Land O'Lakes to work with speCX

Chicago, Ninove, March 2001 -

Land O' Lakes, one of the largest industrial firms and the number-one marketer of branded butter and deli cheese in the United States, has selected Compex's new, innovative Specification Management System 'speCX'.
Compex introduced speCX in March, 2000. The system has advanced features for the Food and CPG market and is already successfully implemented in 25 Unilever plants. SpeCX supports exchange and standardization of product specifications in a multi-site environment and is designed to be the 'single point of reference' for product data throughout the enterprise. It therefore allows manufacturers to realize considerable business benefits.

Land O' Lakes Inc.
Land O' Lakes processes 12 billion pounds of milk annually and markets more than 600 dairy products across the United States and throughout the world. The company also provides 1,100 members with agricultural inputs including feed, seed, crop nutrients and crop protection products.
Land O' Lakes is owned by and serves more than 7,500 producer-members and nearly 1,100 local community cooperatives - fulfilling the production requirements of 300,000 ranchers and farmers in the USA. Land O' Lakes food products - primarily dairy products - are found in supermarkets and food service establishments such as restaurants, hospitals and airlines across the U.S. and are used extensively by food processors.
Land O' Lakes annual sales exceeds $ 5 billion.

Why speCX?
Using speCX will enable Land O'Lakes to achieve its present business goals, by managing all specifications such as specifications for raw materials, intermediate products, finished products and packaging materials. The system is the single point of reference for all specifications and ensures all departments involved: product development, purchasing, marketing, QA and the plants, speak the same language.
SpeCX will be implemented at the corporate level (as an extension of its ERP system), in the plants and by co-manufacturers, with a total amount of 500 users. The scope of the project contains about 1200 specifications.

Compex as a partner
Selecting the right software is a pre-requisite for a successful implementation. However, the Land O' Lakes implementation process is at least as important as the software itself. Compex has a proven track record in the food industry. Compex consultants understand the specific food industry and its implementation methodology, which fits the specific attitude and environment of food companies. Compex guarantees longterm continuity thanks to the development of upgrades that will enrich the functionality and ensure that the system evolves with the business requirements.

Compex specializes in high-end solutions for laboratories and batch processing industries. Over the years, Compex has developed three state-of-the-art software products that can be implemented separately or as part of a unique and integrated suite: Unilab 4 (Laboratory Information Management System or LIMS), proCX (Manufacturing Execution System or MES) and speCX (Product Specification Management System).
Compex's customer base consists of independent laboratories and large industrial companies throughout the world. The company's efforts in delivering innovation, quality and service have been rewarded by several distinctions among which the prestigious and well-known Ernst & Young 'Enterprise of The Year-Award' in 1998 and the 'Kraft Foods Supplier Excellence Award' in 1999.

Compex has fifteen years (or nearly 600 man-years) of experience in software development and implementation for laboratories and the batch process industry. The company is headquartered in Belgium, and has offices in The Netherlands, Germany and the USA and various partners throughout Western Europe and North America. The establishment of new subsidiaries in the UK and in France is planned for the near future. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.compex-group.com.

For more information or graphics:

Inez Costenoble
Corporate Marketing Communications Manager
Compex NV

mailto:inez.costenoble@compex.be
Tel: 32 54 312 604