Empire and Ciber have completed the phase I warehouse management system (WMS) implementation in Empire’s Brooklyn, New York facility. The second phase of the implementation will be in Empire’s Astoria, New York facility, scheduled for January, 2009.

Ciber said it has worked with Empire for the past 18 months helping them identify opportunities for supply chain performance improvement, identifying areas of cost reduction, and developing key performance indicators to measure progress.

Tony Magliocco, COO of Empire Merchants, said: We chose Ciber as our implementation and integration partner based on their previous project experience with us and their history of significant implementations with other wine and spirits distributors. We’re thrilled with the success of the implementation in our Brooklyn facility and with the operational improvements we’ve seen with the HighJump system.

Timothy Campbell, president and CEO of HighJump Software, said: HighJump Software and Ciber have a strong track record of partnering to deliver powerful warehouse management solutions to wine and spirits distributors. With HighJump Software, companies like Empire Merchants can easily manage the complexities of beverage distribution while keeping total cost of ownership low.

Cal Petty, director of supply chain practice at Ciber, said: We are pleased to have developed such a strong working partnership with Empire Merchants and to be a contributor to the streamlining successes that they have enjoyed. Ciber has long-standing experience within the food and beverage industry and is delighted to have helped such a large organization increase its supply chain efficiencies and to position itself for success for years to come.