NY Mutual Trading Co. Strengthens Warehouse Operations and Builds eCommerce Network with Help from VAI during the Covid-19 Northeast Shutdown

Ronkonkoma, N.Y. – February 10, 2021 - VAI, a leading ERP software developer, and New York Mutual Trading, Inc., a leading importer and distributor of thousands of Japanese Food and Premium Sake products, are working together to improve warehouse efficiencies, enhance customer service, and increase sales. The company is using VAI’s S2K Enterprise for Food software with S2K Warehouse Management System (WMS) and S2K Mobile capabilities. New York Mutual has also worked with VAI to strengthen its business resiliency planning structure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded in 1926, New York Mutual is an importer, distributor, and wholesaler of authentic Japanese food, alcohol beverage, and restaurant supplies. The company operates out of a hundred thousand sq. ft warehouse to distribute more than 10,000 items direct throughout the East Coast region.

New York Mutual deployed VAI S2K Enterprise for Food software in September 2018, giving the company a fully automated and integrated food package with capabilities that include route management, financial management, case processing, warehouse management, and a mobile suite of applications such as order processing and proof of delivery (POD). With S2K Mobile POD, the company can effectively and efficiently drive performance monitoring and delivery confirmation, and S2K Mobile Processing increases order frequency and customer loyalty, improving the company’s bottom line.

As a New York-area and East Coast region restaurant supply distribution business, New York Mutual has relied upon other areas to maintain momentum throughout the COVID-19 mandates. The company has strengthened business processes by organizing and restructuring its warehouse operations. To optimize warehouse space, New York Mutual rearranged its floor plan to be more efficient in the picking and shipping process, and recently expanded its warehouse.

New York Mutual also added additional training for warehouse employees on VAI’s S2K WMS, improving internal warehouse operations. Employee training focused on pallet processing with pallet cycle counts, ensuring inventory accuracy by doing regular counts. Warehouse employees are also utilizing bin replenishments where the system instructs which pallets are to expire first and selects those to be moved to the pick bins as opposed to doing manual moves. The company uses full warehouse pallet tracking for proper product rotation and traceability, implementing first in, first out (FIFO) on their main warehouse and outside storage facilities.

“As a restaurant business, the New York area shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that a sizable area of our operations has been severely affected,” said Jiro Wada, Operation Senior Manager, New York Mutual Trading, Inc. “During this time, we have proactively prepared for a full reopening and rebound. We increased our employee product knowledge of S2K WMS through extensive warehouse training, and we cleaned-up our warehouse to facilitate a smooth flow of goods upon reopening. The resulting updates and training have positioned us well as we phase to physical reopening.”

New York Mutual has a retail store called MTC Kitchen, located in New York, NY. MTC Kitchen has a website for Professionals, which New York Mutual expanded during the shutdown to include consumers who need Home Delivery service. This in turn opened New York Mutual’s Website to more customers. As a consequence, the company’s ecommerce sales have risen. VAI is helping New York Mutual build an integration with their ecommerce website by assisting with importing new customers and orders into S2K Enterprise, further supporting their growing ecommerce needs.

"During the New York-area pandemic shutdown, New York Mutual had to find a work-around to maintaining operations with the restaurant supply business having been severely affected,” said Analiza Abella, project director at VAI. “Following an intense period of training and restructuring, and with the addition of the new mobile POD application, New York Mutual is well-positioned for success in the rebound. We will continue to support them and meet their needs every step of the way.” 

About New York Mutual Trading Co., Inc. 

Established in 1926, Mutual Trading Co., Inc. was originally a small co-op organization for centralized purchasing of basic import foods to service the needs of the early Japanese immigrant society in Southern California. We have grown nearly 100 years old now, and command a premiere position among Japanese foodservice suppliers, as well as fill a key role as "Culinary Ambassador" promoting Japanese foods worldwide. Currently, we import, manufacture, and distribute over 10,000 Japanese foods, beverages, restaurant equipment and supplies.

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. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, NY, with additional locations across the United States. For more information, visit www.vai.net.