Russell Stover Candies manufacturers and distributes confections to retailers throughout the US and Canada. In a highly competitive business, Russell Stover Candies knew they had to address the needs of their distributors in increasingly efficient ways. One of their goals was to help their distributors by providing Advance Shipping Notice (ASNs). ASNs let their receiver know what is coming, when, and by what mode of transport. This helps the distributor to improve communication, planning, and control. To implement a system capable of ASN production, Russell Stover Candies selected Circa for its innovative warehouse management solutions.

Robert Maack, Vice President of Operations, explained, "Our biggest
distributor required ASNs. We had to bring in a system to meet that
requirement and do it within a very tight time frame. We chose Circa
because of their expertise in RF data collection, warehouse systems, and
electronic production of ASNs. Circa new the system hardware, as well as
the software, inside and out. Without their capable resources, we might
have ended up with a system that didn't fit our immediate requirements and wouldn't meet our future needs.


"By partnering with Circa, we were able to implement the new system at
ten distribution centers and the corporate office. RF Devices and bar-
coding have given us added capabilities and new solutions to some of our
previous problems. Circa's expertise and readiness were invaluable. They
were willing to learn about our business, focus on our priorities, and
proceed with the same sense of urgency that we had.


"Circa responded expertly to the challenge of our requirements. They
integrated our needs into their application that replaced our previous
shipping process with one that gives us better inventory control, more
accurate orders, and cost savings. For example, we no longer have to
weigh shipments; weight is calculated automatically. They are team
players who are genuinely interested in doing the right thing for their
client, and doing things right.


"We continue to be pleased with the new system, user training, and the
support we received from Circa. Our operating efficiently and customer
satisfaction are at an all time high. Circa deserves a portion of the credit
for helping us satisfy our customers and take an important step toward
A fully automated warehouse environment."