Case studies
Patties sharpens inventory management (October 2003)
Producer of the Patties, Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams, Wedgwood, Great Australian Pies and Nanna's brands, Patties Bakery is working with the GS1 Professional Services team and its suppliers to achieve real time inventory management using the GS1 System. With the recent acquisition of the Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams, and Nanna's brands, effective supply chain management is vital to ensure that planning, ordering, production and distribution are synchronised. The project is the outcome of a supply chain review conducted by GS1 Professional Services, examining each aspect of Patties' inventory and information flow, from ordering to invoicing.
In response, the GS1 Professional Services team has designed new processes and procedures, which include the introduction of radio frequency equipment and the use of GS1 BarCode scanning and labelling procedures. These standards are being adopted by Patties, its ingredients suppliers and distribution operations.
Patties expect to begin electronic trading in four months, delivering real-time, accurate information to schedulers throughout the supply chain. Patties is also working with customers to develop more electronic ordering transactions.
One of the main advantages of the new system will be the capture of information at each stage of the process as it happens, replacing some of the traditional paper based processes that may have incurred time lags. Broader benefits are also anticipated. EAN•UCC numbering is the foundation of a system that will allow product to be readily traced from Patties' production line to the retailer, adding another layer of sophistication to the company's HACCP program.
Joe Rettino, Assistant General Manager at Patties, is enthusiastic about the changes. "By using GS1 Professional Services, we were able to get a clear view of our own operations, how they fit within our supply chain and the opportunities available to us. This clarity has allowed us to introduce innovations that complement the vision for the business as well as for our customers, suppliers and distribution operations. We have worked with GS1 to develop a program with different projects moving forward simultaneously, each of which contribute to the efficiency of the operation, the sum of which we expect to bring much greater benefits."
