Food & Beverage Production
How can a smooth production process be ensured when you are dependent on numerous external factors? Interrupted supply chains, environmental influences and supply bottlenecks present food and beverage production companies with immense challenges. In order to be able to satisfy product demand without producing too much, all processes have to work well together. But how do companies in the food production industry deal with a shortage of raw materials? How can they produce profitably with the available resources and reduce waste as much as possible? REMIRA understands these challenges and offers specialized software solutions for food production.
Table of contents
- Sales and production planning for food
- Advantages of an AI industry solution for the food industry
- The food industry and its challenges
- How can software solve the challenges of the food industry?
- REMIRA software for food & beverage production
- Advantages of our software solutions for food & beverage production
Predicting food sales is difficult because many external factors such as weekly and public holidays, seasonal factors and the weather have to be taken into account when planning. Trends also play an important role in ensuring that customer requirements are always met with the currently desired varieties or flavors. The best-before date also restricts the planning horizon - write-offs result in losses. After sales planning, food production comes into play. Production planning is a challenge in itself: cost and time pressure, high flexibility and reliability are just some of the aspects that make this area so demanding. In addition to these classic planning challenges, food production also involves a number of industry-specific requirements, such as the shelf life of the food, varying quantities of raw materials and hygiene regulations.
Advantages of an AI industry solution for the food industry
Some companies rely on their ERP system. However, these are often not specific or powerful enough to meet the requirements of the food industry. In contrast to standard ERP software, medium-sized and large companies can significantly optimize their forecasting, planning and control with a special solution. Artificial intelligence also plays a role here. AI is increasingly being used in the food industry. It can help to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve product quality.
Areas in which special software is used in food production:
- Forecasts: Forecasts are projections in which relevant key figures are recalculated on the basis of current data. AI is used to process the large volumes of data quickly and in the best possible way.
- Sales planning: AI-supported sales planning helps to predict sales and thus contributes to more efficient product planning and consequently to less overproduction.
- Purchasing: A special solution can provide precise order suggestions thanks to AI. This means that the correct purchasing quantities are always determined. It also ensures optimal use of resources, reducing waste and optimizing energy consumption - which in turn means greater sustainability.
- Production control: The optimal utilization of machines is a factor that should not be underestimated. AI can optimize the food production process by ensuring precisely this optimal capacity utilization.
- Supply Chain Management: Successful SCM starts with suppliers, as a digital procurement process with corresponding digital communication enables efficient processes between companies and suppliers. Supplier evaluations, capacity and demand forecasts and simplified goods receipt mean fewer manual errors and significant time savings.
"OUTPERFORM really covers all of our planning efforts from start in finish in one application. This has greatly helped us in creating coherent processes, resulting in improved supply chain performance. The solid software solution helped us in integrating supply chains and improving our supply chain agility to follow volatile demand." Arjan Gerritsen, Operations & Supply Chain Lead at
Royal Smilde
Quality management: The area of quality management includes, for example, compliance with food safety standards and legal regulations as well as quality control and assurance. Manufacturers must also strictly adhere to the strict hygiene regulations that apply when handling food. The traceability of food also plays an important role.
Production optimization: Designing production efficiently and reducing production costs at the same time is a major challenge. The automation of processes also poses problems for many companies: Where can we automate? How does the changeover take place?
Supply Chain Management: Supplier and inventory management as well as logistics optimization are important issues in the food industry. In recent years in particular, there have been an increasing number of problems or interruptions in supply chains and rising raw material prices, which in turn have affected availability for production processes. The quantities of raw materials supplied often deviate from the order - for example, in the dairy sector, when the company in question has simply not produced enough milk.
Data management: Data management plays a central role in food production by helping to optimize processes, ensure compliance and make decisions based on accurate, timely information. This includes, for example, data analysis for quality control and traceability, process monitoring and reporting, as well as inventory and supply chain management.
Organic products: The production of organic products is characterized by compliance with strict organic standards and the management of supply chain complexities. These include, for example, compliance with organic standards or legal requirements and the existence of regular inspections, higher raw material prices and difficult procurement, as high-quality, certified organic raw materials are often limited, and strict measures to prevent contamination of organic products with non-organic materials.
Operational production planning for food can be made easier with a special industry solution. Such software is designed to automate production as far as possible, taking into account material availability, allergen and shelf life restrictions and multi-stage production. Machine planning can also be optimally controlled with the help of specialized software. It specifies the sequence in which the food is produced in order to keep set-up times and set-up costs to a minimum. Correct planning of the production steps helps to make optimum use of the machines and minimize cleaning steps.
Digitalization and the associated introduction of technologies such as cloud environments or artificial intelligence can give companies a decisive competitive advantage. Innovative and technology-based solutions that can help to overcome these complex challenges, minimize risks and increase productivity at the same time are more in demand than ever. In addition to the classic planning requirements, a special industry solution can also improve adherence to delivery dates while taking into account shelf life and set-up times. More and more companies that are active in food production are therefore considering the introduction of special software in order to optimally manage the high demands of food production.
What types of software does production in the food industry require?
- Sales & Operations Planning
- Integrated Business Planning
- Forecast-based production planning
- Quality management
- Warehouse Management
REMIRA software for food & beverage production
Would you like to forecast demand situations, obtain the right quantity of raw materials at the right time and then generate the optimum production orders?
The software is easily connected to the existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. To do this, we use our connectivity tools, which allow us to easily connect to your IT infrastructure such as your ERP (e.g. SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and any other ERP system) via an interface.
Advantages of our software solutions for food & beverage production
REMIRA offers you software solutions for the food industry that help you meet the specific requirements of food production. Our industry solutions help to meet the unique requirements and challenges of the industry. They offer food producers the following benefits:
Efficient Supply Chain Management
Managing the supply chain in real time, inventory control and supplier integration: without efficient supply chain management, overstocks and bottlenecks in production can quickly occur. The consequences would be spoilage and write-offs or inability to deliver. Forecasting models help to optimize warehouse management. At the same time, supplier integration is also an important factor: better coordination and trouble-free communication, e.g. through a supplier portal, ensures smooth business processes.
Optimal production processes
The software automates production workflows, reducing manual effort and human error. In addition, the available resources - some of which deviate from the quantities planned by the purchasing department - can be used in the best possible way. This results in better planning and control of machines, personnel and raw materials.
Data management
The best way to make the right decisions is on the basis of valid data. Our solutions provide immediate access to production data so that you can make quick and informed decisions. Analyzing data also contributes to the early identification of market and consumer trends.
Higher customer satisfaction
Optimized inventory management and efficient production planning allow you to shorten your delivery times, which ensures greater customer satisfaction. Thanks to consistent quality controls, you can also reliably deliver high-quality products.
Ensure quality
standards
Successful and consistent quality management is required to produce high-quality food. Continuous monitoring and control of the individual parameters in production ensures high product quality in food processing. Software also enables food traceability. The precise and seamless tracking of products and raw materials is crucial for food safety along the entire supply chain.
Cost efficiency
Lower production costs mean more profit: optimizing processes results in less production downtime and more efficient use of resources. In conjunction with automation, you can save on operating costs.
Compliance and Documentation
Informative documentation is particularly important for traceability, but also for internal analyses and external regulatory requirements. Automated reporting provides you with meaningful reports to identify successes and counteract risks at an early stage. Centralized and digital document management gives you quick access to important documents at any time and from anywhere.
Are you interested in software solutions for food production?
Whether dairy, slaughterhouse or bakery - thanks to our many years of experience in the food industry, we know the challenges and goals. Our software solutions and expertise will help you achieve a sustainable increase in success. Contact us now to find out more.