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Our business developed out of the
universal need to provide foodservice manufacturers with better
systems and processes for reducing the costs, complexities,
and frustrations of contract management. After years of suffering
the same pain as you do now, we decided a little less talk and
a little more action would be a good idea. So, we set out to
build the solutions that would be specific to the needs of foodservice
and not to the needs of irrelevant, multiple verticals.
To help define manufacturers’ requirements and ensure
the acceptance and success of our applications, we employed
the knowledge, intelligence, and experience of numerous foodservice
manufacturers such as ConAgra Foods, Tyson Foods, Veryfine,
Sara Lee, and Kellogg’s. Our combined efforts created
robust solutions that directly impact your day-to-day business
and profitability. |
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| 2000 |
April |
awayX Solutions is founded with a mission of providing easy-to-use, strategic solutions for foodservice manufacturers to manage complex sales and marketing issues surrounding both operators and distributors. |
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October-
December |
awayX Solutions leads several multi-functional
workshops with major foodservice manufacturers to uncover common
industry issues and to identify solutions that could be standardized
across a wide range of manufacturers. Participants included
Tyson Foods, Veryfine, Anchor Foods, and ConAgra Foods. |
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| 2001 |
January |
awayX Solutions begins development on the
beta version of its Contract and Trade Management solution for
foodservice manufacturers. |
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August |
awayX Solutions completes development on
the beta version of its Contract and Trade Management solution
for foodservice manufacturers. |
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September |
ConAgra Dairy Foods Company (CDFC) agrees
to become awayX Solutions’ partner in developing enhanced
features and functionality for the initial release of its Contract
and Trade Management solution. |
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| 2002 |
January |
awayX Solutions releases Version 1.0 of its Contract and Trade Management solution for foodservice manufacturers.
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June |
CDFC selects awayX Solutions for its Contract
and Trade Management solution. |
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September |
CDFC goes live with Contract and Trade Management,
concluding a seventy-eight day implementation period. |
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November |
awayX Solutions deploys it first major upgrade,
featuring functionality enhancements for formula-based, automated
pricing programs and the ability to capture overlapping trade
rates within profit margin calculations. |
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December |
awayX Solutions signs a partnership agreement
with Gelco Trade Management to pursue mutually beneficial opportunities
with foodservice manufacturers.
Reser’s Fine Foods of Beaverton, OR selects awayX Solutions
for its Contract and Trade Management solution.
Mott’s USA Foodservice of Stamford, CT selects awayX Solutions
for its Contract and Trade Management solution. |
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| 2003 |
April |
Reser’s Fine Foods goes live on Contract
and Trade Management. |
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May |
Mott’s USA Foodservice goes live on
Contract and Trade Management.
ConAgra Signature Meats Division goes live on Contract and Trade Management.
awayX Solutions releases Version 2.0 of its Contract and Trade Management solution. |
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June |
ConAgra Refrigerated Foods goes live [Armour Swift-Eckrich ]. |
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October |
awayX Solutions becomes Blacksmith Applications, Inc.
Hunt-Wesson selects Blacksmith Applications and their Contract and Trade Management solution.
Fernando’s Mexican Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and their Contract and Trade Management solution.
Gilardi Frozen Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and their Contract and Trade Management solution. |
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| 2004 |
January |
Heinz Foodservice selects Blacksmith Applications contract, trade, and deduction management solutions, FORGESM and SHIELDSM, to manage their trade spending and deductions. |
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March |
Hunt-Wesson goes live with FORGESM, Blacksmith Applications contract and trade spending solution.
Fernando’s Mexican Foods goes live with FORGESM, Blacksmith Applications contract and trade spending solution.
Gilardi Frozen Foods goes live with FORGESM, Blacksmith Applications contract and trade spending solution. |
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April |
Blacksmith Applications releases Version 1.0 of its Deduction Management solution, SHIELDSM.
Pactiv Corporation selects Blacksmith Applications FORGESM and SHIELDSM solutions to resolve its trade spending and deduction management issues. |
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May |
McCain Foods selects Blacksmith Applications FORGESM and SHIELDSM solutions to resolve its trade spending and deduction management issues.
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October |
Pactiv Corporation goes live with FORGESM and SHIELDSM using Web Services technology for real-time data communication with SAP.
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November |
ConAgra Culinary Business Unit goes live with SAP R/3, the largest SAP R/3 implementation in the world, which includes full integration between FORGESM and SAP’s Order to Cash and Business Warehouse module. |
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| 2005 |
January |
Blacksmith Applications releases FORGESM 3.2. |
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April |
Singleton Seafood selects Blacksmith Applications and FORGESM, their contract and trade spending solution.
Blacksmith Applications releases FORGESM 4.0. |
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May |
Heinz Foodservice goes live with FORGESM.
Blacksmith Applications and Technomic, Inc. collaborate on Foodservice Trade Spending Improvement Study to identify inefficiencies in trade spending processes and practices and to provide benchmarked insights and define best practices for foodservice manufacturers.
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July |
Flowers Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and its FORGESM solution to manage its trade spending.
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August |
McCain Foods Canada goes live with Blacksmith Applications FORGESM.
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October |
Flowers Foods goes live with Blacksmith Applications FORGESM.
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December |
McCain Foods USA goes live with SHIELDSM, Blacksmith Applications' Deduction Management solution.
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| 2006 |
January |
Foster Farms selects Blacksmith Applications to manage contracts, trade spending, and deductions with its FORGESM and SHIELDSM applications.
Blacksmith Applications releases FORGESM 4.3.
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February |
Blacksmith Applications releases GAUGESM, a powerful new offline sales reporting application for foodservice sales professionals.
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March |
Blacksmith Applications and Technomic, Inc. extend and expand their "Best Practices" Trade Spending Study for foodservice manufacturers.
Sabert Corporation selects Blacksmith Applications and its FORGESM and SHIELDSM solutions to manage its trade spending, operator contracts, and distributor trade deals.
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May |
Custom Culinary selects Blacksmith Applications and its FORGESM, SHIELDSM and GAUGESM applications to manage its trade spending, deductions, and sales reporting.
Blacksmith releases Version 1.0 of VANTAGE ANALYTICSSM, its web-based sales, trade, and financial reporting and analysis tool for manufacturers.
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June |
Heinz Foodservice extends its relationship with Blacksmith Applications by selecting GAUGESM for trade spending reporting and analysis.
Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products selects Blacksmith Applications and its GAUGESM reporting application.
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July |
Singleton Seafood goes live with Blacksmith Applications FORGESM.
Sara Lee Foodservice selects Blacksmith Applications GAUGESM for its sales reporting.
ConAgra Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and its VANTAGE ANALYTICSSM solution to improve visibility into operator spending.
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October |
Mission Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and its entire product suite to manage its trade spending.
Sara Lee Foodservice goes live with Blacksmith Applications GAUGESM.
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November |
Heinz Foodservice goes live with Blacksmith Applications VANTAGE ANALYTICSSM.
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December |
Master Foods selects Blacksmith Applications and its FORGESM, SHIELDSM, and GAUGESM applications to manage its trade spending, deductions, and sales reporting.
Smithfield Foods (Armour Eckrich) selects Blacksmith Applications and its entire product suite.
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