Inteligistics makes hire to assist expansion into retailer markets

End-to-end integrated supply chain platform and solutions provider Inteligistics has hired Joe Garcia as director of sales for retail supply chain.

Garcia, who has 40 years of supply chain technical experience, was most recently a regional sales manager at DeltaTrak, according to a news release. He began his career managing technical services for Dole Food Co. and Del Monte Tropical Fruit Co.

“As we grow and expand our supply chain solutions with grower-shippers and retailers, Joe’s previous work deploying technology throughout the perishable supply chain will be an invaluable resource to our company and our clients,” Inteligistics CEO and Chairman Rao Mandava said in the release, which added that Garcia reports to Mandava.

Garcia has spent the bulk of his career researching, adopting and selling technical solutions to increase efficiency and ensure quality assurance for the perishable supply chain.

“Growers and retailers have been monitoring the supply chain and collecting data for decades, but using that data to enhance profitability has been a significant challenge,” Garcia said in the release. “Inteligistics’ use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict remaining shelf life, reduce operational labor and identify areas for process improvement is game-changing.”

Related: More news about people in the fresh produce supply chain

Inteligistics says its InteliView Data Platform collects and analyzes data from a wide range of existing data sources and third-party sensors and recorders. The customizable, real-time user dashboards can help companies identify and highlight what is most important to them and help them take steps to improve operations and profitability by improving quality, reducing labor demands and turning regulatory compliance into a profit center, according to the release.

“While there are many ways companies can use Inteligistics’ systems to increase the value from the data they are already collecting, I’m most excited for the opportunity to help retailers reduce shrink,” Garcia said. “While some amount of shrink is understandable, using our technology to reduce shrink while improving the consumer experience with better quality fresh food, contributes directly to retailers’ bottom lines.”

“Fresh produce and perishable products have long been the drivers of retail traffic and profits, but there has always been a lot of waste which is bad for profits and sustainability,” Mandava said. “As margins shrink, labor markets tighten, and regulations such as FSMA 204 proliferate, Inteligistics solutions help improve transparency and decision making while reducing supply chain costs.”