Fairway Packing Co. transformed when they made the move to digital

In mid 2024, Fairway Packing Co. installed JBT Marel Software into its new Michigan facility, transforming the company to ensure it could compete on a national level. As the third generation in a family-run business, CEO Emmet Baratta can clearly remember his father and uncles working with pen and paper. “As the next generation, we wanted to transform the business into one that could compete everyday with the biggest and best,” said Baratta. “And we’ve truly turned ourselves into that. It’s been with the help of JBT Marel Software that we’ve got ourselves there.”

Change in reach of a vision

“For the vision we had as accompany, we had to get into the digital world,” said Baratta. "We wanted to maximize that investment [the new facility]. Implementing AXIN Solutions allows us to align our technology with our long-term vision,” said Baratta.

Fairway Packing Co. invested in AXIN Solutions for receiving, inventory management, end-of-line, dispatch, packing and labeling; digitizing data collection across the factory. 
When digital traceability is built into equipment and processes, products are tracked from receiving to dispatch. With real-time visibility available throughout the operation, operators, managers, and sales teams know exact product locations and inventory levels.

Digital records mean managers can search for batches and lot items with the click of a button. This makes reporting for audits and USDA food safety compliance — including HACCP and SQF — efficient and accurate. The digital system means recalls and order verification for customers and suppliers are straight forward, reliable, and fast.

An often-underestimated cost of manual systems is the physicality of sharing information. Because everything in Fairway was paper based, the only way to know inventory levels, product location, and how production was progressing was physically checking. “It was a lot of double and triple the amount of work just to get one order done. And the sheer size of our facility meant that an employee could have to walk 500 steps just to communicate information on an order in the old way. A lot of the time errors would occur with customers due to verbal communications being lost in translation,” Tony Sieracki, Plant Manager, Fairway Packaging Co. said.

Protecting inventory and profitability

Inventory management is crucial to maximize profits and quality. To optimize sales and product flow Fairway wanted a way to have precise knowledge of its inventory without having to make physical checks that gave limited insight into operations and left room for human error.

"Being a meat purveyor, you can imagine our inventory coolers, there's a very high dollar amount that's back there. And we want to be able to know where it's at all times. To be able to track inventory and offer our customers transparency,“ said Baratta.
  
Inventory software gives detailed insight and oversight for efficient inventory management that optimizes product flow.

Managing the complexity of a no-size-fits-all business

Fairway Packing Co. processes a truly wide and varied product range. When a chef or restaurant has specifications, Fairway will process to meet them. “We’ll never tell the chef, this is how you have to have it,” said Baratta. “We need to be able to adjust to the customer spec, to chef spec, and then make sure our software system can adjust and implement with us. It was critical to us to have a software solution that could accommodate that level of adjustment and flexibility; and help us manage that complexity.”
 
JBT Marel Software gives real-time visibility to inventory, production, order status, and labeling. Data is captured and shared instantly throughout the operation, meaning Fairway Packing Co. can respond quickly to customer-specific orders, fulfill orders accurately, and handle product complexity. “We can manage smaller production runs efficiently. We reduce errors. The software has given us the flexibility to adapt while still maintaining consistency, quality, and operational control,” said Baratta.

Adapting to change

Fairway Packing Co. not only introduced a digital system, but they did so in a new facility. Emmet Baratta recognized the challenge he threw at his team. “Changing software for a company is probably one of the toughest things you could do in the business, and in the same year we changed our software we moved our production facility to a new location.”

JBT Marel supports customers through installation, implementation and beyond, to refine workflows, and adapt software to specific operation needs. “We’re working with the JBT Marel Software team to change some processes and implement new processes, configuring the system to work for us and learning new features,” said Amanda Ferrin, CFO, Fairway Packing Co.

As the rollout progressed and Fairway’s team learned and adapted to the new systems, processes sped up and old challenges vanished. 

“I could really tell that the software was just shining through. It’s helped us evolve in the right direction,” said Baratta.

The difference is night and day

Looking at the difference JBT Marel Software has made in how Fairway’s business operates today, Emmet Baratta says it is like night and day. “Beyond operational improvements, having reliable data allows us to make better business decisions. We can identify trends, improve efficiency, reduce waste, and continuously optimize our processes. It hasn't just changed how we work; it has transformed how we manage and grow the business. Looking back, it’s difficult to imagine operating without the visibility, control and confidence that these systems provide today,” said Baratta.

About Fairway Packing Co.

Fairway Packing Company is a unique blend of old-style packing, house quality and service plus state-of-the-art equipment and the newest technology to provide the finest finished product for the customer.

Family-owned & operated since 1956, Fairway provides the highest quality center-of-the-plate proteins to the country's top chefs & some the finest restaurants in the world.

Fairway specializes in Choice, Prime, Wagyu, & Dry-Aged steaks as well as signature Custom Blend Burgers, but also offers premium Pork, Lamb, Veal, Poultry, and Wild Game.

Fairway Packing has been dedicated to providing the best meats and poultry for 70 years. Whether it’s working with award-winning chefs to create new product ideas, supervising production from start to finish, or making sure every order receives special attention, Fairway team is personally involved at every level to ensure they always provide the best to customers.