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Introducing the Benefits of Emydex Version 4.0

The Emydex Product Development and Customer Delivery teams have been busy over the past months, delivering a major upgrade of the underlying Emydex platform and Modules, the first in three years (release Version 4.0), as well as designing and building many new customer-driven features and functionality.

Main Upgrade Changes:

2.1 .Net 4.0

As part of the version 4 upgrade Emydex have moved from .Net 3.5 to .Net 4.0. We choose to target .Net 4.0 rather than .Net 4.5, as the latter version will not run Windows XP nor any previous operating systems. Customers running Windows 7 or later will automatically have .Net 4.0 installed but for any terminals running any Operating system earlier than Windows 7 they will need to install .Net 4.0 separately in order to run Version 4 of Emydex. A full list of .Net 4 changes can be found here.

2.2 Dev Express V13.2

Emydex Version 4 uses DevExpress V13.2 (latest at the time development started) which gives the UI a much more modern look and feel, along with a host of other features and benefits.

  • WinForms Spreadsheet Control
  • WinForms PDF Viewer Control
  • New WinForms Map Control
  • New Touch-Optimized Controls
  • Flyout Panel
  • WinForms Chart Control with Data Aggregation & Sparkline
  • WinForms Document Manager
  • New Live Tile Manager Component
  • New WinForms Editors
  • New Control Designer UI

What’s New in DevExpress 13.2 are here

2.3 Multiple Processors

Version 4 has the ability to have more than one DMS Server processing data on the same production system.

Benefits – data processor load balancing, allowing prioritisation of which messages get processed first and the speed they get processed in. This is potentially of huge benefit to larger Production sites with high throughput of DMS server transactions

2.4 Transient Fault Handling

Emydex now utilises smart retry/back-off logic to mitigate the effect of transient failures in both our on-Premise and cloud-based Emydex systems. This is applicable for time-outs, heavy loads, temporary loss of connectivity or times of heavy performance demands. Instead of throwing an exception and displaying a not available or error page to our customers, Emydex will assume the error is transient, and automatically retry the operation that resulted in the error. In the vast majority of cases the operation will succeed on the second try, and the system will recover from the error without the customers ever having been aware that there was a problem in the first place.

2.5 Cloud Hosting & Cloud Deliverable

  • Delivery of Emydex installs and upgrades via the cloud
  • No need for a file server or plugins folder share anymore
  • No dependency on IIS for SDA application anymore
  • No dependency on link server anymore
  • New licencing model with automatic activation
  • App connection setup is greatly simplified – no need to know server name, database, login username & password etc.. These are all configured centrally.
  • Addition of new Quick set-up i.e., ‘copy workstation’ functionality, meaning new terminal installs are quicker and simplified
  • DMS Clients are more ‘network aware’, meaning if the connectivity to backend server is lost, Version 4.0 prevents data from being lost e.g., in the middle of editing a product file. The client will enter standby-mode until connectivity is restored
  • Enables easy App updates as they are more controlled and could be done on a regular bases.
  • Also supports full cloud-hosted databases on a pay-as-you-use basis, removing the need for the procurement, installation and maintenance of local file servers, local server licences as well as database licences, lowering total cost of ownership
  • Cloud-based development and testing environments are standard for new Emydex installations, facilitating customer input and feedback much earlier in product development lifecycle. Test environments are commissioned upfront on day 1. This means that a customer doesn’t need to source and commission these environments which can be very costly and take time.

2.6 Standardisation & Best Practice

Emydex have put a lot of “good practice” into place by applying coding standards and using sets of tools to aid and enforce these best practice coding standards.

  • Migration of coding from VB.Net to C# – in line with industry best practice. C# for example forces better coding practices ensuring more optimally performing code
  • The adaptation of new coding patterns such as Dependency Injection and event aggregator allow us build solutions more efficient and easier to extend.
  • We implemented a dictionary of terms ensuring that all developers are using the same definitions for the industrial terms used.
  • Standard PLU File layout – this is mainly for new customers as existing customers have their own PLU systems and file structures bedded in. That said though, existing customers will also benefit from further development in this area.
  • Standard systems such as the new ‘Food System’, contains a full suite of “Door to door” functionality, allowing user to run full process out-of-the-box
  • Database – reviewed and cleaned, corrected and standardised naming conventions, removing unused objects, optimized indexes
  • Database – made compatible with Microsoft Azure SQL – meaning easy and quicker migration from one platform to the other e.g., from Test Lab to Live

2.7 Security

  • In version 4.0 Emydex have defined how a standard security configuration should work on a SQL database in order to support our application, this allows customers have control over who has what type of access (view, edit) to which data sets? (Removed the “sa” logins)
  • Standardisation of Application Role Type e.g., MDA admin security rights, DMS Client supervisor security rights etc

2.8 Data Grids

Emydex system now supports Intelligent data grid refresh only when data changes – minimising data load and bandwidth (previously refreshed continuously, regardless of activity)

2.9 Web Services APIs

  • Web services APIs (RESTful) are now available within the Emydex Apps for operational tasks and integration to 3rd party systems (import/export)
  • These are extendable to meet customer requirements
  • Meaning any 3rd party can integrate with the various Emydex Applications e.g., stop and start DMS server from an iPhone (different platform)

2.10 Label Designs

  • Labels design layouts are now stored in the database rather than on the server, meaning labels are faster to load, easier to manage and sync across systems.
  • No dependency on file shares and supports master version control e.g., central (master) to local site to factory floor terminal
  • Standardisation of label design in order to enhance print speed and performance
  • Allows multi-lingual data on labels
  • Label Printing Service to control printing is performed on a background thread
  • Using Nice Labels within the application:
    • Uses logging to analyse why things are not functioning as they should be, if there is an issue
    • Changed the Nice Label Printing Engine to check length of ‘passed in’ variable against the length set in the label design, clip & warn if too big
    • This is mainly for text fields e.g., if the systems passes a bigger size text than is set on the label, Nice Labels will just ignore it and print the previous set value – which leads to wrong data being printed on the label. This change will truncate (n-2) and add “..” to the end of text if too big.
    • Added base Data processing classes to handle “Label Reprinted” & “Label Cancelled” messages. Logs to DMS Transaction for auditing purposes
  • Added Label Preview and Data Processing to record any printing of this label preview.
  • Note: A variable has been added to the label to mark it as QC preview and if printed – i.e. should only be used for QC, not put on cases etc.

2.11 Nice Labels 6.0

Emydex now supports both Nice Labels 6.0 whilst also remaining backwards compatible with Nice Labels 5.0. The main features & benefits of Nice Labels version 6.0 over previous versions are detailed here

2.12 SDA (Scanning Terminal Application)

  • The SDA Application has been updated to use a modern UI
  • All SDA forms rewritten in C# and standardised
  • Breaking of dependency on IIS, meaning much quicker and easier installations of SDA and no need for a customer to have a server running IIS, saving cost.
  • SDA is now database independent – can use SQL CE or SQLite. SQLite being the preferred choice as it has more features such as views, stored procedures, functions and is also consistent with SQLite database utilised on MDA
  • Cloud connector (cloud DB support) – allows connectivity to any database via a web service
  • Emydex On-Demand support for SDA to deliver App updates and add-ons via the cloud
  • Simplified Stock Reconciliation allowing start and complete Stock Rec and Stock Counts for reporting solely from an SDA scanner
  • SDA independent of Scanner screen resolution, screens will automatically resize to fit any Windows CE devices. Previously screen size was fixed to the PDA standard screen size
  • Ability to print labels from SDA via Web Service rather than using direct approach, meaning:
    • (1) no need for Nice Labels licences on scanner
    • (2) full and extensive use of all functions within Nice labels
    • (3) removal of all dependencies e.g., connecting scanners to printers

2.13 MDA (PC Terminal Application)

The Emydex PCA application (Emydex’s Factory Floor PC terminal found in Version 3.3.5 and earlier) will continue to be supported by Emydex, but the newer (leaner) MDA Application for Factory floor PC terminals and tough-books has been enhanced and extended in Version 4. Compared against the PCA application, the MDA application is more lightweight, leaner, has a better UI design as well as enhanced performance.

  • There is a sharper UI and design for touch and operation on tablet devices.
  • It takes advantage of new technology and developments, i.e. APIs and full cloud support.
  • Simplified the switching of users on the MDA (factory floor) using PIN numbers rather than passwords and allows for quicker switching and locking – for jumping between various role types quickly e.g., from operator to supervisor and back again (to change dates)
  • Support basic speech commands
  • From the MDA you can add removed & reordered forms
  • Can easily download forms & data from the DMS and rebuild its database
  • Added Label Review, Reprint & Cancel to Transaction history

2.14 Other new Version 4 features in brief:

  • Data Aggregation – surfacing of real-time IT Performance data, Daily Production data or QC data at periodic intervals, per site, across group sites via web-based reporting
  • Stock Maps – highlighting via warehouse maps, which product stocks are stored in which warehouse locations. Stock map search filters can also be used to highlight the whereabouts of products containing one or many specified Allergens
  • Packaging & Back flushing
  • Inventory Re-order advisory reporting
  • Quality Forms – giving Emydex customers the ability to build and run their own QC survey forms for running on fixed or mobile (MDA) devices such as tough books or windows tablets

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Four New Senior Programmers join the Emydex Development team

In line with continued growth and expansion, mainly in overseas markets, Emydex is pleased to announce four new senior hires joining the Emydex Development and Implementation teams over the past 9 months

Returning home to Ireland after a number of years living and working in Melbourne, Australia,Dermot O’Sullivan joins Emydex as a Senior Developer. Dermot holds a BSC Degree in Business Information Systems from Dublin Institute of Technology. He has over 14 years programming experience, including 8 years .Net development with companies such as RXP and Cognology in Australia.

Emydex Corporate Offices

Pat Doocey, also joins the Emydex Implementation team as a Senior Developer with over 18 years work experience in such companies as MX Sweep, the LGCSB and HP where he worked as a Process Engineer. Pat holds a BEng (Hons) in Manufacturing Engineering from Coventry University. He is a keen cyclist, having recently made history by participating in the first Irish team to complete the ‘Race Across America’ non-stop cycling race, with only eight riders and no crew.

Another recent joiner to the Emydex development team, also with an Australian connection, isScott Doeke, originally from Southern Australia, now living in Ireland for over 10 years. Scott joins Emydex with over 20 years programming experience, and holds a BEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of South Australia. Previous to Emydex Scott worked as a software developer for Domogo, a company he co-founded. Scott is keen on both cricket & badminton.

Emydex Corporate Offices
Emydex Corporate Offices
Emydex Corporate Offices

Finally our most recent new hire is Pawel Gonet, a software engineer for the past 15 years, mostly working with Microsoft technologies C#.Net and SQL. Pawel holds a B.SC Software Engineering Degree from the Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland. Prior to joining Emydex, Pawel worked for 8 years with Gamma & Bizmaps in Dublin.

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Emydex live in Botswana Meat Commission

LOBATSE/FRANCISTOWN/MAUN – BOTSWANA:
Established by the Parliament of the Republic of Botswana in 1966, the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) procure, slaughter and process beef, as well as beef by-products for sale locally, regionally and internationally. BMC operate three abattoirs in Lobatse (main site and group head-office), Francistown and Maun, Botswana as well as a Tannery and Cannery in Lobatse. BMC also has cold storage facilities in South Africa with marketing subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, Holland and South Africa. Its two abattoirs in Lobatse and Francistown are licensed to sell in the EU as they meet all the EU animal welfare and food safety standards. BMC mostly exports to the EU and RSA.

In October 2014, one of Emydex’s international distributors, deployed the Emydex Packing & Processing Software module to eight Primal packing Industrial workstations in the Botswana Meat Commission’s main beef production plant in Lobatse, Botswana.

New-2

Emydex Primal Weigh-labelling system operating on eight industrial workstations

The Lobatse site is currently deboning 600 beef carcasses per day, producing over 15,000 primal pack labels. Each label is printed in ten separate languages including Arabic and Greek. Primal meat labels are printed with variable text incorporating formatting in compliance with the recent EU Food Allergen Labelling Regulation (EU directive 1169/2011).

Unlike their previous printing system BMC no longer need to define separate label templates for each product with fixed ingredient text. Instead the Emydex Packing system stores ingredient text as a variable against each product, thereby minimising the number of label templates required. BMC production managers and supervisors can identify any Allergens in the label ingredient text and highlight them in bold.

Mandatory country of origin labelling is accomplished by the Traceability recording functionality that is inherent within the Emydex Primal packing and labelling system.

Average label printing cycle time on Emydex factory floor application is 1.2 seconds, with physical label printing speeds averaging 1.8 seconds.

Commenting on the system go-live, Billy Mauco, IT manager with BMC said “Storing primal labels with variable text rather than fixed means we only need to maintain a fraction of the labels we previously supported. The new Emydex system also enables printing of variable labels in ten languages including Greek and Arabic, as well as font formatting, something our previous system could not do. Printing speeds are good, the system is robust and hassle-free.”

David McMahon, Emydex CEO added “one unique aspect of this recent Emydex project in Botswana is that our team managed to configure, test and deploy a BMC-tailored version of our Packing and Labelling software all via the Emydex cloud, without anyone from Emydex visiting Botswana. Ian Carson, one of our International distribution partners, sourced and installed all the industrial hardware required, following which Emydex installed and tested the system remotely in conjunction both BMC staff as well as our distributor. Even though the BMC’s ‘live’ Emydex system is today hosted on a local production server, alternately there’s no reason why it couldn’t have remained hosted in the cloud.”
For more information on the Emydex system click here or contact Emydex on +353 1 8855990

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Euro Quality Lambs are live with Emydex Kill Line & Payments System

SHROPSHIRE-UK:
Euro Quality Lambs Ltd (EQL) is a lamb and sheep abattoir capable of processing 12,500 carcasses a week with onsite boning and further processing facilities. The majority of EQL production is sold in carcass form, both to the UK and throughout Europe.

EQL is one of the largest specialised and dedicated Halal meat processors in the UK.

In 2014 EQL recognized that their ageing production management system was in need of updating in order to satisfy both customer and legislative quality, traceability and veterinary requirements. After a detailed review of market suppliers of meat processing software in both the UK and Ireland, Emydex Technology were chosen to supply a new Lamb kill line system to EQL.

Installed over a number of separate project phases, the Emydex software installed was configured specifically for EQL, by tailoring the Emydex standard Lamb kill line system to deliver functionality from livestock procurement right through to carcass & box dispatch.

Hardware costs were kept to a minimum by reusing the existing scales, printers and barcode scanners. The only new hardware installed (supplied by Emydex industrial hardware partner MWS Ltd) being three new industrial touch-screen computer terminals. A single OCM was supplied to enable labelling of boxes (both offal and primals).

Rizvan Khalid (Senior Director) of Euro Quality Lambs commented “having met the Emydex team and seen all of the product development, project delivery and customer support teams based in Dublin, we felt confident that we could work with Emydex. Since then our project has been implemented in a timely manner, and has met and in some cases surpassed our expectations.” Khalid added “One differentiator with Emydex over the other factory floor systems we evaluated was the ability and ease with which the Emydex system can be modified and configured to work in line with our existing EQL business processes. We had many new ideas that we wanted to incorporate into our new system. The flexibility inherent in Emydex means everything is possible”

Commenting on the installation, David McMahon CEO with Emydex in Dublin said “Rizvan and the management team in EQL had a very clear vision of their system requirements from the outset of the project, that was the automated collection of production data from factory door-to-door, enabling accurate reporting on production yields, quality and traceability information in real-time.”
For more information on the Emydex system click here or contact Emydex on +353 1 8855990

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Emydex move to new Corporate Office in Dublin. Plans for Australian office

Emydex today are pleased to announce the relocation of their Dublin headquarters to a new corporate office in Unit 4B-5, Blanchardstown Corporate Park, Dublin 15.

Emydex’s Product Development, Implementation and Support teams were previously split over three floors across two separate buildings. The move to unit 4B-5 into a single large open-plan space means everyone is now working closely together, with plenty of room for the company to grow from the current team of thirty people to forty five or fifty as required.

Emydex at MeatUp Uk 2011
Emydex at MeatUp Uk 2011
Emydex at MeatUp Uk 2011
“I see our future growth being overseas rather than Ireland at this point” said Emydex CEO David McMahon. “Right now our business is mostly focussed on food processing markets in the UK, Southern Africa, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Whilst we can service both UK and Southern Africa effectively from Dublin given we’re all working in the same time zones, we’re looking to open an office in Australia by the end of the year. We’ve been working with a distributor based in Brisbane for the past two years. Our plan to incorporate a new company in Australia and build a team there to service meat, fish and food processors based in Australia and New Zealand.
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Food industry software on the fast-track growth plan

Software company Emydex is a ten-year-old software company, and now a three-in-a-row winner in the Deloitte Fast 50, placed at 17 with a revenue growth rate of 400 percent.

Emydex pictured with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Richard Bruton, TD, earlier in 2014

Its products are aimed at the food processing sector, from raw material arrival and slaughtering, through factory floor operations to traceability compliance and multi-site reporting. It is unique in having specialised solutions for sub-sectors such as beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish and the pre-retail processing of products from them.

“We currently have 70 plants using our software in Ireland, Britain, France and Namibia and Botswana in Africa,” said Emydex chief executive David McMahon. “In most cases our clients are food groups, so there are four sites in Namibia and three in Botswana. Our clients are something of a ‘who’s who’ of food groups, certainly to Irish eyes, including Kerry Foods, Dawn Meats, Kepak, Moy Park, Dunbia Group, Slaney Foods, Liffey Meats and Rockabill Shellfish.

Emydex systems work with about 70 percent of core platform software in common, McMahon said. A further 20 per cent or so is tailored to the specific vertical sub-sector and at least 10 per cent in all cases that is tailored to the particular client and even site.

“This is what underpins one of our key selling points internationally. We can integrate seamlessly with whatever enterprise systems the client has already invested in, typically some of the big ERP products like Microsoft Dynamics. Our place is lower down, right on the production floor to capture key production data that feeds upwards to a central management system.”

At a higher but still sector-specific level, Emydex covers plant management fields such as yields and costings, quality management, recipe management (formulation) and production planning. It also integrates with complimentary systems areas such as warehouse management, cold storage and logistics.

“Most of our installations are on-premise and deployed, supported and updated from our Dublin head-office,” Said McMahon.

“We also offer a cloud solution, which some clients have embraced. Cloud is also the medium for our own software development and testing. Ironically, it then offers a perfect drop-in solution for on-premise deployments, which are already tailored and tested to the client and site specifications. Then we simply drop the total package onto the client’s local server.”

Emydex is currently targeting other overseas markets, notably the US, Canada and Australia, where it has local partners in place, as well as South Africa.

Details of the final Technology Fast 50 ranking list are available to download at www.fast50.ie

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