The United Fresh Produce Association hasannounced the opening of the Wholesaler-Distributor Operations Benchmarking Survey, an initiativedesigned to assist wholesalers and distributors in measuring the effectiveness of their warehouse management, transportation fleets and overall operations.
“The wholesaler-distributor board put a great deal of effort into developing this survey,” said Ron Carkoski, United Fresh chairman-elect, past chairman of the wholesaler-distributor board and president and CEO of the Four Seasons family of companies. “We considered what data helps us to be successful in our businesses, and had several detailed discussions on the metrics we measure and how to use them to create a valuable tool.
'The survey is designed to be simple for companies to complete, and I am confident that the final report will be a strong resource for our business sector,' he added.
The survey will ask wholesalers and distributors for information on their labour practices, sales practice metrics, procurement and inventory management, warehouse metrics and outbound transportation.
After responses have been compiled from the industry, a final report will be developed that includes breakdowns by company size, type and geographic location, whileparticipants will also receive a customised report that shows how their responses compare to the overall survey results.
“The more companies that participate, the more robust a data set we will have to inform produce wholesale and distribution companies about current business trends,” said Lisa Strube, chairman of the wholesaler-distributor board and director of finance and administration at Strube Celery & Vegetable Company. “I would encourage the sector to complete the survey and encourage friends and colleagues to do so as well.”
