The vendor ecosystem for food & beverage (and process) has evolved into a set of vertical market component applications which surround ERP.
The advent of recent food safety initiatives, combined with the continue complexity and magnitude of trade promotion spending (and rebates), and the need to be very precise with food ingredient, nutritional and GHS labelling, has dramatically increased the need for tools like PLM (Product Lifecycle Management (Formulating), Trade Promotion Management and Food Safety Solutions.
In addition, the recent increases in the need for end to end traceability, shelf life management, and product segregation, have resulted in the continued increase in the need for more advanced Warehouse Management Tools.
With respect to the remainder of the supply chain, the trend away from the “warehouse store” concept, combined with the above, has resulted in a trend of smaller, more frequent orders, which has put pressure on companies to combine (LTL) shipments and optimize transportation and related costs, at the heart of which is Transportation Management (systems).
With this added complexity, cost, and need for higher precision, more than ever, companies also require the ability to plan, forecast and budget more accurately, and closely monitor performance using tools like Integrated Business Planning (IBP).
And lastly, there is a keen recognition that within the Food, Beverage and Process Industries, significant uniqueness’s exist, giving rise to applications designed to specifically address micro-vertical specializations, such as producer payroll (for dairies and co-ops), grower management, for growers and grower processors (farm to fork), ingredient manufacturers, who transform non-uniform products into products which can yield consistency in taste, color, texture and other characteristics
Our vendor eco-system is the only one its kind which has assembled this comprehensive group of solution providers focused upon the nuances of the food and beverage industry, on a global scale.
For more detail on the Solution Ecosystem for Food & Beverage Manufacturing, please see our report in the Resource Center Vendor Profiles, or just click on the link above.
