Dot Foods selected International Business Systems’ Dynaman yard management system tools to reduce costs in its food supply chain.

Dot Foods, a $5.5 billion company headquartered in Mt. Sterling, Ill., offers 105,000 products from 650 food industry manufacturers and delivers them in less-than-truckload quantities to distributors in all 50 states. It selected IBS Dynaman and its customized yard management application to meet the growing needs of its nine distribution centers.

Unlike other companies, Dot Foods possesses a fleet that carries dry goods, refrigerated and frozen foods on the same truck. It also consolidates products from many suppliers into single deliveries to distributors. These unique approaches give distributors the advantage of having to make just single deliveries to restaurants in a given day, thereby reducing traffic and congestion, especially in urban areas.

“Our expertise lies in our work supplying distributors with less-than-truckload quantities, so they can reduce inventory and increase turns,” says Troy Schenk, warehouse systems manager for Dot Foods.  “IBS is helping us realize new efficiencies with yard management tools that give us additional visibility into our operations and also reduce costs.”

IBS Dynaman’s yard management application is based on a state-of-the-art visualization tool that renders a customer’s dock and yard in an easy-to-understand, graphical representation. Users can then simply click on a truck and drag it to its destination, and IBS Dynaman will direct the yard activity, ensuring all moves are performed via direct communication with the yard jockey. Or, users can configure the advanced logic engine to initiate the best trailer moves needed to support the warehouse operation. IBS Dynaman’s yard management application also directs and records routine yard activities like trailer audits, trailer prep, refer fuel/temperature settings and more.

“We are honored to add Dot Foods to our roster of premier clients making a significant impact on the supply chain,” says Tim Conroy, general manager of the Americas for IBS, Folsom, Calif. “Dot Foods brings a precision to its work supplying the food and beverage industries, and IBS Dynaman will help maximize its distribution centers.”