Main Street Gourmet is a frozen bakery manufacturer specializing in custom products like muffins, bars, cookies, granola and brownies for national food operators and specialty grocery stores.   Located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Main Street has been around since the late 1980s, and has transformed from a single storefront location in downtown Akron, into the successful frozen bakery manufacturer it is today.

The Challenge

As Main Street looks to continue its growth and expansion (in 2016 ground was broken on Main Street’s building expansion and renovation project, which will increase capacity and functionality), it quickly realized that it needed a software system that could scale along with it. Prior to choosing JustFood, Main Street was using multiple, independent platforms and Excel spreadsheets to run its business, which resulted in data integrity issues, forecasting problems and inefficient processes.

The Solution

Main Street selected JustFood as its ERP provider and is planning to use the software to help gain insight into business performance, manage its production and support its warehouse processes. Main Street ultimately decided on JustFood because of its food-specific functionality and ability to integrate data and workflows into a single system.

Before beginning its search for a new ERP, Main Street knew it needed a system that would allow its employees to access and interact with the same data across all departments. The bakery manufacturer wanted to ensure that it would be able to measure and monitor the health of its business in real-time and create accurate sales and production forecasts, plus manage the financials in one integrated system. JustFood’s food-specific functionality will help give Main Street the insight, visibility and control it needs to make its processes more efficient and effective.

Main Street had complex requirements for its production processes, which JustFood was able to address with JustFood Plant, a manufacturing execution system (MES) add on. The JustFood team of food professionals and technology experts configured the software to create workflows around production lines, giving Main Street the visibility and accountability it required throughout its entire production process. JustFood also worked with Main Street to develop routing link codes, which link consumption materials to specific work centers to ensure the right materials are at the right place at the right time.

Also central to Main Street’s needs was a system that could combine production with warehouse functionality for true end-to-end visibility and flow. JustFood’s device-based warehouse management add on, JustFood Floor, makes warehouse data available on any device and works alongside JustFood Plant to provide Main Street with product visibility throughout.

Looking Forward

Main Street is going ahead with JustFood’s newest release, JustFood 2017, which will provide it with an updated user interface, custom workflow functionality and embedded interactive reporting and analytics.

JustFood’s team of project managers is working with Main Street’s implementation team towards an early 2018 launch date.

 

Ready for a specialized food ERP? Learn more about Aptean Food & Beverage ERP JustFood Edition — a solution purpose-built to solve your challenges and propel your food business and digital transformation to the next level.