This last year revealed many vulnerabilities and challenges for food suppliers. The pandemic exposed a vulnerability in manufacturers’ reliance on human labor. Regulatory bodies like the FDA, USDA, and GFFA are compelling supply-chain participants to adopt common standards and digital technologies. Retailers – who are under pressure from consumers demanding more variety, sustainability, transparency, and ethical sourcing – are increasingly willing to go around manufacturers to create the products they need if they can’t get the relationship they want with the manufacturer. These challenges will continue beyond 2021.
Kathy Barbeire
Recent posts by Kathy Barbeire
2 min read
5 Steps for Food Suppliers to Adopt Digital Supply Chain Technology
Topics: Traceability technology supply chain food traceability continuous improvement key data elements manufacturing automation critical tracking events GS1 Standards
1 min read
CAT Squared Thanksgiving Safety and Support Resources
The CAT Squared team wishes you a safe and healthy holiday. This year has been especially challenging for our customers, whose essential status means many of you have endured special hardships to keep our food supply chain running safely. Thank you!
2 min read
Tom's Journey to Retirement
Please join our team in extending best wishes to CAT Squared Vice President of Sales Tom Huls as he embarks on his next great adventure in retirement. Tom has been a valuable leader of CAT Squared’s sales team for 13 years, capping a 47-year career.
Topics: cat squared news
1 min read
CAT Squared Releases New Android Apps
In January 2020, Microsoft officially ended its support for Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5. This will complete the end-of-life process for all Windows ruggedized environments.
Topics: food traceability android mobile handheld warehouse management software wms software warehouse management system inventory management system barcode scanners
6 min read
How Technology and Consumers are Transforming the Food Value Chain
At Purdue University's National Conference for Food and Agribusiness, speakers presented results of the University’s research study analyzing what data is collected across the food value chain, how it’s shared, and to what extent it is used to make strategic decisions. The study focused on five levels of the value chain: (1) Ag Input Manufacturers, (2) Ag Retailers, (3) Farmers, (4) First Handlers/Food Processors, (5) Food Manufacturers, and (6) Food Retailers. The event included panel discussions with representatives from each part of the value chain discussing trends they’re experiencing.
Topics: Traceability technology supply chain food traceability technology adoption manufacturing technology food manufacturing automation regulatory compliance food value chain consumer demand
2 min read
TacticalOps: Planning & Optimization Software for Food Manufacturers
CAT Squared has partnered with UniSoma to disrupt the food-processing software industry with the launch of TacticalOps, our planning & optimization tool designed for food manufacturers. This exciting planning & optimization tool empowers food manufacturers with the ability to capture and manage real-time data from the plant floor and, using prescriptive analytics, peer into the future to make better decisions. UniSoma’s previous successes implementing planning and optimization tools based on predictive and prescriptive analytics yielded increased production efficiencies and improvements in planning accuracy. JBS reported an increase in the contribution margin of over 20% due to the use of UniSoma’s Meat Chain Optimizer. In another example, BRF reported $50 million in savings over a three-year period.
Topics: food manufacturing AI continuous improvement software production optimization meat chain optimization production planning software optimize product mix
2 min read
Leading in 'A New Era of Smarter Food Safety'
On October 21, 2019, the FDA held a public meeting with a broad cross-section of industry stakeholders to build a shared vision around A New Era of Smarter Food Safety, a campaign intended to strengthen the agency’s protection of the food supply.
Topics: Era Smarter Food Safety blockchain Traceability technology food traceability supply chain software prescriptive analytics food manufacturing AI industrial internet of things
2 min read
CAT Squared becomes IBM Food Trust blockchain onboarding partner
CAT Squared is the first manufacturing execution system (MES) provider in the food industry to become an onboarding partner for IBM Food TrustTM, a blockchain-enabled global network of food chain participants that securely connects supply chain data across the ecosystem with trust and transparency.
Topics: meat blockchain blockchain Traceability technology supply chain supply chain software manufacturing execution system ctb food supplychain solutions food value chain industrial internet of things
2 min read
CAT Squared Software Suite 2.5 Now Available
CAT2 Software Suite 2.5 is now available to all CAT Squared customers using our .Net applications (Executive Dashboards, DSD, LIMS). The Software Suite aggregates a number of CAT Squared applications into a single multi-function user interface. The application modules that are included in the first release of the Software Suite include the following:
Topics: cat squared news
1 min read
A Part of Blockchain History
CAT Squared was honored to be a small part of blockchain history as Governor Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ first blockchain legislation embedding in law digital smart contracts. This milestone was a collaborative effort from early supporters of Blockchain for Arkansas, an initiative to coordinate and align safety and distribution efforts among key industry leaders.
Standing behind Governor Hutchinson from left Jeannie Stroth (IBM), Marla Johnson (BCRS), Senator Joyce Elliott (sponsor), Evan Thompson, Ken Hubbell (BCRS), Samantha Lindstrom, Kathy Barbeire (CAT Squared), Richard Bearden, and Jennifer Peper (Aristotle Interactive).
