Prairie Farms Dairy, one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the Midwest, recently implemented RouteACE distribution software from San Diego-based Apacheta Corp. The co-op produces fresh, cultured and frozen dairy products, which are sold in stores, schools and other institutions throughout the Midwest.
According to Apacheta, distribution personnel delivering the co-op’s products and monitoring stock levels for customers were using outdated invoice systems to record those stock levels and complete orders. They selected Apacheta to modernize their operation and help end problems with errors and inefficiencies that were part of the old system.
Apacheta’s RouteACE solution wirelessly prints invoices on-site for customers.
When deliveries are completed at the end of the day, the handhelds are returned to docking stations at the Prairie Farms depot so that information from that day’s deliveries can be uploaded into the Prairie Farms host system database. At night, the handhelds are programmed to “wake up” and retrieve the download for the next day’s route before the drivers show up in the morning to go to work.
“In the areas that had previously used an accounting system based on handwritten paper invoices, we have seen a drastic reduction in delivery and ordering errors,” said Prairie Farms CIO, Mark Harris. He also reported a 10% improvement in cash receipts.
For more information, go to www.apacheta.com.