FoodLink® Launches Supplier Benchmarking Service

Online, October 11, 2011 (Newswire.com) - FoodLink®, the online network for fresh food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers today launched a supply chain benchmarking service for perishable goods suppliers to retail and wholesale grocers in partnership with the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium. The service - FoodLink Supplier Benchmarking - combines online data collection and reporting with advanced data analysis and ongoing performance monitoring across key organizational metrics such as inventory turns, service levels, and fulfillment rates.

FoodLink is an online network that connects all of the participants in the fragmented perishable goods supply chain. The network consists of more than 2,000 retail grocers and their fresh food suppliers, including carriers and third-party brokers and wholesalers. The network helps retailers manage the fresh food category to source the highest quality products at competitive prices while reducing waste and inefficiencies between suppliers and buyers that contribute to higher food costs. For suppliers, FoodLink is a sales platform that simplifies the process of managing orders, tracking shipments, responding to change requests, and receiving payment.

"Our partnership with FoodLink enables perishable goods suppliers to gain access to the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium, which already includes hundreds of shippers and logistics service providers," says Bruce Tompkins, Executive Director, Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium. "By joining the consortium, perishable goods suppliers can compare their operations and financial performance against others, track best performance and best practices, and receive insightful industry information such as hot topic reports and thought leadership analysis."

FoodLink Supplier Benchmarking covers cost and operational assessment across the entire supply chain, including:

- Order Processing
- Inventory & Shrink
- Transportation
- Technology Systems

"The old adage that you can't improve what you don't measure is particularly true in the perishables supply chain," notes Kevin Brooks, CMO, FoodLink. "By partnering with Tompkins, an industry leader for supply chain benchmarking, FoodLink helps suppliers that sell through our network gain new, fact-based insights and data to improve their operations and perhaps challenge long-standing practices and assumptions."

FoodLink will demonstrate the new benchmarking service at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit , Oct. 14-17 in Atlanta. Attendees can meet with FoodLink representatives at Booth #416.

About the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium

The Consortium is the premier source for supply chain benchmarking and best practices knowledge. With more than 500 participating retail, manufacturing and wholesale/distribution companies, it sponsors a comprehensive repository of 17,000-plus benchmarks complemented by search capabilities, online analysis tools, topic forums and peer networking. The Consortium is led by the needs of its membership and an Advisory Board that includes executives from Ingram Micro, Kane is Able, Limited Brands, Miller-Coors, The Coca-Cola Company, Target and the University of Wisconsin. To learn more, visit www.supplychainconsortium.com.