Food and beverage supply chains have been pushed to new limits. With global supply chain shortages, distribution issues, increased consumer demand and growing regulations to follow, you’ve got the perfect storm for manufacturers. Consumers are putting more and more trust into manufacturers as they look for increased visibility into the products that they purchase, but with all this pressure how do you even keep up?

Cracks starting to show

If you flashback to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us can remember empty shelves, long queues and struggling to even get the most basic of ingredients. The fragility of our supply chains was exposed and revealed the cracks in even the largest corporations. It was unearthed that a food supply chain can break down almost instantly, so it’s become a core goal for many to focus on traceability, to really understand where goods are, where they’ve been and how to move them agilely.

Effective traceability is only possible if enough tracking information is available and if the systems being used throughout the supply chain are all connected. This gives you the opportunity to create a single source of digital truth, by bringing manufacturers, processing plants, warehouses and wholesalers together. With such technology in place, organisations get more than just traceability to meet consumer needs and comply with regulations. With access to data throughout the entire supply chain, companies are able to analyse their supply chains for future trends, they’re able to collate more data than ever before, that enables them to predict things that they’ve never been able to.

Consumers know what they want

Consumers are dictating what they want. They know that if they demand certain things, companies can’t ignore it, so they’ll get it. Consumers are far more knowledgeable today about the food they purchase and with so much information fed to us on a day-to-day basis, our food choices aren’t left behind, we’re beginning to demand a closer connection to our food, and ultimately only buying from companies who provide us with that ability.

What’s being demanded is more than just what is provided on the existing food label. Consumers change their behavior rather quickly, just think about how you might have changed your eating habits, maybe based on an article you read, or what your peers are doing. Maybe you’ve lowered your salt intake, reduced sugar consumption, joined in on Meat Free Mondays? All of these small changes have big impacts on manufacturers. The increased pressure to develop new products, stay ahead of competition and keep up with the everchanging customer demands, all whilst not letting traceability slip.

Full transparency is sometimes viewed as a nightmare by some manufacturers, but for others it’s an opportunity. It’s now more than regulatory compliance, but it’s a true differentiator. A differentiator that matters to modern consumers.

What now?

So, we can see why traceability is so important, from consumer demand to dealing with fluctuating supply chains, but how do you do it and how do you do it well? By simplifying and embedding data capture within your operations, organisational data of your activities can be captured quickly and accurately.

For our customers using IFS we’re able to help them use CB Apps, our data capture solution, to streamline and simplify all transactions to reduce costs, shorten delivery time and gain visibility. Our customers are able to deal with the demands that traceability brings effectively, helping them stay competitive and ahead of the game.

Within every industry to stay within the game you need to remain competitive. With over population and climate change having a significant impact on our food resources, the food and beverage industry are having to come up with new ways to ensure supply and demand are met. Not only is sustainability a needed and necessary process to adopt for manufacturers but it is also something sought out by consumers, when they know that a supplier has ensured a sustainable approach within their processes they are more likely to buy from them than a competitor who hasn’t prioritised sustainability.

“In the past year alone, sales of consumer goods from brands with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability have grown more than 4%”

Challenges being faced by food and beverage manufacturers:

We are witnessing a landscape which is changing at a rapid rate, with climate change increasing temperatures and extreme weather conditions becoming more of a regular occurrence. The unpredictability in weather is resulting in smaller crop yields, with the ozone layer becoming further eroded, crops will be subjected to great heat in traditionally milder weather and with the changing rates of precipitation effecting water supply this is creating a negative effect on the crops growth. This impact on farmers and food and beverage manufacturers means the inability to keep up with the supply demands.

“Climate change impacts food availability through its effect on the production of food and its storage, processing, distribution, and exchange.”

Therefore, creating a more sustainable way to produce food and beverage products in this new landscape will give some power back to the farmers and manufacturers ensuring demands can be met.

How the food and beverage industry can become sustainable:

There are lots of ways that the food and beverage industry can make long lasting sustainable improvements.

PACKAGING: Taking a conscious effort to think about the amount of plastic being used, after COP26 the aim to minimise waste by 15% is something we all need to help with.

PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES: Providing the opportunity for consumers to select a vegan option of products or using more vegan friendly alternatives within recipes for an increasing demand.

EFFICIENT WATER USE: Looking through the production process and analysing the volume usage to the waste. Re-evaluating this could reduce water waste.

REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS: Introducing low carbon transport and ways to gain renewable energy, this could be through gaining solar panels for energy.

Sustainability is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, it’s a political issue, an economic concern, and a social conversation. Adhering to new government guidelines surrounding sustainability and meeting these guidelines successfully is critical.

Whilst there are several ways the food and beverage industry can drive sustainability, complying with regulations, societal demands and economic pressures is often quite the challenge. For sustainability to become an integral part of any food and beverage company’s fabric, embracing an ERP solution is arguably the safest bet. ERP solutions that are designed with Food and Beverage manufacturers in mind can offer key solutions to sustainability concerns:

Waste reduction:

Did you know that 20-30% of the world’s food is wasted every year? With better inventory and production planning you’re able to calculate how much food is being wasted and why. Is wrong packing and handling causing problems? Is there some kind of leakage issue? You’re able to pin point the flaws and find solutions to the problems, reducing waste in the production process and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Efficiency:

Automation and greater business intelligence leads to increased efficiencies. Through an effective ERP solution you’re able to reduce errors and delays, speed up processes and make more informed decision making through access to accurate data. Real-time data is key to a smooth operation and an ERP is the way to achieve it.

Supply and demand:

Effective demand forecasting alongside an efficient shipping process, means that you have the goods required by your customers in the right amounts, at the right time. No more, no less. Perfectly on time, never late. You’re never over producing products and running the risk of increasing your waste. A key element to supporting an efficient and sustainable production process.

We want to help your business put sustainability at the heart of what you do. Reduce your waste, improve efficiencies, and control your inventory with ease, via an ERP solution designed for your industry. We can help ensure you have a solution that can support sustainability, now and into the future.

What’s your sustainability story?

We’re joining IFS in celebrating businesses that make a difference. We’re sponsoring the IFS Change for Good Sustainability Awards which aim to recognise those customers who are leading the change in adopting sustainable initiatives. Entries are open until August 31st 2021. Winners will be announced on September 15th 2021.

Are you making a difference? Are you raising the bar on sustainability? Are you acting with the future in mind?

It’s time to inspire others to follow in your footsteps. If you’re an IFS customer that’s making a difference here’s an opportunity to showcase your work. We can support you with your entry process and help you share your story. Let’s inspire others to make a change.

There are 5 award categories:

1. Best use of IFS technology in a sustainability initiative
2. Most innovative solution for sustainability
3. Journey of transformation to a sustainable business
4. Social impact
5. Individual contribution

Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, has commented on the IFS Sustainability focus “IFS has a long-term responsible approach to creating value for customers. By considering sustainability as an integral part of our business model we not only capture value creating opportunities, but we can mitigate risks and stay on course to be successful in our sustainability strategy.”

What’s on offer?

We’re proud to be supporting and sponsoring the IFS Change for Good Sustainability Awards and are excited to be able to help showcase your important work. Entries must be submitted by 31st August 2021.

Let’s celebrate making a difference.

 

J Tomlinson, based in Beeston in Nottinghamshire, and Cedar Bay have been working on a key business project to digitise their operations to support front line engineers with mobile capabilities and deliver an exceptional moment of service. J Tomlinson offer an extensive portfolio of services covering the whole building life-cycle from construction to refurbishment, engineering services, low carbon and renewable energy, repairs and maintenance, and facilities management.

As part of a major business transformation project, J Tomlinson have been implementing the IFS ERP solution and they recognised a gap and an opportunity to bring high value customer service at the point of contact in the field.  Cedar Bay were known to provide leading class mobile solutions and apps for IFS clients and were consulted to develop a solution in this area.

The solution enabled engineers visiting properties to launch the IFS Mobile Work Order App (MWO) from a tablet, input key information about the job in a dynamic way using Cedar Bay Software connected to IFS MWO, and submit that back to IFS in real time.  The Software guides the engineer through a set of questions based on the specific property and asset they are collecting data on. This removes the need for significant paperwork both for the engineer and in the back office, providing efficiency, accuracy and reduced time at the property, increasing engineer capacity.  The solution also enables the engineer to print (for example) a Gas Certificate there and then whilst on site.  The solution also offers offline capabilities should the engineer be in a location with no connectivity.

The technology has also been designed to empower J Tomlinson’s own development team to build new forms and release to the tablets, without the need for Cedar Bay resource.  Changes can be deployed remotely without engineers having to send in devices to HQ.  The project has been successful enough that J Tomlinson now showcase this solution as part of their sales engagement process as a USP over their competitors.  J Tomlinson have also built a portal off the back of the solution enabling their customers to log in to access key visit documents and data.

Roger Teagle, CEO & Founder of Cedar Bay “We were extremely excited to work with J Tomlinson on this project and deliver significant value and efficiency to their operations.  We are already discussing new opportunities that can further enhance our partnership and provide business outcomes to J Tomlinson”

In the last decade the world of e-commerce has changed dramatically. This change has been accelerated with the pandemic, which resulted in a further increase in the use of online shopping. The time regarded ‘acceptable’ by shoppers has also plummeted, with an expectation of a 2-day turnaround from order to delivery, while the number of SKUs that must be managed, manufactured, stored, and distributed has massively increased.

Companies realize they need automation within their warehouse and manufacturing floor to successfully adapt to this increasingly unpredictable world. However, a phased, strategic approach to automation is often preferred to simplify the modernization process and accelerate the Return on Investment (ROI).

Phase 1: Improve Operations for Greater Individual Worker Productivity

The first phase is to gain control of basic business operations across all inventory processes from goods-in, through manufacturing and shipping. Firstly, it is important to identify inefficient processes by analyzing the internal supply chain. From here it is then possible to work on a simple increase in individual worker productivity to get a quick ROI.

This can be done by the introduction of mobile scanning. Cedar Bay Apps provides users with a familiar interface on devices rugged enough for warehousing environments. It is then possible to look at additional technology, such as wearable devices, tablets and mobile printers, to help improve visibility. This allows management to identify improvement areas and maximize productivity. Using IFS Transport and Warehouse tasks in conjunction with Cedar Bay Apps provides users with the ability to dynamically assign tasks. This can be extended based on real-time inventory data and contextual data from mobile devices, allowing employees to be directed to their best next action based on factors such as urgency.

Phase 2: Integrate for Greater Asset Visibility and Utilization

The second phase introduces sensor-based data collection. In earlier phases data capture is transactional and only provides a glimpse into warehouse operations. Automated data capture provides a more complete, real-time view. In the case of receiving, manual scans have missed entire cases of incoming goods. With an RFID system tagged goods are counted as soon as they pass through the dock doors with a portal style reader in the receiving areas. More readers can be placed at locations, including doorways within the facility. Thereby recording movements within the environment and to individual production lines. You now have sensor-based data; increasing accuracy and asset utilization, whilst decreasing time spent locating assets.

Phase 3: Be Responsive for Best Next-Move Guidance and Decision-Making

In the third phase, sensor-based, real-time data capture can be expanded more broadly across the entire facility. Real-time location services are fully integrated throughout the warehouse and manufacturing floor into IFS Applications. The result is more recording points, more accurate inventory data and minimal operator time recording transactions. This allows for better optimization of the flow of products from receiving through to shipping.

In the movement of goods, sensors associate forklifts, pallets and boxes to show goods on the forklift as it travels without the need for manual barcode scanning. Upon delivery at the destination the forklift and pallet are disassociated, the pallet shows as delivered or issued to a work center and the forklift shows it is ready for its next assignment. The same applies to autonomous mobile robots (AMR) with ready-to-ship materials, from picking to loading. Resources and assets are orchestrated, sequenced, and directed; meaning throughput volumes, costs and workflow speed are improved.

Phase 4: Predict and Adapt to Proactively Improve Performance

Finally, once data intelligence systems are deployed throughout the warehouse companies can begin data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to uncover ways to improve their processes even further. Whether that’s by updating their warehouse design, staffing levels, or perhaps changing workflows further. Companies can also use the data to quickly identify or predict changes in consumer buying habits and supplier shortages that could impact business profitability and use that data to rapidly adapt.

The Future of Inventory within Manufacturing

This four phased approach to automation provides an achievable, simplified modernization approach that helps to accelerate your ROI and offers a strategic outlook. Our team of experts are able to help you on your modernization journey to ensure that your business is better suited to adapt to changes as they arise.

Written by, Robert Freeman, President of Cedar Bay North America

My focus is on delivering successful IFS ERP and Automated Data Collection solutions to our customers. I am confident in applying relevant industry trends and best practices to any of our projects.

 

THE COMPANY

The Quartz Corp (TQC) is a supplier of high-purity Quartz products. Established in 2011 by a joint venture of its two parent companies, TQC boasts a global supply chain and customer base. They are a key provider of Quartz Sand for the solar, semiconductor and fibre optic markets.

As the company grew, the management team recognised that more control over their ERP solution was required: retrieving data was slow, visibility of results was poor, and the solution was designed for business requirements that differed from those of TQC. To tackle this challenge, TQC employed the help of Cedar Bay to embark on a data extraction and ‘Lift and Shift’ project. The goal of this project was to move their IFS Applications™ 7.5 solution from their corporate parent’s servers to the cloud.

THE CHALLENGE THAT THE QUARTZ CORP FACED

In addition to the data extraction and ‘Lift and Shift’, there was a complete rewrite of the company’s customer facing reporting infrastructure. The company required a powerful reporting tool to simplify their reporting processes and get the information dispensed to all necessary stakeholders. This led to Cedar Bay recommending a switch from a legacy Stream Serve solution to Crystal Reports. With some company documentation emailed automatically, the Cedar Bay team set about to build custom events to make this new reporting tool work the same way, a challenging task, coupled alongside a heavily modified supply chain element of IFS Applications.

The Migration

The high level of collaboration between Cedar Bay and TQC led to the successful migration of all data to a fully hosted Microsoft Azure Cloud environment, with a new documentation reporting tool and a solution that was configured to their business requirements. By conducting a support on-boarding process, Cedar Bay were able to ensure that the team were confident in utilising their support package moving forward.

The Results

Whilst a challenging project, this ‘Lift and Shift’ has been highly rewarding for the team at TQC. The extensiveness of the project and the obstacles faced created many learning opportunities for the business. The cloud-hosted solution has provided TQC with a streamlined, agile and fully managed solution. As a company they have more control and visibility over their ERP solution, giving them the tools to help further advance their business.

Next Steps

This project has been the first step in The Quartz Corp’s ERP modernization journey. The learning experience and their fully managed cloud environment has set them up for the road ahead. We are excited to continue our partnership with them, and they look forward to seeing where ERP can take them next.

Read the Full Case Study Here

Join us for ‘The Art of the Possible’. Throughout 2021 we’ll be hosting webinar sessions on a variety of topics to help shine a light on a variety of topics. Our industry experts will provide an insight into different approaches and techniques to help you advance your way of working. Which sessions will you be signing up for?

Our World Class Manufacturing Webinar series has come to an end! We have really enjoyed hosting these sessions over the last few months and we’d like to thank you all for attending and engaging with our team over this period, we hope you have found them helpful. Chris Anthony, alongside Roger Teagle, wrapped up our webinar series with a session on Total Preventative Maintenance. If you missed this session the recording is now available, please click the button below.

TPM Webinar

What was covered?

In this session Chris guides you through Total Preventative Maintenance to ensure you can remain productive and reduce the risk of machine stoppages within your business. Chris then breaks down the topic into subtopics covering all of our tips and tricks for preventative maintenance. If you have any questions surrounding this session, please get in touch and Chris would be happy to talk you through anything.

Want to find out more?

We also have recordings available for all of our other sessions, so please check out the Info Hub if you’ve missed any of these. We’ve covered a variety of topics, so make sure to take a look. If there are topics you would like to see covered, or you would like to discuss any topics in more detail, please get in touch.

We would like to thank everyone for the support of this series. We look forward to bringing you more sessions in 2021. 

Cedar Bay is pleased to announce a new partnership with TAE Aerospace, a global aerospace company serving both commercial and defence companies, from 11 locations worldwide.

TAE recently engaged with Cedar Bay to provide their CB Apps data capture solution to help improve several core operational processes, primarily within the warehouse receiving and shop order processes.  There are several drivers for TAE where the business would like to bring in greater efficiencies to help improve operations and reduce costs.  The Cedar Bay solution will replace manual paper-based work and speed up operational capture of data, to provide real time data with increased accuracy into IFS Applications.  One of the quick wins will be to give the operator ability to take an image direct from a scanner of incoming serialised items and attach to the relevant IFS record, in one simple process.

Cedar Bay will implement the latest CB Apps data capture solution, initially into the Adelaide and Ipswich sites in Australia.  These sites are primarily involved in the MRO of fixed wing and jet turbine engines.  There is further scope to roll out the product to other sites in both Australia and the US.  TAE will also implement Cedar Bay’s new ‘Transaction Builder’ solution, empowering TAE Aerospace to develop their own value adding transactions.

Roger Teagle, CEO and Founder of Cedar Bay, is excited for the project ahead, “Cedar Bay look forward to building a long-term partnership with TAE in Australia and beyond, by providing real business value to help maximise the investment TAE have made into IFS Applications.”