Developed after a 2014 investment in traceability technology, the system has evolved over time to accommodate the business's changing requirements.
Moo Free said The Hub holds information such as product make-ups and recipe formulations to raw materials and packaging, and feeds into the planning tool to manage usage and stock levels.
It logs all traceability information, from raw materials to finished goods, and holds all historical sales data by customer by line, as well as all orders, shipments, and invoicing.
"The Hub is a new programme developed to aid the running of Moo Free,” explained Louise Adams, Moo Free’s Technical Director. “Installing this technology was vital to ensure we had close controls on our raw materials and finished goods.
Co-founder Mike Jessop continued to develop the system – with input from department heads and operators – to keep up with Moo Free’s ongoing growth and create better user experience, quicker information gathering and seamless processes to manage all aspects of the business.
Invaluable to business
Moo Free’s traceability process also includes supplier auditing to ensure suppliers meet the company’s brand standards, product recipe makeup management, raw ingredient intake management, production line and operator information, best-before dates of ingredients, production units, and dispatch management to end customers.
Adams said the system has proven invaluable to the business, especially when it is required to complete traceability exercises.
“The system allows both forward and backward traceability of raw materials, packaging and finished goods,” she continued. “The trace data is captured throughout the production process and onto the despatch of products, linked to customer orders.
“This is all achievable instantly within a few 'clicks' of The Hub. The amount of time this has saved is unmeasurable and the days of trying to reconcile archie paperwork are thankfully a thing of the past.”
