SIMBA: Real-Time Automation for Meat Packers
Organize your process from the plant floor up, labeling, tracking and tracing every step in real time. Eliminating keyed entry and handwritten notes. Reducing training time. Making things like audit reports, inventory reports and bills of lading a matter of a couple of clicks. All of it custom fit to your process, so you can keep doing what you do, but better.
The Meat & Poultry Process
Receiving
SIMBA starts collecting data when you receive product, whether at your plant or offsite. Data entry is fast and easy with handheld, touchscreen tablets whose screen fields are custom fit to your process. For product received at your plant the raw inventory data automatically enters into receiving, with all data transmitted to SIMBA’s Office module so you can monitor every aspect of the process ahead. For product received offsite, data uploads to SIMBA’s Office module via the cell network or Wi-Fi. Once you print barcoded labels, pieces cut from the lot can be traced back to their origins.
By collecting more data at receiving, you’ll reduce multiple data collection points in your process, while giving your production planning and sales staff better, earlier raw inventory information as well as an ongoing trail of product location data.
Label Printing
One of the core functions of SIMBA is printing professional labels, both interim for the warehouse and finished goods for customers. Select and print multiple label formats with the touch of a button. Choose from durable labels and tags for wet, cold or freezing conditions. Speed production even more with automated label applicators. For professional label designs, SIMBA offers a design service as well as the ability to design your own (although the design service is so affordable that nearly everyone uses it).
Production & Packaging
SIMBA simplifies production floor data collection, replacing handwritten logs and vastly reducing keyed data entry. Workers use touchscreen computers with data fields customized to fit your process, eliminating errors and saving time. From SIMBA’s Office module, you can track the progress of each production line in real-time to eliminate slow-downs and bottlenecks. Collect variable weights manually or directly from an electronic scale. Manage repacking and mixed lots. Calculate yields. Give salespeople and managers current finished goods inventory data.
Warehouse and Shipping
SIMBA’s Logistics module uses mobile barcode scanners to record carton or pallet locations, even as they change. Monitor unlimited warehouses and locations. Break down pallets and load partial vans while maintaining traceability. Eliminate customer charge-backs for order mistakes. Load by van, work order, customer order, or other attributes. Collect load data such as van ID, seal number, driver or truck. Manage and print bills of lading, packing lists, manifests. Meanwhile, data transmits to SIMBA Office for customer service and billing.
Traceability And Audits
Amid growing concerns over sustainability and food safety, end-to-end traceability is essential. SIMBA offers hyper-detailed lot tracking, backwards and forwards. Track lots by case or by pallet. Manage repacking and mixed lots while maintaining traceability requirements. Quickly print traceability and audit reports.
Yield Calculations
Improve profit even more by calculating and reporting yields for any product produced in consistent batches with clean, unmingled inputs and outputs. Report by lot, batch, day, species, origin, production line and more.
Label Printing
Printing professional labels is one of SIMBA’s core functions. Whether interim labels for the warehouse or finished-goods labels for customers, just select and print multiple label formats with the touch of a button. Choose from durable labels and tags for wet, cold or freezing conditions. Speed production even more with automated label applicators. For professional label designs, SIMBA offers a design service as well as the ability to design your own (although the design service is so affordable that nearly everyone uses it).
Reporting
SIMBA’s robust, flexible reporting system provides many ways to improve productivity with better information. Along with numerous native reports to choose from, SIMBA also features a Report Designer for custom reports. Native reports include:
- Complete forward and backward traceability
- Yield
- Units Not Shipped
- Units Voided
- Vans Not Shipped
- Van Summary
- Lot Summary
- Inventory by Location
- Lists of inventory, customers and products
- Production Detail (Master Filter Options)
- Seasonal Product Detail (Master Filter Option)
Optional Accounting and ERP Integration add
SIMBA can even provide data directly to accounting or ERP systems, eliminating the redundant and error-prone data entry of some other solutions. Connect directly to MS Dynamics, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage and more.