Food Industry ERP Ebook: Automate for Success

A dynamic ERP solution that allows food distributors and manufacturers to automate critical business processes in a fast-paced environment.

A worker in a safety helmet and white coat checks inventory on a clipboard in a warehouse filled with boxes.

NEXT GENERATION ERP SOLUTIONS

FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY

The food industry is unique in many ways; inventory management and tracking are critical to comply with food safety regulations, and all business processes must be performed under tight time constraints. Lot and Date Tracking, Broken Case Unit Conversions, Catch Weight Pricing, Truck Routing, Flexible Contract Pricing, and Rebates/Promotions/Billbacks, are just some of the requirements that make the food industry unique.

S2K Enterprise for Food was specifically designed to meet the requirements of the food industry and to help businesses in this fast-paced environment compete by automating and integrating business processes across the entire organization. From manufacturing and distribution, to retail point-of-sale, this powerful industry specific solution will help companies comply with food safety regulations and manage enterprise resources more efficiently and effectively.

S2K FOOD APPLICATIONS

Top Business Benefits

Smart Center

Sales Force Automation (CRM)

Financial Management

Rebates / Allowances / Billbacks

Distribution Management

Supply and Demand Planning

Warehouse Management

Route Management

Retail Management

Manufacturing Management

Analytics

Mobile

eBusiness

Marketing

Solution Partners

Why VAI

TOP BUSINESS BENEFITS

Enhance Productivity with Desktop Integration

Monitor Business Goals with Key Performance Indicators

Accurate On-Time Delivery of Products

Improve Inventory Management and Purchasing

Anytime / Anywhere / Any Device Access

Automate the Distribution of Key Reports

Be Proactive with Real-Time Workflow Alerts

Improve Customer Service and Open New Markets

Make Better Business Decisions

Increase Sales

Improve Credit and Collections

Streamline Manufacturing Operations

Hand holding a digital cloud icon, surrounded by text highlighting features of cloud integration and management.

S2K Food | 1

As a leader in Enterprise Software for the mid-market, VAI’s focus has always been to develop robust solutions that solve real-world business issues and drive bottom-line results. By delivering software through a browser with a flexible web interface, we provide the user with a single sign-on to all web applications which will simplify the user experience, increase productivity, and minimize training costs. In addition, web-based software provides mobile access to every user in the organization giving them anytime, anywhere computing on any device.

With S2K Smart Center you can create a personalized environment that contains any of the applications that you wish to access. In addition, the user can configure their homepage with a wide variety of application specific portlets that best suit the user’s role. Portlets come in many different forms and provide access to information from all S2K Food applications. By having immediate access to important information without ever having to leave your homepage, users can be more productive and react to business issues faster.

Screenshot of a data management interface displaying summaries and statistics.

“This last year we’ve seen the most growth, ever. Having a good platform like VAI S2K Enterprise for Food on our side is really helping us and our reps. provide better service, simpler order entry, and it’s easier to get accurate information when needed. Everything is working out.”

Robert Shepley

Sales/Regional Manager

Morton Wholesale

2 | S2K Food

SALES FORCE AUTOMATION (CRM)

S2K Smart Center provides a unique custom home page where sales representatives can access S2K Sales Force CRM application. Sales representatives can display tasks and events as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) related to their accounts. A daily task page keeps your sales team productive by reminding them of scheduled to-do’s and calendar events to keep the sales process moving forward. Activity history displays a timeline of all interactions for every account, and Alerts display critical issues that require immediate attention. Powerful KPIs display real-time ERP data for open orders, quotes, receivables, sales, inventory, and much more. Sales managers can summarize this view for their entire sales team. Leveraging single sign-on from this one dynamic home page, sales representatives can access all the CRM applications, the full S2K Food Suite, third-party browser-based solutions, and bookmark key external websites, documents, reports, and dashboards.

S2K Sales Force was built for supply chain representatives, and it combines powerful contact management capabilities with direct real-time access to S2K Food ERP data. With this powerful sales tool your sales team will be empowered to drive new business and make the most of every sales call.

Contact Management

The contact management system tracks and records every stage in the sales process for each prospective client, from initial contact to final disposition. Users can review current leads, convert leads to prospects, and prospects to customers. Your sales representatives can manage contacts and track all interactions with existing accounts and opportunities. Users can log a call, create to-dos, schedule events, and add notes and attachments. Activities get posted to history so that users can easily review all of their interactions with an account.

Customer

Providing excellent customer service is the key to retaining your most valuable customers. S2K Sales Force gives your sales team full access to customer information. Sales representatives can review a customer’s accounts receivable, open invoices, and payment history. They can check the status of open orders, returns, and quotes. They can even use S2K’s case management to track business issues to completion to ensure that your organization is providing the highest level of customer service.

Product

Inventory information is vital for supply chain representatives. If you can quickly communicate accurate inventory information with your customers, they will have trust in your ability as a supplier, which in these times of high competition is a very valuable asset. S2K Sales Force allows your sales team to review full product information including specifications, images, and availability across all companies and locations. They will know what’s in stock and what’s out of stock, they will know when shipments will arrive, and when production will be complete.

S2K Food | 3

Accounts Receivable

Effective management of invoicing, credit terms, cash receipts, and other accounts receivable tasks accelerates your cash flow and keeps your company financially strong. S2K’s Accounts Receivable software automates invoicing and collections processes to give you fast, efficient accounts receivable management. This automation can accelerate the cash cycle and improve your business performance and customer satisfaction. Staying in constant contact with your customers allows you to better manage your accounts receivables, control credit, and detect any potential issues.

Accounts Payable

S2K’s Accounts Payable software allows you to maintain and control every aspect of the management of your expenditures. It turns the tedious and time-consuming accounts payable management expenditure process into an easily manageable piece of your corporate puzzle. From one comprehensive screen users can review an aging of your account balances, view detailed invoice, payment, purchase order information, view open accrued payables awaiting invoice matching, and invoice discrepancies waiting for review.

General Ledger

The general ledger is an important tool for keeping your accounts organized and providing proof of your expenditures. It can be used to correct errors in accounts, observe company activity, and can help you make wise financial decisions to better guarantee your company’s future. S2K’s General Ledger accounting software is the center of our accounting system software. It provides powerful divisional and departmental accounting functions, maintains your journal, logs recurring entries, generates audit trails, and allows you to create custom financial statements.

Fixed Assets

S2K’s Fixed Assets software enables accounting professionals to gain a solid foundation for all fixed assets and depreciation management. Processes are automated, management is streamlined, and reporting delivers the insight you need to make informed management decisions. With comprehensive depreciation calculations for financial reporting, companies can effectively manage every step of the fixed asset life cycle, from acquisition to disposal.

A person analyzing data on a laptop while surrounded by colorful charts and notes in a bright workspace.

4 | S2K Food

Rebates / ALLOWANCES / billbacks

A person holding a piece of paper while sitting at a desk with a laptop and natural light in the background.

The S2K Rebates / Allowances / Billbacks tracking application maintains a real-time database to ensure the timely tracking of both customer and vendor rebates and allowances based upon sales, purchase history, or growth programs.

Product Overview

General Ledger entries for accrued customer and vendor rebates
Establish a single rebate program that covers multiple customers
Entry programs to claim customer rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating an accounts receivable credit memo
Entry programs to claim vendor rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating a credit memo to Accounts Payable or an invoice to open Accounts Receivable (billback)
Supports “Off-Invoice” allowances by dollar amount or percentages that do not accrue and come directly off the customer or vendor invoice

General Ledger entries for accrued customer and vendor rebates
Establish a single rebate program that covers multiple customers
Entry programs to claim customer rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating an accounts receivable credit memo
Entry programs to claim vendor rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating a credit memo to Accounts Payable or an invoice to open Accounts Receivable (billback)
Supports “Off-Invoice” allowances by dollar amount or percentages that do not accrue and come directly off the customer or vendor invoice

General Ledger entries for accrued customer and vendor rebates
Establish a single rebate program that covers multiple customers
Entry programs to claim customer rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating an accounts receivable credit memo
Entry programs to claim vendor rebates, reducing the current accrual and creating a credit memo to Accounts Payable or an invoice to open Accounts Receivable (billback)
Supports “Off-Invoice” allowances by dollar amount or percentages that do not accrue and come directly off the customer or vendor invoice

CANDY, CIGARETTE, TOBACCO, AND ALCOHOL

Candy, cigarette, tobacco, and alcohol distribution have unique software needs. Both the federal and state governments levy excise taxes on goods such as alcohol and tobacco products. Even though federal excise taxes are geographically uniform, state excise taxes vary considerably. S2K Food provides tracking by carton, pack, and stick; tax payment and reporting to multiple state, county, and city tax jurisdictions; tax stamp tracking; off-invoice carton discounts; and broken carton and pack returns. These advanced features take the complexity and expense out of controlled substance and sales reporting.

S2K Food | 5

Customer Orders

Effective order processing is the first step in providing outstanding customer service. Immediate access to inventory, purchasing, manufacturing, and customer data is critical. VAI’s powerful customer order entry application was designed to allow rapid entry of customer orders, all while providing full access to enterprise data to answer your customers most difficult questions.

With this dynamic application, users can check stock across multiple locations, check the price history on any item, copy orders or items from history, review lots and shelf-life dates, process serial numbered items, kits, and much more. Advanced options allow users to process direct shipment, and special orders at the line-item level. For rapid entry, users can place orders from a customer shopping list or from a predetermined order guide. Upsell options allow users to view current promotions, price breaks, and complementary items on-the-fly.

A computer screen displaying data tables, charts, and an image of food in a colorful layout.

Tim Pike

Purchasing Manager

Natural Choice Foods

6 | S2K Food.

Two workers in safety vests and helmets organize boxes in a warehouse setting.

Inventory Management

S2K Inventory Management is a fully integrated inventory control system designed to maximize your ROI and effectively and efficiently handle all your inventory related processes. With S2K Inventory Management applications, you have complete inventory control. You can track order commitments and shipments, inventory adjustments, purchase orders, and receipts, open work orders and WIP, and build kits. You can create and manage warehouse transfers and inter-company transactions, track lots and shelf-life dates, track serial numbered items, and much more. Comprehensive item inquiries provide a complete stock status of every item with drill down to transaction details, which can help you improve customer service. The cargo tracking option allows users to view the status of inbound container shipments and calculate the true cost of inventory based on an unlimited number of landed cost factors. Dynamic reporting allows you to track Sales, Profit, Inventory Valuation, Fill Rates, GMROI, and Turns to manage the return on your inventory investments.

Sales Analysis

Capturing accurate sales data from your billing system allows you to review profitability and can help you improve business operations. S2K Sales Analysis application measures sales volumes, costs, and quantity usage, highlighting seasonal or recurring trends in your business. With this information, you can quickly identify profitable or unprofitable customers, vendors, and items, leading to improved vendor and customer relations based on volume, costs, and profitability. Retrieval of individual salesperson sales activity enables you to view which customers they are selling to, the items or class of items they are selling most, and the gross profit percent of the items being sold. For tighter credit control, sales forecasting software provides detailed analysis of credits and returns to help you target problem areas. With extensive history storage options, S2K Sales Analysis allows you to drill down from summary data to view specific invoices and the details of each invoice for review and analysis. All sales data can be presented in detail or summary form, on screen, or via printed reports.

S2K Food | 7

SUPPLY & DEMAND PLANNING

A laptop displaying a line graph with rising and falling trends, set against a dark background.

Sales Forecasting

S2K Sales Forecasting is designed to help you assess the likely demand levels so that you can properly manage your inventory and have adequate resources in place. S2K Forecasting uses advanced algorithms such as exponential smoothing, linear regression, holt-winters, and others that measure data points in a series. For each item, each method is analyzed, and the system will automatically recommend the best forecasting algorithm with the highest accuracy. Users can then review the system generated forecast and manually adjust future predictions based on outside forces and sales opportunities. The final adjusted forecast for each item is utilized in S2K Manufacturing for MRP, and S2K Supply & Demand Planning for enhanced suggested purchasing. VAI’s performance monitoring tools provide instant analysis on the effectiveness of forecasts against actual sales.

Icon of a bar chart on a yellow background, showing different heights of bars representing data values.

Demand Modeling

Using demand modeling, users can create a demand profile that reflect a sales pattern and assign that profile to an individual item. The user can then enter in overall expected sales and the system will automatically create an adaptive demand distribution that best fits the demand profile. Demand profiling can be an effective tool for items that do not have historical data or when future usage patterns are not expected to be similar to those in the past.

A clipboard with a checklist and a pen resting beside it, set against a blue circular background.

Suggested Purchasing

Automated purchasing systems are a key tool in helping businesses reduce inventory and increase sales. S2K Supply & Demand Planning supports both distributed or consolidated buying at the location or the item level. The system performs complex calculations for each item at each location, looking at usage, seasonality, trends, vendor lead times, and safety stock, and then flags those items with specific conditions that are beyond user defined tolerances. The system can optimally push order quantities up to get prepaid freight, or to hit vendor minimums, or to cube out a full container, if desired - all while honoring pack sizes. Additionally, it can consider multiple warehouses in the distribution network and check for overstocked items and facilitate stock transfers before buyers’ place orders to the vendor.

Icon of a circular target with a blue and white bullseye, featuring an arrow hitting the center.

Target Buying

Just-In-Time inventory planning often shifts the cost of carrying inventory back to the vendor which may lead to higher costs of goods and less profits for the distributor. S2K’s Target Buying feature allows buyers to take advantage of costs savings by purchasing up to a vendor target to lower costs based on volume purchasing. Users can set targets by dollar amount, quantity, units, cube, weight or number of pallets, and the system will automatically suggest the optimum mix and quantities of items to buy to hit the vendor target. The buyer can then compare the extra carrying cost to the savings to determine if buying to hit the target makes economic sense.

8 | S2K Food.

A spacious warehouse with shelves filled with boxes and yellow equipment on the floor for moving goods.

Purchasing

In addition to advanced Supply & Demand Planning capabilities, S2K Purchasing application provides the tools necessary to automate and track all the steps in the purchasing cycle.

From one comprehensive purchasing order entry application, users can track Purchase Orders, Quotes, Vendor Returns, and Drop Shipments. S2K Purchasing encompasses import cargo tracking that allows you to track product movement and calculate a true landed cost for each imported item. Users can track containers, and the carrier, and view the estimated time of departure and arrival of every shipment. Users can assign an unlimited number of cost factors to each shipment or item, and allocate each cost by unit, weight, cubic measure, or cost. The dock scheduler allows users to schedule receipts for a specific day, time and door, and check in trailers as they arrive. Receiving options allow users to track lots, shelf-life dates, serial numbers, and bin locations of inventory. Dynamic features will automatically cross dock and create warehouse transfers for consolidated purchases. Customer backorders and special orders are immediately filled upon receipt for improved customer service.

In addition to advanced Supply & Demand Planning capabilities, S2K Purchasing application provides the tools necessary to automate and track all the steps in the purchasing cycle.

“As a food-perishable business, our information changes hour to hour. It is critical for us to have that data right there in front of us, any minute of the day, and know that it is accurate and changing as our business is changing.”

Luigi Delfini

Vice President

AVA Pork

S2K Food | 9

Today, more than ever, warehouse management systems are critical to effectively manage your supply chain and achieve peak performance. By implementing the latest WMS software technologies in your warehouse, you can significantly improve warehouse operations, employee productivity, and customer satisfaction.

VAI S2K Warehouse will allow you to monitor warehouse activities in real-time, minimizing entry errors, and help you measure the efficiency of your warehouse employees. This powerful warehouse management system application provides both paper-based and radio frequency processing for inventory receiving, movement and replenishments, product put-aways, warehouse fulfillments, warehouse scheduling, warehouse control systems, order picking, shipment verification, cycle counting, and much more.

Two individuals in high-visibility vests work in a warehouse, one using a smartphone and the other inspecting shelves.

10 | S2K Food.

ROUTE MANAGEMENT

For companies with their own truck fleet, getting vehicles loaded and on their way can be a very complicated task. Managing routes and stops, inventory allocations, vehicle capacity limits, stacking restrictions, and more must be performed under tight time constraints. S2K Route Manager application helps managers organize routes and ensures that warehouse pickers have the right information, minimizing breakage and maximizing efficiency.

As orders are released to the warehouse, they are cued up in the route manager screen. The route manager screen displays the quantity, weight, and cube for each route with subtotals for dry, refrigerated, and frozen goods. From this screen, the user can change the trailer for more capacity, manage stops, allocate inventory, view shorts, allow item substitutions, and much more. S2K Route Manager also provides a standard interface to Roadnet® for automated truck routing. Once orders are allocated and routed, S2K creates units-of-work (UOW) in reverse stop order to assist pickers in loading each truck.

A computer screen displaying a table with data entries, featuring rows and columns for organized information.

“Our truck routing processes have improved by 50%, ensuring extremely high levels of prompt customer delivery. With S2K Route Manager, Seacore can view its orders and number of orders per route, enabling the company to set up its deliveries most efficiently. Utilizing bulk and wave picking, Seacore reduced its order picking time by 40%, further increasing its already impressive on-time delivery rates.”

Sal Battaglia

Director of Operations

Seacore Seafood

S2K Food | 11

Truck and Pallet Builder

VAI’s pallet and truck building application helps speed the picking and truck loading process by automating pallet creation for the orders and items being delivered on the route.

Based on pre set trailer and pallet limits, item crush factors, and number of orders per pallet, the system will automatically suggest pallet configurations and build units of work for WMS picking. The resulting pallets can be modified with a drag and drop interface and the finished pallets can be dragged into position on to the truck. A printed truck map helps the driver easily locate customer orders for delivery.

VAI’s pallet and truck building application helps speed the picking and truck loading process by automating pallet creation for the orders and items being delivered on the route.

A spreadsheet displaying data, including a table with various columns and rows, and a summary box.

3PL Warehouse Management

VAI’s integrated 3PL Billing features allow a company to outsource elements of its distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment services and bill customers for receiving, shipping, and storage of goods within their warehouse. VAI’s 3PL capabilities are seamlessly integrated into the standard S2K Warehouse Management System so that users leverage the same interface for all transaction processing. Through the customer web portal, customers know exactly where every piece of their inventory is at all times.

12 | S2K Food

Combining an intuitive, user-friendly retail application with powerful enterprise functionality, S2K Retail Point of Sale (POS) software is the ideal solution for taking both walk-in and on-account sales. For quick cash transactions, S2K Retail POS provides a simple touch screen interface, quick bar code scanning, and integrated payment options to accelerate the checkout process. During each transaction, users can check stock access across multiple locations, view complementary items or substitutions, capture serial number data for warranties, and view detailed item specifications and images. Extensive security options track management price overrides, and limit user functions.

S2K Retail POS offers a wealth of capabilities to enhance your retail operation including:

Special Order Processing with Deposits
Layaways and Direct Shipments
Item Trade-In Allowances
Quotes, Orders, Returns
Cash Drawer Reconciliation

Special Order Processing with Deposits
Layaways and Direct Shipments
Item Trade-In Allowances
Quotes, Orders, Returns
Cash Drawer Reconciliation

Special Order Processing with Deposits
Layaways and Direct Shipments
Item Trade-In Allowances
Quotes, Orders, Returns
Cash Drawer Reconciliation

Gift Card Sales and Tendering
On-Account Customer Sales and Payments
Pin Pad and EMV Credit Card Processing
Customer Loyalty Tracking
And much more!

Gift Card Sales and Tendering
On-Account Customer Sales and Payments
Pin Pad and EMV Credit Card Processing
Customer Loyalty Tracking
And much more!

Gift Card Sales and Tendering
On-Account Customer Sales and Payments
Pin Pad and EMV Credit Card Processing
Customer Loyalty Tracking
And much more!

A customer interacts with a staff member at a bakery, discussing an order in a bright, modern setting.

S2K Food | 13

Manufacturing Work Orders

S2K Manufacturing supports both Process and Discrete Manufacturing. The S2K Recipe (BOM) file allows users to configure their recipes in the actual formula unit of measure and the system will convert that quantity into the actual stocking unit of measure for more precise inventory control. For process manufactures the system fully supports batch (mix) processing and allows the user to produce multiple finished goods from a batch. Full lot and date tracking of the raw materials and finished goods helps companies comply with food safety regulations. Workflow triggers help control and enforce work practices around the enterprise by notifying management of critical issues through alerts and conditional emails. S2K Manufacturing Work Orders software also includes a production cost program that closes the loop of manufacturing and accounting. It posts production costs to the General Ledger for inclusion in financial statements. Manufacturing variances are calculated for material, labor, and overhead. Extensive management reporting includes standard vs. actual analysis, material variances, scrap reporting, labor efficiencies, etc. The result is a top-level overview of production efficiency.

A computer screen displaying a software interface with multiple sections, showing data and navigation options.

“ The level of support by the VAI team is unmatched. From customized features specific to the baking industry to manufacturing automation, we are able to scale in ways other solutions cannot offer, and our VAI team continues to stay ahead of the curve and deliver feature-rich software that will help us achieve all of our goals. ”

Tami Talevski

Director of IT

Emmi Desserts

14 | S2K Food

Material Requirements Planning

Managing sufficient material levels is one of the most critical and time-consuming aspects of manufacturing. S2K Material Requirements Planning (MRP) software module eliminates purchasing and scheduling problems and speeds up the work process. This powerful yet easy to use application helps purchasing and production managers analyze current and future material and distribution requirements and enables more effective planning.

Capacity Requirements Planning

S2K Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP) application helps to determine your company’s ability to meet manufacturing demand. Powerful inquiries allow users to view soft, firm, and planned demand, allowing a detailed analysis of both actual and projected capacity requirements. S2K CRP provides the summary information you need to spot situations where capacity is short or long, enabling you to shift production and manage resources efficiently. Changes can be made which immediately affect the production schedule.

Shop Floor Control

S2K Shop Floor Control application allows you to record both raw materials and labor usage on the shop floor. With its browser-based design, users can collect shop floor data on tablets or mobile devices, and clock in and out of routing operations. S2K Shop Floor Control allows users to immediately update production progress, material usage, labor, and the available capacity at a given machine or work center. Extensive inquiries and reporting exist to allow you to monitor employee productivity, material variances, and comparisons of actual versus standard cost.

Product Quality

S2K Product Quality application is completely integrated with Inventory, Purchasing, and Manufacturing. The Product Quality application allows you to establish and track an unlimited number of user defined tests and group tests for specific industry requirements. Users can assign tests or groups to specific items and track the results, and the disposition of both received goods and finished goods throughout the manufacturing process. Results can be pass/fail, table values, or a range of data. Using lot control, lots will be placed on quality hold pending testing. Until all tests have been passed, lots on hold cannot be utilized or shipped.

Two workers in safety gear, including yellow hard hats, review materials in a warehouse setting.

S2K Food | 15

In today’s highly competitive market it is imperative that you constantly evaluate the success of the activities in which your business engages. S2K Analytics software provides your organization with both high-level monitoring that focuses on the overall performance of the enterprise, and low-level monitoring that focuses on departmental metrics such as:

Inventory Turns and GMROI
Customer Fill Rates
Forecasted Demand vs Actual

Inventory Turns and GMROI
Customer Fill Rates
Forecasted Demand vs Actual

Inventory Turns and GMROI
Customer Fill Rates
Forecasted Demand vs Actual

Picking and Shipping Performance
Receiving and Put-Away Performance
Vendor Performance

Picking and Shipping Performance
Receiving and Put-Away Performance
Vendor Performance

Picking and Shipping Performance
Receiving and Put-Away Performance
Vendor Performance

With S2K Analytics, you can create powerful dashboards and reports that will allow you to easily identify anomalies that could turn into significant business issues, identify and analyze opportunities and trends, communicate goals consistently with employees, and monitor performance against targets. Access to accurate information has never been more vital to grow revenue, protect margins, and improve profitability. Whether your business is distribution, manufacturing, retail or service, S2K Analytics gives everyone in your value chain the answers they need to excel in a highly volatile environment.

Dashboard displaying data metrics and charts, organized in a grid layout with blue and white color scheme.

16 | S2K Food

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Advanced Reporting

Simple, intuitive, drag-and-drop authoring capabilities that are easily accessible from a web browser for self-service reporting by any user, from novice to expert.

Simple, intuitive, drag-and-drop authoring capabilities that are easily accessible from a web browser for self-service reporting by any user, from novice to expert.

Simple, intuitive, drag-and-drop authoring capabilities that are easily accessible from a web browser for self-service reporting by any user, from novice to expert.

A common meta data model that presents information to users in business terms that they understand, so they can be productive right away.

A common meta data model that presents information to users in business terms that they understand, so they can be productive right away.

A common meta data model that presents information to users in business terms that they understand, so they can be productive right away.

Access to all corporate data in any combination, including relational, analytical OLAP or even desktop files for comprehensive, accurate reporting.

Access to all corporate data in any combination, including relational, analytical OLAP or even desktop files for comprehensive, accurate reporting.

Access to all corporate data in any combination, including relational, analytical OLAP or even desktop files for comprehensive, accurate reporting.

Broad report coverage to meet the needs of different users, including financial, production, operational, transactional, managed, or ad hoc reports.

Broad report coverage to meet the needs of different users, including financial, production, operational, transactional, managed, or ad hoc reports.

Broad report coverage to meet the needs of different users, including financial, production, operational, transactional, managed, or ad hoc reports.

Flexible report delivery that includes the ability to write once and immediately publish reports to the web, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, email messages.

Flexible report delivery that includes the ability to write once and immediately publish reports to the web, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, email messages.

Flexible report delivery that includes the ability to write once and immediately publish reports to the web, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, email messages.

Dynamic Dashboards

Pre-configured dashboards help you gain immediate visibility into sales, revenue, and productivity.

Pre-configured dashboards help you gain immediate visibility into sales, revenue, and productivity.

Pre-configured dashboards help you gain immediate visibility into sales, revenue, and productivity.

Real-time dashboards that allow you to monitor key performance indicators at the department, location, or company level.

Real-time dashboards that allow you to monitor key performance indicators at the department, location, or company level.

Real-time dashboards that allow you to monitor key performance indicators at the department, location, or company level.

Drag and drop data onto the screen to see the visualization change to suit the analysis.

Drag and drop data onto the screen to see the visualization change to suit the analysis.

Drag and drop data onto the screen to see the visualization change to suit the analysis.

Assemble a view that contains visualizations such as a graph, chart, plot, table, map, or any other visual representation of data.

Assemble a view that contains visualizations such as a graph, chart, plot, table, map, or any other visual representation of data.

Assemble a view that contains visualizations such as a graph, chart, plot, table, map, or any other visual representation of data.

Easy to use interface that allows users to change content appearance simply by clicking objects and selecting different options from drop down menus.

Easy to use interface that allows users to change content appearance simply by clicking objects and selecting different options from drop down menus.

Easy to use interface that allows users to change content appearance simply by clicking objects and selecting different options from drop down menus.

S2K Food | 17

With the rapid expansion of mobile devices, enterprises everywhere are dramatically impacted by the new wave of mobile technology. VAI’s mobile solutions turn ordinary smartphones into powerful business tools that can help you improve efficiencies, enhance customer service, and increase sales. S2K Mobile solutions are actual applications that are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather than being rendered within a browser. They are specifically designed for smaller handheld displays and a touch-screen interface and can easily access the native functions of the mobile device, such as the camera. These powerful solutions provide file synchronization directly with S2K Food or your current ERP system, and give users off-line access to content when a network/wireless connection in unavailable.

A woman in a green apron inspects a jar while standing in a market filled with goods.

“ With VAI’s S2K Mobile application, our team has leaped ahead of the competition. Sales reps are now equipped with real-time information on all aspects of customers’ business, including orders already processed, delivered, and everything in between. ”

Marcus Kanhai

Sales Manager

A.S. Bryden & Sons

18 | S2K Food

Proof of Delivery

S2K Mobile Proof of Delivery (POD) app is a powerful solution for effective and efficient driver performance monitoring and delivery confirmation. S2K Mobile POD app replaces the clumsy paperwork process of capturing signatures with a clean and efficient paperless process to confirm the delivery of merchandise and electronically capture signatures and photographs.

Load deliveries by route and driver
Track Geo location
Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation
Confirm / Scan items delivered

Load deliveries by route and driver
Track Geo location
Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation
Confirm / Scan items delivered

Load deliveries by route and driver
Track Geo location
Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation
Confirm / Scan items delivered

Capture signature and photos on the device
Process shorts and returns
Collect payments with full back office reconciliation
Print or email delivery receipt

Capture signature and photos on the device
Process shorts and returns
Collect payments with full back office reconciliation
Print or email delivery receipt

Capture signature and photos on the device
Process shorts and returns
Collect payments with full back office reconciliation
Print or email delivery receipt

Order Processing

Having a web presence alone is no longer sufficient as online activity continues to shift to mobile. This rise in mobile device usage means that mobile apps have become a key sales tool for companies of all sizes. Giving your sales team immediate access to account and product information can make the difference between getting the sale or not. In addition, making it simpler for customers to place orders directly with your company can result in increased order frequency, customer loyalty, and an improved bottom-line for your business.

Route Sales

S2K Mobile Route Sales application automates the entire process of route sales including: truck loading, sales order processing, delivery confirmation, payment processing, inventory management, and truck settlement.

S2K Mobile Route Sales features can:

Confirm truck loading and manage inventory

Confirm truck loading and manage inventory

Confirm truck loading and manage inventory

Perform pre-sales, delivery, returns, exchanges, and truck transfers

Perform pre-sales, delivery, returns, exchanges, and truck transfers

Perform pre-sales, delivery, returns, exchanges, and truck transfers

Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation

Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation

Manage GPS tracking and Google navigation

Process orders

Process orders

Process orders

Confirm items delivered

Confirm items delivered

Confirm items delivered

Capture signature

Capture signature

Capture signature

Collect payments

Collect payments

Collect payments

Print or email delivery receipt and invoice

Print or email delivery receipt and invoice

Print or email delivery receipt and invoice

Access customer and product Information

Access customer and product Information

Access customer and product Information

Perform truck settlement

Perform truck settlement

Perform truck settlement

Sales Analysis

Sales Representatives may not always have an Internet connection at the location where they are meeting with customers. S2K Mobile Sales Analysis synchronizes some of the critical data from VAI ERP to the users mobile device, allowing them access to customer, item, and sales data even when they are off-line. With S2K Mobile Sales Analysis, sales representatives will be able to delight customers by providing them with the immediate information they need to make intelligent business decisions.

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S2K eBusiness is built on the latest portal technology, which provides your customers with a highly personalized and engaging website experience, containing the applications and information they need. Using the latest responsive design techniques, the website is optimized for any device, making it easy for your customers to do business with your company from their desktop or mobile device. They can easily educate themselves about an offering or product, its features, pricing, and availability. They can quickly execute transactions across applications and access enterprise data, all in real-time.

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Growing the value of your customer relationships while also converting new prospects can be a tough challenge. Email Marketing is the art and science of using email to both nurture leads and engage existing customers. S2K Marketing is an Email Marketing tool oriented towards marketing automation. Based on the actions and behavior of your subscribers, you can add tags to their profile that will allow you to target specific contacts based on their buying behavior. With this powerful email marketing automation tool, marketers can segment their lists to drastically improve the effectiveness of their email campaigns. Designing beautiful email messages does not have to be tedious. With S2K Marketing, users can leverage hundreds of templates and add as much customization as needed to style and brand an email campaign for your business.

Marketing Analytics

Stay up-to-date with accurate insights and statistics, and use this information to improve your overall engagement strategy. With this tool, you will be able to see how many recipients have opened your campaign, who they are, and which links have received the most clicks. Discover the exact geographical locations of recipients who open your campaigns, as well as the open dates and times. Optimize your campaigns with access to stats about which devices and web browsers your recipients are using to view your campaigns.

Marketing Automation

With powerful marketing automation tools you can continue to engage your subscribers by sending a series of specific action-based emails. With automated workflows, you can give your subscribers the information they want during each stage of the sales funnel. With advanced marketing automation, you can nurture prospects and customers with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers.

Lead Scoring

With S2K Marketing, you can improve your lead qualification processes with automated lead scoring based on account behavior. Use our flexible scoring system to assess your prospect’s product fit and level of engagement as you follow up with them. Create a stellar experience for each contact at every stage of the customer lifecycle. This powerful tool helps your contacts quickly progress from interested leads to satisfied customers, and then ultimately, to outspoken advocates with personalized experiences.

CRM Integration

The contact database in S2K Marketing and S2K Sales Force CRM are always in sync. Say goodbye to scattered solutions, and unite all of your teams around a single process that will ensure that you never miss a chance to follow-up on a potential opportunity. With S2K Marketing, sales representatives get instant insight into customer behavior, so you can eliminate wasted time and effort, convert more leads, win more customers, and turn them into promoters that grow your business.

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SOLUTION PARTNERS

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Documentation Management / AP Workflow

Streamline business processes and go paperless by digitally managing the entire lifecycle of documents and data. Capture paper documents and import electronic documents. Manage documents in a secure environment. Distribute documents digitally in just a few clicks. With AP workflow, you can capture AP invoices digitally, no matter how they entered the organization, and upload them into your ERP system. Once invoices are uploaded and stored, they can be automatically routed for approval—without ever entering paper form.

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Voice Picking

Our integrated voice picking solution literally talks people through their daily tasks, replacing cumbersome lists and traditional data capture methods with hands-free, personal voice dialogs. Through a premier global network of resellers and supply chain performance experts, hundreds of thousands of people on six continents use our partnered voice picking solution to improve work every day.

Transportation

VAI partners with leading TMS shipping software to automate the entire package shipping process. Optimize shipment pricing for parcel and LTL shipments, ensure label and manifesting compliance, cut freight costs, increase operational efficiency and improve profitability. Reconcile actual carrier invoices against anticipated costs in order to prevent invalid/over-charges, and duplicate bills.

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Sales and Use Tax

Integration with leading tax solution providers can help your company manage tax processes related to sales and purchases more quickly, give your tax department more control, and enhance regulatory compliance. VAI partners with leading tax solution providers to provide automated transactional tax calculation, tax reporting, and returns processing - including returns preparation, filing, and payments. Our partners calculation and reporting systems are built upon industry leading tax research and proven technology.

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EDI

VAI partners with leading EDI service based solutions to provide a complete solution for you and your trading partners. Our integrated EDI solutions allow you to quickly connect your trading partners using AS2, SFTP, FTPS, APIs, secure portal and more. Our team of EDI specialists can help you eliminate manual integration flows by automating and orchestrating every API, EDI, and non-EDI transaction.

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Forms / Labels Design

Our integrated form and label design solution provides Bar Code Labels, RFID Tags, and Electronic Forms software and the innovative Integrated RFID Control. Customers can design and print bar code labels, RFID tags, laser forms, and other media, using live data, with little or no programming. S2K contains a complete library of fully integrated thermal labels and plain paper laser forms.

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WHY VAI

We’ve built the VAI Advantage from the ground up, and for over 40 years, we have stood by the belief that our solution can be the best ERP solution for your business, and that VAI is the right partner for you. While the advantages of utilizing VAI are numerous, here’s a list of our top “Why VAI” reasons for making us your ERP software and technology vendor of choice.

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Lower Total Cost of Ownership

Cost is one of the biggest reasons why companies are moving to VAI’s S2K ERP solutions. As a business grows, so does the need for a more robust enterprise backbone. By comparing your current IT infrastructure costs, along with your licensing and support expenses, you may find that moving your ERP to the cloud can save your business money in the long run. Not all cloud solutions are the same. In addition to our Software as a Service (SaaS) pricing, VAI also offers Platform as a Service (PaaS) that can offer you a tremendous costs savings over an ongoing, never-ending SaaS price model. In addition, if you are experiencing rapid growth or are in acquisition mode, VAI’s unlimited user license option can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. This option allows organizations to expand locations, add users, deploy multiple sessions, and add RF or Mobile users, without paying additional software licensing fees.

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Unique Business Processes

If your company has unique business processes, users may be relying on workarounds to perform their daily functions. Workarounds are exactly what their name implies – extra steps performed in a system to work around missing functionality required to complete a task. Workarounds cause inefficiencies, and in turn, can increase costs and create unhappy employees and customers. VAI’s S2K ERP software can be easily customized to support your unique business processes and requirements as part of a single integrated solution.

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Customer Service

In today’s “immediate” world, your customers are looking for convenience. When a customer transacts with your organization, he or she wants an easy and efficient experience. Simple things like integrated email and faxing, and mobile apps and customer portals that provide customer self-service options are not a “nice to have”, they are an expectation. Worst yet, if your legacy system is providing inaccurate data using inadequate integration, this can make a poor customer experience even worse. VAI’s S2K ERP software provides the world class customer convenience tools you need to build customer loyalty and delight your customers, all in a single, integrated solution.

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Domestic Support from the Author

With VAI, your organization will be assigned an experienced, high level support team that includes a project director, accountant, multiple programmers, trainers, and system engineers. You will receive direct support from the author and your entire team will be United States-based VAI employees (not a reseller). This team will be available to you throughout the implementation and beyond. Unlike many “call center implementations” where you are left to do the work, your VAI team will take the time to learn about your specific business environment and will work closely with your staff - on-site at your location when necessary - to ensure that you are getting the most out of your technology investment.

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Unmatched Cloud Performance and Security

VAI’s ERP solution runs on IBM Power Systems™, and the IBM Power Systems platform is the backbone of our world class data center. IBM Power Systems ranks #1 in every major reliability category by ITIC and is an industry leader for enterprise servers. In addition, IBM Power Systems has built-in security at all layers, from processor to the OS, to deliver end-to-end security that is unmatched in the industry. Lastly, the IBM Power Processor drives the world’s fastest supercomputers and is ready to accelerate your enterprise with incredible cloud performance for even the most demanding environments.

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Integrated Applications Designed for the Supply Chain

The debate between buying “best of breed” software products versus fully integrated systems has raged on for years. Each approach certainly has its pros and cons. While VAI supports some of the industry leading applications, our approach is to offer Integrated Applications optimized for the Supply Chain within our ERP solution that eliminate complexity and integration costs and provide users with effective practical applications that deliver bottom-line results.

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Single Database Design

As companies grow, many organizations find themselves with disconnected databases and external spreadsheets to support their requirements. This type of environment involves redundant data entry, a lack of data consistency, and significant manual intervention to create meaningful reports. VAI offers a completely integrated ERP solution utilizing one central database. With our ERP solutions, you can update records one time - no more duplicate entries, copying files, or integration issues. Discover the power of a single database solution with VAI S2K software and see how you can regain control of your data, your people, and your business!

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120 Comac Street, Ronkonkoma, New York 11779

1.800.824.7776 | www.vai.net | sales@vai.net

All brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks of their respective holders

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