Dynamics Square released several compelling findings in its 2022 ERP report. Research shows that using an ERP improves every aspect of running a business by at least 70%. The food industry takes a major place in the UK’s economy. The competition being tough, it is necessary to stand out by improving its performance. Integrated Management Software, or ERP, provides an automated management solution that has become essential. This article guides you in understanding and choosing an agri-food ERP.
How is an agri-food ERP software structured?
The impact of ERP software in the food industry revolves around three major fundamental axes of business management.
1- Commercial management
This first sphere provided by the ERP relieves you of three major tasks: restocking, order taking and customer relations. Indeed, your sales teams will have the opportunity to manage the entire process and thus maximize the customer experience through personalization and data collection.
Order intake management
With various tools (EDI, mobile CRM, etc.), the agri- food ERP allows automated management of order taking. The software takes into account the complexity of each product to optimize the entire production chain from this stage.
Automatic product restocking management
The agri-food ERP spares you any inconvenience caused by a possible shortage. Its automated system alone manages the replenishment of products with customers. Thanks to its intelligence, this software also has the not insignificant ability to plan just enough to avoid any loss.
Customer relationship management
The agri- food ERP facilitates all the steps for your customers, from the request for an estimate to the after-sales complaint. On the business side, invoicing, automation of tasks in a personalized way is also fully supported by the ERP. You then gain greatly in customer satisfaction.
2- Operational management
At the heart of the production chain, the agri-food ERP optimizes each step in accordance with the rules in force.
Production management
The agri-food ERP software offers a general dashboard that allows you to have a hand on the whole chain. It automatically provides you with real-time monitoring of the manufacturing process and schedules resources. A complete production follow-up that allows you to improve your production chain.
Inventory management
The agri- food ERP software automatically manages stocks in an extremely meticulous way. Every detail is calculated: active, average, safety stock, without forgetting the service, breakage and turnover rate. Having clear inventory management allows you to never be taken aback.
Product traceability
The issue of traceability being capital, ERP software takes into account at each stage of production. It optimizes, in this sense, any transformation of the product and its distribution. This leads to a considerable improvement in inventory monitoring and in the quality of compliance, safety and productivity.
Compliance with the regulatory framework
Completely adapted to the food industry , the ERP offers very advanced monitoring tools, capable of complying with each specific regulation. Local, environmental, traceability or safety rules are constantly changing. The agri-food ERP software is in continuous monitoring of these variations and acts accordingly.
3- Data management and integration
Its system based on Business Intelligence allows the agri-food ERP to make a general management dashboard available to the company. The data undergoes a digital transformation and is synthesized into functional plans and diagrams.
Forecasts
ERP software monitors the food industry in real time. A study of the market and permanent competition provides data that the ERP transforms into forecasts. Thus, the ERP software provides a clear and reassuring vision of the future of the company.
Cost tracking
The agri- food ERP software continuously analyzes the prices of your suppliers. For the company, it’s a gain of money, but also of the time that you no longer spend on the task, for the sake of optimization, the software also adjusts your selling prices according to the market.
Statistics
The amount of data collected by an ERP in an industry is colossal. Everything is analyzed, in the internal and external composition of the activity. The agri-food ERP software is able to synthesize this mass of information. He will then report them in tables and graphs that will be available to you and that you can customize as you wish. You thus control the dashboards at your disposal according to the results and indications provided by the software package.
Accounting and finance
This management software automates everything related to profitability, cash flow, and accounting processes. It assists you in decision-making, particularly concerning your margins and to manage your cash flow. Thanks to this accounting management, the increase in your turnover is exponential.
What are the benefits of setting up an agri-food ERP?
ERP software brings several undeniable advantages to the food industry
Improved sales process
Sales management is completely taken care of by the food- processing ERP software like Business Central. While painstakingly ensuring product traceability from A to Z, ERP technology automates every aspect of the sale. This type of software is able to adapt to all sales methods. It will even go as far as managing invoicing, issuing credits, applying special commercial gestures. By constantly analyzing the results, the agri-food ERP software manages the margins itself. This allows him to push the increase in turnover to its climax. The whole sales process then gains in quality.
Obtaining certifications following the growing demand from customers
The industrial agri-food sector requires a fierce fight to stand out from the competition. Faced with an increasingly demanding clientele, a powerful response is to obtain certifications or labels. These labels are a guarantee of quality and recognized by all. The more a company advances, the more its image is glorified and gains the trust of its prospects. ERP agri -food software improves the performance of your business and helps you obtain these certificates. The traceability of products and compliance with regulations are beyond reproach thanks to an ERP. A simple request should be enough to obtain the appropriate certification.
An improved customer relationship
ERP software instinctively personalizes the customer’s experience with your business. As soon as the prospect has the slightest contact with the company, the ERP takes care of it. Everything is automated, from quotation to order taking, to delivery, to after-sales service. From this point of view, customer satisfaction has undeniably improved. From an internal point of view, the client’s management procedures are greatly simplified. The agri-food ERP software provides the company with tools designed for this purpose. For example, it is able to automatically collect data from your customers. The ERP can set up reminder systems or automated loyalty strategies depending on the chosen scenarios. .
A 360° view of business processes
Having a constant eye on business processes in the food industry is essential and very time-consuming. The agri-food ERP automates this process in order to offer security, time and quality gain to the company. It is thanks to this omniscient nature that ERP is revolutionizing the food industry. The software keeps an eye on everything, all the time and reacts in a way that constantly updates production practices. Thus, during the life cycle of the product, the traceability is detailed to the maximum and the regulations are respected.
The adaptability of costs according to the market
A systematic and permanent monitoring of the competition is essential for a food production company. The market is very tough and you have to constantly align yourself. This is another point of management that requires a lot of time and work. The agri- food ERP software therefore makes it possible to manage this aspect and frees you from this work. ERP technology goes even further by systematically adjusting the company’s position in the market. To do this, the tools included in the ERP are constantly looking for the best offer among your suppliers. The company always remains a winner.
