Giant Eagle to Pilot System That Enables Product Trace-Backs

PITTSBURGH - Giant Eagle here plans to pilot Manhattan Associate‘s Trading Partner Management (TPM) system at two warehouses with five suppliers in February, before rolling it out to all of the chain‘s seven warehouses by next summer, according to J.A. Hilzendeger, Giant Eagle‘s director, distribution systems and operations. The system allows suppliers to access a retailer‘s purchase order as well as lot number and expiration date requirements via a Web portal. The data is then incorporated into bar-coded “license plates” that are printed and applied to cases or pallets. An advance shipping notice (ASN) is sent electronically to the retailer or similar information is sent via the web portal. By automating the transmission of lot numbers and associated data, Giant Eagle will be able to facilitate trace-backs, Hilzendeger noted. “We want to be able to track products for COOL [country of origin labeling] and bioterrorism requirements.”