FIFO Racks and Food Date Labels

Ever looked at a food or beverage label and wondered when to throw the product away because of the expiration date? With 10 different, acceptable date label phrases that food and beverage manufacturers use, it’s no wonder consumers are confused as to when their items will expire. Today, manufacturers use labels saying, “expires on,” “use by,” “better if used by.” The Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association are set to adopt standardized labels that say either, “use by” or “Best if used by.”

According to these organizations, “’Use by’ is a safety designation, meant to indicate when perishable foods are no longer good. “Best if Used By” is a quality descriptor — a subjective guess of when the manufacturer thinks the product should be consumed for peak flavor.” Methods for setting these dates has been left to manufacturers, so when consumers see a label that says, “use by,” consumers tend to believe it is a safety claim, when in fact it is typically a date that the product will be at its best in flavor and appearance. In fact, one consumer survey showed that 91 percent of consumers will throw food away if it is after the “use by” date when in fact, it is still safe to eat or drink.

Manufacturers have until July 2018 to change to the new standards, although this is voluntary and means they may not change the date label at all. How can distributors be sure that they are selling the freshest products? They can store and pick the products using the FIFO methodology.

FIFO Racks – First in, First Out

FIFO means first in, first out, and if you store your products using this methodology, you can ensure your customers will be getting the freshest products. Using customized FIFO racks from UNEX, gravity feed rear-load shelving means merchandise is stocked from the rear and flows forward to the picking area. When the item or carton is picked, roller tracks carry the next-in-line item forward. Products that have been on the racks the longest flow forward to be picked next, while newer products are stocked in the back of the racks, minimizing waste.

Gravity flow racks keep inventory in full visibility. Because items are picked from the front and stocked from the rear, restocking and picking can be performed at the same time with minimal travel and greater efficiency.

Using FIFO racks and the new date labels means food and beverage products will be used within the correct date range. FIFO will keep your products up to date. But FIFO works for products with fast cycle times like apparel, or parts with warranties, or products that can become quickly obsolete. So, use UNEX FIFO racks when you want to cut down on product spoilage or out-of-date items, which will lead to bottom line improvements.

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source http://www.unex.com/fifo-racks-and-food-labels/

UNEX VP of Operations Named Provider Pro to Know

UNEX Manufacturing, Inc., the trusted industry leader in providing innovative order picking solutions, announces that VP of Operations, Howard McIlvaine, has been named a 2017 Provider Pro to Know by Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine. As VP of Operations, McIlvaine is responsible for the day-to-day management of the operations of the organization. He was chosen for this prestigious award because he works tirelessly to bring quality and value to customers in the wine & spirits distribution, food & beverage, retail and manufacturing industries.

“Howard works tirelessly to ensure our products are of the highest quality and value for customers who need to keep their assembly lines moving without interruption or their retail shelves stocked,” said Brian C. Neuwirth, VP of Sales and Marketing at UNEX Manufacturing. “He also believes in giving back to the community and has worked with several organizations which serve children, adolescents, young adults and adults on the autism spectrum and with behavioral and related disabilities. He has hired several people to work alongside UNEX staff teaching them life skills, good work ethics and particular job proficiencies.”

Because of Howard’s work with Spectrum360, UNEX was awarded a New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Award for Excellence. NJBIA’s Awards for Excellence (AFE) program honors achievements in four categories: Business Success, Community Service, Environmental Quality and Outstanding Employer.

UNEX addresses the manufacturing, retail and distribution industries. For the manufacturing industry, our customers face challenges with keeping pace with customer demands – customers of today want to order make-to-order custom items created just for them. They also want their product orders as quickly as possible. No one waits 4-6 weeks anymore. It needs to be days, not weeks. To keep pace with customer demands, manufacturing operations require flexible, space-saving, durable and efficient lineside order picking solutions. UNEX provides products that keep assembly lines moving without interruption, errors or injuries. With UNEX solutions, manufacturing operation will achieve the best mix of carton flow, lane and aisle configurations, workstations, return lanes and pick trays, all designed to keep processes and profits flowing.

In distribution and retail, SKU proliferation, limited space, sluggish pick rates, and workplace injuries are some of the many challenges confronting distribution centers. UNEX products have helped distributors reduce travel time on the pick line by up to 80% and increase pick productivity by more than 40%. We have helped multiple distribution centers triple and even quadruple the number of SKUs stored in the same footprint.

Howard also believes that UNEX customers are facing challenges integrating new technologies with old technologies.  As business changes and increases they need to do things differently, so they look at new technologies to replace equipment.  But if they do this mid-stream how does that work with equipment up and down stream of it?  UNEX specializes in simple solutions, but they have learned that the company needs to be able to integrate with the newer technologies around us and help customers accomplish this.

Howard believes his customers are facing other challenges, but they are things that UNEX doesn’t play a big part in, like the cost of fuel going back up.  But even with things like this UNEX still tries to help customers by packing and shipping their products as efficiently as possible.

Community service awards and recognitions by several material handling industry publications and associations position UNEX as a leader in the manufacturing, retail, wine/spirits, automotive and food/beverage markets.

• Award for Excellence by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) – These awards honor companies whose energy and vision have made a significant contribution toward improving the economy, the environment, their employees and the communities. UNEX Manufacturing was named in the Community Service category for their partnership with Spectrum360, which serves children, adolescents, young adults and adults on the autism spectrum and with behavioral and related disabilities.
• UNEX’s VP of Operations, Howard McIlvaine, was honored by Spectrum360 for his exemplary support helping people within the program. McIlvaine was recognized as a Hall of Fame 2016 Corporate Honoree.

As VP of Operations, Howard McIlvaine is responsible for the day-to-day management of the operations of the organization. Prior to becoming VP of Operations at UNEX, Howard worked as the Engineering Manager. He started with UNEX as a manufacturing engineer. Howard graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

The post UNEX VP of Operations Named Provider Pro to Know appeared first on Unex.

source http://www.unex.com/unex-vp-provider-pro-to-know