The frozen food industry is more competitive than ever. In order to grow your business and enable sales, you need the best tools available to manage inventory, build relationships with partners and ensure everything is running efficiently. Below we highlight six common pain points of the frozen food industry and how Frozen Food Software can help.
6 Pain Points Frozen Food Software Solves in the Frozen Food Industry
1. Inaccurate inventory control
Whether you’re dealing with individual ingredients or finished goods, accurate inventory control is of supreme importance. Each perishable good has its own shelf life and it’s important to use these ingredients at the optimal time.
An ERP system will provide your organization with visibility into every level of the supply chain so you can create and implement strategies for better using your resources and reducing waste.
2. Lack of communication between tools
Many organizations deal with separate tools for customer service, inventory management, accounting and more. Confusion arises, delays result, and efficiency becomes compromised.
ERP systems consolidate all of these tools into a single solution that facilitates seamless communication between different departments. With an ERP solution in place, organizations are able to make decisions that positively impact everyone involved.
3. Tight profit margins
There just isn’t a ton of room for error in the frozen food industry right now and companies are fighting hard to increase margins through any means possible.
One thing you can do is create a leaner organization that eliminates unnecessary actions and focuses on creating value. When you leverage an ERP system, you’re able to fulfill orders more quickly, trace inventory, minimize downtime, spend less on labor, automate tasks that were once manual and effectively reinvest revenue. In the end, all of these factors create healthier profit margins.
4. Strict industry and government standards
“Both Canada and the United States have regulations that are intended to protect citizens by requiring food producers to comply with regulations,” says industry expert Tom Miller. “ERP for food manufacturing can, if properly configured, track and record data required by these regulations. ERP can also alert producers when real-time data collection shows something is out of tolerance, so the producer can maintain the quality of its food.”
While some of the other pain points on this list are company-specific or optional, this is one pain point that doesn’t allow for much wiggle room. If you don’t comply with standards, you will face penalties and recalls. And while an ERP system won’t automatically ensure 100 percent compliance, it can give you the visibility needed to make compliance easier and more efficient.
5. Consumer demand for sustainability
The consumer marketplace has changed over the past decade. Not only do customers want affordable price points, but they also want to deal with companies that take sustainability seriously. You may already be recycling and using eco-friendly materials, but are there ways you can further expand your strategy to appeal to more customers?
An ERP system allows you to go paperless. In an ERP system, everything is stored and transmitted digitally. This means there’s no need to print and fax documents or store physical files. It provides instant credibility to your organization’s claim that you’re trying to reduce your footprint.
6. Restricted sales teams
For many food companies, sales are lacking because the technology isn’t in place to give sales teams the resources they need to operate efficiently when they’re out of the office. In other words, they’re tied to their desks, forced to build connections through phone calls and emails.
With the right ERP solution, you can give your sales team access to a mobile solution that lets them access the information they need quickly and easily, even when they’re out of the office. This simultaneously enhances customer service and employee satisfaction.
Learn how one frozen bakery leader overcame its challenges thanks to the right business software.
Ready for a specialized food ERP? Learn more about Aptean Food & Beverage ERP JustFood Edition — a solution purpose-built to solve your challenges and propel your food business and digital transformation to the next level.
