Global manufacturers are looking for faster ways to digitize operations and improve collaboration. Yet many critical processes still rely on spreadsheets and software that were never designed for collaborative process and data management. Others are turning to artificial intelligence (AI), using “vibe coding” to create new applications by describing functionality in plain language. In this article, Morgan Garinet, Marketing Communications Manager at IGM Resins explains how AI presents intriguing possibilities, allowing those closest to workflows and processes to build their own solutions without having to know how to code.
Industrial applications need to do more than simplify workflows. Any application that touches product information, quality records, approvals, or critical business data needs to support permissions, structured data, traceability, and repeatable processes.
IGM Resins, a global manufacturer of specialty chemicals, faced these challenges as its operations expanded. While AI-generated app-building is gaining traction elsewhere, IGM Resins’ route was to adopt Ragic’s no-code database and application platform so employees can create their own custom applications in a structured environment.
As a result, IGM can democratize custom application development without sacrificing governance.
Spreadsheets Don’t Scale
Founded in 1999, IGM Resins has grown into a multinational manufacturer with nearly 1,000 employees and operations across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. The company produces energy-curing raw materials, including photoinitiators used in ultraviolet and electron-beam-curable inks, coatings, adhesives, and varnishes.
As IGM’s operations grew, the company needed a scalable system to share information. Product data was originally managed in spreadsheets circulated via email. The problem, of course, was that different versions proliferated. Moving files to the cloud failed to solve the problem. Simultaneous data entry produced conflicts and errors, and access permissions became harder to manage as the company grew. Spreadsheets just weren’t scalable.
When too many people were online in the same Excel file, it created a lot of errors. If three or four people were adding rows at the same time, we’d lose huge amounts of data. That file became impossible to share and impossible to secure.
This type of problem wasn’t unique to IGM. Spreadsheets can be useful because they allow employees to create sophisticated formulae without programming. That same versatility becomes a liability when the spreadsheet becomes a multi-user business application.
Choosing a Pilot Project
To address the problem, we started evaluating database tools that would support the necessary structure and permissions without commissioning custom software. To limit the initiative’s scope, IGM decided to focus on the immediate product management problem. After testing several possible solutions, we selected Ragic.
Product managers were already struggling with the Excel-based management system, so they were the logical group to test the new platform. He deliberately sought a platform that was intuitive to use and that would not become too complex in the future. With Ragic, he could easily create fields on a form page using the drag-and-drop interface. Everything he needed was available using the left panel or drop-down menus.
Adoption expanded organically. As other departments saw the results, they began identifying processes that could benefit from the same approach. I had sales departments come to me saying, ‘We have a problem with Excel files, couldn’t we put this into Ragic?’.
The database subsequently expanded module by module and today has 48 internal users, supporting processes in sales and other departments.
Adding Structure to Manufacturing Workflows
Using Ragic, IGM has created new custom workflows with access controls and traceability, including a process to generate certificates of analysis. Certificates of analysis are post-production reports to verify product quality. IGM used to produce these reports as Word documents that had to be circulated. By using Ragic to create a new workflow, an authorized user in Asia can enter values into the system, where other users validate them. Authorized users can then generate certificates of analysis as PDFs.
The system also provides traceability. For each field, administrators can see who made a change, when it was made, and how the value changed. Access controls determine who can view or change specific fields.
It’s no secret that many organizations today are turning to vibe coding to accelerate application development, but generating working software does not automatically provide the governance required for business-critical processes. Adopting a structured no-code platform takes a different approach, providing capabilities such as change tracking, permissions, and standardized data structures as part of the development environment.
Business users can still create applications without conventional programming, but they do so within an established framework for managing data, permissions, and workflows.
A Proving Ground for Enterprise Applications
IGM also operates ERP and CRM systems developed in partnership with SAP, so the company does not view no-code as a replacement for enterprise software. Instead, Ragic has become an internal “toolbox” where teams can experiment with processes before developing new applications.
Changes to an enterprise system typically require formal development requests, outside resources, and considerable planning. With a no-code environment, some requests, such as adding a field for regional product availability, can be implemented within a day. Using no-code, IGM can explore how employees actually work and refine the workflow before committing resources to develop an enterprise application.
Ragic really serves as an essential stepping stone before moving to an ERP, where you need to be absolutely sure of your requirements since ERP development is much more demanding. Using Ragic helps us better understand our needs before transitioning to a dedicated solution.
As AI and no-code tools democratize software development, manufacturers don’t have to choose between centralized IT development and uncontrolled employee experimentation. A structured no-code platform can give those employees closest to a problem the freedom to build applications within defined technical guardrails.
IGM’s experience also offers a broader lesson: making applications easier to build is only part of digital transformation. The greater value comes from using new tools to define, test, and continuously improve the business processes behind them.
