Customer Story: Vita-Pakt Automates Trace & Recall Processes

Highlights

Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co. desperately needed to move away from the manual data entry and legacy software it had been using when it began its search for an ERP system. Item traceability and fully integrated recall functionality were key factors in the citrus processor’s decision to implement JustFood.

Since going live on JustFood software, Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co. has been able to:

• Automate its recall processes with JustFood’s CRM module
• Gather relevant, real-time customer data and share it across the company
• Track product both forward and backward through the supply chain

One of the selling points of JustFood’s CRM functionality is that with the push of a single button, and within 30 seconds, automated emails and letters are going out to customers notifying them of recalled items.

Robert Naugle, Plant Manager

Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co.

Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co. is a vertically integrated processor of citrus and kiwi fruit products for food and beverage companies around the world. Founded in 1957, Vita-Pakt’s signature products include frozen orange and lemon items for the bakery industry and all natural juice concentrates for the beverage industry. Vita-Pakt’s headquarters and distribution center are located in Covina, California.

The Challenge

The driving force behind Vita-Pakt’s search for an ERP system was the need to move away from inefficient systems and employee spreadsheets that required manual data entry. Accessibility to data by everyone in the company was also important.

Item traceability was another key consideration for Vita-Pakt. The citrus company required the ability to track product both forward and backward through the supply chain and conduct product recalls for third-party audits. Without an integrated system, this proved extremely difficult and time-consuming.

The Solution

Robert Naugle, Vita-Pakt’s plant manager at the time, drove the ERP system search and implementation project. Naugle and his team quickly identified that a Microsoft Dynamics ERP system would suit their needs best and narrowed their search down to JustFood and another Dynamics-based vendor.

“The main thing for us was the level of relationship that JustFood has with Microsoft,” says Naugle. “JustFood is completely integrated and compatible with Microsoft products now and down the road. We ultimately decided that the functionality in JustFood fit us better than other ERP systems would.”

The Benefits

Naugle says that Vita-Pakt has seen increased efficiencies and productivity, resulting in cost savings, since they went live on JustFood. One of the features they use most is the item trace functionality. “We use it quite a bit for recall purposes and for ongoing information gathering.”

Another feature that Vita-Pakt finds most beneficial is the integrated customer relationship management (CRM) module. “One of the selling points of CRM is that, within 30 seconds and with a push of a single button, automated emails and letters are going out to customers notifying them of recalled items,” says Naugle. When you have thousands of customers, having this process automated and fully integrated across the entire company makes a huge difference in the item trace and recall process.

The Future

Vita-Pakt recently implemented JF Floor, the web interface module that extends JustFood functionality through handheld scanners, forklift tablets and other portable devices, and are reaping the benefits of that. “All our finished products will be containerized,” says Naugle. “As the goods come off the production line on pallets, they get tracked by container and bin number. We’ll be able to get more real-time information on our output.”