The Cost-Effective Upgrade to S2K Enterprise Manufacturing Software
The Mariani family has dried, packaged and distributed fruits to retailers and wholesalers for one hundred years. Yet their legacy has humble beginnings. Started by Paul A. Mariani Sr. in 1906, the family grew their own fruit which they also packaged themselves into wooden boxes for export markets. Thanks to dedication, customer commitment, exceptional quality and the ability to change and improve, the company has grown over the years to become the largest independent dried fruit processor in the United States. It now employs over 300 people and has become the dominant brand for premium dried fruit to supermarkets and grocery stores. Its products include raisins, dried plums, apricots, apples, cherries, sun-dried tomatoes, mixed tropical blends, paste and fruit pieces.
The company’s headquarters is located in Vacaville, California and has two other processing sites in the state. It processes 125 million pounds of dried fruit each year. To help run the business, the company used two manufacturing software systems that were supported in-house. Increasingly, the systems posed problems to the company’s operations. "The system was running very slowly", recalls Cynthia Simmons, IT Manager, Mariani Packing. "The records locked all of the time and adding new items was a horrific process". Running two manufacturing systems also proved to be unproductive. Two item masters and a disconnect between purchasing and production were issues that couldn’t be resolved internally.
Mariani Packing considered upgrading its existing system, but the cost was too high. In addition to cost, Ms. Simmons says they were concerned with "ease of use, speed and functionality". They began to search for a new manufacturing software solution that would address these concerns without the high price tag. Additionally, moving away from RPG was scary. Says Ms. Simmons, "I am a programmer and I wasn’t sure how to support non-RPG solutions". Ms. Simmons did not want to learn a new language and implement at the same time.
Enter S2K Enterprise
The search was narrowed to VAI’s S2K Enterprise Software and one other solution provider. Although the price and functionality were similar, Ms. Simmons was impressed with VAI’s user defined fields, of which the other solution was limited. The programming staff was pleased with the commitment to RPG on the iSeries and the users were happy with the features and ease-of-use of S2K Enterprise.
Up and Running
Ms. Simmons was impressed with the speed of S2K Enterprise. "S2K Enterprise has saved us one hour a day per person", says Ms. Simmons. With 5 order takers, that translates to 25 hours a week just in customer service. Ms Simmons was also very impressed with the VAI team. Recalls Ms. Simmons, "Mike Morano was gracious – he stayed on the project the whole time. I felt very comfortable. And Will Philipps was terrific with our training."
Will Philipps, Project Leader/Trainer, Vormittag Associates, Inc. said "Together as a team we resolved a lot of problems their old system had left. The people there love S2K Enterprise. They are looking to go deeper into Manufacturing, a goal they plan to take to the next level in 2004".
Ms. Simmons is delighted with the results S2K Enterprise has had on inventory. "S2K Enterprise has made a world of difference with our ability to get a handle on inventory. I have never seen our inventory manager so calm."
Continued Expansion
Mariani is committed to S2K Enterprise. "We are taking this year to implement the extended manufacturing and incorporate our current product specifications into S2K Enterprise. We are in the near future interested in implementing Bar Coding, Time and Attendance and the Quality module", says Ms. Simmons. "I can’t tell you how much easier my job has become because of S2K Enterprise!"
For more information about VAI’s S2K Enterprise manufacturing software, call VAI at 1.800.824.7776 or email sales@vai.net.
