Online management of meal distribution

Aradis software ensures problem-free meal distribution

Some ten years ago, Aramark developed a software tool to more efficiently organize meal distribution among clients. The tool was named Aradis, and is mainly used by retirement homes and hospitals. The application includes a database recording all preferences and dislikes of residents and patients. It also tracks any ingredients a person cannot eat for dietary reasons. “The software enhances the quality of our services”, explains Danny Dheuninck, IT Manager with Aramark. “In the past, the chef and the health personnel kept track of everyone’s preferences; now the system does it. This allows us to make sure our end clients always receive the meals they want. By the way, these meals are the eagerly awaited highlight of the day for the people in retirement homes, for instance. It is therefore of the essence that this moment occur as smoothly as possible.”

Need for a user-friendly web application

Since its launch, the Aradis software’s popularity has constantly been on the rise. More and more clients now want to rent the tool as well, outside of the context of meal delivery. In order to address this trend, Aramark decided to modernize the application. “We wanted to make Aradis more user-friendly by moving away from a Windows server environment, and by offering clients internet access to the software”, continues Dheuninck. “However, our IT team is limited. So we decided to call upon the help of the professionals at 4D vision. Their WebXTC framework is a software development tool that allows them to quickly and cost-efficiently develop a high-performance solution.”

Internet access aligned with user needs

4D vision provided a smooth transition from the software to a modern web platform. “Now the client does not need to invest in specific hardware; a web browser will suffice”, says Dheuninck. “Also, we no longer have to separately install the application on every PC.” In order to make the tool more user-friendly, 4D vision conducted a thorough analysis of the needs.

On this basis, new functions were added to the application. This way, clients can plan and book menus weeks in advance, and also modify them at the last moment. Moreover, they can now simply enter and view the composition of the menus online. Outgoing meals can now be better organized as well.

“The menu lists can now also be easily exported for instance to Excel”, Dheuninck adds. “This allows our clients to further analyse their meal distribution and improve their service provision.”

“Because they first thoroughly analysed our way of working, 4D vision immediately developed the right functionalities.”

Danny Dheuninck,
IT Manager with Aramark

Smooth cooperation thanks to close contacts

“The project came along smoothly thanks to 4D vision’s efficient approach”, Dheuninck concludes. “During the regular status meetings, for instance, the 4D vision personnel became intimately familiar with our needs and desires. Thanks to this approach and their WebXTC framework, we now own a tool tailored to our business, delivered just as quickly as an off-the-shelf application.”