Are you considering a technical upgrade for your food and beverage business in 2023? Having the most comprehensive and competitive solution available is a fantastic way to boost your revenue potential and brand authority – giving your customers and team members a seamless experience with every interaction. The question is: What should a food manufacturing system in 2023 include? 

Below, we’re exploring the top areas your food and beverage manufacturing software should address, giving you a centralized structure to help you easily grow and scale your business. 

2023 Food Manufacturing Systems: Key Support Elements 

Below are some of the most important support elements and capabilities that your 2023 food manufacturing software should include:

Cloud framework 

Before we get into functionality, we want to reiterate that a cloud-based ERP is a top choice of software for food and beverage businesses. It’s one of the most important and foundational elements of functionality available due to its flexibility, uptime, editability, and quick-recall features that provide you and your stakeholders with the most actionable and relevant information possible as you continue to grow your business. 

CRM support 

Rather than work within a fractional system, you can get more benefits by including an integrated approach to CRM support to your food manufacturing system wishlist. Whether you’re working with customers or vendor distributors, CRM support that’s centralized and cloud-based is essential for visibility, quality assurance, and efficiency. You’ll be able to better support your customer support team with direct visibility of client experiences, expectations, and interactions. 

Additionally, a centralized CRM support feature in your ERP of choice allows your customers to easily reference brand-approved procedures, documents, and information in seconds – empowering them with the information they need to properly assist the client. This is convenient, especially for global brands that may have multinational teams assisting clients. There is minimal room for confusion or brand compromisation, and both parties have the information they need to do their jobs or finish the experience well. 

Financial management and reporting 

No matter what area of the food and beverage industry you serve, it is more financially strategic (and convenient) to have a centralized tool that includes financial management and reporting in its capabilities. In just a few clicks, any stakeholder or team member can access relevant financial information or down-to-the-minute reporting to support more defined and precise strategies. This level of visibility and transparency can give you the advantage of agility, accuracy, and a more aligned strategy to tackle roadblocks or industry shifts. You won’t have to wait for reports to be run or deal with out-of-date information – everything you have will have already been automatically compiled and calculated over the course of your business’ operating period in question. 

Ideally, you’ll also want to look for permission-based access or stratified access capabilities to protect more sensitive data and allow visibility to select user groups, depending on the size and scale of your operation. 

Recipe management 

As your business continues to grow and expand, there is an increased risk of error or compromise. One of the ways to avoid brand damage or compromised product is to invest in a tool that supports centralized recipe management – avoiding the risk of confusion or error in the manufacturing process. This is an especially helpful inclusion if you’re dealing with teams across multiple manufacturers and need an extra layer of assistance for quality assurance. 

The investment in an ERP system that includes recipe management is generally less than the price you’d pay for multiple quality assurance officers operating within a fractional system for recipe management purposes. A centralized system ensures true flexibility, accessibility, and editability – allowing your changes to show across all displays with a single refresh due to the managed cloud framework it’s housed in. 

Traceability

The concept of traceability is key in 2023, establishing itself as one of the leading themes across consumers for food businesses over the years. This comes as no surprise with the rampant nature of food outbreaks recently  – which may be avoided next year as a result of a traceability tool (such as an ERP) in place. 

From manufacturing to distribution, using a traceability tool allows you to clearly discern risks in your system and maintain the agility to address them. This core functionality works to decrease outbreaks, support your brand’s image and experience, and bolster your consumers’ confidence that your product is a top-tier option in your side of the industry. 

Frequently asked questions: Food manufacturing software 

Below are some common questions about food manufacturing software: 

What type of software is used in a manufacturing plant? 

The type of software used in a manufacturing plant is known as an ERP software system: Which stands for enterprise resource planning. This type of tool manages the inflow and outflow of products and investment in the business, and generally offers traceability and tracking on a per-batch basis for quality assurance and control. 

What is ERP in the food industry? 

ERP in the food industry stands for enterprise resource planning, which occurs through a centralized software system that tracks both manufacturing and distribution processes. 

What’s the best ERP for food businesses? 

Are you considering using a food manufacturing system for your food business? Consult with the experts at Inecta today. Our team has over 20 years of experience curating solutions for leaders in the food and beverage industry and is here to support you in your end-to-end business management needs. Visit our website to get started today.

We look forward to assisting you!