Ajinomoto x Lineage
A Supply Chain Collaboration Story
September 24, 2024
Transportation delays. Labor issues. Sudden spikes in demand. Geopolitical challenges. Weather. If you work in supply chain logistics you know the only constant is volatility. Disruption is the norm.
For Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc., a global frozen food company specializing in delivering delicious well-being products sustainably, the most routine, pressing challenges are shortages and delays. In today’s environment, what’s the best way to service customers from diverse regional markets and large-scale retail operations, like national grocery chains and multi-channel retailers?
“The more visibility we have, the more control we have,” says Shani Kalloo, Supply Chain Analytics Manager, Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. “We want to get ahead of the ripple effects of any disruptions.”
Find out how Lineage Link® provides real-time inventory updates to help improve supply chain management
Download our Ajinomoto x Lineage case study
A supply chain management challenge
As a Lineage customer, Ajinomoto has between 50,000-55,000 pallet positions across 9 cold storage warehouses in the United States. In 2019, the brand presented Lineage with a challenge: Give us better supply chain visibility to our product. With precise warehouse inventory control, Ajinomoto may not be able to prevent shortages, but mission-critical information would help them better communicate—and manage the relationship—with their customers.
A supply chain visibility platform built from the ground up
Over the course of three years, Lineage, Ajinomoto and cloud-based transportation management company Turvo collaborated to create a warehouse management system software that integrates the WMS of every facility where Ajinomoto has a presence. The result is Lineage Link®, a unified supply-chain platform that gives real-time visibility to inventory, orders and shipment statuses.
“It’s extremely easy to use and very functional from a user perspective,” says Eric Nadera, Sr. Manager, Warehouse & Distribution, Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. “I use it almost every day to run reports to see the pallets on hand at each location.”
Integrated warehouse inventory, scheduling and reporting
Ajinomoto’s carriers schedule appointments directly through the Lineage Link® dashboard. Because Lineage Link® gives full access to the bill of lading, Ajinomoto can monitor shipments, manage orders and inventory holds and create efficiencies through real-time reporting. It’s supply chain engineering at its finest.
“Lineage Link® gives us a live view of what’s inside Lineage warehouses,” says Kalloo. “We have our own data, but what really helps us serve our customers is having visibility to what Lineage knows about our product.”
A powerful tool for managing supply chain shortages
“Every customer has different expectations on how they want to be notified about shortages,” says Kalloo. “Lineage Link® puts us in the best position possible to meet our customers’ needs.”
Every day, Ajinomoto runs an automated shortage report at 11:00 AM Pacific time. Kalloo notes that because the report is clear and well-organized, their team can inform customers quickly. The report also provides detailed information about the reason for the shortage, such as limited inventory or the product on hand doesn’t meet the downstream customer’s shelf-life requirements. This visibility is the starting point for Ajinomoto to further understand their internal supply chain ecosystem, and where a corrective focus may be required to limit shortages.
“Getting ahead of the issue gives us more power to articulate if the shortage is a valid cost of doing business or not,” she says. “Lineage Link® also helps us communicate with our customers and educate them, which leads to a stronger relationship going forward.”
Learn more about how Lineage Link® improves supply chain visibility in our Ajinomoto x Lineage case study
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What's next for Lineage Link® and Ajinomoto
“We’re trying to create and foster a competitive advantage in the frozen food industry,” says Kalloo. “Lineage Link® puts us one step closer toward having an anticipated shortage notification.”
The Ajinomoto team is also thinking beyond the immediate benefits provided by the software.
“Lineage Link® is making big progressions toward automating a lot of our daily routine,” says Nadera. “By taking care of the day to day, our team is freed up to think more broadly and strategically about how to better serve our customers.”
