The challenge
With business expanding rapidly across the US, Tovala needed a more organised, and consistent way of controlling its inventory. However, the WMS solution also had to integrate with established production facility processes as well as custom software tools, purpose built for food industry production management.
Operationally that meant standard receiving/shipping tasks, but also more bespoke functionality such as lot tracking, product expiry and multiple locations – and especially the capacity to accurately manage specific track and trace requirements.
The solution
Over 50 WMS providers were evaluated and SnapFulfil was identified as the most flexible, cost effective and configurable suite available. The selection process included rigorous API and data testing in various demo environments for a proof of concept, including the design of a dedicated Tovala sandbox. This meant they were almost 'live' before signing the final agreement!
Implementation was handled remotely and the first two DCs in Chicago went live simultaneously. SnapFulfil has since been rolled out – via a unique self implementation programme – to a much larger facility in Utah.
The benefits
Tovala handles work orders, recipes and pick schedules on a weekly basis with up to 5,000 items in a case that aren't all needed at once. Functionality was created to pick, for example, 500 items at a time and always be aware of what's left per case. The company now also benefits from lot and expiry control and a range of food industry-specific functionality.
