VAI Satisfies Food Truck Routing Needs for Distributor
March 18, 2014 Alex Woodie
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Hillcrest Foods, a wholesale distributor from Saratoga Springs, New York, was having difficulty routing its trucks in an efficient manner. After implementing an IBM i-based ERP system from VAI, the company’s delivery route planning is handled efficiently. And along the way, the company made other improvements to its processes that will help pave the way for growth. Hillcrest Foods is a 33-year-old distributor specializing in delivering bakery, dairy, and gourmet specialty foodservice items to bakeries, co-ops, industrial food processors, restaurants, and pizzerias throughout the Northeast. The company, which operates out of a 40,000-square foot facility in which rail car shipments are accepted, came to the realization that its previous computer system was outdated and was an impediment to growth, so it set out looking for a new one. The company’s primary focus was to bolster its truck routing capabilities. The company needed a way to enable warehouse managers to organize customer order routes, while also allowing for return authorizations and back-hauled purchase orders to be assigned for pick-up along the way. Hillcrest found that VAI’s S2K for Food ERP system was a good match for these needs. But along the way, Hillcrest found that VAI brought other benefits, particularly in the areas of lot control, item documentation, inventory accuracy, technical support, and enhanced rebate tracking and processing. Today Hillcrest is confident that it can grow its business without stressing the underlying processes and structure that its operations are based on. “The extensive capabilities provided through VAI’s software has not only met all of our truck routing expectations, but has also provided our team with the ability to make better informed business decisions, whether it be special ordering, just in time inventory or warehouse management,” says Kris Dubrey, Hillcrest Foods office manager and system administrator. “We love what S2K is doing for us and where we can go from here.”
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