Success Highlights

Challenges• Streamlineprocessestomeetretailsupply

chainrequirements• Respondtobusinesschangesrapidly• Createasinglesetofinformationtomanage

businessandplanforfutureopportunities• Controlstock• Tracedeliveries

Solution• EpicorTroposERP

Benefits• Real-timetraceabilityoforders• Onlineinformationprovidingbetter

managementreporting• Efficientsystemsinfrastructuretosupport

furtherbusinessexpansion• Strengthenedcollaborationwiththird

partysuppliers

Company Facts• Location:Fife,UnitedKingdom• Industry:VegetableProducer

Kettle Produce Ltd.

Epicor Success Story

“We certainly felt we could work with the Epicor team. All the Epicor people we have been in contact with have been extremely professional, forward thinking and proactive.”

LizWaugh,FinancialDirector|KettleProduce

KettleProduceisoneofBritain’sbiggestsuppliersoffreshvegetablestomajorsupermarketsandmultipleretailers.CreatedbytwoScottishfarmingfamiliesinthe1970sasaproducerofrawvegetables,thecompanyhasadapteditsbusinessinthepasttenyearstomeetthegrowingdemandfromtime-constrainedconsumersforprepared,ready-to-cookvegetablepacks.

Itsbroadrangeoffreshly-cutvegetablepacksishelpingthecompanyachieveexponentialgrowthinrecentyears.Stillprivatelyowned,KettleProduceisoneofFife’slargestemployers,witharound800peopleworkingintwocentresatBalmalcolmandOrkie.

ThemovefromsupplyingrawvegetablestovalueaddedvegetablepackshasmeantamorecomplexmanufacturingprocessforKettleProduce.Aswellasitstraditionalwashingandtrimmingprocessesthereishighcarepreparation,cuttingandcombiningproducts,andpackingthemreadyfordispatch.

Thisnewfocusonmanufacturing,combinedwiththehighlycompetitive24/7demandsofitssupermarketcustomers,ledKettleProducetoreviewitsinternalinfrastructureandinformationtechnologysupport.Themanagementteamrecognisedthatinordertoexpandthebusinessefficiently,theywouldrequirestate-of-the-artcomputersystemstohelpthemmanagethefast-movingbusinessprocesses.

Havingcarriedoutanextensiveselectionandprovingprocess,KettleProduceisnowrollingoutthefullEpicorTroposenterpriseresourceplanning(ERP)suite.Managementwillbeequippedwithaccurateandfastinformationtoensurehigh

Success Story – Kettle Produce Ltd.

“Our goal is to have a paperless factory. We can improve communication by automating the whole process. This means everyone working from the

same accurate information. We can reduce the risk of error and get a much better handle on stock yield and losses. Improving our systems will enable

us to react to any problems and be much more responsive to changes.”LizWaugh,FinancialDirector

qualitycustomerservice,greaterefficiencyandminimisedstocklossesasthecompanygraspsnewgrowthopportunities.

Providing the best customer service in a fast moving businessKettleProducepreviouslyoperatedasalesandfinancialsystem,supplementedwithstand-alonespreadsheetsandmanualpapersystemstosupporttheproductionprocess.Stockandorderinformationwascollectedandheldbyanumberofstaff,accordingtorequirements.Astherewasnosystemsintegrationorasingledatarepository,accesstoinformationwasslow.Lackofautomationalsomeanttherewasnoguaranteethatthedatawasconsistent.

Oneofthemajorreasonsforasystemsreviewwasthatstockwasnotbeingeffectivelytrackedandcontrolled.Potentialstocklossescanaffectprofitability.

“Everythingisfast-movinginthisbusinessandit’sveryeasytohaveabreakdownincommunicationwhenusingmanualprocesses,”saysLizWaugh,financialdirectorofKettleProduce:“Weneededtostreamlineoursystems,makeourprocessesmoreefficientandgetaquickerturnaroundofaccurateinformationtohelpmanagementdecisionmaking.”

KettleProducesentaninvitationtotenderforacomprehensiveERPsystemto12suppliers.Followingadetailedassessment,thecompanyselectedEpicorTropos.

“Therewereanumberofreasonswhywechosethissolution,”saysWaugh.“Mostimportantly,werecognisedthatEpicorTroposwasveryflexibleandthatasourbusinessgrew,EpicorTroposcouldgrowwithus.WebelievedourbusinesswasmoreakintofoodprocessingthananagriculturalpackhouseandEpicorTroposreflectedthatspecialistapproachinitscapabilities.WealsolikedthefactthatthetoolswithinEpicorTroposgaveustheabilitytobeautonomousinthefuture.“

“WecertainlyfeltwecouldworkwiththeEpicorteam.AlltheEpicorpeoplewehavebeenincontactwithhavebeenextremelyprofessional,forwardthinkingandproactive.”

EpicorTroposusesaWindowsplatformontheEpicorTroposapplicationandWebservers,withastandbyserverfordisasterrecovery.KeyhardwarefeaturesareaRadioFrequency(RF)networkfordispatchandstockcontrol,andhandhelddevices,touchscreenPCs,barcodescannersandlabelprinterstorecordpickingandpalletmovementstothepointofdispatch.ThelatestversionofEpicorTroposisbeingusedtotakeadvantageofthesolution’sBrowserandFirewingcapability.ThismeansthatKettleProduce’sthirdpartysupplierscanviewcustomerordersandrecordpalletinformation,dispatchdocumentsandadvancedshippingnotifications.

Meeting the new requirements of the retail supply chainThecompanyplannedatwolevelapproachtoimplementation.Phaseonefocusedonthecoresalesfunctionsofthebusiness—salesorderprocessing,distribution,pickinganddispatch,proofofdeliveryandinvoicing,andfinance.Waughisinnodoubtthatitisdeliveringthebenefitsthatsheexpected.

“Foryearswe’veoperatedanEDIsystem,whichmeansthatthecustomerorderhitsthesalesdeskfirstthinginthemorning,andourproducthastobeturnedroundinthefactoryandoutthatday.Weneededtoimprovethatprocessflowandenhancecommunicationbetweendepartments.Thecustomerrequires100%service,andwemusthavethefacilitiestoensurethishappens,”saysWaugh.

Asaconsolidator,KettleProduceneedstoensuretheirsub-contractorsdeliverqualityproductsontimeasanintegralpartoftheKettleProducesupplychainprocess.Thepoweroftheinternethasbeenharnessedtoenabletheirsub-contractorstoworkonlinewithKettleProduce,obtainingupdatesondemand

LatinAmericaandCaribbean

Blvd.AntonioL.Rodriguez#1882Int.104

PlazaCentral,Col.SantaMaria

Monterrey,NuevoLeon,CP64650

Mexico

Phone: +52.81.1551.7100

Fax: +52.81.1551.7117

AustraliaandNewZealand

Level34

101MillerStreet

NorthSydneyNSW2060

Australia

Phone: +61.2.9927.6200

Fax: +61.2.9927.6298

Asia

238AThomsonRoad#23-06

NovenaSquareTowerA

Singapore307684

Singapore

Phone: +65.6333.8121

Fax: +65.6333.8131

Europe,MiddleEastandAfrica

No.1TheArena

DownshireWay

Bracknell,BerkshireRG121PU

UnitedKingdom

Phone: +44.1344.468468

Fax: +44.1344.468010

WorldwideHeadquarters

SanFranciscoBayArea

4120DublinBoulevard,Suite300

Dublin,CA94568USA

TollFree: +1.888.448.2636

Direct: +1.925.361.9900

Fax: +1.925.361.9999

Contact us for more information on Epicor Products and Services

andprocessingdispatchesastheyoccur.Thesub-contractorsarenowworkingasanaturalandintegralextensionoftheKettleProducesupplychainwithoutthecomplexityofsysteminterfaces,transcriptionorexchangeofdata.Eachkeysub-contractorhasaWeb‘portal’throughwhichprogressismanagedandrecordedasiftheywereonsiteatKettleProduce,providingaunifiedresponsetothedemandsofthemajorretailers.ThekeybenefitofPhaseone,saysWaugh,isprovidingtraceabilityofproductsdispatched.UsingRFtechnology,andhandhelddevices,dispatchofallcustomerdeliveriesisnowaccuratelyrecordedindetail,downtothepalletsusedfordelivery.Thesystemenablesproofofdeliverytobevalidatedwithconfidence.

Optimizing efficiencies with a paperless factoryPhasetwo,whichwasimplementedmodulebymodule,supportsthecoremanufacturingprocesswithextensiveuseofRFtechnologyandaneasy-to-useshopfloordatacapturefacility.Themajorobjectiveinthisphasewasimprovedstockcontrolandasignificantimprovementinproductivity.

“Ourgoalistohaveapaperlessfactory,”saysWaugh.Wecanimprovecommunicationbyautomatingthewholeprocess.Thismeanseveryoneworkingfromthesameaccurateinformation.Wecanreducetheriskoferrorandgetamuchbetterhandleonstockyieldandlosses.Improvingoursystemswillenableustoreacttoanyproblemsandbemuchmoreresponsivetochanges.”

About Kettle Produce Ltd.KettleProduceLtdisoneofBritain’sspecialistsingrowing,processingandmarketingawiderangeofwholeandprepared(Freshcut)vegetablestomajormultiplesupermarketsandfoodservicebusinessesintheUK.

KettleProduceLtdwasestablishedin1985,andisownedbytheMcIntyreandSamsonfamilies.Thecropportfolioincludescarrots,parsnips,swede,leek,broccoli,cabbages,Brusselssprouts,icebergandspecialitylettuces.Sixthousandhectaresaregrown:2,500inScotland,2,000inEnglandandthebalanceacrossEuropethroughstrategicsupplypartnershipswithmajorgrowersinFrance,SpainandPortugal.

Therearetwomainpack-housesites,BalmalcolmandOrkie,whichcombinedcontain16,700squaremetresofmodernprocessingandpackingarea.Leadingtechnologyisusedincutting,peeling,polishingrootvegetables,packingandchillingwithathroughputcapacityofupto25tonnesperhour.KettleProduceLtd.employover800staff,makingitoneofthelargestemployersincentralFife.

About EpicorEpicorSoftwareCorporationisagloballeaderdeliveringbusinesssoftwaresolutionstothemanufacturing,distribution,retail,andserviceindustries.Withmorethan40yearsofexperience,Epicorhasmorethan20,000customersinover150countries.Epicorsolutionsenablecompaniestodriveincreasedefficiencyandimproveprofitability.Withahistoryofinnovation,industryexpertise,andpassionforexcellence,Epicorinspirescustomerstobuildlastingcompetitiveadvantage.Epicorprovidesthesinglepointofaccountabilitythatlocal,regional,andglobalbusinessesdemand.Formoreinformation,visitwww.epicor.com.

The contents of this document are for informational purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Epicor Software Corporation makes no guarantee, representations or warranties with regard to the enclosed information and specifically disclaims, to the full extent of the law, any applicable implied warranties, such as fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, satisfactory quality or reasonable skill and care. This document and its contents, including the viewpoints, dates and functional content expressed herein are believed to be accurate as of its date of publication, May 2013. The usage of any Epicor software shall be pursuant to the applicable end user license agreement and the performance of any consulting services by Epicor personnel shall be pursuant to applicable standard services terms and conditions. Usage of the solution(s) described in this document with other Epicor software or third party products may require the purchase of licenses for such other products. Epicor, Business Inspired, the Epicor logo and Tropos ERP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation or its affiliated companies registered in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 2013 Epicor Software Corporation. All rights reserved.

Success Story – Kettle Produce Ltd.

+1.888.544.6315 info@epicor.com www.epicor.com