Blue Bell Creameries, one of the country's oldest ice cream manufacturers, has implemented ClearOrbit's Gemini mobile software solution for Oracle Process Manufacturing (OPM).

The developer says Gemini has increased Blue Bell's overall operational efficiency by automating data collection, resulting in improved production lot control and traceability throughout the company's primary high-volume production and distribution center in Texas.

Blue Bell is reported to be capturing data from more than 2,000 SKUs of raw, intermediate and finished goods with the use of handheld radio-frequency scanners that record key transactions, such as receiving, inventory movements and returns, in real time on the plant floor. The new Gemini-driven procedure has significantly increased data quality and visibility, and can process transactions in seconds instead of the minutes that previous manual methods required, according to ClearOrbit.

"We've seen great returns on the timeliness and accuracy of our data reporting with Gemini," says Jim Kruse, controller at Blue Bell. "The lot control and traceability we now have give us peace of mind that we can respond immediately should there be a product recall. We can't put a dollar value on that."

Brenham, Tex.-based Blue Bell Creameries, celebrating 100 years in business in 2007, claims to be the number three branded ice cream manufacturer in the country, despite being available in only 16 states.

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