the problem
Effective forecasting is a critical task for any food processing business. Unfortunately, it is made difficult by short product life and last minute order changes.
To effectively meet demand, management need to ensure that they have enough raw materials, packaging and labour resources. This can only be achieved if they are able to accurately predict upcoming orders.
Inaccurate forecasting means that buyers will either purchase too much raw material, or not enough. Both situations can cause serious problems for food processing businesses. For example: if processors overstock raw materials, they have to freeze any surplus. This significantly reduces sales price and increases storage costs.
Similarly, failing to order enough raw material forces buyers to make last minute purchases. They cannot negotiate the best prices and if stock shortages are left to escalate, processors may fail to meet orders on time. This damages customer relationships, which can be particularly problematic in such a competitive industry.
the solution
Integreater® systematically predicts demand based on sales data, which is continuously measured to ensure the most accurate forecasting.
The e-MES will take into account the effects of promotional activity and cannibalisation. For example: if sirloin steaks are on promotion, Integreater® will automatically predict the impact that this will have on sales of rump steak.
the result
Effective forecasting means that buyers are able to make informed purchases several weeks before customer orders are finalised. They can then negotiate the best price for raw materials.
Similarly, operations staff are able to achieve the most efficient use of resources, minimise waste and ensure that orders are met on time.
- accurate forecasting for each department/site
- informed business decisions
- greater foresight
- real-time data
- less wastage/freezing
- accurate order fulfilment
- electronic data management
- automated analysis and calculations
- automated reporting and distribution
In some food processing businesses, raw materials that are purchased to produce premium products create off-cuts that are used to make lower value items.
Our forecasting tool ensures that production staff know exactly what off-cuts they have to work with, based on predictions for the premium product. When used in conjunction with the available to sell module, your sales team can also see which products they need to promote.Integreater® has been developed by professionals from the food processing industry and offers more functionality than a standard Manufacturing Execution System.
ERP solutions are too generic for food production and often require users to adhere with a set of standard practices. To solve this problem, Integreater® has been developed to account for all the variants and complexities that are specific to the food processing industry. It integrates with your business model to ensure that you can improve performance, without jeopardising your unique selling points.