ERP Vendor Update: Food & Beverage Manufacturing

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.

Finding an ERP Solution That Fits

What do they want? Software that:

• Is more advanced than their aging existing solution.
• Enables innovation and growth.
• Improves business performance, boosts efficiency, offers more control and provides an accurate view of their operations.

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.

About This Report

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.

Expert Q&A: ERP and the “New Now”

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.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the story of 2020. What pandemic-driven changes are ahead in 2021?

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?

They are tempted to put a thumb on the bleeding wound. But that thumb (a piece of software) might be costly and might not give you recognizable results immediately. You need to have a well-established costing model and a good analysis protocol to determine that you’re profitable in the long run, or not.

How are companies managing this new distribution model?

AO: Many aren’t managing it well. A consequence of the shift to direct delivery is a lack of understanding of freight costs, the real cost of delivery to customers, and what that model entails, because software is not being utilized to manage those types of costs.

ERP software can attach the exact small package delivery cost to a sales order. But that key functionality is rarely used. Often, small package costs at the order level are lumped into one big General Ledger bucket. It’s a lot of work to do it the right way. And most companies see freight as a cost of doing business, so they only look at it in bulk. Or sometimes they come up with a zone map to give them the ability to say that freight costs roughly X to this part of the country and Y to this other part, and so on. And they do it on an annual basis, and not down to the transaction level.

But it’s important to know what your individual sales order freight costs are to consider delivery costs at the sales order level. And it’s even more important to have that visibility so you know what to charge customers for delivery. Doing that is a major change that needs to take place if companies are going to be competitive.

Let’s get back to demand. How are Food & Beverage companies handling demand forecasting in an unfamiliar, unusual and difficult business environment?

AO: In my view, direct delivery makes it easier to predict demand. When you distribute to a retailer, the retailer tells you what they forecast they will need. But when you’re going direct to the consumer, you see your demand in real time. You take the middleman out of the supply chain and demand calculation becomes less reliant on forecasts from distributors. That’s a big shift. And I see it as positive for simplifying demand planning calculations.

RC: We’ve seen lengthy shortages of basic ingredients like flour and yeast, and products such as disinfecting sprays and toilet paper. Why did these shortages continue after the first few months of the pandemic? How are companies sourcing in a shifting market with significantly increased demand? Why were some organizations unable to ensure they had sufficient product in place? If your company doesn’t have the means to visualize demand systematically, you’re in big trouble.

Poor demand planning creates weird situations. At one point in the middle of the pandemic we couldn’t get lentils. But we had dragon fruit from Thailand. How can that be? That indicates that distribution channels are disrupted, and that they’re acting in a way that needs tracking and analysis. This is why it’s important to be able to develop what-if scenarios (using ERP tools) that will enable companies to respond to demand changes.

AO: Before COVID, a flour manufacturer would ask their distributors how much they planned to buy, and that demand “forecast,” which usually was based on previous years, worked okay in a stable marketplace. But in the pandemic, consumers started buying more flour (a lot more) and those demand models were thrown out the window. Today, companies need to be able to react much faster. The solution is to model different scenarios. And their ERPs can help them do that.

What do organizations need to do to be ready for the next disruption?

RC: The marketplace has changed so rapidly and drastically, and might again. So companies need to know what technical capabilities they can use to respond. They may find that their tools are not configured correctly or need to be updated. To know that requires process and analysis, and a detailed assessment of their technologies. And most organizations find they have ERP tools that aren’t being used properly, effectively or at all. Plain and simple, their ERPs could be leveraged better.

Biographies

Rafael Calderon is a Project Manager for Ultra Consultants. A specialist in systems implementation and process improvement in the Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device sectors, he brings to the job expertise gained over 20 years as a consultant and more than a hundred successful consulting engagements and implementations.

Aaron Olin is a Senior Consultant for Ultra Consultants. A supply chain management, business process design and forecasting/planning expert, he brings more than 20 years of business process improvement and ERP implementation experience to companies in the Food & Beverage, Consumer Goods, Pharma/Nutraceutical and Logistics industries.

Vendor Comparison

Core Functions information is based on Ultra’s independent research, project experience, information gathered from software company product briefings and information provided directly by software vendors. To create this analysis, Ultra experts evaluated software solutions using a checklist of 28 ERP function categories and 98 native/core capabilities.

Core function key: “All” = 100% of specified native/core capabilities; “Some” = less than 100% of specified native/core capabilities; “None” = none of specified native/core capabilities. Organizations should evaluate software solutions and functions based on their unique needs.

The Best Solution May Not Be a Big Solution

Most organizations start ERP selection with a list of the big names in the ERP software marketplace, research features, functionalities and total cost of ownership, and then schedule multiple rounds of sales presentations and demos.

Often overlooked in this process are the smaller solution providers that may better support particular industries and their specialized needs.

There are ERP vendors with exceptionally strong experience and domain knowledge in your vertical, and that understand your business and processes at a deep level. They may offer important industry-specific features that bigger ERP solutions do not.

Many times, they may be the best choice for your organization and your unique requirements. You’ll never know, however, if you don’t include them in your evaluation, listen to their pitches and see how their software works.

Think harder. Expand your search to include smaller ERP vendors with a solution built for your industry.

ERP Vendor Profiles

Aptean

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / Committed to Food & Bev

Aptean aggressively expanded its portfolio of F&B solutions with several strong acquisitions in 2019. It will be interesting to see how its strategy matures as it rolls these into one product. These food-specific solutions have solid technology behind them: all are built on the Microsoft cloud platform.

It’s good to see that Aptean has reached the point of adding resellers to the mix. Given the volume of customers, new and old, a robust partner ecosystem will be a nice addition.

Aptean leadership clearly is working hard to define its strategy around recent acquisitions, and customers and prospects alike should be excited to see what Aptean brings to market in the coming years.

• Headquarters: Alpharetta, Ga., USA
• Market focus: Mid-Market / Committed to Food & Bev
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant, multi-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Food/CPG, Chemical, Distribution, Manufacturing
• Food & Bev customers: Baker Boy Bake Shop Inc., Creminelli Fine Meats, Kettle Cuisine, Litehouse Foods, PEZ Candy, Portillo’s, Roger Wood Foods, Sun Basket, The Original Cakerie, Vita-Pakt Citrus Products, Wholesum Harvest
• Customers by industry: Data not provided by Aptean

Strategy

The Food and Beverage ERP suite brings together six solutions (JustFood, bcFood, LINKFRESH, DIN, Agiles and Foodware 365), all built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform and tailored to specific segments of the industry. Part of the company’s larger product network, the food and beverage offerings are supplemented with connectivity to payment, ecommerce, MES, EAM and transportation management systems.

Aptean’s Pitch

In today’s fast-paced, competitive economy, you don’t have time to waste with homegrown software, duplicative spreadsheets, and inefficient one-size-fits-all software. Aptean is on a mission to support your industry challenges with tailored ERP, supply chain and compliance solutions.

Aptean knows food. Its customers include meat processors, fresh produce providers, bakeries, dairies and food manufacturers. Understanding that each industry deals with specific challenges, it has developed specialized traceability, recipe management, quality control and forecasting tools, so your business can focus on delivering the highest-quality products. If you’re a food producer, manufacturer, processor or distributor, Aptean has a solution to fit your needs.

Profile

Aptean (aptean.com) is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., USA. A $360 million global provider of industry-specific enterprise software, the company serves 6,000 customers and provides niche solutions for process and discrete manufacturers and distributors.

Aptean Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, Costing, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, International Support, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Transportation Management, Warehouse Management (WMS), Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Advanced Planning & Scheduling, CRM, Lean Manufacturing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Human Resources, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll

Deacom

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / A Different Approach

Deacom is a strong player in the mid-market, especially for process manufacturers in Food & Beverage, Chemicals and Life Sciences. It offers a rich feature set, as every release includes major functionality enhancements, which are rolled out to its entire customer base.

Ultra has seen several successful Deacom implementations over the years. While it is a smaller organization, it doesn’t over-extend its resources. But, due to its size, it goes to market in a direct-only fashion, which some may find problematic.

Deacom has some catching up to do in the cloud department, currently only offering on-prem or hosted solutions.

Some companies prefer to partner with smaller organizations and, for them, Deacom is an excellent fit.

• Headquarters: Chesterbrook, Pa., USA
• Market focus: Mid-Market / A Different Approach
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Food & Beverage, Adhesives/Sealants, Cannabis, Chemical, Cosmetics, Distribution, Nutraceuticals, Oil & Gas, Paint & Coatings, Pharmaceuticals
• Food & Bev customers: California Custom Fruits & Flavors, D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., Leonard Holding Co., Silver Spring Foods, Stir Foods Group, Teasdale Latin Foods, Vienna Beef
• Customers by industry: Data not provided by Deacom

Strategy

Deacom is a 100% direct organization, and all services and support are provided by Deacom employees. Its software functionality is native to the core ERP, and a large number of features are industry-specific. Deacom uses a fixed-price implementation model, with first-year maintenance included. Its targets are companies with $40 million to $2 billion in annual revenue.

Deacom’s Pitch

Deacom offers a different approach to ERP software by avoiding the customizations, bolt-ons and workarounds that plague traditional ERP implementations.

Putting a system in place that natively supports your specific industry processes and empowers your employees, makes all the difference. DEACOM ERP, developed with the philosophy of “Complexity Made Simpler,” uniquely helps you manage your specific challenges and increases your competitive edge with ONE System, ONE User Experience, ONE Fixed Price and ONE Team.

The product depth and the ONE System solution approach guarantees that your defined business strategies are followed throughout the organization each and every day.

Profile

Deacom is headquartered in Chesterbrook, Pa., with offices in Denver, Colo. and Frankfurt, Germany. With 25 years of experience, Deacom (deacom.com) has a strong focus on medium- and large-sized manufacturing and distribution companies (in a wide variety of industries) and has 160-plus employees who support more than 200 customers worldwide.

Deacom Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Consolidation/Budgeting, Costing, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, International Support, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management (WMS), Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Analytics/BI, Enterprise Asset Management, Human Resources, Lean Manufacturing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Payroll, Transportation Management

IFS

Ultra’s Insight: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Built for Complex Organizations

IFS Applications 10 is a functionally robust product that thrives in complex organizations in both process and discrete manufacturing.

While IFS does not have the name recognition of its competitors, it has seen significant growth in recent years, especially in the Americas.

IFS benefits from an experienced and tenured implementation team, and a customer base that is loyal to the organization and the product.

IFS has not been quick to move to the cloud, and still does not offer a multi-tenant deployment model, unlike many of its competitors.

IFS has shown recent signs of growing its partner ecosystem, which, due to its growth, will be a welcome change.

• Headquarters: Linköping, Sweden
• Market focus: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Built for Complex Organizations
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Manufacturing, including Food Production; Aerospace & Defense; Energy, Utilities & Resources; Engineering, Construction & Infrastructure; Service Industries
• Food & Bev customers: Butcher’s Pet Care Ltd., Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc., Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy, Pukka Pies Ltd., Volac International Ltd., WellPet
• Customers by industry: 26.1% Manufacturing: Food & Beverage; 21.7% Professional Services; 17.2% Other; 13.0% Oil, Gas & Chemicals; 8.7% Life Sciences; 8.7% CPG; 4.3% Utilities; 4.3% Distribution

Strategy

IFS deploys a hybrid model when it comes to sales. Its direct sales team services customers over $150 million in annual revenue, and resellers and system integrators service the under-$150 million customer base.

The company touts its focus on specific industries, which includes manufacturing, aerospace/defense and construction.

IFS’s Pitch

IFS is a different kind of ERP software. It is not complex and rigid like some other ERP suites. Instead, it is designed to help you rapidly take advantage of emerging technology and the changing market landscape, maximizing the agility of your business.

Our solution includes functionality for Enterprise Project Management, Enterprise Asset Management and Service Management. The application can be configured for a variety of industries, and excels in demanding settings that combine elements of manufacturing, project, service and asset management.

For Food & Beverage, IFS applications provide a 360-degree view of the supply chain and manufacturing, delivering broad scope, deep functionality and exceptional configurability.

Profile

IFS AB (ifs.com) is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden. The company develops and delivers enterprise software for manufacturing and distribution customers. The company generates more than $668 million in annual revenue, has more than 4,000 employees, and 10,000 customers worldwide.

IFS Applications 10 Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, Human Resources, International Support, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management, Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Costing, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management (WMS)
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Transportation Management

Infor

Ultra’s Insight: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Verticalized Go-To-Market Strategy

Infor has undergone some significant changes in recent years, with new ownership and leadership. But its strategy of providing industry-specific software in the cloud has not changed, which is an encouraging sign.

Infor has come a long way over the last decade, and continues to take market share from some of its more well-known competitors. If Infor can increase brand awareness, it will continue to grow at an even faster pace.

CloudSuite Food & Beverage (M3) was developed with process and mixed-mode manufacturing in mind. The product offers a robust feature set that can compete functionally with its primary competitors, often at a lower total investment.

• Headquarters: New York, N.Y., USA
• Market focus: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Verticalized Go-To-Market Strategy
• Deployment options: On-premises, multi-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Food & Beverage, Chemicals, Consumer Products, Distribution, Equipment Dealers/Rental, Industrial Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Retail & Fashion
• Food & Bev customers: Aurora Organic Dairy, Eagle Foods, Frontier Co-Op, Kemin Industries, Ruiz Foods, Sanimax, Seaboard Foods, Tree Top
• Customers by industry: 26% Food & Beverage; 22% Industrial Manufacturing; 19% Distribution; 18% Fashion; 8% Equipment Service & Rental; 4% Life Sciences; 3% Chemicals

Strategy

The company builds industry-specific solutions in the cloud using technologies that put user experience first, leverage data science and offer easy integration into existing systems. Infor combines direct resources with a robust partner network when going to market. The Infor Partner Network is a global ecosystem of people, services and systems, designed to provide world-class solutions, and high-quality training, support and enablement.

Infor’s Pitch

Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage offers the tools to accelerate food and beverage manufacturers’ global supply chains and help bring new products to market faster.

The platform offers proven food and beverage ERP capabilities across all major segments of the industry, including bakery, beverage, dairy, protein, prepared and chilled, and food ingredients.

The core ERP capabilities within CloudSuite Food & Beverage deliver what food and beverage companies need including procurement, warehouse and inventory management, maintenance, quality management, sales and finance. It also includes support for shelf-life, yield, reverse bill of materials, attribute management, catch weight and grower accounting.

Profile

Infor (infor.com) is headquartered in New York, N.Y., USA, brought in $3.2 billion in revenue in 2019 and, with 67,000 customer organizations worldwide, is a leader in industry-specific cloud software products.

CloudSuite F&B Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, Costing, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, Ecommerce, Enterprise Asset Management, International Support, Lean Manufacturing, Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management (WMS), Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: EDI, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Transportation Management
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Human Resources, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS)

Alithya / Microsoft Dynamics 365

Ultra’s Insight: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Custom-Built for Process Manufacturing

Microsoft goes to market in a purely channel model. Microsoft has provided a strong foundation in their base product, and then it’s up to their vast network of VARs and ISVs to build their own Intellectual Property, providing industry-specific enhancements.

That’s what Alithya has done in Food & Beverage. In late 2018, Alithya acquired Edgewater Fullscope, a Microsoft VAR and leading partner well-known in the F&B space. In 2009, Fullscope sold its process mfg IP to Microsoft, which was incorporated into Dynamics.

Microsoft D365 is a highly configurable system that can easily scale up and down. Because of its flexibility, Microsoft implementations can be more expensive than some of its competitors, so we typically see it in larger and more complex organizations.

• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
• Market focus: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Custom-Built for Process Manufacturing
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Building Supply, Chemical, Food/Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices
• Food & Bev customers: Kent Corporation, Iovate Health Sciences, Reily Foods, Green Roads
• Customers by industry: Data not provided by Alithya

Strategy

Alithya’s Microsoft practice covers a wide array of capabilities, including Dynamics, Azure, business and advanced analytics, digital solutions, application development and architecture.

The firm’s Dynamics practice delivers Microsoft Dynamics 365 for finance and supply chain management solutions and services to manufacturers, with a focus on Food/Beverage, Chemical, Life Science and Discrete Manufacturing.

Alithya’s Microsoft Pitch

Alithya Group is a leader in strategy and digital transformation in North America. Our integrated offering is based on our four pillars of expertise: strategy services, application services, enterprise solutions, and data and analytics. Our Microsoft practice covers a wide array of capabilities, including Dynamics, Azure, business and advanced analytics, digital solutions, application development and architecture.

Our company has won 20 Microsoft Partner Awards, and is one of North America’s top resellers of Dynamics 365 for finance and supply chain management. We also offer powerful and flexible Dynamics 365 for customer engagement services and training programs to manufacturers of all sizes.

Profile

Founded in 1992, and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Alithya Group (alithya.com) generates $260 million in annual revenue, and employs more than 2,000 professionals in the United States, Canada and Europe. Built through a series of acquisitions, Alithya (“true” in Greek) recently acquired managed web companies, a healthcare consulting firm and an application development/QA firm.

Alithya (Microsoft D365) Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, Costing, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, Human Resources, International Support, Lean Manufacturing, Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Transportation Management, Warehouse Management (WMS), Workflows
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Plex

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / F&B Disruptor

Plex has long been known as a player in the automotive and metals industries, but over the past five years Plex has started to make waves in Food & Beverage.

This new focus makes good sense, given that a number of requirements in their bread-and-butter industries are also necessary in F&B: compliance, quality, strong EDI and traceability, to name a few.

It’s not easy entering a new vertical, and Plex should be applauded for rapid innovation as they quickly became a known competitor in an already crowded space. It seems to have carved out a niche in CPG and snack foods, and we will be watching to see if it can grow into some of the other F&B sub-verticals such as produce or beverages.

• Headquarters: Troy, Mich., USA
• Market focus: Mid-Market / F&B Disruptor
• Deployment options: Multi-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Food & Beverage, Plastics & Rubber, High-Tech & Electronics, Industrial Manufacturing, Aerospace, Automotive
• Food & Bev customers: Aaron Thomas, Catallia Mexican Foods, Dominion Liquid Technologies (DLT), Hausbeck Pickles & Peppers, Olde Thompson, Sanders Fine Chocolates, Shank’s Extracts, Splendid Ice Creams, U.S. Waffle Company, Wonton Food Inc.
• Customers by industry: 33% Metals (Primary/Fabricated); 23% General Discrete Manufacturing (Machinery, Construction, Factory Equipment); 22% Repetitive Flow (Automotive Parts/Components); 9% Chemicals (Bulk/Specialty); 7% Food & Beverage; 5% Other

Strategy

Focused solely on manufacturing (process and discrete), the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform includes MES, ERP, supply chain planning, Industrial IoT and analytics. The company goes to market with a direct-sales model (plus referral partners) and boasts of a 96% subscription renewal rate.

Plex’s Pitch

The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform is a single digital system that gives you control over every aspect of your manufacturing operations, with total traceability and integrated quality control. Plus, it enables the elimination of paper processes and makes it easy to keep product safety a priority.

The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform includes MES, ERP, supply chain planning, quality, Industrial IoT and analytics to connect people, systems, machines and supply chains, enabling you to lead with precision, efficiency and agility, and gain unmatched visibility, quality and control.

Profile

Based in Troy, Mich., USA, Plex Systems (plex.com) began in 1989 as an internal IT project at an automotive parts manufacturer. Known as the first provider of a complete cloud solution for manufacturing companies, the company reports that 675 manufacturers and 1200 facilities in 37 countries currently use Plex solutions. In March 2020, the privately held company reported 11 consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth.

Plex Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Analytics/BI, Costing, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, Human Resources, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Consolidation/Budgeting, CRM, International Support, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Warehouse Management (WMS)
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Ecommerce, Transportation Management

QAD

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / All About Manufacturing

QAD is no stranger in the ERP world, having been around since 1979 and building a loyal customer base along the way.

The company focuses exclusively on six manufacturing verticals: Automotive, High-Tech, CPG, Industrial Equipment, Life Sciences and Food & Beverage.

QAD deploys its software either on-premise or in its own private cloud, something that makes it stand out against its competitors who prefer a public cloud option.

QAD has honed-in on a few sub-verticals within F&B, with strong and growing customer bases in meats/proteins, candy/confections and spirits/wine/beer.

• Market focus: Mid-Market / All About Manufacturing
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Automotive, Consumer Goods, Food & Beverage, High Tech, Industrial Products, Life Sciences
• Food & Bev customers: Bakersland, Bickford’s, Comvita, Freedom Foods, Gorton’s Seafood, Haigh’s Chocolates, Imperial Brands, JelSert, Jordan’s, Kinnerton, Leon, Madeta, Michigan Turkey, Oberto, Rondo Food, Sun-Maid, Trendy Foods, United Bakeries, Wander, Wixon Foodservice Group, Young’s Seafood
• Customers by industry: 36% Automotive; 17% Industrial; 17% Electronics; 14% Life Sciences; 8% Food & Beverage; 8% Consumer Products

Strategy

QAD focuses on the automotive, life sciences, consumer products, food and beverage, high technology and industrial products industries. The company’s Next Generation ERP product portfolio is headlined by QAD Adaptive ERP, and includes demand and supply chain planning (DSCP), global trade and transportation execution (GTTE) and quality management system (QMS), all designed to help customers become Adaptive Manufacturing Enterprises.

QAD’s Pitch

QAD’s Adaptive ERP Solution is perfect for food and beverage manufacturers by fully integrating planning, scheduling, supply chain management, material control and shop floor control. It adapts to all types of manufacturing styles used by food and beverage companies from process and batch production to discrete packaging.

Quality metrics, central model management and automated data collection ensure accurate, complete product, material and inventory information. Intuitive planning tools synchronize production to match changing demand and coordinate suppliers while quality management helps maintain production excellence and adherence to food safety regulations.

QAD’s enterprise solution for Food and Beverage Manufacturers helps companies become agile, effective enterprises.

Profile

QAD (QAD.com) is a leading provider of adaptive cloud-based enterprise software and services for global manufacturing companies. QAD has offices in 19 countries and 1,900 employees, and more than 300,000 users at 4,000 customer sites.

QAD Adaptive ERP Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, International Support, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management (WMS), Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Costing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Transportation Management
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Human Resources, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS)

Sage X3

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / Strong in Process Manufacturing

Sage X3 is well-suited for mid-sized companies that want broad ERP functionality without the high cost of the big solutions. Complex organizations with complicated requirements, however, are likely to require third-party integrations to achieve all their ERP goals.

Sage X3 is catching up in the cloud with single- and multi-tenant deployment offerings, but upgrades in the production environment are not automatic.

Sage X3 provides a strong option within its focus verticals of process manufacturing.

Sage recently moved to a channel sales model to leverage a growing partner ecosystem. Ultra has had positive experiences working with partners like NexTec Group, and we are eager to see other VARs open Sage X3 practices.

• Headquarters: United Kingdom
• Market focus: Mid-Market / Strong in Process Manufacturing
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant, multi-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Food Production (Ingredient/Flavor Producers, Soups & Packaged Foods), Cannabis P/P & Sales, Chemicals, CPG/Soft Goods, Growers, Life Sciences
• Food & Bev customers: Brookside Flavors & Ingredients, Costa Farms, Elmer Candy Corp., Glory Bee Foods, Northwest Naturals, Power Distributing LLC, Yakima Chief Hops
• Customers by industry: 35.5% Manufacturing: Food & Beverage; 15.0% Manufacturing: Chemical, Metal & Plastic; 11.5% Cannabis; 11.5% Distribution; 11.5% Manufacturing: Discrete; 8.8% Other; 6.2% Life Sciences

Strategy

Sage recently made a change to its go-to-market strategy, moving to an all-channel model, with the direct team acting as sales and implementation support.

Sage X3 is now fully in the cloud after a number of years as an on-premises system with some hosting options. Sage offers on-premises and cloud deployment, but its long-term product vision is focused on SaaS.

Sage’s Pitch

Whether upgrading an existing ERP application or installing a new system, businesses know that success is highly dependent on a business management platform that has a strong food processing industry foundation and can support its unique requirements with minimal customization.

Sage X3 provides crucial functions for the food and beverage industry, supporting greater transparency and food safety.

In addition, Sage X3 is designed to support operations for years to come. It is completely up to date with the latest technological standards, ensuring its readiness to adapt to changing regulations and business pressures. As your business grows, Sage X3 grows too, to meet future regulatory and operational challenges with ease.

Profile

Sage Group plc (sage.com) is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Sage is the world’s third-largest supplier of ERP software, with $2 billion in annual revenue, 6.1 million customers worldwide, products/services available in 160 countries, and offices in 24 countries.

Sage X3 Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Analytics/BI, Consolidation/Budgeting, Document Management, Ecommerce, EDI, Human Resources, International Support, Quality & Compliance, Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Costing, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Transportation Management, Warehouse Management (WMS)
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Enterprise Asset Management, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Lean Manufacturing, Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS)

SAP S/4HANA

Ultra’s Insight: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Everything for Everyone

Everybody knows SAP. It’s been a leader, not just in Food & Beverage, but in all industries for decades.

In terms of ERP market share, no software vendor owns more than SAP. It offers a fully integrated platform on its proprietary HANA database, and its robust feature set allows it to service organizations ranging from pre-revenue startups to multi-billion-dollar global corporations.

The vast majority of its implementations are handled via system integrators, aided by a partner eco-system that is among the largest of any ERP provider. This all comes with a cost, and SAP implementations are notoriously expensive, and can be complex, especially in larger organizations.

We know SAP invests a large amount of revenue back into the product, and are excited to see new developments in S/4 HANA as it continues to migrate their install base customers to the cloud.

• Headquarters: Walldorf, Germany
• Market focus: Enterprise / Mid-Market / Everything for Everyone
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant, multi-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Automotive, Banking, Chemicals, Consumer Products, Defense, Education and Research, Industrial Machinery, Insurance, Life Sciences, Media, Mill & Mining, Oil & Gas, Professional Services, Public Sector, Retail, Technology, Telecommunications, Travel & Transportation, Wholesale
• Food & Bev customers: Sobey’s
• Customers by industry: Data not provided by SAP

Strategy

Known for its ERP software, SAP has evolved to become a leader in end-to-end enterprise application software, database, analytics, intelligent technologies and experience management. It is a top cloud software company with 200 million users worldwide. SAP targets businesses of all sizes and in all industries.

SAP’s Pitch

SAP products help customers become an intelligent enterprise, and thrive. Our framework includes:

1. An Intelligent Suite of LoB applications that includes ERP, digital supply chain management, customer experience, intelligent spend management and human experience management.
2. A Business Technology Platform that serves as the control center for the enterprise and accelerates the transformation of data into business value. It includes database and data management, application development and integration, analytics and intelligent technologies, from on-premise to the cloud.
3. An Experience Management (XM) platform which brings together experience data (X-data) and operational data (O-data) and helps organizations manage four core experiences: customer, employee, product and brand.

Profile

SAP (sap.com) is headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, and has regional offices in 180 countries. Founded in 1972, the $29.2 billion company has 440,000 customers, 101,450 employees and 21,000 partners around the world. The company says that more than three-quarters of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP system. “SAP” is an initialism of the company’s original German name: Systemanalyse Programmentwicklung, or System Analysis Program Development.

SAP S/4 HANA Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Consolidation/Budgeting, Costing, International Support, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Quality & Compliance, Sales & Use Tax, Transportation Management, Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Analytics/BI, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, Document Management, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, Report Writer, Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Management (WMS)
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Ecommerce, Human Resources, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Payroll

SYSPRO

Ultra’s Insight: Mid-Market / Manufacturing- & Distribution-Focused

SYSPRO is a South African-headquartered organization that continues to expand both its direct and channel programs in North America.

The company offers a robust feature set, and focuses on the manufacturing and distribution industries, which is one of its differentiators.

For organizations that like the ability to customize their ERP solution, SYSPRO allows for this approach by providing modular functionality. While SYSPRO currently offers only on-prem or hosted deployment options, we expect to see it roll out a true-cloud SaaS option in the near future, along with an updated and more user-friendly UI.

For small to medium-sized businesses, SYSPRO provides a solid “bang for your buck.”

• Headquarters: South Africa (U.S. offices in Costa Mesa, California)
• Market focus: Mid-Market / Manufacturing- & Distribution-Focused
• Deployment options: On-premises, single-tenant
• Targeted verticals: Animal Food Manufacturing, Animal Slaughtering & Processing, Bakeries & Tortilla Manufacturing, Breweries, Dairy Product Manufacturing, Distilleries, Fruit & Vegetable Preserving & Specialty Food Manufacturing, Grain & Oilseed Milling, Other Food Manufacturing, Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging, Soft Drink & Ice Manufacturing, Sugar & Confectionary Product Manufacturing, Wineries
• Food & Bev customers: Fiddes Payne, Ken’s Food, Ruprecht, Lone Star Bakery, U.S. Salt, Vanns Spices, Gorant Chocolatier
• Customers by industry: 19.6% Industrial Machinery & Equipment; 17.2% Fabricated Metals; 16.9% Electronics; 10.4% Food & Beverage; 9% Other; 5.8% Plastics & Rubber; 5.7% Automotive Parts & Accessories; 5.2% Chemical; 5.1% Packaging; 5.1% Furniture

Strategy

SYSPRO’s strength is its long-term focus on manufacturing and distribution industries, including food & beverage. The company offers the choice to deploy in the cloud, on-premises or both (hybrid). SYSPRO goes to market in the U.S. with both direct sales and channel sales. The U.S. partner base includes over 250 partner contacts and industry solution providers.

SYSPRO’s Pitch

On a global scale, SYSPRO leads the manufacturing and distribution sectors through significant change and growth. With more than 42 years of specialist knowledge and expertise in the Food & Beverage industry, we provide advanced functionality such as lot traceability and recall management, manufacturing operations management, inventory management and quality control.

The customer experience is at the core of everything we do, and we are proud of our high customer retention rate. Our ability to simplify, innovate based on market needs, focus on delivering faster time-to-value and providing last-mile functionality ensures the success of your business.

Profile

With U.S. offices in Costa Mesa, California, SYSPRO (syspro.com) is a privately held provider of ERP software for manufacturers and distributors. Established in 1978 by CEO Phil Duff, the company has 12 major offices around the world, and over 15 000 licensed customers in 62 countries.

SYSPRO Core Functions

• All specified native/core capabilities: Food & Beverage-Specific, Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Consolidation/Budgeting, CRM, Demand Planning & Forecasting, International Support, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Report Writer, Sales & Use Tax, Supply Chain Management, Workflows
• Some specified native/core capabilities: Analytics/BI, Costing, Document Management, EDI, Enterprise Asset Management, Lean Manufacturing, Multi-Company/Multi-Plant, Payroll, Product Information Management System (PIMS), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Management, Quality & Compliance, Warehouse Management (WMS)
• None of specified native/core capabilities: Ecommerce, Human Resources, Laboratory Info Management (LIMS), Transportation Management

6 Software Selection & Implementation Pain Points + Solutions

Pain Point 1: Establishing accurate requirements and relevant priorities

Incorrect requirements will yield the wrong software choice, and faulty priorities direct attention and effort away from core issues.

Solution

• Determine and document the current state.
• Develop a succinct and focused list of requirements and opportunities.
• Develop and vet priorities with leadership and core users.
• Formalize documentation to support.

Pain Point 2: Selecting and negotiating with the solution vendor and implementation partners

Homegrown selection protocols are seldom successful, and will create limitations that will not be discovered until well into the implementation process.

Solution

• Develop and apply a structured approach to selection.
• Develop standard measurements and criteria.
• Evaluate functional fit as the primary focus, but also consider technical, implementation and cost fit.
• Ensure apples-to-apples grading.
• Utilize intelligent and appropriate negotiation techniques.
• Pay attention to contract clauses.

Pain Point 3: Generating a feasible and realistic implementation plan

Relying on a vendor-templated plan, which rarely caters to special needs, may leave many parameters unmet.

Solution

• Leverage the vendor’s approach but create a customized version that addresses unique requirements and includes all supporting activities.
• Have realistic expectations that align with a transformation roadmap.
• Generate a budget that will meet the needs of the plan.

Pain Point 4: Estimating resources needed, making a backfill plan, and upgrading aging hardware

The implementation effort often is misunderstood and underestimated. Most implementation failures are attributable to resource issues.

Solution

• Develop a realistic view and honest assessment of resources available.
• Mitigate conflicts with backfill plans.
• Anticipate circumstances that will result in utilizing outside resources or purchasing new hardware.
• Gain solid leadership support and core team sponsorship.

Pain Point 5: Building effective organizational change management

These aspects often are forgotten, and even the most robust implementation plan will fail without them. ERP implementation does not simply carry existing processes into a new platform. In many cases, these initiatives require a redesign of the way things are done at multiple levels of the organization. Change causes stress, and knowing who will be impacted (and proactively communicating to all stakeholders) will go a long way toward mitigating uncertainty and fear, and will help ensure a positive outcome.

Solution

• Implement strong governance protocols and have effective collaboration tools in place.
• Document accountability measures, and get buy-in and sign-off from all relevant parties.
• Prepare for resistance to change, and be ready to manage it.

Pain Point 6: Managing implementation partner performance and ensuring accountability

Project charters without specific deliverables, guarantees, performance incentives, breach penalties and exit clauses are almost worthless.

Solution

• Insist on a proper project charter.
• Pay close attention to contract details and clauses, and demand clarity.
• Establish a risk management plan to avoid mid-implementation questions and confusion.
• Monitor adherence to budget, timeline and scope.
• Communicate effectively when there are risks, and escalate when appropriate.

Conclusion

There are many ERP vendors that offer Food & Beverage-specific toolsets and broad industry expertise. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The functionalities and capabilities required are unique to each Food & Beverage subvertical. And finding the best fit starts with evaluating software solutions and functions based on your organization’s unique needs.