Mariani Packing Company Drives Sales and 99.8% Efficiency Rates through VAI’s Advanced S2K Analytics

Ronkonkoma, N.Y. – April 30, 2021 – VAI, a leading ERP software developer, announced that Mariani Packing Company, a family-owned premium dried fruit provider, has implemented VAI’s advanced analytics to support and strengthen business operations. A VAI S2K Enterprise software customer for 20 years, the company has added VAI’s S2K Analytics application which is powered by IBM Cognos and embedded into VAI’s S2K ERP software suite. Together with Mariani’s No Touch initiative process, which reduces human touch and eliminates errors in supply processes, Mariani now has an efficiency rate of 99.8% minimum, achieved by eliminating supply chain errors and turning operational data into useful insights.

For over 114 years, Mariani has been a powerhouse in the dried fruit business and has packaged these products for the Mariani brand and well-known private labels including several large retailers. Producing 125 million pounds of dried fruit each year and easily earning the No. 2 spot for largest dried fruit provider, if you are eating cereal with dried fruit in the morning, chances are the dried fruit it contains has been produced and sold by Mariani.

Mariani relies upon VAI’s S2K Enterprise software to run their entire operation and now also has vastly greater analytics visibility as well as actionable insights to compile and organize the company’s massive amounts of data digitally. With S2K Analytics, Mariani can create powerful dashboards and reports that will identify and analyze opportunities, trends, and predictions, communicate goals consistently with employees, and monitor performance against targets.

Before adding VAI’s S2K Analytics solution, Mariani was missing critical insight around items such as customer requirements for the shipping and delivery process and discovered an extensive amount of operational data that was solely functioning to process and ship orders. This resulted in about 50 different touchpoints for every order, which sometimes led to human error, and further, contract penalties. This led to Mariani’s No Touch initiative. From the time an order comes into the company, S2K Enterprise ensures the product is shipped without unnecessary touchpoints through the delivery process. By implementing the VAI S2K Analytics solution and eliminating unnecessary touch points, those errors have since been eliminated.

“The success of S2K Analytics and the No Touch initiative helped us to realize that we could take a step back and remove unnecessary touchpoints because the systems put into place would keep our data and operations on track and without errors,” said Mariani Business Applications Manager, Stephen Johnson. “Through the success of S2K Analytics and our No Touch initiative, Mariani has an efficiency rate of at least 99.8%. This increased profit and has allowed us to grow business substantially and capitalize in growing sales. By removing human touch and the potential for errors, Mariani’s chargebacks and deductions decreased, adding about two million dollars to the company’s margin.”

“VAI and Mariani have shared a strong partnership through the years, and we try to learn as much from their team as they do from ours,” said Bill Szybillo, Business Intelligence Manager, VAI. “Even as the world continuously changes around us and technology helps us adapt and stay ahead of these changes, Mariani continues to innovate and stay abreast of the tools they need to power their business and achieve their target goals. We will always support the Mariani team to ensure their success.”

About VAI

VAI is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its flexible solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. VAI's software solutions are backed by a wealth of experience and a reputation for excellence that countless companies rely on. With specific ERP solutions for Hard Goods, Food, and Pharmaceutical companies, VAI has helped some of the most recognized companies address key industry requirements and deliver bottom-line results. VAI continues to innovate with new solutions that leverage analytics, business intelligence, mobility, and cloud technology to help customers make more informed business decisions and empower their mobile workforce. For more information, visit www.vai.net.

About Mariani

Mariani Packing Company, Inc. is the world’s largest independently and family-owned producer of dried fruits. Since 1906, the Mariani family has been providing premium quality dried fruit to consumers and customers all over the world. The company produces over 150 million pounds of dried fruit each year and Mariani’s dried fruit ingredients are used in some of the largest, most recognized food brands in the world. The Mariani family of products can be found in over 40,000 retail outlets in the United States and over 65 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.mariani.com, @TheMarianiFamily social media sites, or call 707-452-2800.