March 12 2015
Utilizing Warehouse Execution Systems for Food Chain Traceability
Manufacturers are deploying the latest software solutions engineered with advanced functionality to target, locate and isolate impacted product even faster in the event of a food chain recall.
When thinking about food recalls, an accurate and timely traceability report is needed to remove the product and ensure the recall is taken care of. Many manufactures are now turning to automation to help reduce and prevent recalls.
Quoted in a recent article in Material Materials Handling, Dave Williams, director of software solutions at Westfalia Technologies explains his thoughts on traceability, “Integration and portability of information from one application to another is a big component of traceability. It used to be a piece that had to be added on to a host interface, but not any longer. Our warehouse execution system, Savanna.NET ®, captures and carries much of the batch data associated with growers or manufacturing, pairs this data with the lot data generated at processing time, and passes it directly through the storage and distribution systems, from packaging through transportation of the product. We can make parts of this information available downstream to the retailers if they want it. By tying manufacturing data to a retailer’s point-of-sale (POS) system, a recall might just entail an automated phone call to everyone who purchased an item, requesting it be returned to the store—instead of broadcasting it on the news."
In the case that a company does have a product recall, the two-in-one methodology of a warehouse execution system (WES) utilizes a single application to perform the tasks of both a WMS and WCS, creating a less complex process. By combining the two systems, accurately recalling traceability data of products becomes an easy and efficient process.
To learn more from the Modern Material Handling Product News article click here.
To learn more about Westfalia’s WES, Savanna.NET ® click here.