Fresh Produce WMS Case Study: Armstrong Produce

Armstrong Produce Reduces Shipping and Order Errors by 75% With Produce Pro Software from Aptean

Founded as a small family-run business, Armstrong Produce has grown into Hawaii’s leading produce wholesaler and distributor. With warehouses in Honolulu, Kona and Kahului, the company supplies fresh produce to a diverse customer base from local chefs to big-box retailers. Handling over 600 daily orders across multiple islands requires precision, speed and full traceability.

The Challenge

Armstrong Produce faced mounting operational complexity. It previously relied on paper pick tickets and manual processes for order selection, lot tracking and shipping documentation. These methods were time-consuming and error-prone, creating inefficiencies and compliance risks.

Key challenges include:

• Manual documentation and handwritten lot numbers

• Limited visibility across multiple warehouses

• High error rates in shipping and reconciliation

• Compliance with Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) and country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements

“We wanted a better system,” said Jingjing Verzosa, Systems Director at Armstrong Produce. “We needed to increase picking productivity, minimize shipping errors, streamline order checking and ensure traceability for all our customers.”

The Solution

The company implemented Produce Pro Software from Aptean, a purpose-built enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for fresh produce operations that includes an integrated warehouse management system (WMS). This delivered real-time inventory visibility, automated order processing and robust traceability down to the pallet and case level.

[Call-out quote]

“For me, the biggest surprise was the scope of the WMS and how it affected so many different parts of the company positively.”—Les Watanabe, Assistant Director of Operations, Armstrong Produce

Key features include:

• Barcode scanning for simplified order picking

• Lot-level traceability for compliance and audits

• Integrated tools for location and inventory integrity

• Streamlined workflows across day and night shifts

“Today, we use the WMS to ensure location integrity, inventory accuracy, invoicing, loading and dispatching,” said Watanabe. “It makes a difference every day.”

The Results

Since implementing the WMS capabilities within Produce Pro Software from Aptean, Armstrong Produce has achieved the following measurable improvements:

• 38% increase in day shift order selection

• 41% increase in night shift order selection

• 19% boost in operational efficiency

• 75% reduction in shipping and order errors

• $137,592 annual order selection savings

• $3,120 annual savings in paper and toner

• Return on investment (ROI) achieved within three years

[Call-out quote]

“Our information is so much more accurate and efficient than prior to using the WMS.”—Les Watanabe, Assistant Director of Operations, Armstrong Produce

The solution also helped reduce costly overtime and overlap between shifts, improved audit readiness and simplified training for new employees. “Even the auditor was impressed,” Watanabe noted. “With the WMS, we can trace product up to the last pound in the box.”

“Aptean knows our sense of urgency,” Verzosa added. “They appreciate that they need to respond—and they’re always there.”

Explore How the Next Generation of Produce Pro Software Can Benefit Your Fresh Produce Business

With both WMS and ERP capabilities, Aptean Fresh Produce, the next generation of Produce Pro Software combines decades of trusted produce-specific functionality with modern automation, compliance tools and real-time insights powered by agentic artificial intelligence (AI).

By partnering with Aptean your fresh produce businesses can streamline operation, maintain strict traceability and make smarter decisions faster.

Reach out to our expert team today or schedule your personalized demo to see for yourself how our fresh produce software can deliver measurable ROI to your business.

About

• Industry: Repacker, Wholesale/Distributor

• Product: Fresh Produce

• Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii

Key features include:

• Barcode scanning for simplified order picking

• Lot-level traceability for compliance and audits

• Integrated tools for location and inventory integrity

• Streamlined workflows across day and night shifts

“Today, we use the WMS to ensure location integrity, inventory accuracy, invoicing, loading and dispatching,” said Watanabe. “It makes a difference every day.”

The Results

Since implementing the WMS capabilities within Produce Pro Software from Aptean, Armstrong Produce has achieved the following measurable improvements:

• 38% increase in day shift order selection

• 41% increase in night shift order selection

• 19% boost in operational efficiency

• 75% reduction in shipping and order errors

• $137,592 annual order selection savings

• $3,120 annual savings in paper and toner

• Return on investment (ROI) achieved within three years

The solution also helped reduce costly overtime and overlap between shifts, improved audit readiness and simplified training for new employees. “Even the auditor was impressed,” Watanabe noted. “With the WMS, we can trace product up to the last pound in the box.”

“Aptean knows our sense of urgency,” Verzosa added. “They appreciate that they need to respond—and they’re always there.”

Explore How the Next Generation of Produce Pro Software Can Benefit Your Fresh Produce Business

With both WMS and ERP capabilities, Aptean Fresh Produce, the next generation of Produce Pro Software combines decades of trusted produce-specific functionality with modern automation, compliance tools and real-time insights powered by agentic artificial intelligence (AI).

By partnering with Aptean your fresh produce businesses can streamline operation, maintain strict traceability and make smarter decisions faster.

Reach out to our expert team today or schedule your personalized demo to see for yourself how our fresh produce software can deliver measurable ROI to your business.

About

Industry: Repacker, Wholesale/Distributor Product: Fresh Produce Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii