Client Profile
To-Jo Mushrooms started as a small mushroom farm in 1932 and has been a family-owned business through four generations. Headquartered in Avondale, Pennsylvania, To-Jo employs 300 people and is respected as one of the largest fresh mushroom producers in the United States with more than 60 million pounds produced annually from its 44 mushroom houses.
In addition, To-Jo owns and operates four subsidiary companies: To-Jo Mushrooms distributes white, brown, and specialty mushrooms in foodservice and retail packs; Brownstone Mushrooms is the growing operation; To-Jo Transportation manages logistics with the company-owned truck and trailer fleet; and To-Jo Food Products manufactures value-added mushroom products for many high-profile national retail customers.
Business Challenge
When To-Jo Mushrooms first contacted Intellitec Solutions in early 2013, they were struggling with multiple challenges due to consistent growth and restructuring from one company to five separate entities. Though they had been using Microsoft Dynamics GP since 1996, it had never been configured properly to To-Jo’s evolving business model so employees weren’t utilizing the system to its full potential. Many processes were still manual and paper-based resulting in too many errors and delays.
Overall, information throughout the company was extremely disconnected from sales to inventory to accounting resulting in poor visibility and insight for the company’s leadership team. “Our reputation is built on our commitment to quality, value and service, and our technology simply wasn’t helping us fulfill that promise. It was time to modernize the tools we have and find new ways to be more efficient and effective,” explains Don Slesinski, CFO.
The company’s previous technology partners hadn’t been a good fit for To-Jo for various reasons from a lack of expertise to a lack of attention. Leaders contacted Intellitec based on their proven Microsoft Dynamics experience and the peace of mind knowing they were a local partner who would be able to work onsite when needed.
Technology Solution
The Intellitec team was eager to help To-Jo achieve their goals. After an in-depth assessment of the company’s existing processes, systems and objectives, recommendations were made that would enable numerous improvements across the organization. A multi-pronged distribution software solution was proposed that would address all of To-Jo’s requirements and provide the innovation, integration and scalability they were missing.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
First, Intellitec implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM to simplify how sales teams could manage and track customer and vendor relationships in a more collaborative way. Data from Dynamics GP and Salesforce was imported to establish a centralized customer database that is easy to access and update.
SalesPad
To help To-Jo completely streamline and automate their distribution operations, Intellitec implemented SalesPad, a third-party distribution software designed to integrate with Dynamics GP. Through custom configurations and integrations, all products and transactions are fully traceable, data is automatically transferred between their systems and executives have full visibility across their supply chain.
iTradeNetwork Integration
As a value-added service for their major retail, grocery and distribution customers, To-Jo subscribes to an online iTradeNetwork portal which allows them to upload their catalog and take orders directly from other subscribers. Intellitec wrote a program to automatically transfer order data from the portal into Dynamics GP and SalesPad so booking the sale happens instantly, without having to manually enter the orders.
Microsoft Dynamics GP Customizations
Intellitec also solved numerous inefficiencies within Dynamics GP including consolidating all of To-Jo’s companies, cleaning up the chart of accounts and streamlining order and payables processing from end to end. Using Integration Manager, Intellitec created automatic data transfers between Dynamics GP, SalesPad, Dynamics CRM and iTradeNetwork. These distribution software integrations have accelerated order processing, inventory management, logistics, accounting processes, document management and several other areas. In addition, Intellitec worked closely with To-Jo’s employees to offer tips and training that would improve their proficiency with the system.
Electronic Imaging Solution
Another area To-Jo wanted to improve was adding electronic document capabilities. They had purchased an EDI solution, but weren’t fully utilizing it. Intellitec came up with a creative and cost-effective imaging solution which utilizes IM barcodes and their existing scanner to keep all order documents together and organized. “We have effectively eliminated almost all of our paper files. Not only did it save us from having to buy expensive software, our employees are saving a lot of time. We did a mock recall where we only have two hours to get all of our information together and we had everything ready to go in ten minutes. It was unbelievable,” said Don.
Intellitec Impact
Streamlined Order Processing
Intellitec helped To-Jo reduce order processing times by an impressive 95% by replacing paper-based, manual processes with efficiency and automation. Because all of their data is within Dynamics GP and SalesPad, no paperwork is needed to quickly receive, process and invoice orders as they come in. All documents are created instantly with the proper number of copies and distributed exactly how the customer requests. This has greatly improved the customer experience, employee satisfaction and the company’s bottom line.
Improved Customer Relationships and Service
With Microsoft Dynamics CRM, sales teams have an easier way to keep customer information updated and enjoy having all price agreements, rebates, personal details and complaints available at their fingertips. Data is easy to enter, access and share across the company providing To-Jo with a 360 degree view of their customer.
Expanded Analytics and Intelligence
Before Intellitec, To-Jo leaders did not have a holistic view of their business. Information was disconnected and couldn’t be validated for accuracy. Now, they can rely on cohesive and correct data, measure performance of every product in multiple ways and discover new sales and marketing opportunities. Enhanced reporting provides the intelligence needed to make more informed decisions across the organization and to better forecast growth.
Expedited Distribution and Deliveries
To-Jo receives fresh product every morning and must move that product out right away to maintain the highest quality. It was always a race against the clock to receive the product, manually input load sheets for the trucks, print all the paperwork for the drivers and get deliveries out in time. SalesPad has automated the entire process from the sales desk to delivery so what used to take hours now takes just a couple of clicks.
Real-time Inventory Control
SalesPad has given To-Jo a comprehensive and integrated distribution software solution to manage inventory, quality control, logistics and order processing in one place. They have real-time insight to order the right products at the right time, can quickly help their customers from anywhere and are now able to accurately budget and forecast into the future. Intellitec integrated SalesPad with Dynamics GP and iTradeNetwork to further improve efficiency and collaboration.
Intellitec’s innovation and expertise have positioned To-Jo for success well into the future. The company has been extremely pleased with the benefits they are enjoying as a result. “Intellitec has given us critical insight we didn’t have before. Instead of guessing, we know exactly how we need to order, what we need to grow and when we need to run promotions to move inventory,” says Don. “Intellitec’s team absolutely gave us the right solutions. They’ve saved us a lot of time and money and have been a wonderful partner for us.”