ERP Software for the Paints and Coatings Industry: Manage Batches, Formulas, Variants, Quality and Traceability End-to-End
Manufacturers of paints and coatings must manage formulas consistently, control variants reliably and demonstrate quality throughout the entire production process. At the same time, isolated laboratory, production and quality systems reduce transparency, increase coordination effort and hinder sound decision-making.
COSMO ERP Coatings is an industry solution that specifically extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to meet the requirements of the paints and coatings industry. Laboratory, production, quality management and logistics all access a shared data foundation. Formulas, batches, costing, quality assurance and documentation are mapped end-to-end within the ERP system and managed centrally.
COSMO ERP Coatings supports the reliable scaling of relative formula proportions to production batches, including units, densities and rounding. At the same time, the solution creates transparency over versions, approvals and the impact of changes. Variants can be managed consistently, costs assessed early and quality processes digitally secured with blocking and release logics.
End-to-end batch traceability and automated certificates of analysis provide additional security and auditability.
As a solution within the Microsoft ecosystem, COSMO ERP Coatings supports scalable end-to-end digitalization. Data is centrally managed in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, can be networked with the help of Microsoft Fabric and analyzed via Microsoft Power BI. This creates transparent processes for reliable decisions and sustainable growth – without isolated systems.
Transfer formulas safely into production and manage variants consistently
When formulas are expressed as percentages, transferring them into production batches quickly becomes a challenge. Units, densities and rounding must be taken into account precisely to ensure that color, viscosity and opacity remain reproducible at all times. COSMO ERP Coatings maps formulas, routings, manufacturing instructions and process steps in a consistent structure and provides all relevant information directly within the production order – putting an end to media breaks and complicated coordination via PDF documents, emails or Excel spreadsheets.
A consistent variant logic reduces master data complexity and avoids redundancies. Base formulas can be flexibly derived for different container sizes, packaging, labels, brands and markets. At the same time, transparent versioning, traceable approvals and the documentation of changes ensure security and auditability. Cost impacts become visible early, so new variants can be introduced more quickly and well-founded decisions can be made in purchasing, controlling and production.
How COSMO ERP Coatings addresses your challenges
Integrated costing for formulas, variants and packaging – keep costs in view early
Rising raw material prices, fluctuating packaging costs and a high variety of variants can quickly erode product margins. COSMO ERP Coatings anchors costing directly to formulas, packaging structures and production data in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Target costs, pre-, concurrent and post-costing as well as the impact of raw material, packaging or formula changes become visible early and can be assessed on a sound basis – before a product goes into series production or a purchase price eats into contribution margins.
Controlling, laboratory and production all access the same data foundation and work with consistent KPIs. This makes your variant decisions more transparent, allows price adjustments to be better justified and increases the overall reliability of your planning. Cost impacts can be identified early, margins actively protected, and new variants evaluated and brought to market more quickly. This creates the foundation for economically sound decisions throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Features
Formula management with relative proportions and precise batch scaling
The solution supports the reliable conversion of laboratory formulas to production batches, including units, densities and rounding, significantly reducing misblends and rework in batch production.
Manufacturing instructions & process steps directly in the production order
The solution provides work instructions and process steps in a structured manner within the ERP system (e.g. via COSMO ERP Text Modules), ensuring that laboratory and production specifications are implemented consistently and documented in an audit-proof manner.
Variant logic for container sizes, packaging and labels in a consistent structure
Base formulas and variants derived from them are managed centrally. This reduces master data redundancies, simplifies the maintenance of brand and market variants and creates end-to-end processes.
Integrated costing (pre-/concurrent-/post-costing, target costing) for formulas and packaging
Pre-, concurrent and post-costing as well as target costs are calculated directly on the basis of formulas and packaging structures. The cost impact of raw material changes and variants can be assessed early and used for well-founded decisions.
Sequence planning with setup matrix for dynamic scheduling of setup and cleaning requirements
Batch sequences are optimized according to defined criteria such as color change logics. Setup and cleaning operations are automatically taken into account to reduce downtime, resource consumption and additional costs.
Graphical scheduling board and fine planning with drag & drop
Capacities, orders, maintenance and bottlenecks are clearly visualized. Planning changes can be implemented ad hoc and their impact assessed immediately.
Integrated quality assurance with blocking and release logic
Inspection plans and inspection orders for goods receipt, in-process controls and final inspections are managed directly within the ERP system. Quarantine, blocking and release statuses ensure controlled and secure quality processes.
Batch traceability via lot explosion and automated certificates of analysis (CoA)
Complete forward and backward tracing of batches creates transparency and security. Certificates of analysis are automatically generated customer-individually on the basis of specifications and inspection results.
Supplier evaluation with KPI-based performance analysis
Supplier performance is determined on the basis of objective KPIs such as on-time delivery, quantity accuracy, returns and qualitative assessments. Individually weighted criteria create a transparent and comparable basis for decision-making.
Curious to learn more? Further insights are waiting for you here: DOWNLOAD FACTSHEET
Fully integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
COSMO ERP Coatings is seamlessly integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and uses the central ERP data foundation for all business processes. Media breaks between laboratory, production, quality management, logistics, purchasing and sales are a thing of the past. Formulas, variants, batches, planning, costing and quality assurance are mapped within a consistent system landscape, are available at all times and are based on centrally managed, uniform data.
And when requirements grow, the solution simply grows with them: via the Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Copilot, processes can be extended and data interconnected. At the same time, standardized interfaces enable easy integration of laboratory, shop floor and third-party systems, so that measurement values, quality data and process information flow seamlessly into ERP processes.
The result is scalable end-to-end digitalization based on the Microsoft ecosystem. Transparent data, automated workflows and high process reliability create the foundation for efficient processes, reproducible quality and sustainable growth within your organization.
COSMO CONSULT – leading implementation partner for the paints and coatings industry
No experiments with business-critical processes: With COSMO CONSULT, you rely on one of the world's leading Microsoft specialists and a partner who knows the requirements of the paints and coatings industry from numerous projects. Formula management, batch production, quality assurance, planning and costing are not just theory for us – they are lived practice. From analyzing your processes through implementation to training and support, we accompany you holistically – with the clear goal of sustainably optimizing your workflows and making your organization a digitalization winner.
Our industry experts know exactly what matters in the paints and coatings industry. Together with you, we develop a solution that integrates seamlessly into your Microsoft landscape and precisely meets your requirements. With practical consulting, proven methods and continuous further development, we create the foundation for efficient processes, reproducible quality and well-founded decisions. The result is a future-proof solution that works in everyday operations and grows with your organization.
Current awards
6x Microsoft Solutions Partner
Awarded Microsoft’s highest quality seal in all categories.
Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle
Ranked among the top 1% of Microsoft partners worldwide every year since 2014.
Top employer
Among the top 0.4% of all employers in Germany.
BARC Study 2026
Leading data and analytics partner: 11× Leader, multiple #1 rankings, and a 100% recommendation rate.
Our software is already successfully in use at these companies
Frequently asked questions
Found what you were looking for?
Start your intelligent search now