Insight on today’s top ERP software solutions: 10 software companies serving Food & Beverage manufacturers, compared by core functions, strategy and Ultra’s expert insight.
Written by the consultants who run these selections, not by a software vendor.
[ From the guide ]
For Food & Beverage manufacturers, operating in today’s tough business environment is one more challenge in a long list that already includes difficult-to-manage processes, volatile raw materials prices, perishable ingredients and products, a complex supply chain, and strict (and constantly changing) regulatory requirements.
To meet these challenges, Food & Beverage companies (big, medium and small) are looking at modern ERP solutions to help them manage more effectively, streamline key functions and accelerate core processes.
What do they want? Software that:
More than anything, they want a solution well-suited to their business.
A number of ERP vendors offer Food & Beverage-specific toolsets and broad industry expertise. But every organization has unique needs.
So that is another challenge F&B manufacturers can add to the list: finding an ERP solution that fits.
ERP Vendor Update: Food & Beverage Manufacturing is compiled by Ultra Consultants from software company product documentation and product briefings, Ultra independent research, Ultra internal documents, and interviews with Ultra software experts.
Ultra’s Insight is the opinion of our experts, is based on sales experience, project experience and product knowledge, and is not intended to provide a complete review or comprehensive analysis of the products or companies described.
Note: This report covers selected ERP vendors, which were chosen based on Ultra’s most-recent product information and project experience.
Company and product information in this report has been reviewed by the software vendors featured.
If the past year has taught Food & Beverage executives anything, it’s the value of being able to quickly adapt to changing business conditions. As the industry heads into 2021, what challenges lie ahead? We asked two of our top Food & Beverage consultants, Rafael Calderon and Aaron Olin, what manufacturers, processors and distributors need to know to survive and thrive in today’s difficult business environment. Here is an edited version of the conversation.
Rafael Calderon (RC): COVID-related issues will continue to be focused on distribution, specifically the wave of online ordering that knocked companies to their knees this year if they didn’t have those systems in good shape and able to respond to that jump in demand.
We see numbers that show that online purchases and courier delivery have increased in all verticals, but especially in Food & Beverage. Historically, direct store delivery and distribution to consumers are a sore point (and a challenge) for Food & Beverage ERP. And now we think companies are eager and hungry for agile, easy-to-deploy solutions that support these needs.
Aaron Olin (AO): We’ve seen, too, that companies with retail stores are trying more and more to adapt their software to allow for ecommerce and to give them the ability to bypass their retail distribution centers, because last spring they had to suddenly close down their stores. It’s a smart move from the manufacturer and producer standpoint to find ways to deliver direct-to-consumer.
RC: So companies are faced with important questions: What is my cost of distribution now? And how can we ensure that we’re profitable with strained resources and increased demand?