Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/322845
P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y 4 1 W e d n e s d a y, J u n e 1 1 , 2 0 1 4 diligence process to inquire about the number, type and dollar amounts of any claims filed with Blue Book against firms they are researching," explained Jim Carr, President of Blue Book Services. "Giving members the ability to access this information online just makes sense." Members will be able to view the date a claim was filed, the type of claimant (e.g., produce vendor or transportation firm), dollar amount, qualitative information describing the nature of the dispute and the status of the claim. Doug Nelson, Blue Book's Vice President of Special Services, stated, "Information on a single claim may not be particularly meaningful, but if credit managers can see a pattern of claims activity, that's where we think there's some real value to this information." In addition to claims filed through the Blue Book's Trading Assistance Blue Book Services ( Cont'd. from p. 1) department, members will also be able to view federal civil cases, including cases filed under the trust provision of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). "If we're tracking a federal civil case, credit managers can now check our Claims Activity Tables for status updates," stated Carr. "It's about giving members easy access to information." Claims filed with the PACA admin- istrative branch are not presently includ- ed in the tables. There is no charge for Blue Book members to view the Claims Activity Tables. "Blue Book Services has many new and exciting innovations to share at this year's United Fresh Produce Show," stat- ed Carr, who encourages attendees to visit Blue Book Services at booth #853 to learn more. For more information, visit www .producebluebook.com, call 630 668- 3500, email info@bluebookservices.com or stop by booth #853. and verification and promotional solu- tions, as well as system controls and integration solutions. Our unique com- bination of innovative technologies, extensive project management experi- ence and 24/7 global support ensures customers achieve faster, more reliable and flexible packaged food products at the lowest cost of ownership. PSD: What makes your company unique? AT: We have a total systems approach which ensures complete compliance across a number of areas, and offers manufacturers greater control over oper- ations within their plant. We think it's vital to look at packaging lines in a holistic way, rather than at individual components in isolation, to optimize processes, limit costs and reduce time to market. Automation is key here to ensure that even though the production line may look more complicated, the systems remain simple to use. We also listen closely to our cus- tomers and respond to their needs by developing innovative machinery and packaging lines that offer each of them the flexibility, performance and speed they need. PSD: What packaging solutions do you offer for fresh produce? AT: We recently introduced the world's only first vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) rotary polyethylene packaging system which delivers high quality, con- sistent packaging, with high levels of accuracy. The tna robag ® FXIS 3ci offers efficiencies of up to 99 percent of target output while reaching unrivalled speeds of 150bpm. Our innovative rotary double flat jaw (RDFJ) configu- tna Solutions ( Cont'd. from p. 1) ration doubles the throughput in com- parison to the standard single jaw pack- aging systems that are currently on the market. PSD: What's your latest product inno- vation? AT: Fresh produce, such as loose leaf salads, vegetables and some fruit can be 'sticky,' leading to clumping and inefficiencies when it's moved down a packaging line. To overcome this chal- lenge, our new tna roflo ® VM 3 high throw vibratory conveyor features a unique dimpled pan design which has less surface area for products to stick to. Plus, it vibrates at a natural frequen- cy of 18 Hz, with a stroke length of 10mm to maintain product integrity while effectively moving the product down the line. PSD: What do you see as the key trends in fresh produce packaging? AT: Shelf-ready packaging is a key trend. It makes it easier for retailers to display their stock and enables them to reduce time to market, and lower prices to cater for the cost-conscious con- sumer. Baggers therefore need to deliv- er the high speeds required to maintain profitability and ensure they can meet increased demand for smaller pack sizes, but they also need to offer the flexibility to quickly change between bag sizes without affecting the product flow. With improved modularity and core component capability, our tna robag 3ci VFFS bagger is completely upgradable to any combination of jaw size or configuration for full flexibility. For more information, visit www.tna solutions.com, call 972-462-6500, fol- low on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tna solutions or stop by booth #753. world. With an outstanding line of quali- ty citrus year-round, DNE gives its cus- tomers the opportunity to grow their cit- rus category sales and profits. PSD: What particular products will you be showcasing at the United Fresh Show? MH: DNE World Fruit will showcase its full line of fresh summer citrus from Chile, South Africa, Australia, Peru and Mexico. We are gearing up for another bumper summer citrus program in 2014. It is underway with clementines arriving from Chile in May and South African and Australian fruit starting to arrive in June. DNE has been importing summer citrus from the southern hemisphere for over 20 years and has a vast network of growers and onsite QC at the packing facilities in our three major growing areas of South Africa, Australia and Chile. We also have fruit coming in from Peru and Mexico. PSD: What citrus varieties do you import during the summer? MH: A wide variety of citrus is avail- able from Australia, South Africa, Chile, Peru and Mexico between May and October. The easy peeler programs will be made up of clementines, minneolas, tangerines, late-season mandarins, while navels, cara caras, midknight and blood oranges are amongst the main orange varieties arriving from the southern hemisphere this year. Retailers will begin the summer citrus season with DNE ( Cont'd. from p. 1) clementines, then move into navels, minneolas and mandarins and then fin- ish the season with some late season mandarins and midknight oranges. Lemons will be available for most of the summer and well into the fall season. PSD: Where does the imported citrus arrive in the U.S.? MH: We will have citrus arriving direct- ly into the Los Angeles, Miami, N.Y.C. and the Philadelphia area and we have warehousing in close proximity to all these areas. We can bag fruit to our cus- tomer specifications at all our facilities whether it be a 2-lb., 3-lb. or 5-lb. bag of summer citrus. Once again DNE will be importing Mexican lemons into our facility in McAllen, Texas. PSD: What should retailers know about merchandising summer citrus? MH: DNE works closely with retailers to offer customized programs and support them with various options for feature and sub-feature advertising, in-store sam- pling and merchandising displays. Retailers should promote each variety during its peak season. The summer cit- rus season will begin with clementines, then move into navels, minneolas and mandarins and then finish the season with some late season mandarins and midknight oranges. Lemons will be available for most of the summer and well into the fall season. For more information, visit www.dneworld.com, call 800-327-6676 or stop by booth #966. source within the company? Is there only one approver of the transaction? Two or more is preferable to protect against internal and external fraud. Is this an urgent request? Fraudsters gain an advantage by pressuring employ- ees to take action quickly without confir- mation of all the facts. Were there instructions to keep the request confidential and not to share the email, phone call, fax, text or wire request with anyone else? This is another tactic to discourage the employee from verifying the legitimacy of the wire request. Businesses can also implement checks and balances to reduce the threat of wire fraud. Many companies require a valid purchase order number and approval from a manager and the finance department to spend money. For large financial transactions, your business can implement a similar process to verify the Bank of the West ( Cont'd. from p. 4) legitimacy of wire transfers before they go through. A dual-control system for large financial transactions helps protect against errors, employee misconduct and external fraud. Here is an example of a purchase order process with built in security con- trols that can be applied to wire transfers: When an employee submits a purchase request, a senior manager with signing authority and the finance department need to approve the purchase request. Once the request is approved, the finance department provides a purchase order number. Any checks above a certain amount that the business issues must ref- erence a purchase order number. Similarly, a business can require that all wire transfers over a certain dollar threshold must be matched to a reference number to ensure they are linked to a pre- viously approved purchase or service. For more information, visit www.bankofthewest.com, call 866-501- 4976 or stop by booth #1462. on this project are clearly the best I have worked with in the construction industry. They were firm but fair and very insight- ful in determining how best to time our work in the schedule. The result for my company was less time on the job and frankly faster payment which keeps us coming back for more. The WinCo building is amazing! I am sure you are very proud of the job and ESI ( Cont'd. from p. 4) hope that the client feels the same way. For Systems Incorporated, I feel fortu- nate that ESI Constructors and WinCo Foods jointly chose us to provide your Loading Dock Equipment on this project. We take a great deal of pride in our work and will see to it that WinCo experiences years of reliable service." – Mike Pilgrim, Systems Inc. For more information, visit booth #2361 or go online to www.esigroupusa.com.