Product: ALMADS - Almond Management and Distribution System

ALMADS Overview

ALMADS Presentation

ALMADS Demonstration Video

ALMADS Case Study - Laragon AUS

The one major difference that ALMADS provides that many other software solutions lack is the ability to capture the movements and processes as they happen rather than all information being entered after the event. Using this traditional method of recording, although effective to capture what has happened and provide a tool to invoice, this method does NOT provide adequate tools to the plant's management team to make the necessary decisions whilst in the midst of the season. By having information that is captured live, the plant's management team have critical information at their fingertips to make potentially cost saving decisions before they happen! Information can also be presented instantly to the Growers once a run has been completed and validated to provide them with their product quality and turn out.

Using Industrial grade terminals that are installed in your plant(s) and key areas of your site, we empower the operators performing the task to capture the critical information associated with their tasks.

We also introduce Industrial grade tag printers that include barcodes which reduce the amount of entry by the operator and hence reduce the amount of errors.

In addtion to the introduction of industrial hardware, we also link directly to your scales (Truck Scales and Bin Scales) to capture the weights registered on the relevant scale and pass it directly to ALMADS. Regional IT have been certified by the Californian Weights and Measures (CA#: 5562-08) to perform such a task and reduce the amount of human errors capturing manual weights.

These weights are directly transferred to bin tags that are affixed to the full bins. We also create Weight Certificates where required and a "Huller Ticket" that also has these weights assigned that stays with the load though the plant.

ALMADS is now in it's second season with Central Californian Almond Growers Association (CCAGA). However, already we can boast that CCAGA are only now realising how powerful and necessary ALMADS is to their business.

"With the tremendous volume and record delivery levels associated with this season’s crop we would not have been able to efficiently receive the production from our members without the ALMADS solution. We have broken our daily receiving record by 30% and this is due in large part to the ALMADS software system which has given us improved efficiencies at the truck scale. Previously inbound Trucks would take between 5-10 minutes to process once they reached the weighbridge window. We are now averaging 3 minutes per truck! The fully integrated ALMADS software system not only compliments our receiving capabilities but has also substantially increased efficiencies in all aspects of our operations; stockpile, pre-cleaner, shelling and dispatch. We are also able to provide to the minute information to our Growers. That is unheard of in this industry and that translates into fantastic service to our members. Service, that’s what we’re all about!" - Mike Kelley - President and CEO of CCAGA.

Here are the available modules the ALMADS has to offer…

1. Grower Scheduling
Receive calls from Trucking companies and Growers that need to deliver their product. Using this module you can schedule their deliveries and prepare a consistent stream of trucks.

2. Truck Scales
This module covers all transactions that pass over your truck scales... - Incoming Grower Receivables - Taring Trucks for Bulk loads processed product pickups or Bi Product - Outgoing Processed Product (Meat / Inshell) - Outgoing Bi Product

3. Stockpile Management and Tank Management
This module uses an industrial terminal at the entrance of the stockpile yard to capture movements in and out of the yard. You also have the flexibility to perform similar tasks using the admin side of ALMADS if a terminal in the yard is not favourable. Tanks are also monitored and maintained if required through this module.

4. Empty Bin Tracking
Used to track the amount of empty bins by handler that are on your site by booking them in when received over the Truck Scale. The consumption of these bins is matched when filling them. The system shows a comparison of used vs empty at any given time.

5. Runs and Bins Management
This module (one of the biggest) tracks product when released from a tank through to filling of bins and sent to the dispatch barn. A Terminal located within the vicinity of each bin scale Starts and Ends runs, add relevant Tanks to runs (using the Huller tickets and captures the tare and gross bins weights and Full Bin Tags are created and affixed to each bin). All operations can be watched and maintained in the Admin system by Management.

6. Shipments, Dispatch amd Manifest Management
Hand held wireless terminals are used when staging full bins ready for dipatch. At the time of staging, each bins barcode is scanned and a picklist is prepared and then verified by management. The load is then physically loaded when the Handlers truck arrives and the dispatch that is created when the picklist is verified is scanned and ready for weighout. All the terminal features are also available in the admin side of ALMADS to cater for the small operation that would prefer to pick the bins in the office.

7. Bi Product (Commodity) Management (Hash, Shell and Hull)
Out going By Product is tracked using this module and each movement is linked to a contract and client. The loads are assigned to release numbers per load ans invoices and statements are genearted all in this module.

8.Quality Assurance
Records tracks and alerts management of any quality issues so that they can instantly make a decision relating to the product about to be processed or in stockpile. This module will show trends in the quality by grower in a season to help the grower with future crops.

9. Grower Accounts
This module collates and prepares invoices for the validated bins that have been filled for each Grower and prints the required documentation that goes with the invoicing process. The invoicing part of this module is linked to the Grower accounts which tracks the invoices and payments and / or credits against a grower.

10. Grower Forecasting
This module captures estimated lbs about a Growers Field or Fields and matches it against the actual for the end of the season. This information provides a way to forecast for future crop years.

11. Management Reporting
Linked to all modules is the management reporting module which collates data from within all of the system to generate reports that cover all areas of the Almond Processing business. These reports can pull down from live data as it happens so that they can be used to inform Growers, the board or managemnt on how they are performing throughout the season.