Software developer Seasoft syncing with new markets following latest acquisitions

Seasoft, a Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.-based ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software company, has been making moves lately that have bolstered its product and made its brand an even more appealing offering to seafood companies across the country.

Seasoft provides software that is designed to handle every aspect of a seafood processing and distribution company’s business operations, according to Seasoft Director of Marketing Tom Spillane. The company’s software specializes in product tracking, which provides visibility from beginning to end for salespeople and business managers, Spillane told SeafoodSource.

“The process begins with receiving product into inventory, follows it through production and manufacturing, and it goes through to the sale end,” Spillane said. 

A web-based sales portal recently added to the platform allows chefs and other buyers to log into a secure website 24/7 and order product from the distributor, with Seasoft also providing a point of sale component for clients with retail markets. The software’s contact management tools allow clients to manage their sales contacts and marketing campaigns. Additionally, Seasoft also covers accounting functions, banking reconciliation functions, and back office functionality. 

“Most of [our] larger clients do heavy-duty processing, shipping product to white-linen restaurants, food clubs, supermarkets, etcetera,” Spillane said, so it is extremely helpful for them to be able to track their inventory, from the time product arrives to the time product leaves.

Seasoft Senior Account Manager Jim Levy said barcode technology has helped the company better track shipments of seafood.

“Product arrives and Seasoft creates a lot number which is then unique to that product that was received. If there are multiple species in a receipt, there will be a separate lot number for each species,” Levy said. “Product can then be stored or be processed and the barcode that was assigned when the seafood was received will allow the company to keep track of where it is.” 

However, as the fish is being processed, the SKU numbers are changing because what was brought in as a whole fish is now being portioned into filets, steaks, etc. If it’s breaded or battered, it receives yet another new SKU number. All the time, the software is tracking the ingredients (eggs, breadcrumbs, etc.) added to the product, which is helpful in the event of a recall. 

In other words, Seasoft offers “complete traceability forwards and backwards … through the lot numbers that start when the product comes in on the receiving dock. Traceability verifies the chain of custody, and documentation shows how the product was harvested, where it was harvested, and whether it comes from a regulated fishery,” Levy said. “It’s an all-inclusive software application for running a business efficiently and accurately.” 

Changes afoot

Seasoft’s parent company, CAI Software LLC., has recently acquired two companies that provide additional “arrows in the quiver,” Spillane said. 

In June 2017, CAI acquired Multiprocess, a document management firm from Nashua, New Hampshire.

The acquisition of MultiProcess helps with the sometimes hefty paperwork associated with conforming to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, a federal program designed to provide record-keeping on imported species. 

Multiprocess is now completely integrated with Seasoft, Spillane said. Every time an order is created, a folder which will contain all of the paperwork associated with SIMP is created as well. There is a requirement to maintain the documents for two years after the product is imported in the case of an audit. 

“With federal requirements and food safety requirements, there’s a lot of documentation and if you can store all of the documentation together with the pertinent shipments that came in, it makes it a whole lot easier than digging through boxes,” Levy said.

About six months after the acquisition of Multiprocess, CAI acquired Food Connex in January 2018. Food Connex is geared towards smaller companies that like the idea of Seasoft, but are seeking a smaller-scale ERP software solution. It has tools to help with inventory and production, and will be more effective for a smaller company than the feature-laden Seasoft.