In a world where mass production and cost reduction seem to rule, how can a candy maker meet growing market demands while providing quality, handcrafted treats to customers? Sanders, a premium maker of fine chocolates, dessert toppings and baked goods, faced this very issue. Armed with growth plans, Sanders wanted to remain true to their products without sacrificing quality. But how could they scale?
The team at Sanders knew that in order to grow their business, they needed to have the same level of quality in their inventory and supply chain management that they had in their candy. Customers, especially big customers, need more than great products – they need them on time, in the right place, with the right quantity.
“Technology was not working for us, we were working for it, and that means that we were always putting data in and getting very little value return for that,” says Kevin Jablonski, Sanders Vice President of Operations and Technology and ERP project lead.
They turned to technology to help provide a solution, specifically a cloud ERP system.
Efficiency and accuracy were imperative for Sanders to grow its volume and introduce new products. Working in the cloud, Sanders used new capabilities like labeling and barcode scanning to automate what had been manual processes. Moving to a cloud ERP solution also reduced administrative time and increased accuracy.
“Plex has helped us get more detailed and more accurate data, with fewer people inputting things into the system, and so it's working for us. What it's done is allowed those individuals to add value back to the positions – making candy and taking care of customers. So now they're coming up with new ideas of "How do we do things better?" "How are we faster?" "What about this?"
Sanders’ ability to scale with quality is enabling the candy maker to expand to new retailers, big-box chains, and even to commercial airlines.
Want to learn more? See how else Sanders leverages cloud ERP technology to provide handcrafted candies to customers across the globe.
