Technology Emerges as a Competitive Differentiator

CaseStack, Santa Monica, CA

Web site: www.casestack.com

Year founded: 1999

Number of employees: 150-200

Number of food customers: 200

Solution name(s): CaseStack offers transportation management and warehousing services along with a Retailer Consolidation Program

Worth noting: “CaseStack provides full transparency to clients with their Web-based technology platform. Our sustainability efforts include ‘consolidating to retail’ services, a Delivered Green Program, participating in EPA’s SmartWay as a transportation partner, and working to eliminate supply chain waste.”

Cass Information Systems, Inc., Bridgeton, MO

Web site: www.cassinfo.com

Year founded: 1906

Number of employees: 1,000

Number of food customers: 20+

Solution name(s): Transportation Expense Management through freight invoice audit payment and business intelligence services

Worth noting: “Cass is the leading provider of freight audit, payment, and business intelligence services, leveraging over 50 years of experience in providing solutions to major corporations having complex transportation payment and information needs. By understanding our customers’ critical transportation and accounting processes, we provide customized business intelligence solutions that help create a competitive advantage through reduced costs, increased efficiency, and better decision making capability.”

CDC Software, Shanghai, China

Web site: www.cdcsoftware.com

Year founded: 2002

Number of employees: 1,400

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): Ross ERP, CDC Factory, CDC Supply Chain, Pivotal CRM

Worth noting: “CDC Software facilitates compliance, improves traceability, and provides the ability to perform mock recalls. Our solutions also streamline the supply chain for faster deliveries and improves plant performance to increase yields and improve data accuracy.”

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Eden Prairie, MN

Web site: www.chrobinson.com

Year founded: 1905

Number of employees: 8,013

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): Managed TMS® provides shippers with a combination of TMS software (SaaS) and managed services that enable both immediate and sustained cost savings throughout their transportation networks. Core components of this service include Six Sigma-based process engineering, advanced TMS technology, and onsite TMC power users, who serve as an extension of the client’s dedicated staff. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. offers Managed TMS services through TMC, a global division with offices in Chicago, Illinois, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Shanghai

Worth noting: “Founded in 1905, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. is a global provider of multimodal logistics services, fresh produce sourcing, and information services to 36,000 customers through a network of more than 230 offices and over 8,000 employees around the world. The company works with 49,000 transportation providers worldwide. C.H. Robinson is a Fortune 500 company and had annual revenues of $9.3 billion in 2010.”

CHEP, Orlando, FL

Web site: www.chep.com

Year founded: 1955

Number of employees: 7,500

Number of food customers: 3,500

Solution name(s): CHEP Pallet Pooling

Worth noting: “CHEP partners with customers to develop pooling solutions that ensure reduced product damage, offer enhanced delivery efficiencies, eliminate waste and reduce supply chain costs, while adding measurable value. Manufacturers using the CHEP program eliminate the purchase and repair of white wood pallets, as well as other costs associated with pallet exchange systems, reduce product damage and unsaleables, and improve customer and carrier relations.”

CombineNet, Pittsburgh, PA

Web site: www.combinenet.com

Year founded: 2000

Number of employees: 80

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): CombineNet ASAP for E-Sourcing

Worth noting: “Commodity price volatility is an ongoing challenge for food manufacturers and foodservice companies, as these have a direct impact on the cost of the final product being delivered to the customer. The ongoing price fluctuations of grain, corn, proteins, and even fuel, have food supply chains in a constant search mode for identifying areas of cost reduction to maintain profit margins without resorting to price increases for the customer. CombineNet ASAP helps these organizations by enabling them to conduct sourcing events that go beyond the traditional price per item approach to sourcing strategies.”

Container and Pooling Solutions (CAPS), Livonia, MI

Web site: www.usecaps.com

Year founded: 1998

Number of employees: 40

Number of food customers: 228

Solution name(s): CAPS-TRAC™ Suite – Reusable asset tracking and management, CAPS-315 tote rental (trip or term rental of plastic collapsible IBCs); CAPS 48x40x32 Dry IBC (trip or term rental of plastic collapsible IBCs); CHEP Intercon (trip or term rental of plastic collapsible IBCs); CHEP Unicon (trip or term rental of metal collapsible IBCs); CAPS One-Way 275-gallon corrugated tote for shipping liquids; and Lifecycle Management Solutions – Cleaning, Repair, and Recycling

Worth noting: “Companies best suited to work with CAPS include manufacturers who ship or receive non-hazardous bulk liquids in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. CAPS provides B2B solutions for a variety of companies ranging from large Fortune 100 companies to smaller independently owned suppliers and packagers. We work with food, beverage, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, non-hazardous specialty chemical and general manufacturing companies.”

Corcentric, McLean, VA

Web site: www.corcentric.com

Year founded: 1998

Number of employees: 130

Number of food customers: 300

Solution name(s): Accounts Payable automation

Worth noting: “Corcentric is a leader in financial process automation, specializing in Accounts Payable automation and imaging, Accounts Payable outsourcing and AP workflow automation solutions. We maximize ease of use and minimize risk with a configurable, cloud-architected Software as a Service (SaaS) model that incorporates advanced imaging technology, best practice workflows, simple supplier connections, Accounts Payable business process outsourcing (BPO), and seamless ERP integration.”

Dairy.com, Plano, TX

Web site: www.dairy.com

Year founded: 2000

Number of employees: 52

Number of food customers: 200+

Solution name(s): The Dairy.com suite of Software-as-a-Service solutions is comprised of Milk Solutions, Commodities Trading Exchange, and Transportation Market

Worth noting: “Transportation is one of our primary areas of focus. Through our secure, always-available online marketplace, the dairy industry can gain instant insight into transportation supply and demand and easily post, negotiate, and accept load offers. Hundreds of loads of fluid product movements take place on Dairy.com each week, providing a significant source of potential revenue for the food-grade tanker industry.”

Datex, Clearwater, FL

Web site: www.datexcorp.com

Year founded: 1978

Number of employees: 85

Number of food customers: 650

Solution name(s): Footprint WMS; Footprint 3PL WMS; Footprint YMS; Footprint TMS; and Footprint FMS

Worth noting: “Datex Supply Chain solutions provide real time information visibility, detailed LOT, SKU, UPC and ingredient track and trace; streamlined efficiency; product transformation; and cartonization.”

Demand Solutions, St. Louis, MO

Web site: www.demandsolutions.com

Year founded: 1985

Number of employees: 100+

Number of food customers: 69

Solution name(s): Forecast Management, Requirements Planning, Sales & Operations Planning, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Retail Planning, and Collaboration

Worth noting: “Demand Solutions provides platforms that are a perfect fit for both small- and mid-sized businesses and enterprise level businesses. Our key business types are manufacturers and distributors as well as retail.”

DEMATIC, Grand Rapids, MI

Web site: www.dematic.us

Year founded: 1939

Number of employees: 3,000

Number of food customers: 40

Solution name(s): Warehouse Control Systems, Voice & light directed activities, Mixed case palletizing, Split case picking, Automated storage & staging, and Slow moving inventory solutions

Worth noting: “A significant issue in the food and beverage industry is the increasing complexity of receiving, storing, picking and shipping product. Food distributors are seeking new ways to provide improved logistics performance levels at a lower cost. Some of the drivers include SKU proliferation, servicing multi-format retailing, building mixed case pallets, space utilization, transportation costs, inventory accuracy, order accuracy, labor costs, as well as health and safety issues for employees.”