Technology Emerges as a Competitive Differentiator
For the eighth year in a row, Food Logistics has identified the top 100 technology and solution providers to the food industry. The FL100 is a listing of software, hardware and IT service providers that focus on the unique technology needs of the food distribution business.
These companies are selected based on their proven track records and expertise in providing food companies with the tools to help them meet business objectives. In addition to the listings, we’ve provided charts that list 18 categories of technology solutions and identifies which solutions each of the FL100 offers. The FL100 is not a ranking—the alphabetical listing has been designed to help readers find the right solution partners to overcome their supply chain challenges.
Actiw Oy, Pieksamaki, Finland
Web site: www.actiw.com
Year founded:2008
Number of employees: 160
Number of food customers: 10+
Solution name(s): Actiw Systems, automated ultra high density dynamic warehouses, and Actiw LoadPlate, automated loading systems for standard cargo space
Worth noting: Actiw Oy is a Finnish company that has focused on the design, sale and project deliveries of automated material handling systems for several decades. The company has shown its competence in dozens of projects around the world and subscribes to the mission, “Full automation from production to road.”
AFS Technologies, Phoenix, AZ
Web site: www.afsi.com
Year founded: 1986
Number of employees: 250
Number of food customers: 1,200
Solution name(s): AFS ERP, AFS OMS, Priya Enterprise WMS, Priya Standard WMS, AFS Web, Discovery for Distributors, Discovery for Manufacturers, AFS Financials, AFS Replenish, AFS Data Exchange, Priya WMS for 3pL, AFS Laptop, AFS Mobile, Interactive Product Master, GenWeb, EasyOperator, PROFILE Product Information Database
Worth noting: “The major challenges facing the foodservice industry today include regulatory compliance initiatives, food safety and traceability regulations, product quality, customer satisfaction, the ever changing face of consumer demands and diminishing margins in a tough economy. Today’s successful foodservice organization is turning to technology to bridge the gap between profit and expense.”
Airclic, Philadelphia, PA
Web site: www.airclic.com
Year founded: 1999
Number of employees: 63
Number of food customers: 6
Solution name(s): Food Perform
Worth noting: “Airclic’s Food Perform® is a comprehensive, SaaS-based mobile supply chain product for delivery and collection in the foodservice industry. Reliably connecting drivers on the road via mobile handheld devices to operations staff and computer-based information systems in the back office, Food Perform® automates the business transactions that occur in delivery and logistics operations.”
Aldata, Helsinki, Finland
Web site: www.aldata.com
Year founded: 1988
Number of employees: 550
Number of food customers: N/A
Solution name(s): Analytics & Visibility; Category Management, Range & Space Planning; Forecasting & Replenishment; Loyalty & Digital Marketing; Master Data Management; Safety & Traceability; Store Operations & POS; Supplier Management & Buying; Supply Chain Management; Warehousing & Transportation; and Voice Directed Warehousing
Worth noting: “Aldata is a global leader in retail and distribution optimization. Our software and service solutions help retailers, distributors and manufacturers dramatically improve their business performance. We optimize categories, space, supply, logistics, and consumer engagement to increase our customers’ revenue and margins, reduce time, cost and waste, and enhance on-shelf availability, service, and retention.”
ALK Technologies, Princeton, NJ
Web site: www.alk.com
Year founded: 1981
Number of employees: 175
Number of food customers: N/A
Solution name(s): PC*MILER, CoPilot Truck
Worth noting: “ALK’s PC*MILER routing, mileage and mapping solutions are depended on by transportation, logistics and manufacturing companies worldwide. Our award-winning CoPilot Live GPS software is the navigation services platform of choice for fleets, mobile operators, hardware OEMs, systems integrators and professional drivers globally.”
Avercast, Rexburg, ID
Web site: www.avercast.com
Year founded: 2008
Number of employees: 42
Number of food customers: 25
Solution name(s): Avercast Business Forecasting, Avercast Supply Planning, Avercast Sales & Operations Planning
Worth noting: “Avercast has done very well with mid-sized companies in food and beverage production, but we are also a good fit for larger global companies.”
Barcoding, Inc., Baltimore, MD
Web site: www.barcoding.com
Year founded: 1998
Number of employees: 60+
Number of food customers: 20+
Solution name(s): Comprehensive Supply Chain Solutions
Worth noting: “Barcoding provides software, hardware, and support services for food wholesalers and distributors. Our software and hardware solutions utilize automatic identification data capture (AIDC) to give users end-to-end visibility into the supply chain. By automating data collection with bar code, mobile, wireless, and RFID devices, food distributors can trace and control inventory in the warehouse and in the field.”
Blue Sky Technologies, Charlotte, NC
Web site: www.blueskytech.com
Year founded: 2008
Number of employees: 10
Number of food customers: 35
Solution name(s): Insight - Supply Chain Visibility Software
Worth noting: “Food logistics companies have highly complex supply chains, yet many do not have Web-based, dashboard style insight into their key performance activities and overall supply chain operations. Blue Sky’s Insight product provides real-time, exception based visibility into issues as they arise, allowing managers and executives to get their operations back on track immediately.”
Cadec Global, Manchester, NH
Web site: www.cadec.com
Year founded: 1976
Number of employees: 55
Number of food customers: 65+
Solution name(s): Mobius TTS, PowerVue
Worth noting: “Cadec Global helps extend supply chain into truck cabs, monitoring driver behavior related to speeding, sudden decels, excessive idling, and off-route driving to improve safety and reduce fuel consumption. Real-time cold chain management also helps preserve food during the transportation process.”
Cadre Technologies, Denver, CO
Web site: www.cadretech.com
Year founded: 2006
Number of employees: 40
Number of food customers: 50+
Solution name(s): Cadence WMS, Accuplus WMS, LogiView Supply Chain Visibility Suite
Worth noting: “One of the biggest issues for anyone dealing with food (or other perishable products) is the issue of recall. It is critical for companies to be able to identify and act upon problems in an immediate fashion to prevent bad product from reaching the end user. Cadre’s ‘containment’ functionality provides immediate feedback to identify where product is in the supply chain based on a date code, serial number, pallet ID, or other identifying marks. Once identified, procedures are driven by the application to ensure that the product is contained and that anyone with that product (carriers, warehouse, etc.) is made aware of potential issues.”
CAMS Software, New Westminster, B.C., Canada
Web site: www.camspro.com
Year founded: 1998
Number of employees: 14
Number of food customers: 87
Solution name(s): CAMS Professional, CAMS Profiler, CAMS Progress, CAMS Pospero, Backhaul Optimization, Salvage Optimization, Resource Optimization
Worth noting: “CAMS Software is the leading supplier of dispatch and driver payroll software to the grocery industry. Every day across the U.S., more grocery trucks are dispatched using CAMS software than any other product. CAMS was designed and developed exclusively for the grocery industry and is not used outside of the sector.”
