Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Dakota Dunes, S.C.-based subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., maintains a strong commitment to providing its retail and foodservice customers with the best quality and variety of fresh meat products. It also delivers custom-designed program and product mixes that help customers achieve their business goals.

That’s why Tyson Fresh Meats utilizes TEKLYNX’s LABELVIEW Version 8 for its extensive barcode labeling needs. As the company’s need for barcode labeling grew, it found that it might benefit from a more robust barcode labeling system. Tyson Fresh Meats knew it was time to implement an upgrade strategy to support the growth in their labeling complexity needs.

Solution
Tyson Fresh Meats’ label systems manager Felicia Christensen began searching for a new barcode labeling software solution. She researched the tiered TEKLYNX barcode labeling solutions, as well as those of several different companies, but found that TEKLYNX CENTRAL, the company’s enterprise barcode labeling system designed for more complex enterprise environments, met Tyson Fresh Meats’ needs.

Tyson Fresh Meats then conducted a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the software, weighing the initial investment against the 5- and 10-year projected costs as well as factoring in the cost of upgrades, the time it would take to convert labels, the licensing fees and the amount of PC support that would be required. After closely examining all costs and options, Tyson Fresh Meats selected TEKLYNX CENTRAL, produced by TEKLYNX Americas, Whitefish Bay, Wis.

The enterprise barcode labeling system combines the TEKLYNX barcode design, printing, label tracking and approval software into a single solution that monitors hundreds of printers in multiple facilities from a central location, all from a browser-based interface. It also offers custom reporting options that display complete document history and activity logs.

TEKLYNX worked to accommodate all of Tyson Fresh Meats’ needs throughout the sales cycle and the implementation process. TEKLYNX assisted every step of the way, working with Christensen to build their USDA- and export-compliant label templates and consulting with her on an implementation strategy, which involved executing the barcode labeling software at a few facilities at a time.

TEKLYNX’ familiarity with the food industry was also helpful, as the company boasted knowledge of the types of environments in which Tyson Fresh Meats’ production facilities were run and who its customers were.

“TEKLYNX was very hands-on throughout our implementation process, all the way through to the final plants being brought online,” adds Christensen.

Results
With TEKLYNX CENTRAL, Tyson Fresh Meats is experiencing the benefits of a centralized and streamlined enterprise barcode labeling system that fully meets its complex labeling needs.

Results include:

• The software’s centralized label management eliminated the need to manually ship out labels to Tyson Fresh Meats’ numerous facilities. This has expedited the company’s speed-to-market for new products, as previously, one small label printing error could hold up the entire production process.
• Since the company no longer has to allocate trucks for label movement, shipping costs have also been reduced.
• Reduced label errors mean users no longer have the ability to change labels at the facility level. To further reduce errors, TEKLYNX’ support team implemented a complex configuration for Tyson Fresh Meats that allows the use of a background image on label templates, but does not print on the actual label.  This ensures that users at the plant level know exactly what label stock to use for printing.
• The preview feature helps Tyson Fresh Meats manage costs and customers, as there is no longer a need for Tyson Fresh Meats’ staff to use intuition to decide which label to print.
• Since TEKLYNX CENTRAL is web-based, PC errors no longer delay the process. If one user’s computer fails or malfunctions, the software is simply accessed from another user’s machine on the web.

Tyson Fresh Meats’ staff finds the enterprise barcode labeling software easy to use. In fact, the company expects to see tangible savings and increased efficiencies with its export products. Reliable barcode labels from every facility that meet export requirements lead to fewer claims and delays when moving products across borders

“The TEKLYNX team provided 24/7 direct contact numbers and made themselves available when Tyson Fresh Meats needed them, even post-implementation. This was very helpful to us,” says Christensen. “Everything from our plants has been very positive. Our employees are now able to have a background image that displays in a preview, so they all know what label stock should be printed on. Always previewing correctly has helped our plants to maintain costs and streamline their process.”