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Providing Real-Time Solutions
for Real-World Demands
Continuous Improvement
5/17/2013
With the release of Supplyit 4.0, Jera has moved to a type of software development called agile development. Agile development is based on publishing small incremental changes to the live site on a frequent basis. Our departments meet weekly to discuss improvements to the platform and to determine the steps necessary to introduce these changes.
Manufacturing and production facilities may refer to this process as "continuous improvement". This involves examining internal processes, incorporating feedback from all stakeholders, and making small incremental changes. Defects can be addressed quickly and product improvements can emerge quickly. Unreleased code is not unlike inventory overages in that it represents invested capital that's not being put to work. Agile development gets the code off the shelf and into the hands of our customers.
Manufacturing and production facilities may refer to this process as "continuous improvement". This involves examining internal processes, incorporating feedback from all stakeholders, and making small incremental changes. Defects can be addressed quickly and product improvements can emerge quickly. Unreleased code is not unlike inventory overages in that it represents invested capital that's not being put to work. Agile development gets the code off the shelf and into the hands of our customers.
What does this mean for our customers?
New features will be available to you on an ongoing basis. Customers will no longer have to wait for a big release to see improvements in the application. Customers who have requested or suggested a particular feature will be contacted directly once that feature has been released. Jera will continue to update this page with new features and send out an email to groups of customers on specific enhancements that are particularly relevant to them.
New features will be available to you on an ongoing basis. Customers will no longer have to wait for a big release to see improvements in the application. Customers who have requested or suggested a particular feature will be contacted directly once that feature has been released. Jera will continue to update this page with new features and send out an email to groups of customers on specific enhancements that are particularly relevant to them.
Version 4.0 Press Release
5/8/2013
HOPKINTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Jera Concepts, an enterprise level development company for the fresh item retail industry, recently released Jera Supplyit™ 4.0, its most comprehensive expansion yet. The latest version adds a Survey module that allows locations to create and report on any topic relevant to their business and a new, versatile mobile layout.
“Supplyit 4.0 empowers our users with several brand new components while building on our tried and true core functionality,” said Thomasin LaMachia, CEO and Founder of Jera Concepts. “Additionally, the updated platform paves the way for features we envision the application encompassing over time.”
The Survey module was designed to capture and report all data not collected by orders, invoices, inventories and waste modules. Examples of these data points include customer count, freezer temperature and average wait at drive-through. Because surveys can capture just about any data, they can be applied to quality assurance scenarios. For instance, a user may suspect a correlation between the timeliness of its snowplow and the queue length at its drive-through. The Survey feature uses collected data to turn hunches like this into quantified efficiencies.
Furthermore, Supplyit 4.0 offers a feature-rich mobile layout. The new component is lightweight and responsive so the site automatically adjusts orientation or screen size changes. The mobile layout shares the same functionality as jeraconcepts.com and is compatible with most browsers and operating systems, providing ease of use for its users.
In addition to these new added features, Supplyit 4.0 builds on its successful core product by empowering locations to customize functionality in the areas of Units, Reports, Customer Rules, Data Exchange, and Product Relations. It also now features a standardized user interface and controls, allowing users to streamline future changes across the entire platform.
For more information on how to utilize the Survey module, contact the sales department at 508-686-8090, ext. 2. To find out more about Supplyit 4.0, please visit www.jeraconcepts.com.
About Jera Concepts
Jera Concepts, founded in 2007, provides web-based solutions focused on fresh item management and supply. The company currently services more than 2,500 retail outlets and over 150 manufacturing locations across the U.S. Jera Supplyit™ is a powerful network supply solution that allows retail outlets to order from multiple suppliers, enabling each location to act as a manufacturing and/or retail outlet. More information can be found at www.jeraconcepts.com.
Contact:
Jera Concepts
Erica Thomas, 508-259-0761
press@jeraconcepts.com
Supplyit Version 4.0 - Highlights Part 3
2/28/2013
Data Exchange
Our upcoming Supplyit 4.0 product updates include exciting changes made to our data import/export area, which we are now calling Exchange. New enhancements will add functionality beyond the product’s core feature set and additional file format flexibility.
Click here for details
Adjustments
We also released details about changes we’ve made to our Adjustments feature. By adding various new functions to the existing component, Supplyit 4.0 will offer more flexibility and empower users to use adjustments more effectively.
Click here for details
Our upcoming Supplyit 4.0 product updates include exciting changes made to our data import/export area, which we are now calling Exchange. New enhancements will add functionality beyond the product’s core feature set and additional file format flexibility.
Click here for details
Adjustments
We also released details about changes we’ve made to our Adjustments feature. By adding various new functions to the existing component, Supplyit 4.0 will offer more flexibility and empower users to use adjustments more effectively.
Click here for details
Supplyit Version 4.0 - Highlights Part 2
2/20/2013
We recently emailed our customers exciting Supplyit 4.0 news covering product relations and reports. In case you missed it, please click on the links below for more information, and stay tuned for additional product updates!
Product Relations
Supplyit 4.0 has been redesigned to simplify the complex process of relating products to one another between orders and order templates. Click here to learn how our new product relation enhancements might benefit you.
Reports
Supplyit 4.0 will offer improved reporting that facilitates data mining. Additional enhancements will comprise unit masking and format standardization across reports. Click here for more information on how our unit enhancements might benefit you.
Product Relations
Supplyit 4.0 has been redesigned to simplify the complex process of relating products to one another between orders and order templates. Click here to learn how our new product relation enhancements might benefit you.
Reports
Supplyit 4.0 will offer improved reporting that facilitates data mining. Additional enhancements will comprise unit masking and format standardization across reports. Click here for more information on how our unit enhancements might benefit you.
Supplyit Version 4.0 - Highlights Part 1
2/13/2013
We’ve been working really hard on our upcoming expansion, Supplyit 4.0, and can’t wait to unveil it to you. It’s our most comprehensive release yet!
Supplyit 4.0 will empower locations to customize functionality in the areas of Units, Reports, Customer Rules, Data Exchange, and Product Relations. With the new release will be a change in the overall look and feel of the product, and users will experience a few functional flow changes. In order to prepare locations and minimize user experience challenges, we’re issuing a series of feature enhancement updates over the next few weeks.
So far, we’ve issued updates on Requirements, Contacts and Units.
Requirements
Our requirements page can be found here. Some customers have expressed concern about Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), and we wanted to reassure you that Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) works great with Version 4.0 and can still be used. We're always looking to balance new technologies with legacy systems. Older browsers such as IE8 will start to be phased out across the web (Google has already stopped supporting IE8 in fact). Our strategy is to develop for the latest browsers while accounting for the pace of transition off of older browsers. The bottom-line is this:
- Internet Explorer 8 will work great with Supplyit Version 4.0
- Alternate browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox could be installed alongside Internet Explorer
- Always go through your proper IT channels when considering browser upgrades
Units
One of Supplyit’s most important updates is our expansion of unit functionality.
We have redesigned how units can be created, used and applied, thus empowering locations to manage their own production, order and inventory units. Click here for more information on how our unit enhancements might benefit you.
Contacts
We have redesigned how units can be created, used and applied, thus empowering locations to manage their own production, order and inventory units. Click here for more information on how our unit enhancements might benefit you.
Contacts
Each location will be allowed a network of contacts that can act as customers, suppliers or both; and aliases, groups and labels will be set on the location level rather than on the account level. Click here for more information on how the contact enhancements might benefit you.
Be on the lookout for additional Supplyit 4.0 updates over the coming weeks, and please contact us with any questions or concerns.
Be on the lookout for additional Supplyit 4.0 updates over the coming weeks, and please contact us with any questions or concerns.
Big Data
7/13/2012
Our development team recently attended a conference hosted by Amazon Web Services called “Big Data & High Performance Computing”. We’ve long been fans of Amazon’s suite of on-demand computing services. With a few clicks a user can launch thousands of virtual systems to process infinite amounts of data.
This particular conference focused on how large companies can use “the cloud” and “big data” to dynamically scale their computing resources to tackle data-intensive and computationally-intensive problems. “Big data” essentially amounts to any amount of data that is more than your current system can handle. Even very large companies encounter “big data” that can be better processed in the cloud.
But did you know that small and medium businesses are also benefiting from the cloud? Jera Supplyit™ enables businesses to manage their inventory, purchasing, production and sales from anywhere at anytime. Print reports, review orders, message your store locations -- all via the web. “Big Data” is revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry, engineering industry, academia, and of course manufacturing with supply chain analytics. Jera Supplyit™ is proud to offer an infrastructure that scales to meet your needs and allows you to focus on what matters: your business.
UX
2/17/2012
We recently hired someone who came to us from a not-for-profit website that reached hundreds of thousands of users. In that consumer-focused space, special emphasis was placed on UX/UI: User-Experience and User-Interface. The difference between UI and UX is generally recognized as how somebody interacts with an interface (UI) as opposed to how they perceive that interaction (UX). In the business-to-consumer space UI and UX are typically closely linked because a consumer’s experience of a product often ends when they close the browser.
In the business-to-business space we believe end-users not only place a high value on what they see, but on other elements of the product such as training, support, and even the sales process. These areas have a "UX" that is just as critical.
Jera Concepts is committed to delivering an excellent UX to our customers. A great example of this is how a “support call” is not always our customers calling us; sometimes it means we call you! Putting out fires is great, but preventing them in the first place is even better. This can include on-going training for your staff as well as conveying enterprise best-practices.
Inventory, purchasing, sales, production, and waste have a lot of moving parts. We dedicate our selves to making these important parts of your business more than just an interaction but a great user experience.
In the business-to-business space we believe end-users not only place a high value on what they see, but on other elements of the product such as training, support, and even the sales process. These areas have a "UX" that is just as critical.
Jera Concepts is committed to delivering an excellent UX to our customers. A great example of this is how a “support call” is not always our customers calling us; sometimes it means we call you! Putting out fires is great, but preventing them in the first place is even better. This can include on-going training for your staff as well as conveying enterprise best-practices.
Inventory, purchasing, sales, production, and waste have a lot of moving parts. We dedicate our selves to making these important parts of your business more than just an interaction but a great user experience.
NYACS 2011 Rochester New York
7/14/2011
NYACS 2011 Rochester New York
Thanks to all who stopped by to give us input, say hello and find out about our software. The number one topic of discussion for us at the show was how our software balances merchandising and profitability. The following excerpt outlines our strategy for this challenge.
Balancing Merchandising and Profitability of Fresh Foods
C-Store operators are in agreement that customers are driving an increase in the variety of fresh foods offered. The limited shelf life of these items is a big change from the extended shelf life typical of c-store product lines. It is forcing store managers to pay close attention to those items to ensure profitability. The diversification is driving innovation in production of the offerings, point of sale displays, customer service and technology to manage it all.
% Shrink vs. Number of Pieces: a Paradigm Shift
The challenge with short shelf life of fresh foods is balancing customer stock and shrink to optimize the customer experience and profitability. Basic POS systems provide forecasts of actual sales but stop short when including targeted shrink by piece. The forecasting tool in Supplyit™ allows you to choose a number of pieces of a product by variety that you want to have left before you must dispose of it. This is a paradigm shift.
If a percentage of waste/shrink is a determining factor in merchandising, then a lower volume store will feel pressure to reduce stock levels below customer appeal levels and a high volume location may be leaving profit on the table.
The Solution
Supplyit™ allows each location to forecast by variety by piece and record the waste. You can evaluate each location not by percentage but by a created merchandising/profitability target of a number of pieces. This ensures customer satisfaction and continued growth. Jera Concepts web hosted Supplyit™ software manages the production and inventory of these items in-store and the order, production and invoicing process in a group with a commissary.
Thanks to all who stopped by to give us input, say hello and find out about our software. The number one topic of discussion for us at the show was how our software balances merchandising and profitability. The following excerpt outlines our strategy for this challenge.
Balancing Merchandising and Profitability of Fresh Foods
C-Store operators are in agreement that customers are driving an increase in the variety of fresh foods offered. The limited shelf life of these items is a big change from the extended shelf life typical of c-store product lines. It is forcing store managers to pay close attention to those items to ensure profitability. The diversification is driving innovation in production of the offerings, point of sale displays, customer service and technology to manage it all.
% Shrink vs. Number of Pieces: a Paradigm Shift
The challenge with short shelf life of fresh foods is balancing customer stock and shrink to optimize the customer experience and profitability. Basic POS systems provide forecasts of actual sales but stop short when including targeted shrink by piece. The forecasting tool in Supplyit™ allows you to choose a number of pieces of a product by variety that you want to have left before you must dispose of it. This is a paradigm shift.
If a percentage of waste/shrink is a determining factor in merchandising, then a lower volume store will feel pressure to reduce stock levels below customer appeal levels and a high volume location may be leaving profit on the table.
The Solution
Supplyit™ allows each location to forecast by variety by piece and record the waste. You can evaluate each location not by percentage but by a created merchandising/profitability target of a number of pieces. This ensures customer satisfaction and continued growth. Jera Concepts web hosted Supplyit™ software manages the production and inventory of these items in-store and the order, production and invoicing process in a group with a commissary.
Version 3.8 Release Announcement
6/16/2011
We are excited to announce the release of Version 3.8 of Jera Supplyit™. The full release notes can be found here:
First and foremost, this version focuses on polish and performance and does not have any sweeping changes. Users will not experience any radical changes in their day-to-day activities.
Here is a quick walk through of the new features:
- Default Order Views - This feature is neat because it empowers locations to make their own choices about how they wish to view their orders.
- Defaults and Templated Items - This feature enhances setup by providing the ability to copy items from one location to another. Managers of multiple locations can setup one location the way they want, and then copy items over to their other location.
- Order Item History - When users are adding items to an order or are adding a new order, they can now view the history of items. This step can help managers make intelligent ordering decisions on the spot.
There are several more standard enhancements that can be read about in the release notes. There are two BETA releases that we wanted to highlight. These "BETA" features are still works-in-progress and may be subject to substantial changes.
- Inventory / Waste Record Attachments (BETA) - For inventory or waste record managers now have the ability to upload any type of file such as a picture or a barcode scanner export. There are many possible uses including: having locations take snapshots of inventory/waste to be recorded later by a central manager; upload barcode scanner .csv exports to be imported at a later time; use for merchandising purposes to see what shelves look like at the end of a shift. We are curious to see which direction our customers go with this feature. If you are interested in learning more or trying some of these strategies, please contact your account manager.
- Labor and Timesheet Module (BETA)- This has been a heavily requested feature, and we are releasing it in its basic form in Version 3.8 to get early adopter feedback. If you are interested in recording employee timesheet activity with any number of labor categories (e.g. regular, overtime, vacation, sick, unpaid leave, etc.) please contact your account manager and they will help you get started.
News from NACUFS Mid-West and Iowa State
4/14/2011
From social events to informative sessions, the trip to Iowa State and the NACUFS Mid-West Regional Conference was a refreshing experience. The networking opportunities were a great forum to speak to vendors and schools about the business of a campus foodservice operation. Below are key points that surfaced in multiple conversations.
Recipe Management
· Current software systems in the marketplace use standard units of measure based on weight. 1 bay leaf, 5 leaves of basil or a pinch of salt have to be converted to weight to scale as a recipe size grows. This conversion can lead to egregious errors which may not be caught by a student preparing a dish. Supplyit™ allows you to choose count, mass or volume per item in your recipe, ensuring an accurate recipe as the batch size grows or contracts.
· Chefs also complained software upgrades sometimes knock a recipe out of spec without the chef having changed any of the ingredient proportions. Supplyit™ is a web based application that is upgraded and maintained by Jera Concepts for you. All upgrades are tested to ensure that your existing recipes are never compromised. Enhancements are continuously developed through communal efforts and delivered to you seamlessly during maintenance periods.
Catering Orders
· Disconnected catering software does not easily allow orders to be added into production and prep worksheets automatically. Even software with connected modules may have difficulty synchronizing orders. With Supplyit™ when an order is entered, it is added to the production in real time and seen immediately by the producing unit. It simply can’t be missed and an order can’t be entered after the designated cutoff time by a customer. This eliminates the potential for mistakes between the catering customers and the production facility.
VPN’s
· Program speed and access to a school’s VPN can be roadblocks to efficiency. Supplyit™ is a web application and allows you access to the program via any internet enabled device: smartphone, iPad or computer.
Thanks to those who stopped by our booth at the conference. We had some very good conversations for which we have follow-up scheduled.
Don’t forget our favorite expression… “Status quo is the enemy!”
(contributed by Wynne Barrett)
