Transforming Inventory Management: How ACIT and Fishbowl Froze Out Inefficiencies

Effective inventory management is crucial for success in the food industry. Precision in Batch & Expiry Tracking and Just-in-Time inventory are essential for ensuring safety, efficiency, and competitiveness. ACIT Group, a leading provider of food logistics and refrigerated transport solutions, exemplifies the sophisticated demands of this sector. Their journey with Fishbowl Inventory showcases how strategic technology integration can drive global growth and operational excellence.

ACIT Group’s story began in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, when CEO and Co-Owner Frank Casamento founded the company with a vision for innovation and efficiency. As the business grew, Frank recognized the need to automate processes and create efficiencies. After an exhaustive search for the right solution, ACIT adopted Fishbowl Inventory, transforming their operations and enabling bespoke, scalable outcomes.

Frank Casamento, ACIT Group’s CEO and Co-Owner.

“We set out on a journey about 15 years ago needing to upgrade our operating systems from an old legacy system,” Frank Casamento recalls. “We were looking for something that worked with the environments we wanted to grow in. After some searching for compatibility with our accounting package, we came across Fishbowl.”

Fishbowl’s capabilities have revolutionised ACIT’s inventory management. According to Simon Jupe, Fishbowl’s Managing Director for APAC, “Food industry inventory management involves monitoring and maintaining stock levels of food items through various processes, including ordering, receiving, storing, and distributing food products. Efficient inventory management is crucial for cost control, efficiency, insights, and ultimately industry competitiveness.”

Simon Jupe, Fishbowl Managing Director APAC.

ACIT has leveraged Fishbowl’s customisable reporting to enhance product traceability from warehouse receipt to delivery. This capability is crucial for meeting HACCP standards and client audits, ensuring both regulatory compliance and optimal performance. “ACIT undergoes frequent audits and for HACCP, it’s important for us to demonstrate our level of traceability with accuracy,” says Casamento. “Through Fishbowl, we can track products from pick to dispatch and delivery. Speed to market is everything.”

Effective traceability hinges on data readiness — standardisation, digitisation, and unique identification — and process readiness, maintaining the link between physical and digital records. This approach unlocks value and enhances inventory management practices. “Traceability goes beyond food safety,” Jupe adds. “A computerised traceability system provides real-time insights into the entire supply chain, which is vital for a business with ACIT’s complexities. Not only does it help meet regulatory requirements, but it also ensures the business can achieve optimal performance operationally.”

The daily operations at ACIT are a testament to Fishbowl’s efficiency. Brock, a Customer Service Officer at ACIT, said: “I use Fishbowl daily for generating sales orders, processing purchase orders, receiving goods, shipping items, and managing customer inventory. Without Fishbowl, we wouldn’t be able to manage our inventory and we wouldn’t be able to key orders, dispatch stock, generate orders, or receive goods inwards.”

The benefits of automated systems extend beyond accuracy and resource savings. Real-time data on inventory levels facilitates informed decision-making about ordering and stocking, improving resource capacity planning. Enhanced communication within the organisation and within its supply chain leads to greater visibility and end-to-end traceability, enabling quick resolutions to any issues that arise.

Lilly, another Customer Service Officer at ACIT, said. “My favourite thing about Fishbowl would have to be the receiving side. I find it quite efficient, I’m able to get all of my work done in a timely manner and it looks good to the customer as well. Customer service from Fishbowl has been fast and reliable too. If we have any issues, they are quickly resolved.”

ACIT’s integration of Fishbowl Inventory resulted in a transformative shift in their inventory management. Their commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and global growth has been solidified through their strategic partnership with Fishbowl Inventory, benchmarking a new standard for them within the food logistics industry.