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Chiquita Moves To On-Demand TMS

Chiquita Brands International needed to consolidate three disparate legacy systems into centralized transportation command and control.

Sourcing both strategically and for specific lanes was time-consuming and didn’t leverage the large annual transportation spend.

The Cincinnati-based marketer and distributor of fresh produce also wanted to maximize the use of its Chiquita-owned containers. With the acquisition of Fresh Express in 2005, Chiquita faced a series of issues relative to its TMS (transportation management system) implementation. First, Fresh Express had a legacy installed TMS package.

Chiquita and Fresh Express conducted an evaluation and determined that LeanLogistics’ On-Demand TMS had superior functionality and operational capabilities.

Holland, MI-based LeanLogistics is a global leader in on-demand transportation technology and supply chain services.

Chiquita and Fresh Express decided to convert Fresh Express to On-Demand TMS. At the same time, Chiquita decided to re-implement the entire company under one corporate structure (three corporate divisions had been implemented separately and as different companies with On-Demand TMS).

Using On-Demand TMS, Chiquita implemented four business divisions onto one system, supporting centralized planning and decentralized execution. This automated the RFP process and directly linked strategic procurement with tactical execution.

Chiquita Express was able to automate routing guides for both the company and its customers, increasing efficiency. With a single corporate implementation, On-Demand TMS provides visibility of all shipments for the entire Chiquita corporation and for its trading partners.