How Ready Foods’ Profitable Plan Achieved Downtime Tracking with TAG

What you will learn in this article

• How Ready Foods reduced equipment downtime and improved operational efficiency using The Asset Guardian (TAG) EAM.
• The financial impact of unplanned downtime and how The Asset Guardian (TAG) EAM provides transparency into maintenance costs.
• The benefits of integrating departments through an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system.
• How The Asset Guardian (TAG) EAM helps streamline daily operations, from tracking inventory to scheduling preventive maintenance.
• Insights into the implementation process and the support provided by Verosoft’s team.
• Why The Asset Guardian (TAG) EAM is a game-changer for companies in the food manufacturing industry.

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Since its founding in 1972, Ready Foods has been a trusted provider of custom food solutions, delivering high-quality ready-to-use products and co-packing services for a diverse clientele. From restaurants and healthcare facilities to educational institutions, Ready Foods takes pride in offering reliable and efficient solutions.

However, as the company expanded, so did the complexity of managing their assets and operations.

To address these challenges, Kendrick Horkley, Project Lead at Ready Foods, spearheaded the implementation of The Asset Guardian (TAG), an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system developed by Verosoft.

Under his leadership, the integration of TAG has transformed how Ready Foods manages its assets, maintenance, and operations—ushering in a new era of efficiency and financial clarity.

Gaining financial clarity with The Asset Guardian (TAG)

One of the most significant challenges Ready Foods faced before implementing TAG was the lack of financial transparency in their maintenance operations. Without a unified system to track expenditures, the company struggled to identify inefficiencies or areas of unnecessary spending.

In fact, studies show that unplanned downtime costs manufacturers an average of $50 billion annually, with preventive maintenance systems reducing downtime by up to 30%. [1]

“The Asset Guardian (TAG) makes us financially coherent because we really didn’t know how much we were bleeding until we had your system installed,” shared Kendrick Horkley. TAG’s robust financial tracking capabilities gave Ready Foods the insights they needed to monitor maintenance costs, identify problem areas, and allocate resources more effectively.

This newfound clarity has been instrumental in helping the company stay financially sound while continuing to grow.

Uniting departments through a comprehensive EAM system

Unlike traditional CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems), TAG offers a holistic approach to asset management by integrating various departments into a single platform. Kendrick emphasized how TAG broke down silos that previously hindered collaboration between departments like maintenance, production, and finance.

“The different departments changed their minds when we installed The Asset Guardian (TAG) because it is not just a simple CMMS. It is an EAM system that has truly united everyone—from maintenance and production to finance,” Kendrick explained.

This integration not only improved communication between teams but also created a more cohesive strategy for managing assets, tracking performance, and addressing issues proactively.

Reducing downtime and boosting productivity

Before implementing TAG, Ready Foods relied on separate systems to monitor work orders and inventory. This fragmented approach led to inefficiencies, making it difficult to accurately track downtime or manage spare parts effectively.

Kendrick described the transformation that TAG brought to their operations: “Before implementing the EAM system, we were not able to monitor downtime accurately. We had two different systems to separately monitor work orders and inventory. Now, with The Asset Guardian, we see what our downtime is and can reduce it efficiently.”

By centralizing asset and maintenance management, TAG provided Ready Foods with real-time data on equipment performance. This allowed Ready Foods to schedule preventive maintenance and minimize downtime.

This proactive approach has significantly enhanced productivity and ensured the consistent delivery of high-quality products to their customers.

Streamlining asset management processes

TAG has also streamlined daily operations for the Ready Foods team. From tracking inventory and managing work orders to creating purchase orders and setting up preventive maintenance plans, TAG has become an integral part of their workflow.

“Our teams use The Asset Guardian (TAG) daily to track inventory, manage work orders, create purchase orders, manage our asset inventory, and set up preventive maintenance plans,” Kendrick noted.

He added that the maintenance staff quickly embraced the system, making it a core component of Ready Foods’ asset management processes.

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Ensuring smooth implementation with Verosoft’s team

The success of TAG’s integration at Ready Foods is a testament not only to the software’s capabilities but also to the exceptional support provided by Verosoft. Kendrick praised the Verosoft team for their dedication and responsiveness throughout the implementation process.

“Verosoft’s experts are fantastic and wonderful people. They were very willing to walk us through and even address our custom requests quickly so that we could get those implemented seamlessly. They did everything on their end to make sure that it was a smooth process for our internal teams,” he shared.

This collaborative approach ensured that TAG was fully tailored to Ready Foods’ specific needs, empowering their teams to maximize the system’s potential from day one.

Maintaining operational excellence

In the fast-paced food manufacturing industry, maintaining operational efficiency is critical.

The FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) emphasize the importance of streamlined processes and compliance to ensure quality and safety. [2]

TAG has enabled Ready Foods to keep their machinery running smoothly, with spare parts readily available, and downtime significantly reduced.

“The Asset Guardian (TAG) helps us ensure that the machines are running well, that we have parts on hand, and that downtime is significantly reduced—especially when it comes to our machines, which we need to keep updated on a regular basis,” Kendrick explained.

By leveraging TAG’s capabilities, Ready Foods has been able to uphold its commitment to quality and reliability, ensuring that customers receive the best possible products and services.

A model for industry success

The transformation at Ready Foods highlights the power of combining cutting-edge technology with strong leadership. Under Kendrick Horkley’s guidance, the implementation of The Asset Guardian (TAG) has not only optimized asset management processes but also fostered a culture of collaboration and innovation across the company.

For companies in the food manufacturing industry and beyond, Ready Foods’ success story serves as a compelling example of how an EAM system like TAG can drive meaningful change—enhancing financial clarity, reducing downtime, and uniting teams under a shared vision.

As Kendrick and his team continue to explore new ways to leverage TAG, Ready Foods remains poised for sustained growth and success in the years to come.

Want to know how The Asset Guardian (TAG) EAM can help reduce downtime and optimize operations for your business? Explore how TAG can transform your asset management processes and drive long-term success.

Contact us today to learn more or schedule a demo.

[1] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/process-and-operations/us-smart-manufacturing-predictive-maintenance-infographic.pdf

[2] https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements?utm_source=chatgpt.com