Biotechnology is using living organisms to develop and make products. Depending on what tools and applications are used, it can overlap with bio-engineering, bio-medical, and bio-manufacturing. For centuries, we’ve used biotechnology in medicine, agriculture, and even food production. It has expanded over the years and become more diverse.
Cellular and bio-molecular processes develop products that help to improve our lives and the planet. Microorganisms have been used to make bread, cheese, and dairy products.
Today, biotechnology also combats diseases and uses less clean energy to do so. There are more than 200 biotechnology health products and vaccines available to patients with certain diseases. Millions of farmers use agricultural biotechnology to prevent the damage that insects cause to crops. More than 50 bio-refineries have been built to test chemicals that can reduce gas emissions.
Biotechnology production can utilize intact organisms – bacteria and yeast – or natural substances like enzymes. Healthcare biotechnology refers to vaccines or other products that have been produced by living organisms. It uses DNA sequences that normally would not go together.
Agricultural biotechnology includes plant breeding techniques. Modern technology has allowed farmers to improve on their crops in more concentrated ways. The crops can then be looked to for food and production of energy. Industrial biotechnology uses enzymes to make various chemicals, food, detergent, pulp, and even paper products.
Biotechnology has discovered pharmaceutical drugs and bio-pharmaceutics. Modern biotechnology can be used to manufacture existing medications that are more cost effective. Applying biotechnology to science has improved our understanding of diseases. This helps to develop new medicines and treatments.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can help biotechnology in many ways. In terms of resource management, ERP software can remedy complex management. Biotechnology uses microscopic and macroscopic resources, therefore an ERP system could streamline both. A lot of money is spent towards biotechnology research.
An adequate accounting management system is necessary to track the funds that have been and are available. Sometimes research is delayed due to the lack of information. With a built-in cloud server, information can be accessed quite easily whenever it is needed. An ERP can integrate with current systems to sync required data and allow it to be available in one place. This saves money and time.
Today, the biotechnology industry’s success depends on time-to-market. Manufacturers have to introduce new products that are high quality at a low cost – and much faster than before. Paper-based systems can be costly, inefficient, and not provide the competitive edge that biotechnology companies need. ERP systems can help maintain compliance, eliminate manual errors, speed distribution, and improves efficiency.
Companies that develop biotechnology need a responsive infrastructure that will improve business performance and bring in new products for them. These companies also want access to real-time information on various business operations, particularly production.