Tovala cooks up a smarter inventory management system

Chicago-based meal delivery company Tovala has been expanding rapidly thanks to growing demand for its app-based smart oven and chef-prepared meals that are ready in less than 30 minutes. But in order to meet that demand, the company needed to replace its manual inventory tracking system with a technology-based solution—one that would promote better organization and consistency while also adhering to Tovala’s established production facility processes and integrating with custom software tools designed to ensure compliance with food industry standards.

Tovala needed a partner that could work within those parameters—and one that could deliver a solution quickly.

Enter SnapFulfil and its cloud-based warehouse management software (WMS) suite, which is designed for fast, flexible installation—even remotely. Working together, Tovala and SnapFulfil developed and deployed a custom solution that addresses a range of issues, including over/under picking; lot, quantity, and expiration date control; the ability to measure direct and indirect food-processing expenses; and the capacity to accurately meet specific track-and-trace requirements. The WMS was up and running in a matter of months at two of Tovala’s Chicago-area distribution centers—with such success that it was subsequently deployed at a larger Tovala DC in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

TESTING THE WATERS

The timeline from selection to implementation at the Chicago DCs was about four months, which is longer than a typical SnapFulfil installation, according to a spokesperson for the software company. That’s because Tovala requested a proof-of-concept approach, which included the creation of a dedicated testing environment prior to going live with the WMS—an extra layer of preparation that ensured a smooth rollout, according to a statement from Tovala industrial engineer John Comas describing the project. 

“SnapFulfil was identified as the most flexible, cost-effective, and configurable suite available, while the selection process included rigorous API [application programming interface] and data testing in various demo environments for a proof of concept, which meant we were almost ‘live’ before signing the final agreement,” Comas explained.

From there, the companies were able to remotely implement the WMS at both of the Chicago-area DCs—a 25,000-square-foot facility in Pershing, Illinois, and a 50,000-square-foot facility in Carol Stream.

“Implementation was handled remotely, for cost and time savings, and the first two DCs in Chicago went live simultaneously,” Comas added. “Stock receiving followed by a detailed audit worked particularly well, as it allowed our users to get a soft introduction before go-live and effectively [count the inventory] twice for optimum accuracy and visibility.”

REAPING REWARDS

The biggest impact of the project was moving from a paper-based system for managing inventory to an automated one that incorporates RF (radio-frequency) scanning technology and real-time visibility, both of which contribute to a more efficient overall operation. Comas listed the following as the three primary benefits of the project: 

• Over/under picking. Tovala handles work orders, recipes, and pick schedules on a weekly basis with up to 5,000 items in a case that aren’t all needed at once. The WMS can automatically factor in both full-case and partial-case picks, thereby minimizing waste and saving on costs.  
• Lot and expiration date control. Minimizing waste and cost reduction were also key. Being able to trace lot and expiration dates was crucial, so the earliest sell-by dates are prioritized for picking.
• Food industry functionality. The addition of vendor ID and cost-per-pound values was a big modification and was automated for the most part because SnapFulfil collates all of Tovala’s real-time data and plugs it into the database. 

“We didn’t have a WMS before SnapFulfil, so we can’t provide a [percentage increase in] improvements,” Comas said in a statement to **{DC Velocity.} “Qualitatively, though, it has been a game-changer to go from keeping track of inventory manually through spreadsheets to using RF guns and pick-orders to run the operation more smoothly and efficiently.”

Comas added that self implementation of the system at Tovala’s 230,000-square-foot facility in Salt Lake City was seamless as well, and that he expects the same for future rollouts.