Dutch Valley Foods Boosts Safety and Unifies Operations with Reliable Communication

On paper, Dutch Valley Foods is a busy bulk food distributor in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. But it operates as three businesses in one: a distributor shipping pallets of dry goods to everyone from farm stands to multi-chain grocers, a dry food production facility packaging everything from soup starters to trail mix, and a logistics company with its own fleet of 75 trucks and 150 trailers delivering to 29 states up and down the East Coast. Juggling all of this requires flawless communication to keep things running smoothly and safely.

A ‘Radio Graveyard’, Poor Connectivity, and Growing Safety Concerns

As Dutch Valley Foods grew, it physically expanded, adding on to its warehouse facility almost ten times. The result? A massive, complex layout full of concrete walls and floor-to-ceiling racks that made reliable communication nearly impossible. Not only did the business face extensive dead spots and range issues with these added materials, their previous off-the-shelf walkie-talkies couldn’t withstand the industrial elements.

This left Corporate Director of Safety and Compliance, Tom Houtz, with a “radio graveyard” of broken devices. He shared, “I mean it’s a warehouse environment, so all of our floors are concrete, so you drop one of those radios and it’s instantly done. I can take you out and show you the radio graveyard and antennas are broken off and the screens are cracked and there’s corners chipped out of them, it’s awful.”

The fragile devices and unreliable connectivity created significant safety vulnerabilities. This communication gap was often illustrated when a manufacturing employee would attempt to call for assistance, but their radio call couldn’t get through. For critical situations, like a worker needing help, the official plan relied on whistles to call for aid. In a large, noisy warehouse, there was a serious concern that a whistle could go unheard. Tom realized the urgent need for a more dependable system to protect the team.

Finally, a Device That Actually Worked

Tom Houtz led the charge to find a new solution, believing that “clear, concise communication is what drives a business forward.” Given his past experiences, he was cautious about trying another radio system. “We were a little hesitant as to whether or not it would work because we’ve just been burned so many times on radios,” he says. After a Google search, he found Relay and decided to move forward.

Unlike their previous devices, Relay promised total coverage. It also included a dedicated panic button, providing a modern and direct way for employees to signal for help which was a significant improvement to their existing safety protocols. The risk paid off. “It has worked flawlessly,” Tom says.

“We have 100% coverage everywhere in our building. We’ve never had that before.”
– Tom Houtz, CSP, MSP, Corporate Director of Safety and Compliance at Dutch Valley Foods

When evaluating Relay, battery life and audio output were also important. In the past, the team needed amplifiers to properly hear their radios. Now, “they can hear the Relays better than they even could with the amplifier,” shared Tom, even over loud dust fans. The battery life has also been a stark contrast. The team has accidentally gone two or three days without charging a Relay, and found that the device just keeps working. Previously, their radios would start to fade around hour 8 of a 12-hour shift.

Amazing Results Lead to a Quick Expansion and New Standard of Operations

Dutch Valley started small, with just 10 Relay devices for the order picking team. The reaction was instant. “We were like, ‘This thing is amazing. This is working really well,’” says Tom. It didn’t take long for other teams to see the benefits, who were more than ready for a reliable solution. “They immediately said, ‘We’re ditching our old radios. Let’s do the Relay thing,’” Tom recalls. Word spread, and soon the maintenance and manufacturing departments wanted in, too. Today, Dutch Valley Foods uses over 30 Relays and counting.

This rapid expansion was fueled by improvements that have changed the game for the entire team. The panic button isn’t just a feature; it’s a source of confidence, with Tom noting that after seeing the system work, “everybody gets a big sense of security by seeing the response.” Tom has also leveraged Relay to broadcast alerts to the entire team, “We had one drill here where I used the summon feature and called every user back to a main channel and was able to communicate to every single device out there. It was perfect.”

The devices themselves are tough, and with the geofencing feature, not a single one has been lost. Ultimately, this new internal efficiency translates to a better customer experience. With clear communication, the whole operation runs smoother. When a customer arrives, the team coordinates instantly.

“What our customers see is that we’re on top of our game. They see that we’re a well-communicating organization.”

– Tom Houtz, CSP, MSP, Corporate Director of Safety and Compliance at Dutch Valley Foods