About the Company
An animal nutrition company based in the Midwest needed identification tags for metal pails that could withstand extreme elements and produce an accurate digital scan. Company representatives approached Peak Technologies for a labeling solution to replace the adhesive labels used to track and trace these pails.
Business Challenge
Company representatives approached Peak Technologies for a labeling solution to replace the adhesive labels used to track and trace metal pails filled with important animal nutritional materials.
The metal pails are collected from rural dairy farms and processed with other ingredients to formulate a food supplement distributed to 60 countries. As with any business process in which various raw materials are purchased at many points and transported to numerous holding facilities, modern production requires need-to-know information regarding quantities available and locations. The customer determined that a “scan and batch store” solution for a “postliminary” upload would enable truck drivers to collect accurate data in areas where wireless coverage is not guaranteed.
At the same time, the company wanted to leverage its core SAP system by extending it into the field and creating an unbreakable supply chain in which information could be stored and eventually uploaded into SAP.
The Solution
Peak Technologies partnered with its sister company, Movilitas Consulting, a SAP consultant well-versed in track-and-trace and mobility applications, to implement a mobile system. Movilitas proposed a cloud-based mobility solution using Movilizer that provided the necessary link into the customer’s existing SAP program and featured the batch store-and-forward functionality.
Metalcraft, Inc., a manufacturer of custom asset tags and labels, provided metal tag prototypes. Material requirements were a metal tag that could withstand the five-year usable life span of each pail. The pail decontamination process had a higher pH value than originally calibrated, eliminating photo-anodized metal as a viable option. Metalcraft selected a 304 gauge, 2D matte finish stainless steel bar code.
An adhesive backing was incompatible with the pail’s slight curvature, and using wire or metal to attach tags to pail handles presented a potential safety hazard. Therefore, tags with rivet holes were chosen as the most durable, safe solution.
Featured Products
- Movilizer cloud platform
- Metalcraft custom asset tags
- Honeywell CN51 Mobile Computers
- Featured Peak Technologies Services
Featured Peak Technologies Services
- Application consultation and development
- Custom label formatting and design
- SAP integration and support
- Project management
- Go-live support
Results
With a successful stainless steel material established, Peak Technologies provided the nutrient company with over 50,000 tags. The riveted stainless steel tag solution enables the nutrition company to continue adhering to standards outlined by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and improves the traceability of key animal nutrients and materials. Other benefits include:
- Captures error-free information throughout the third-party logistics (3PL) cold chain
- Optimizes collection efficiency, eliminating the need for repeatedly printing and adhering labels to the pails
- Provides the option to include detailed notes for the vendor with information such as name, address, notes, directions to farm, and directions to freezer site
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Situation:
Create a labeling and mobility solution that could withstand harsh conditions and still meet mission-critical scanning requirements
Industry:
Animal Nutrition
Location:
Mid-Western United States
ERP System:
SAP
