• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Food Processor Snaps to It, Cuts Delivery Time to the Military

Food Processor Snaps to It, Cuts Delivery Time to the Military

August 26, 2013
SupplyChainBrain

As the old saw has it, an army moves on its stomach. In other words, it has to eat. But getting the food from farm to force isn't always an easy, or quick, matter. American Bounty, a food processor and distributor based in Gardena, Calif., knows that to properly serve U.S. troops overseas, and avoid flak from the Department of Defense, it needs to get the goods to final destination quickly and according to regulations.

American Bounty pretty much has the bases covered in food distribution. Whether it makes the food or handles product lines from top-selling manufacturers, it is actively engaged in three areas: retail and wholesale club environments, in the foodservice industry and in working with the Department of Defense to feed members of the military. Its processing facilities and distribution of most major brands equips it to provide a broad array of products and services for customers in each of the three sectors. Moreover, it has cold and dry distribution centers located on both coasts. For the military, American Bounty provides frozen, chilled and dry grocery items, including energy snacks, juices and frozen fruits and vegetables.

It would be fair to say that serving the military carries challenges that can come with any customer while others are unique to the customer. One of American Bounty's partners in its efforts to provide top-quality service to the armed forces is Port Jersey Logistics. Sixty-plus years old, the Monroe, N.J.-based integrated logistics services provider has worked with American Bounty for two years or more.

For good reason, requirements for military food suppliers are stringent and strict. Products must be properly prepped via a highly detailed labeling process that includes SKU numbers, lot codes, purchase order numbers, expiration dates, shelf lives and product descriptions. Each case must be clearly bar-coded to help expedite supply chain movement.

Due to a number of factors, the supply needs of the military can change quickly, resulting in short-notice order changes and last-minute demands. Throughout its relationship with American Bounty, Port Jersey Logistics, or PJL, has demonstrated tremendous flexibility, according to Stacy Smullen, logistics manager for American Bounty, "[PJL's] customer service extends not only to us but to our customers as well.  In other words, by supporting American Bounty, PJL also is supporting our troops."

PJL and American Bounty began a "conversation" in mid-2011 to identify needs of the latter's distribution model, says Erik Holck, Port Jersey's business development manager.

"They were doing exports for the military, but they mentioned that one issue they had was with lead times for orders and how long it took containers once they were loaded in Long Beach to arrive in the receiving ports in the Mideast," he says.

That transit time might take as much as six weeks on the water, then another week to get from port to final destination - possibly two months from order placement to delivery. But as long as containers arrived in good shape, so what? "It created problems if the military wanted to change an order, to decrease something or increase it; want more of it."

Immediately, Holck said he felt that shipping from the U.S. East coast would shave off some significant time. "I asked them, 'Have you ever looked at the East Coast?' As it happens, they are a California company and had done little if anything on the East Coast, at least nothing for the military there."

Reducing time spent on delivery wasn't the sole issue America Bounty was grappling with. There were a number of compliance issues that had to be worked through because the military is quite strict about such things as labeling and how consignments are presented, Holck says.

"They [American Bounty] visited and we showed them how we operate, the quality and the procedures that we have."

It took two months or so to set everything in motion, according to Holck. Not long after that, American Bounty's quality assurance team visited to ensure that everything was working properly on the PJL side of things.

How did the transportation portion of the relationship go? Holck said utilizing the East Coast reduced shipping time by at least two weeks, which he terms "significant" because a lot can happen to an order - including difficult changes or cancellations - in that period. PJL has no part in the land transport from port to base. That leg of the trip still takes about a week, says Holck.

How much food is actually moved can vary from week to week. Food that arrives at PJL's distribution center arrives by truck and intermodal from American Bounty's own facility in California and from DCs of the food manufacturers it works with. Orders consolidated at PJL go out every week, but the number of containers may range from one to a dozen at a time, says Holck.

That variability is due to the military's ordering pattern, and that had been problematic for American Bounty. "We offered them the scalability they needed because their facility limited them to how many orders they can process." At the same time, PJL keeps a minimal amount of buffer stock on hand for some items that are ordered on a  regular basis.

Before the PJL-American Bounty partnership, outbound shipments typically contained one to three types of items; now there may be as many as 40 items in there. That means labeling is complex, and that was another hurdle for the food processor.

There are several documents that must be filed with the military once a load is completed, including a full manifest showing all products, their number and description, and their position in the container. "Some compliance regulations are standard," Holck says, "but some are outside the regular bounds of exporting because it's military regulations you're dealing with."

All documentation has to be sent to the DoD for verification and to the receiving party. If any discrepancies are found in the paperwork, Holck says, the military typically marks the container as damaged or no good, and in worst-case scenarios, will destroy the product. "Any lack of attention on our part could result in that product being dumped or destroyed. We can't have that."

Resource Links:
Port Jersey Logistics
American Bounty


Keywords: international trade, global logistics, 3PL, third party logistics, inventory management, supply chain, supply chain management, logistics & supply chain, warehouse management, WMS, transportation management, TMS

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Logistics Global Logistics Logistics Outsourcing Transportation & Distribution Inventory Planning/ Optimization Technology All Warehouse Services Warehouse Management Systems Food & Beverage
KEYWORDS 3PL All Warehouse Services American Bounty Food and Beverage Global Logistics international trade Inventory Management Inventory Planning/ Optimization Logistics logistics & supply chain Logistics Outsourcing Port Jersey Logistics supply chain Supply Chain Management Supply Chain Management: Food and Beverage Technology Third Party Logistics TMS Transportation & Distribution Transportation Management Warehouse Management Warehouse Management Systems WMS
  • Related Articles

    It's Time to Take a Second Look at Automation in Food & Beverage

    Time to Step It Up, 3PL Providers!

    OK, It's Time for the Transportation Industry to Start Innovating

  • Related Directories

    SnapFulfil

SupplyChainBrain

Boeing Plans To Cut 2,000 Office Jobs This Year

More from this author

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • A HAND TURNS A LARGE, LIGHTED DIAL WITH THE WORD RISK ON IT iStock-NicoElNino-1364371014.jpg

    Measuring KPIs and KRIs for Comprehensive Supplier Performance Management

    Technology
  • A COMPLEX SERIES OF ROADWAYS AND RAMPS, SEEN FROM HIGH ABOVE, IS PARTLY SHROUDED BY CLOUD

    Supply Chain Visibility Isn’t Just a Catchphrase; It’s an Imperative

    Logistics
  • A WOMAN IN HER LIVING ROOM GESTURES IN DISMAY ON THE PHONE OVER AN OPEN SHIPPING BOX

    Retailers – Quit Bellyaching and Differentiate Yourself on Returns

    Reverse Logistics
  • A TRUCK LEAVES A PORT DOCK LOADED WITH A CONTAINER

    C.H. Robinson Digs in Against Activist Investor Ancora

    Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
  • A CONTAINER SHIP PLIES A SILVERY OCEAN

    CVC Nears Deal to Acquire Logistics Firm Scan Global

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb q1 2023 cover

2023 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide: Packing for a Difficult Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing