The meat processing plant Sokołów S.A. has been present on the market since 1991, and is one of the largest representative of meat industry in Poland. In 2000, the company merged with another big company from this sector - Farm Food Group. After that, a thorough restructuring of the company took place, consisting in introducing production specializations in different plants of the Group, and consistent development of own program of developing pig farming. As a result, Sokołów S.A. became one of the pioneers of the changes taking place in meat industry, and at the same time the demand for advanced IT infrastructure increased.

"Today, Sokołów Group consists of seven large, high-tech plants in Sokołów Podlaski, Czyżów, Koło, Jarosław, Tarnów, Dębica and Robaków near Poznań. It also has the following subsidiaries: "Agro-Sokołów" Sp. z o.o. with three big arable and stock raising farms, "Sokołów-Export" Sp. z o.o. – handling foreign trade of the Group, "Sokołów-Service" Sp. z o.o. – ensuring support services and "Sokołów-Logistyka" Sp. z o.o. – responsible for transport and logistics" – says Paweł Ciuba from IT department of the plant in Jarosław.

Sokołów Group has great production potential, with a daily manufacture of about 1200 tones of high quality goods. Such a high production capability requires excellent organization of all the stages of production: from receiving raw materials, through their processing, up to releasing finished product from the plant. In order to gain control over so complex processes and maintain the highest possible quality standards, it is necessary to have advanced IT infrastructure.

The management of the subsidiary Sokołów S.A. in Jarosław decided to use the potential lying in the existing IT structure through extending and improving existing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. Its task was to decrease costs as well as improve and automate production processes in the company. "This improvement was necessary for a few reasons. One of the most important were guidelines of our contractors. Big chains of supermarkets demanded the introduction of unified principles and procedures into distribution processes, which could be implemented by means of specialized IT systems” - said Paweł Ciuba. After defining expectations, the concentrated on choosing a company that would meet them. They considered a few offers of provides of mobile solutions with data automatic identification systems, but finally chose BCS Polska. "Our choice was determined by a few factors, the most important of them" - adds Paweł Ciuba.

After analyzing needs and expectations of Sokołów S.A., specialists form BCS Polska developed the conception of the solution. They decided that it would be the best to base the system on mobile terminals operating in radio network. This would enable automation of processes and identification of products in production and warehouse processes of the company. The data received by using mobile radio terminals is transmitted to the database of the ERP system, which allows the management of the company to monitor in real time how advanced is the stage of production, as well as processes and warehouse inventory. In this conception, mobile terminals are used in warehouse and production areas.

The first stage of the works was examining radio waves distribution in all the areas which the radio network should cover. These works resulted in producing reports, which constitute technical documentation and the basis for building the network. The next stage, after previous preparing warehouses (where cable system was constructed) involved delivery of devices, installation and configuration of the network, and training for the staff. In the construction of the network, they decided to use Motorola Wireless Switch 5100 along with redundancy switch, which would protect the network and take control over it in case of failure of the main equipment. The network contained over 10 Access Ports, series 300. "Although the implementation was a complex and complicated process, the cooperation was very good. BCS Polska specialists were doing their job in such a non-invasive way that implementation activities did not collide with daily tasks of the warehouse staff. This allowed us to maintain the continuity of the production" - said Paweł Ciuba from IT department.

"We did not have to wait long for the effects of the implementation. Although it is sill to early to see real savings and increase in the profits, both ordinary employees and the management of the plant benefit from the system" - says Paweł Ciuba. The use of mobile devices - terminals operating within the range of radio network, allowed us to significantly improve the work of operators and warehouse employees. The data registered by the mobile devices can be accessed in real time by the managers of departments. This allows them to take decisions more quickly and increase effectiveness. "The system made partioning and movement of goods in the plant significantly easier. This saved time and eliminated errors" - he adds. The equipment used, as expected, increases the possibilities of the existing ERP in the company.

The operation of the system has been failure-free. The company signed an agreement with BCS Polska for service and maintenance of the equipment. In case of any problems or questions, the plant in Jarosław can use round-the-clock helpdesk of BCS Polska. "Naturally, we provide support to our Customers 24 hours a day. In case of any problems connected with the system implemented by us, or with the equipment, we are at their disposal" - adds Robert Chajdaś, Account Manager, from BCS Polska.

Plans for the future include extending the system to cover new areas, and thus increasing radio network and the number of terminals. The managers of the subsidiary of Sokołów in Jarosław want these works to be performed by the team of specialists from BCS Polska. "We are pleased that it was BCS Polska that performed the implementation for us. It met our expectations 100%, and the cooperation proceeded in a very friendly atmosphere" - sums up Paweł Ciuba from IT department of Sokołów S.A. in Jarosław.