Supply chain issues, labor shortages, inflation and resource constraints are just some of the top challenges that food and beverage manufacturers are currently facing. As they explore new markets, introduce new products and respond to changing consumer demands, these organizations need robust business systems that help them tackle current problems and plan for the future.

However, many manufacturers rely on legacy systems, spreadsheets and manual processes to run their operations. And even when they discover an application that’s particularly good at managing one aspect of their business (e.g. payroll, inventory management, etc.), that solution often operates
 in a silo, outside of the company’s other
business systems.

For help resolving these and other technology issues, many food and beverage manufacturers are turning to cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) that incorporates industry-specific capabilities to extend the platform’s native functionalities.

Here are four more reasons why food and beverage manufacturers are upgrading to cloud ERP with the help of Providence Consulting Group (PCG), a NetSuite Alliance Partner:

1. Get to market faster. Food and beverage manufacturing is extremely competitive right now and the company that gets to market fastest often holds the advantage. With the right business systems in place, food and beverage manufacturers can more quickly get products to customers and distributors, improve operational efficiency and better manage their labor.

2. Move past the “disconnected enterprise”. Regardless of their size, all food and beverage companies want to be able to leverage the data that’s captured by their current systems for better decision-making. When they’re running on disparate systems and spreadsheets, unlocking these insights takes extensive
manual intervention. With NetSuite and PCG SmartFactory, manufacturers can readily integrate their manufacturing execution systems (MES) and ERP software to eliminate those data silos and make more informed decisions.

3. Managing industry regulations. With an increased focus being placed on quality, compliance and accountability in the food and beverage sector, manufacturers need systems that can track, trace and report on their end-to- end operations. Paper- and spreadsheet-based approaches simply don’t cut it for growing organizations. With NetSuite and SmartFactory, companies have the data they need to adhere to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), SQF (Safe Quality Food) and other mandates.

4. Find and keep talent. With national unemployment hovering at a low 4% and skilled labor becoming more difficult to find and retain, food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly turning to automation for help working through these issues.1 “The more systems and processes that a manufacturer can automate, the better it can create operational reliability that bridges the gap between operations and finance, enabling a holistic view of the enterprise,” said Alan Goeke, VP of Sales at PCG. “This higher level of visibility also drives better collaboration and performance across departments, teams and individual employees.”