Aug. 30 2018 01:43 PM

Combination Means More Solutions, More Talent, More Customer Success

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Dairy.com, the world’s leading provider of software as service solutions powering dairy supply chains, is acquiring Data Specialists, Inc. (DSI), a technology company with deep roots and multiple platforms deployed across the dairy industry. The combined companies will feature over 100 employees in four main locations devoted to delighting customers with cutting edge software, powerful intelligence and robust service offerings.

Founded by Sherrie and Richard Mertes in 1980, DSI provisions producer payroll, procurement, manufacturing ERP, financial and warehouse/distribution management software. More than 180 dairy and food plants nationwide use DSI tools.

“DSI and the Mertes family are dairy technology pioneers, developing and delivering solutions that have fueled customer success for nearly 40 years,” said Dairy.com CEO Scott Sexton. “Adding DSI to our portfolio materially broadens Dairy.com offerings. Connecting platforms takes us to places we have not been. In particular, the DSI manufacturing suite is a powerful solution that handles complex in-plant processes, further extending Dairy.com traceability capabilities across the supply chain.”

Ryan Mertes, President of DSI, will become President of the DSI Division of Dairy.com and Chief Solutions Officer of Dairy.com. The DSI division will maintain operations from its base in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

“Joining with Dairy.com allows our employees to create the largest pool of dairy talent available.” Mertes said. “We believe the combination is going to provide exciting and unique solutions. We can't wait to discuss the breadth, scope, and benefits with the industry we've spent decades supporting.”

With this acquisition, Dairy.com’s farm-to-fork offerings include:

  • Procurement Tools: milk dispatch, milk receiving, milk scheduling, producer payroll, mobile farm ticket data collection, liquid by-product scheduling, freight exchange, farm management.
  • Plant Tools: production scheduling, production management, sales analysis, costing, inventory management, distribution management, wireless barcoding, electronic data interchange, lab information management.
  • Management Tools: dairy market intelligence, price risk management, mass balance audits, transportation analytics, payroll processing, outsourced logistics, financial evaluation, on-call economists, feasibility studies, manufacturing best practices, logistics benchmarking, strategic planning.

Clients include more than 75% of the Dairy Foods 100 in the US as well as several international accounts. Founded in 2000, Dairy.com is based in Frisco, Texas. In 2013, it purchased the Blimling Companies, adding locations in Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. Read More.