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Advantage Traceability
Profile: GTA Meat Supply Inc.
Traceability
Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for More Growth
When Mike Pietrantonio bought a struggling meat distribution
business in 1997, the company had only 22 customers. But the young
entrepreneur believed that, with his industry contacts and his
experience as a butcher, he could make a go of it.
Just over a decade later, GTA Meat Supply boasts more than 300
customers, ranging from independent butcher stores to regional
and national grocery chains, as well as banquet halls, restaurants
and food service companies.
While most slaughterhouses and butchers focus on mainstream meat
cuts, Pietrantonio provides high-quality organ meats and specialty
products including livers, kidneys, hearts, feet, tails and tongue
packaged specifically for different ethnic markets.
Figure 1: Mike Pietrantonio,
Owner, GTA Meat Supply Inc.
GTA Meat Supply Installed:
- A customized inventory system, Zua Data Systems, that is compatible
with the company's existing financial software
- Touch screen computer monitors
- Wireless barcode scanners
- Thermal direct Datamax printer
Primarily, though, GTA Meat Supply deals in tripe, considered
a delicacy in Caribbean, Latino, European, African and Asian
cuisine. "Everybody eats it but Canadians," Pietrantonio
laughs.
His business savvy doesn't stop with identifying niche markets.
Over the past few years, Pietrantonio recognized that consumer
concern over food safety was growing and that retailers were
looking for suppliers that could better protect public health
- by being able to trace their products, for example, and
recall them if necessary.
That's why he signed up for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs Traceability Pilot Project, a program
designed to help food growers and processors track vital information
through each stage of production and distribution. It was
also an opportunity to boost plant efficiency.
The software system from Zua Data Systems was customized
for GTA Meat Supply and handles everything from orders to
invoicing, as well as traceability, integrating smoothly with
the company's financial software.
The benefits were clear from day one: faster operations, fewer
mistakes and better inventory control. "We've been able
to streamline our whole business," Pietrantonio says.
"We're saving multiple hours a day because of this, and
that's not an exaggeration."
Now, barcodes on incoming product are scanned at the receiving
dock, recording what each shipment contains, where it came
from and when it was delivered. If the product arrives without
a barcode, employees can create one by keying the information
into the computer system.
When orders are assembled on a skid, employees then scan the
barcodes into the system, capturing the cases, serial number
and production codes for each item that will be sent to a
particular customer in a particular delivery. Items that don't
match the pick list in the system trigger a warning.
Finally, the pick list is converted into an invoice. "At
that point, all the information is locked into the database,"
Pietrantonio explains. "We can trace the whole flow of
a product, right to the end user."
Thanks to the new system, GTA Meat Supply can determine the
scope of a recall in a matter of minutes, given either the
kill date or delivery date of a particular product. A press
of a button reveals the location of that product: the freezer,
the production room, on a truck or in a customer's cooler.
Then it's a question of segregating the product on the premises
or calling the appropriate customers.
Pietrantonio says the system took time to set up, but the
investment was well worth it. "It forces you to look
into every aspect of your business and your product flow,"
he explains. "Then you can institutionalize all the steps
you once took for granted."
Staff immediately accepted the new system because it made
their work easier. For example, instead of recording a thousand
product weights a day, adding them up on a calculator and
then double-checking the totals, employees can now let the
computer handle it all.
The result is less pressure and fewer mistakes. "It's
a win/win for everybody involved," Pietrantonio says.
The user-friendly system also makes training new hires simple
- no more "oh, remember to do this," or "don't
forget to write down that."
And while GTA Meat Supply's top-quality products and service
are what keep his customers coming back, Pietrantonio knows
traceability gives him a big advantage when he approaches
new prospects, paving the way for even more growth in the
years ahead.
"I have no regrets at all about implementing traceability,"
he says. "In fact, I wish I'd done it sooner."
Traceability brings benefits:
"We can trace the whole flow of a product, right
to the end user."
- Mike Pietrantonio, Owner, GTA Meat Supply
Funding for the Food Safety Initiative
Traceability Grant Program and Pilot Project was provided under
the Agriculture Policy framework, a federal-provincial-territorial
initiative.
For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
E-mail: advantage@ontario.ca
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