Food Manufacturers are Missing Out
Diane Harvey
How Food Manufacturers Can Drive Innovation With Technology
Last week, Food Manufacture reported that food and drink manufacturers may be missing opportunities by only making small tweaks to existing products rather than truly innovating. The same principle applies to technology. Relying on outdated systems inhibits efficiency and innovation for food producers.
As Matthew Incles, Senior Consultant at Promar International advised, food companies must pay attention to market trends and be willing to refresh beyond minor product changes. This drive for innovation should extend to food manufacturers’ technology strategy.
The Risks of Clinging to Legacy Systems
In food manufacturing, some take the outdated view of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” with their existing software systems. But episodic changes or bolt-on tools for old ERP and warehouse systems have major drawbacks:
- Increased costs for customizations and integrations
- Lack of flexibility to adapt to evolving needs
- Limited real-time visibility and actionable data
- Inability to support new technologies like IoT, mobile, and AI
Rather than optimizing processes, legacy systems with band-aid solutions create headaches. Food makers struggle to achieve efficiency, agility, and insights needed to compete.
Embracing Modern ERP to Drive Innovation
To become truly data-driven organizations, food producers need integrated systems that break down silos and connect all operations. Modern ERP provides the digital foundation food manufacturers require:
- Centralized management of manufacturing, inventory, finance, and sales
- Real-time enterprise-wide visibility into all processes
- Advanced analytics for actionable insights
- Flexibility to leverage emerging technologies
- Platform for continuous innovation of products and processes
By investing in solutions purpose-built for food manufacturers, companies can eliminate inefficiencies and complexity. Instead of just maintaining the status quo, they redirect resources towards innovation and growth initiatives.
Are you paying for bespoke ERP system changes? Or for separate manufacturing, CRM, accounts and sales systems? If so, then it’s definitely time to try something new! Give us a call and let us show you the benefits of SAP Business One for your business, 01244 676 900