The main window contains tabs with names of all modules available in your version of SpecPDM. If you do not see all modules, use the arrows located on the tab line to scroll left or right.
Access authorization to individual modules is maintained and provided by the system administrator, using the Administration → Access level tab.
Description of Individual Tabs
Administration
All system settings can be adjusted by using this module. By default, only the system administrator has access to this module. It contains the following tabs:
•General: General program settings.
•Hierarchical criteria: Assign various criteria to Master data and recipe type/area/group structure.
•Global criteria: Assign various criteria globally (regardless of the type/area/group structure).
•System parameters: A set of general settings.
•Access permissions: The system administrators can grant the local users access to all areas of SpecPDM.
The Administration module is also divided into specific groupings which contain individual admin functions.
Projects
Create and maintain projects. This module contains the following tabs:
•Projects: Search and filter already created projects.
•Definition: Create or open a project.
•Briefing: Assign briefing criteria and various product attributes (mineral content, nutritional values, etc.).
•Stages: An overview of project stages (formerly groups of activities).
•Activities: Define project stages, activities, and resources including the project schedule, costs, and effort.
•Deliverable: Assign the stages, activities, resources checklists, and documents, and comment on them.
•Gantt: A graphical representation of the project using a Gantt chart.
•Resources: Resource planning; a list of existing and deployed resources and their utilization.
•Change information: Track which changes have been done to the project, when, and by whom.
Master data
Create and maintain Master data objects, including raw materials, finished products, packaging materials, etc. These materials can be used as components in recipes. This module contains the following tabs:
•Definition: Create or open Master data objects.
•Partner: Assign suppliers, manufacturers, and customers.
•Attributes: Capture additional information about the material using text fields.
•Ingredients: Specify the components of the material, including their quantity and information about allergens, additive classes, GMO status, origin, etc.
•Allergens: Provide allergen information for the material.
•Nutritional values: Provide nutritional information for the material.
•Minerals: Provide information about mineral content of the material.
•Vitamins: Provide information about vitamin content of the material.
•Recipe parameters: A definition of additional material parameters that are used for calculating recipes (e.g. dry matter content, inorganic contaminants, etc.).
•Laboratory data: Administration of material test criteria. You can maintain chemical-physical, microbiological, and sensory parameters.
•Status: Specific classification of the material (halal, vegan suitable, organic, etc.)
•Change information: Track which changes have been done to the Master data record, when, and by whom.
Recipe
Create and maintain recipes. This module contains the following tabs:
•Definition: Create or open recipes and manage different recipe variants.
•Recipe draft: Compose a recipe using Master data objects for raw materials, additives, losses and gains, packaging, and other recipes.
•Bill of materials: An overview of the recipe's components and their basic quantities.
•Optimization: Define fixed or min/max. quantity of each component. Additionally, opportunity costs are displayed; when using similar materials, SpecPDM tries to achieve the lowest final price possible and the difference from the more expensive material is displayed.
•Recipe: Maintain component's quantities, units, and production losses. Add, modify, and delete individual components. Additionally, procedural info, such as mixing sequence and comments, can be used.
•Costing: Calculate recipe price from material prices stored in the recipe. Apply predefined price sets to see how they influence the final price of your recipe.
•Conversion: Map different recipe quantities, such as different batch sizes or different fillings.
•Production: Maintain recipe component-based manufacturing instructions.
•Assignments: Convert the recipe into a new Master data object or create a link between the recipe and existing Master data objects.
•Recipe parameters: A specific description of the recipe. All criteria that should appear in the specifications of finished goods are maintained here.
•IL: A list of the ingredients of all Master data used in the recipe. Ingredient lists can be created manually or automatically and assigned to a recipe via Declaration → Assignments.
•Raw materials: An overview of a recipe's Master data components focusing on the proportion of each component's price.
•Change Information: Track which changes have been made to the recipe, when, and by whom.
Calculation
Contains the calculated values for rec. parameters, allergens, minerals, nutritional values, vitamins, status, and GDAs calculated for the currently opened recipe. The values are based on the Master data which are the components of the recipe. If changes are done to any of the recipe's components, SpecPDM first asks if the recipe should be re-generated. The changes are then included in the calculation. This module contains the following tabs:
The individual tabs work in the same manner as in the Master data module, but there are also two extra tabs:
•Maximum dosage: Contains maximum dosage information for selected product groups.
•SFC: A calculation of the solid fat content of the recipe.
Simulation
A simulation of new recipe variants can be created using this module. The simulation may involve altering components, using different prices, changing component's quantities, etc. Multiple recipe variants may be compared, and the most appropriate is transformed into a standard recipe. This module is very important for the development of new recipes and their variants. The module contains the following tabs:
•Selection: Select recipes and their varieties for simulation.
•Comparison: Display simulation varieties next to each other.
•Ingredients: Compare ingredient lists of multiple recipe varieties.
•Targeting: This tab is only visible when a targeting type is selected in Comparison. Adjust your recipe to aim for specific criteria values.
•Variation: Adjust the recipe's components (quantities, prices, etc.).
•Simulation plan: Insert additional information via criteria assignment for the created simulations.
•Assessment: Insert additional production information.
Declaration
This tab is used for declaring product properties, such as the materials used in a recipe, recommended daily guideline amounts (GDA), maximum dosage, etc. Ingredient lists are generated using this module. This module contains the following tabs:
•Selection: Select a recipe that will be used for declaration.
•Bill of materials: All recipe components with their basic quantities and weights are displayed.
•Raw materials: An overview of the raw materials available from the development of recipes.
•Ingredients: The main section for building ingredient lists. Ingredients (trade names) are the basic items that form Master data that are used as components of recipes.
•Declaration: Assign various criteria for collecting declaration information.
•GDAs: Provide guideline daily amount information. Unlike the GDAs tab in Calculation, the nutritional information can be edited in this tab.
•Max. dosage: Contains maximum dosage information for selected product groups.
•Assignments: Link specific declaration information (GDAs, ingredients lists) to your recipe.
Production
Use this module to replace recipe quantities (weights) with production quantities and export the result into an Excel file.
Inspection Plan
Test specifications needed for the QA system (LIMS) are maintained in this module. The plan refers to a specific Master data object (raw materials, semi-finished goods, finished goods). This module contains the following tabs:
•Definition: Select Master data objects and suppliers for the inspection plan.
•Inspection areas: Define test areas with reference to the Master data and supplier.
•Criteria: Assign testing criteria.
Costing
Define production process steps and parameters along with labor and machine effort for manufacturing the product. Using this module, you can generate the complete product costing. This module contains the following tabs:
•Definition: Select recipe and define/view total production quantities and costs.
•Work method: Set task scheduling and assign costs of activities and facilities required for product manufacturing.
•Costing: Contains detailed costing information, based on the predefined batch size and time base quantities.
Customs
Collect data for declaring your product at a customs office. This information can then be printed or exported to Excel sheets.
Search
This function can be used to scan the database of materials, recipes, projects, documents, or lists of ingredients according to specific criteria and contents. It is also possible to define multiple queries.
