Challenge Overview
Solution Highlights
“The value we have gained from working with FDS and their software is immeasurable. We have built a relationship based on trust and loyalty that encourages success and continued growth.”
The Business Challenge
The story of Bova Foods began in 1963 with Antonio Bova, an Italian immigrant who moved to America and opened a corner grocery store in Ambler, Pennsylvania. From these simple beginnings, Bova Foods has grown to become one of the leading food service distributors in the tri-state area with warehousing operations, a retail store, and a cheese manufacturing business.
In 2008, Bova Foods was growing quickly and in need of a comprehensive food industry software solution to support their expanding operations. At the time, they were totally reliant on a clunky DOS-based system, which was time-consuming and difficult to use. They were also struggling with a general-purpose software vendor, who had spent a year unsuccessfully trying to customize their solution for the food industry.
The Solution
After connecting with Food Decision Software, it became clear to Bova Foods that they needed industry-specific software – trying to adapt a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to the unique requirements of food distribution just wasn’t going to work:
“Going through those pains of trying to make that software work, really kind of opened my eyes to the fact it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” area.”
Unlike general-purpose software that doesn’t fit the unique requirements of the food distribution industry, WinFDS® is built to offer full inventory and catch weights tracking, including expiry dates, as well as a flexible customer ordering system, multiple pricing scenarios, full accounting including general ledger, and more. The comprehensive nature of the software allowed Bova Foods to deploy it across their entire business, creating efficiencies in processes and routine tasks and providing unprecedented inventory visibility.
The Results
Once they implemented WinFDS® in their business, Bova Foods saw an immediate and dramatic increase in company-wide performance. Today, almost every aspect of their business involves WinFDS® in some way, including a delivery system managed by the iDriver module. Their ability to track and control inventory was dramatically improved, with the time required to troubleshoot inventory discrepancies reduced from hours to minutes:
“The ability to track down things that have happened has been invaluable. Every company has inventory issues, but WinFDS® gives you the tools to zero down on human errors.”
Having iDriver, an integrated driver and delivery system, has also been invaluable. Being able to track all drivers from the head office, along with estimated arrival times, has brought visibility to their delivery operations while supporting improved coordination and customer communication. Being able to have customers sign invoices electronically, which are then uploaded to the WinFDS® system for proof of delivery, is another benefit of iDriver that has streamlined Bova’s operations for both drivers and office employees.
The reliability, seamless operation, and transparency that WinFDS® brings to Bova Foods’ operations has resulted in an “immeasurable” ROI, touching every aspect of their food distribution business and creating many efficiencies for employees. WinFDS® software, and the processes Bova Foods has built around it, have become a competitive advantage and one of the drivers of their continued success.
“There’s no way to put a value on WinFDS®. Everything that we do in our company in a day-to-day basis is involved with the software.”
Contact:
Carol Munz
Bova Food Distributors, Inc.
Food Industry Software Built For You
Since 1978, Food Decision Software has been building, supporting, and perfecting a complete package of software for food distributors and food manufacturers that offers full inventory and purchasing control, streamlines your customers’ ordering process, and automates time-consuming tasks for employees. Contact us for a personalized demonstration and see how WinFDS® can revolutionize your food business.