether it’s upcoming preventive maintenance that needs to be scheduled, real-time manufacturing performance metrics or robust profitability analysis, the software makes finding the data employees require a simple matter with an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

“It’s all about giving us that information, that visibility into where we’re at currently,” Britt said. “That enables us to hone in on the most profitable products and the most efficient way to do things. And that helps us drive growth in the future.”

Having the relevant facts and figures at their fingertips makes CoreFX’s team members that much more effective in their roles. They’re able to make smarter decisions, faster, thanks to the ease of access and actionable insights that our cloud software provides.

“Making that information accessible lets us make more informed decisions as we go through the manufacturing process—all the way from procurement to sales,” Britt said.

Professional Support and Increased Flexibility with a SaaS Model

The fact that Aptean’s EAM and ERP are ready for cloud-based deployments on the Software as a Service (SaaS) model has been another major plus for CoreFX. As a relatively young and small company, internal IT resources are limited, but that’s not an issue with this implementation method, as maintenance and updates are left in the capable hands of our dedicated support staff.

“It made sense to go for a SaaS model for the sake of supporting and maintaining the system, but also as a consideration for future upgrades,” Britt said. “We knew the importance of being able to stay on top of all the latest releases, and that’s where we’re at now.”

Cloud deployments also promote operational flexibility via greater accessibility and mobile functionality. All that CoreFX employees need to use the software is a Wi-Fi connection and internet browser, making Aptean’s solutions perfect for today’s on-the-go professionals and remote workers.

“As more people have transitioned to work from home, it’s a much smoother experience to simply use a URL to log in and not have to worry about being at a physical workstation in the office,” Britt said. “Now we can basically work from anywhere and still maintain the performance of the company.”

Phased Rollout and Smooth Implementation with a Guide at Your Side

Aptean’s approach to the deployment process focuses on acting as a guide for the customer, as our implementation specialists assist in the creation of a project roadmap with measurable milestones and realistic timeframes. That was a big benefit for CoreFX, as the company simply doesn’t have the capacity to push out a new organization-wide system all at once.

“It’s been great—we had a very smooth implementation when we deployed our EAM and ERP,” Britt said. “Given that we have a small team on our side, we really looked at more of a phased approach. We wanted to implement the core ERP modules initially and then build on with other tools after that.”

What’s more, CoreFX’s leaders knew that support and troubleshooting are always just an email away with Aptean. The work of our highly capable IT professionals, as well as a decision to keep customizations to a minimum, made the deployment process relatively simple.

“All of the implementations we’ve done, the team has been great to work with,” Britt said. “Any support issues that we’ve had, it’s always a quick turnaround. The team is very knowledgeable and always willing to work through issues with us, as well.”

Aptean: The One-Stop Shop for Advanced Cloud Solutions from an Experienced Provider

An additional advantage of choosing Aptean is the extensive food and beverage industry experience that our team members have accrued thanks to collective decades serving the market. Our professionals know the space well and “speak the language” of manufacturers that specialize in the sector, so they bring awareness of the unique real-world challenges and insightful best practice advice to the table.

What’s more, we offer more than just EAM and ERP systems—Aptean has a complete suite of solutions, including overall equipment effectiveness (OEE); product lifecycle management (PLM); and routing and scheduling software. We can serve a diverse array of business needs, depending upon circumstances, and offer the same outstanding support across all of them.

“It goes back to having one vendor for all your solutions,” Britt said. “Being able to leverage the success that we’ve had with ERP and building off that makes Aptean a one-stop shop. And if there are future enhancements, we can really look to that one team to drive growth.”

To that point, CoreFX is now considering implementation of our OEE solution to pair with its current Aptean platforms. The excellent experience of the ERP rollout has transformed the company’s manufacturing processes for the better, and now further steps toward optimization are easier to envision and align as a result.

“As we look to the future and growing, adding new product lines and being able to evolve as a company, going from Excel spreadsheets with very little information to a full-service ERP suite has been pivotal,” Britt said. “It allows us to continue to adapt and maintain a high level of productivity as well.”

For one final proof point in Aptean’s favor, consider also our high ranking on The Software Report’s Power 500 Software Companies of 2023. Being recognized with a position in the top 10% and the 30th spot overall on the list is a testament to our products’ performance, organizational strength and excellent customer satisfaction.

So, ready to learn more about Aptean’s portfolio of business solutions and how they can power the modernization of your organization? Contact us today or request a personalized demo.