Bonipak Gets Fresh Perspective with New Grower Accounting and Operations System

Bonipak, an international fresh produce grower, processor and supplier, recently replaced its legacy ERP system with Microsoft Dynamics AX and Hitachi Consulting’s Grow IT grower accounting and operations solution. Using the consulting resources and industry experience of Hitachi Consulting, the business and IT consulting company of Hitachi, Ltd., Bonipak was able to replace its accounting, operations, and payroll solution in five months, meeting its deadline to be fully functional before the peak growing season.

"The complexities of the produce business make it difficult to automate. You really have to understand the industry,” said Joe Leonard, CEO of Bonipak. "Fortunately, we found Hitachi Consulting and Microsoft Dynamics AX and the Grow IT solution, which has enabled us to better manage every step of the process – from field to fork. We believe that effective technology is a key to gaining a competitive advantage today. With a much stronger technology infrastructure in place, we now have the information we need to move our business forward and better service our customers.”

Mike Gillis, Hitachi Consulting’s Dynamics National Team Leader, responded, "I’m really proud of what we accomplished with Bonipak, and much of the credit should be given to its leadership team. While other ERP solutions may be better established throughout the grower industry, Bonipak quickly recognized the value of Microsoft Dynamics AX’s user-friendly interface, reporting capabilities, ease-of-integration, and the security of knowing the system will be supported for years to come.”

"It was a great team effort. Hitachi Consulting helped us hit a nearly-impossible implementation timeframe. They worked with us to get what we needed – from trace-back capable – to our key performance measures. It wasn’t a simple project. We had some complex unique requirements that are critical to our business process. Hitachi Consulting was able to custom-tailor Microsoft Dynamics AX to meet those needs,” Jonathan Lundquist, CFO of Bonipak, said "We couldn’t have done it without them. Hitachi Consulting was a great team player on this project.”

Over the next several years Bonipak expects to reap ongoing rewards from the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX and the Grow IT, ERP solution. Finance, payroll, and operations from four companies are now consolidated into a single system.

As a recognized market leader with Microsoft, Hitachi Consulting was nominated as one of two finalists for Microsoft’s 2008 Partner of the Year Award in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Hitachi Consulting won the Microsoft BI/Data Management Partner of the Year award in 2006, the Information Worker Solutions, Messaging and Collaboration award in 2007, and received the Microsoft Dynamics Partner of the Year award in 2005 and 2006. Hitachi Consulting won the Microsoft FAST Partner of the Year award in 2009.

About Bonipak

Since 1932, the Ferini and Ardantz families have been farming in Central California. Over 75 years later, and after continuous expansion, Bonita Packing Company and their affiliate growers are now leaders in the produce industry. With state-of-the art cultivating, storing, and shipping capabilities, Bonipak can provide top quality product while ensuring freshness to its customer base. Bonipak owns and operates over 100,000 square feet of cold storage and 17,000 square feet of refrigerated staging area enabling Bonipak to accommodate over 200 trucks each day. With the unique ability to control produce from planting to harvest to processing, Boni-Fresh, Bonipak's fresh cut division, is unmatched in the industry. Boni-Fresh and all Bonipak products are always under strict Bonipak food safety standards, where there is never compromise for quality or freshness. Bonipak's award-winning farming affiliate, Betteravia Farms, grows on nearly 18,000 crop acres of multi-commodity farmland in California and Arizona.

About Hitachi Consulting Corporation

As Hitachi, Ltd.'s (NYSE: HIT) global consulting company, with operations in the United States, Europe and Asia, Hitachi Consulting is a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to Global 2000 companies across many industries. With a balanced view of strategy, people, process and technology, we work with companies to understand their unique business needs, and to develop and implement practical business strategies and technology solutions. From business strategy development through application deployment, our consultants are committed to helping clients quickly realize measurable business value and achieve sustainable ROI.

For more information, call 1.877.664.0010 or visit www.hitachiconsulting.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 390,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2007 (ended March 31, 2008) consolidated revenues totaled 11,226 billion Yen ($112.2 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, agriculture, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

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