More Than Gourmet (MTG) is a Gourmet Sauce manufacturer with nearly $20 Million in annual sales. Located in Akron, Ohio the company faced many lean challenges from excessive paperwork and manual processing to lack of visibility to inventory and customer data; there was no integration between manufacturing and warehousing operations.
More Than Gourmet is the only company today making classic French sauces in the old world tradition as defined by renowned Master Chef Auguste Escoffier (1846—1935). Many of the greatest chefs and finest restaurant operations in the world utilize More Than Gourmet’s classic French sauces in their recipes. More Than Gourmet offers a number of classic products including: Demi-Glace Gold®, Glace de Viande Gold™, and Veggie-Stock Gold™. Products are offered in both retail and wholesale sizes.
To overcome the lean challenges the sauce manufacturer implemented Enterprise 21 ERP (enterprise resource planning) by Technology Group International (TGI). When MTG purchased the ERP system, the company was booking $2 million in annual sales. Since that time the company has transformed into the premier provider of gourmet sauces and is recognized worldwide for it’s outstanding culinary achievements. The company not only quickly obtained their return on investment, the implementation of Enterprise 21 allowed the company to experience exponential growth over a short period of time without a corresponding growth in manpower to service that growth.
The specific benefits from the technology solution included:
♦ Fully integrated operations from quoting and order entry through manufacturing and shipping
♦ Streamlined inventory control via integration of RF and barcode processing
♦ Automated shipping manifesting and freight cost determination
♦ Increased customer satisfaction via proactive management of customer base and online availability to account information
♦ International product sales offered 24/7 via the e-commerce module Using the internet-based user interface capability of Enterprise 21, More Than Gourmet services its customers and distribution network throughout Europe and Southeast Asia using its computing facility located in Akron, Ohio.
Quality, Safety, and Lean Efficiency Achieved
There were specific areas of lean improvement which allowed for the maximum focus on quality and safety regulations and requirements. Some of the lean areas the More That Gourmet quantified included:
♦ Reduction in paper processing
♦ Streamlined inventory control using RF and bar coding
♦ Fully-integrated manufacturing operations
♦ Proactive Customer Relationship Management
Blending a passion for the French Classic recipes with cutting edge food processing technology, equipment and methods has been the hallmark of the company an in late 2002 More Than Gourmet made a commitment to the future of stocks and sauces and embarked on designing a new state-of-the-art production facility dedicated to the craft—French Stocks and Sauces that follow the dictates Chef Master Escoffier prescribed. MTG expanded their existing headquarters in Akron, Ohio and converted it to a world-class facility that brings exciting new capabilities to customers.
Classics Combined with the Cutting Edge
Only More Than Gourmet has the classical background and technical ability to provide shelf stable high quality products without the chemicals, preservatives or other unwanted ingredients. In addition to shelf stability technology, the company can also offer frozen products if those better suits the client’s needs.
Service Excellence from Test Kitchens to Production
More Than Gourmet offers products from its line of classics or can tailor a custom product to a specific chef’s needs. The MTG staff maintains a passionate commitment to customer service from the plant personnel to the chef sales staff.
World Class Credentials and Certifications
All More Than Gourmet products meet the highest level of culinary standards and are produced under USDA inspection (Est. 27446 M & P) and FDA certification. The HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) program, SSOPs, and Quality Control systems assure the highest levels of quality and food safety. In addition, More Than Gourmet is one of the few facilities to be certified by the European Union and is also an approved supplier of the USDA Beef Export Verification Program, providing a global level of quality assurance that few facilities are able to achieve.
For more than ten years, More Than Gourmet has been using the TGI ERP solution and according to Brad Sack, chief executive officer and global marketing manager, “We have grown ten fold without having to grow our staff exponentially. We have achieved the lean efficiency through our technology selection and continue to expand our worldwide operation.”
| Author Biography: |
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Thomas R. Cutler is the President & CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based TR Cutler, Inc., the largest manufacturing marketing firm worldwide – www.trcutlerinc.com. Cutler is the founder of the Manufacturing Media Consortium of twenty seven hundred journalists and editors writing about trends in manufacturing. Cutler is also the author of the Manufacturers’ Public Relations and Media Guide. Cutler is a frequently published author within the manufacturing sector with more than 300 feature articles authored annually; he can be contacted at trcutler@trcutlerinc.com |
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