Lawson Software announces Trace Engine 3.0

Food & beverage companies given help to improve food safety and quality

Lawson Software has launched Lawson M3 Trace Engine 3.0, the first version offered within the U.S. market. The application is designed to help companies in the food and beverage industries improve product quality and help prevent and manage potential food safety and quality risks. It specifically helps companies strengthen and simplify the process of tracking ingredients and finished products through complex global supply chains.

Lawson M3 Trace Engine is a standalone, web-based traceability system that operates with the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management System and many other non-Lawson ERP, farming or food lab software systems. It helps food and beverage companies manage risk and protect their brands by allowing them to share trace data, such as product origin, transport data and other attributes online with retailers and regulators. This type of information not only helps build stakeholders' confidence in a brand, but also helps companies validate their corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives in areas such as product safety, sustainable development and animal welfare.

"Lawson Trace Engine is helping us enhance our brand's reputation by capturing detailed product information we can share with customers," said Arnt Mjoen, IT manager for Norway-based Marine Harvest, the world's leading seafood company and a Lawson Trace Engine 3.0 pilot customer. Marine Harvest produces one-third of the world's farmed salmon and trout with operations in 20 countries and customers in more than 70 countries. "The application also helps us efficiently manage and adjust production across our farmed salmon operations to help ensure we consistently deliver quality products."

In addition to automating both internal and global track and trace processes, the new Lawson Trace Engine solution helps quality and food safety managers continually improve business processes. For example, the application enables users to visualize internal production processes in real time, identify potential ingredient issues and respond to events or problems before a product leaves the production facility.

Lawson Trace Engine also helps simplify compliance with current U.S. and European Union food safety regulations while providing tools to help users adjust to future requirements. For example, the application can reduce the time needed to prepare for regulatory audits by providing tools to helpautomate product quality and traceability reporting. It also can help companies quickly provide evidence about product trace lines and history in the event of specific food safety events.

"39 percent of consumers fundamentally don't trust consumer products companies to have their best interests in mind during a recall," said Lora Cecere in the June 28, 2007, AMR Research Report, "Protect Your Brand ... It's All You Have." "Traceability and changes in product labeling can improve the consumer's trust in the brand and demonstration of brand value."

"Managing risk in today's high-stakes food safety environment requires more than just an ability to track and trace ingredients worldwide," said Vicki Griffith, marketing director, Food & Beverage, Lawson Software. "Our trace solution helps food and beverage companies gain a competitive advantage by delivering greater visibility into business processes so they can resolve quality issues before products reach consumers. Lawson is offering a traceability solution designed to meet the needs of a broad range of food and beverage companies worldwide."

About Lawson Software

Lawson Software provides software and service solutions to 4,000 customers in manufacturing, distribution, maintenance and service sector industries across 40 countries. Lawson's solutions include Enterprise Performance Management, Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing Resource Planning, Enterprise Asset Management and industry-tailored applications. Lawson solutions assist customers in simplifying their businesses or organizations by helping them streamline processes, reduce costs and enhance business or operational performance. Lawson is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and has offices around the world.