Hillcrest Foods, Inc. tapped VAI, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., to streamline warehouse operations and process and track day-to-day financial transactions.

By leveraging VAI’s cloud-based S2K Enterprise for Food solution, Hillcrest Foods has improved visibility into its supply chain, enabling the company to maintain inventory control throughout the warehouse.

Hillcrest Foods is a mid-sized, independent wholesale foodservice distributor, therefore it is imperative to have a clear and accurate view into their inventory and distribution routes to be efficient. With a high volume of inventory and customers across the Northeast, Hillcrest requires a food-focused enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to help improve inventory management and track product lots, both of which are critical to comply with food safety regulations and ensure all deliveries are performed under the allotted time constraints.

Originally located in northern Vermont, Hillcrest moved to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 2008 to help with the logistics of distribution to its growing customer base. To meet this demand, Hillcrest Foods migrated to VAI’s S2K Enterprise for Food software, which runs in the cloud and includes S2K Financial Management, S2K Distribution Management, S2K Warehouse Management, and truck mapping applications. For Hillcrest, cloud-based warehouse and financial management applications are necessary to effectively manage the supply chain and achieve peak performance. The applications are capable of addressing any tracking issues and quickly locating products. Providing documentation for each product, including origin, analysis and ingredients, VAI’s S2K Enterprise for Food allows bakers and chefs to see exactly what’s in their product.

“With VAI’s warehouse management application, we have been able to improve our lot control and better track what products are on the shelves and which ones have been distributed,” says Carmen Pascuito, accounting manager at Hillcrest Foods. “We can guarantee our customers fresh and high-quality products, all while keeping a close eye on inventory levels. We also use VAI’s truck mapping application, which allows us to better manage delivery routes and guarantee orders are on the correct truck for delivery each day.”

VAI’s Truck Mapping application helps Hillcrest Foods maximize available space on trucks by consolidating pallets as well as making sure the pallets are positioned correctly for deliveries. The truck mapping application lets managers organize routes and ensures that warehouse employees have the right information, minimizing breakage and maximizing efficiency. Moreover, as orders are released to the warehouse, they are cued up in the route manager screen during which the driver can manage order processing, shipping and stops, as well as allocate inventory.

Hillcrest Foods receives hundreds of calls per day from customers looking to place orders, so connectivity is critical. By utilizing VAI’s cloud-based solution, Hillcrest Foods has experienced no downtime and does not worry about the complexity of running a cloud infrastructure. With VAI’s S2K cloud-based ERP solution, Hillcrest Foods’ warehouse employees and truck drivers can work remotely from any location while harnessing the ability to access all enterprise applications in a centralized database.

“VAI S2K Enterprise for Food is designed to meet the strict requirements of the food industry,” says Gary Barter, project director, food division, VAI. “With S2K, we help food distributors and manufacturers compete by automating and integrating business processes across the entire organization, all while complying with food safety regulations. We look forward to our continued partnership with Hillcrest Foods and assisting them in maintaining transparency throughout their supply chain.”