The IT package has increased the visibility of product and production data for the company, which supplies outlets such as Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sam’s Club and Whole Foods.
RM Foods has to handle the simultaneous production of up to 20 products and needed a system that could offer an instant view of the status of all operations, it said.
“Our old system made even routine tasks cumbersome, so it was easier to outsource them,” said Michael Siegmund, president of RM Foods. “We hired a consulting team to help us evaluate our options, and Sage ERP X3 came out the winner.
'Limping along'
“We were limping along before. Now we are able to leverage our production data to our advantage. We are using automated notifications, queries and both standard and custom reports to deliver real-time data to those who need it.”
He said the software package had a clean, intuitive interface and a solid reputation in the process manufacturing industry.
“Our implementation plan was carefully designed,” said Siegmund. “We are rolling out components of the software in phases, and it’s working extremely well for us. Our accounting department was up and running on Sage ERP X3 in just three weeks.”
Quick return on investment
Consultants from Sage assisted with the implementation and the rapid implementation and out-of-the-box functionality prompted a quick return on investment, claimed RM Foods.
In the next phase of implementation, RM Foods plans on taking advantage of comprehensive lot control in Sage ERP X3 and will incorporate the MRP components to facilitate sales forecasting.
“In the future, we also plan to roll out web interfaces so that our customers can log on to place orders and check status and stocking levels. It’s not possible for an organization to be competitive and profitable without access to real-time operational data,” concluded Siegmund.