Meat Producer Achieves Prime
Results with Improved Software,
System
Features and Benefits
100% order control and visibility
Significant labor savings
100% traceability of boxes
No transition downtime
Industry Group: Automated
Storage/Retrieval Systems (ASRS)
Today, labor costs are less than half of what they were with more gains
possible.
Overview of the situation
Each day, this global leader in the beef processing
industry processes over 4,650 heads of cattle and
produces more than 3.4 million lbs. of cattle beef in
600,000 square feet of working space. But out-ofdate AS/RS and order management software limited
the company’s ability to meet customer needs.
The reason was real-time equipment control
screens did not operate at real time. Software
algorithms couldn’t schedule larger and heavier
boxes for loading first, leading to handling and
damage issues.
Existing software was inadequate
An analysis showed that the software needed to be
completely replaced. In addition, the customer set
an aggressive goal of substantially improved
performance. So a new computer system was
installed, supporting two separate physical
networks. One has an interface to the AS/400 host
computer for order information downloads. Orders
and inventory are maintained with maximum
visibility features for operators/users.
Labor costs trimmed
To maintain a user friendly and stable environment,
a new, second platform operating system and
database were acquired. Proprietary application
code in ANSI C, built as a modular design for future
change and portability, intelligently drives the
business functions, screens and material handling
software. As a result, labor costs are better
managed and less than half of what they were.
Upgrade
A recent update shows that the site is now thriving.
Maintenance problems are rare, allowing the
producer to focus on business and continue quality
improvements.
Retrotech
610 Fishers Run
Victor, New York 14564
585-924-6333
chama@retrotech.com
www.retrotech.com