System customisation is key for perishable industry

Providing custom-made solutions for clients is essential in the modern-day business environment, says Anthea van Breemen of Macro 2000. “We are always involved with several long-term projects and work very closely with our customers to establish what makes them special to their customers – and then we translate their needs into our software,” she told FTW. “The software allows our customers to customise their installations to suit their specific requirements. A Macro 2000 team will work with them to assess their needs and set up the software to handle these needs. With every new installation there are new aspects that are unique to the customer and these need to be added to our base package. We do all the implementation and training necessary.” The frozen food and perishable industry in the Western Cape is a prime example, she says. “When it comes to food, all items need to be tracked by expiry dates or production numbers. To become more efficient this has to be done with multiple tracking dates or numbers on one pallet,” says Van Breemen. “At dispatch you have to ensure that the correct items are picked and traceability is important, especially in the event of a recall. Several aspects also have to be taken into account such as whether the customer requires serial numbers to be tracked.” Through bar code scanning, accuracy throughout the process can be improved, says Van Breemen, but this is only as good as the initial data captured. “But scanning also allows for easier management of variance immediately, which is beneficial.” CAPTION Anthea van Breemen