ReposiTrak (NYSE:TRAK), a provider of food traceability and regulatory compliance networks, has launched a “Touchless Traceability” solution for distribution centers (DCs) that automates the capture and sharing of lot codes and shipping data without requiring manual scanning or extensive Warehouse Management System (WMS) modifications. This solution leverages the company’s existing inventory management and out-of-stock reduction SaaS platform.
The new “Touchless Traceability” solution addresses a long-standing operational challenge for DCs: the efficient capture and sharing of lot codes and associated shipping data for all items shipped to customers. It allows retailers and wholesalers operating DCs to comply with regulatory and customer-driven traceability requirements without additional labor, label scanning, or costly WMS overhauls. Instead, ReposiTrak utilizes data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI) to generate accurate and complete traceability records.
DCs are integral to the food traceability process, necessitating the integration of supplier data with shipping information as products depart the facility. Historically, this process would have involved extra steps like scanning at the DC, store, or restaurant, potentially requiring significant changes to warehouse or picking systems. ReposiTrak’s solution eliminates the need for scanning by automatically linking existing supplier data with data from the DC’s current systems.
Manual case- or item-level scanning at the DC would substantially increase labor costs, reduce throughput, and introduce new risks. Similarly, scanning at the store or restaurant level to confirm lot codes shipped and received presents challenges, particularly with large deliveries or off-hours operations. The “Touchless Traceability” system avoids these issues.
Many existing WMS platforms were not initially designed to store the detailed traceability data now required by major retailers and mandated under the FDA’s FSMA 204 final rule on food traceability. These requirements include Key Data Elements (KDEs), specifically the Traceability Lot Code (TLC) and the TLC Source. ReposiTrak bridges this data capture gap by securely storing and managing the necessary traceability data in a cloud-based repository, offering easy searchability.
Data accuracy is a critical component of effective traceability. ReposiTrak reports that 40% of the traceability files it initially receives from suppliers contain errors, such as incorrect identifiers, missing fields, or incomplete shipment files. To mitigate these issues, ReposiTrak processes every traceability data file through a rigorous 500-point error detection and correction procedure. This ensures data integrity before it is integrated into the distributor’s records. Once validated and merged, traceability records for DC receiving, DC shipping, and store receiving are automatically generated without manual intervention.
Randy Fields, ReposiTrak Chairman and CEO, stated, “Our approach couples data from the distributor or wholesaler’s existing systems and data from their suppliers to create full, accurate food traceability records. It’s the simplest way to get traceability done – without adding new hardware or extra work for your DC team.”
This method allows DCs to meet the stringent requirements of the FDA’s FSMA 204 food traceability rule, as well as similar demands from major retailers, without altering their current warehouse operations. ReposiTrak (NYSE: TRAK) offers a suite of solutions—food traceability, compliance and risk management, and supply chain solutions—to help retailers, suppliers, food manufacturers, and wholesalers mitigate risk, ensure compliance, enhance operational controls, and protect brands. These cloud-based applications are supported by a team of experts.
