InBios International

INBIOS INTERNATIONAL has been on the forefront of infectious disease diagnostic research since 1998. The company was one of the first to market with a Zika diagnostic test and recently developed two COVID-19 tests that have received emergency use authorization from the FDA.

It’s a busy and critical time for biotech companies in general, but InBios International entered 2020 well prepared for the challenges ahead.

In early 2019, NexTec Group took InBios International live on Acumatica, empowering the company with the tools and technology it needs to grow and scale, even during a pandemic.

“We got Acumatica in place right in time,” Bryan Deszell, Manufacturing Manager for InBios International, says. “Along with NexTec, Acumatica was instrumental in ensuring we could get our coronavirus diagnostic tests to market as rapidly as we did.”

Prior to Acumatica, InBios International was using software built in-house years ago. “It was designed to handle sales orders and to track lot numbers as they were sold, but it had no capabilities for managing inventory holdings and raw materials,” explains Deszell. “We were running more than half the business with spreadsheets and email.”

As the company grew — doubling in the past few years — the lack of an integrated ERP application began to stress the company’s resources. “Without accurate, current inventory numbers, we couldn’t keep up with growing demand,” recalls Deszell. “We simply weren’t confident in what we had on hand and what we needed to order. We needed to scale the business, and that required we move to an ERP solution.”

NexTec helped the company evaluate leading Cloud ERP solutions, ultimately recommending Acumatica. “We believe in technology’s power to transform, and we selected NexTec and Acumatica to lead the effort,” says Deszell. “It’s our platform to build the business on going forward.”

InBios International praises the NexTec consulting team for their considered, professional approach to the implementation. NexTec first met with teams from across the company to gain an understanding of how they work and what they needed to do their jobs more effectively.

“What was really beneficial is that NexTec didn’t just try to map our current processes into Acumatica. They made recommendations for ways we could adapt our processes to be more efficient, more streamlined and more effective. That was hugely valuable to us and our operations are better for it.”

“NexTec didn’t just try to map our current processes into Acumatica — they made recommendations for ways we could adapt our processes to be more efficient.”

Following comprehensive testing and training, NexTec brought Acumatica live with no issues. “NexTec was a real pleasure to work with throughout the implementation,” says Deszell. “They have since built several customizations for us in the software to address some of our unique workflows that will save us more time. It’s great to know that the system can always be improved, and that NexTec is on top of it, solving any issue that may arise.”

The company has multiple kit items which are assembled to order, and many of the kits share some of the same components. “It had become nearly impossible to determine if we had enough components to fulfill our orders,” recalls Deszell. “Sometimes we’d have five people counting what was on the shelves and matching them to orders to see if we had enough. Now we have that information available in real time.”

With Acumatica, the company has seen a huge improvement in inventory control throughout the supply chain. “We’re able to connect purchase orders to production orders through to sales orders,” explains Deszell. “We trust our numbers. That’s something we didn’t have before.”

Acumatica is not just saving InBios International time, but is helping the company increase accuracy and traceability. “We can now track lot numbers within the system with forward and backward traceability,” says Deszell. “Before, lot tracking involved too much time, too much paper, and lots of manual tasks.”

Forecasting demand is now simpler and more accurate. “Previously we did hand counts frequently to determine exactly what we had on hand and what we needed to order,” says Deszell. “Now, the software can analyze prior years’ sales to help us identify seasonal trends for our products. We use that information to place purchase orders at just the right time.”

The raw materials used in the company’s kits can be very expensive, so being able to order optimal quantities at the ideal time saves money in carrying costs. “We’re now better able to meet demand, with much less time spent — and much less stress,” adds Deszell.

The company’s FDA approvals bring on an extra burden of product traceability. “We have to provide detailed reports to the agency. We used to have a whole floor in the building to store the necessary compliance data. When reporting time came, it might take several days to gather the data together,” says Deszell.

“Now, Acumatica stores all the relevant data. We’ve built custom queries in the software that produce the reports we need instantly. This type of efficiency is part of what we needed to scale the business.”

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, InBios International is experiencing another growth spurt. With Acumatica as its Cloud ERP platform, the company is well prepared to meet the challenges ahead.

The solution’s capabilities and resiliencies enabled InBios International to scale and meet the additional demand without interruption.

“As the pandemic hit, we were able to quickly hire and train new people on Acumatica, and allow them to work remotely,” says Deszell. “I can see us growing another 10-fold or more without outgrowing Acumatica. It’s the core of our manufacturing operations and the platform we’re building the business around.”

About NexTec Group

NexTec Group is one of North America’s largest and most experienced technology consulting firms, specializing in industry-specific solutions for mid-sized organizations. For nearly 30 years, NexTec has been a trusted partner to businesses, delivering, implementing and supporting the core Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions they need to scale and grow. NexTec is a gold-certified Acumatica partner with deep experience in field services, manufacturing, distribution, professional services, and more.