Information Integration: Driving Growth for Food & Beverage Distribution

Distribution in the food and beverage industry relies on a well-organized and fluid supply chain. This is an industry that faces many distribution challenges with products that necessitate high standards of safety, maintaining numerous compliance regulations, and navigating complex distribution networks.

“The key to success in tackling these challenges is information — capturing data up and down the supply chain and providing access for analysis so that executives can make rapid, informed decisions.” As firms continue to grow in the food and beverage industry, organizations need to look into integrated ERP solutions to support operations, logistics, compliance, market trends, and demand management.

Operations and Logistics Effectiveness

The complex distribution network of the food and beverage industry, from farms to factories and then stores, provides many opportunities to increase productivity. ERP software can help with delivery and route planning, space optimization, and provide data collection to analyze current practices.

Compliance

Food and beverage companies are required to ensure products are safe and compliant with industry standards. As a significant part of the process “…food and beverage manufacturers are looking to suppliers and distributors for more proof of product quality.” Integrated solutions can help to automate product tracing and tracking to ensure products were not mishandled throughout the supply chain.

Market Agility

Trends are a major component of the food and beverage industry, and technology sparks rapid changes in trends, forcing companies to adjust quickly. “An integrated solution helps to align messaging with these trends, coordinating marketing campaigns with changing market dynamics.” Distribution channels can be analyzed with detailed business reports to provide a better understanding of the value of each.

Customer Demand Management

Make sure you can forecast customer demand and provide enough information for growers and processors to meet these demands. Integrated solutions will help forecast what products consumers will want, and how to present these products to consumers.

For growing food and beverage companies, utilizing distribution and supply chain strategies will help manage quality, compliance, and profitability. ERP software will provide a sophisticated, yet flexible medium to meet challenges and adjust for the future. Contact SBS Group to help provide your integrated solutions and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Microsoft Windows XP Retirement

In just over 9 months, Windows XP will be retired by Microsoft. On August 24^th, Windows XP will celebrate its 12^th and final year of its lifecycle, so Microsoft decided to throw a retirement party for the second most popular Windows operating system. At the same time, Microsoft plans on releasing the Windows 8.1 update. Take a look at the 8 reasons why Windows 8 will fill the void left by XP:

After April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will stop providing support for XP and Microsoft Office 2003. To make the transition easier, SBS Group has created a free webinar hosted by our technical experts to provide the best deployment strategy for your company. Make sure to upgrade your operating system and Office Suite utilizing Microsoft’s free Deployment Toolkit and contact SBS Group, a Certified Microsoft Partner,  for all of your deployment needs.

Bridging the Gap Between the Field and Back Office

Most organizations, especially in this digital era, depend on employees working away from the office, whether that’s heading to a sales meeting, answering a service call for a customer, or just working remotely. While there are a lot of moving parts from a business’ point of view, customers really “…don’t care where in the organization their issue is being resolved. They do, however, care very much about it being dealt with swiftly and successfully.”

Efficient communication has become the driving force behind meeting customer demands and keeping them happy. As technology continues to progress, consumers expect more transparency throughout the supply chain and better efficiency in problem solving and customer service.

One of the toughest challenges facing a business is encouraging unity between the field and back office employees. Both must work together, but as studies show, the gap continues to grow due to the lack “…of their physical proximity to each other and the greater inconvenience of contacting the remote workers.” Members of each group need to utilize the best tools to facilitate communication.

The homebuilding industry is in a continual cycle of communication. Permits and approvals have to be acquired by the back office before employees can start building homes. Designs have to be created and shared, materials have to be purchased and delivered, all while adhering to a budget and build schedule. The numerous moving and interacting parts all have to be in sync.

There is a wide variety of communication and collaboration software available, and choosing the right technology will keep everything in order under one complete system. Contact one of SBS Group’s homebuilding experts to help determine what works best for your company. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Looking Back on Logistic Forecasts for 2013

In January, Blue Horseshoe released its Top Logistics Trends for 2013. After passing the midway point of 2013, a few of these trends have made significant impacts on the transportation and logistics industry, primarily focusing on ERP enhancements, advanced analytics, and supply chain management.

Going into 2013, Blue Horseshoe expected companies “…will look to replace or enhance their current systems with more effective modules or solutions.” The industry was ready for the next cycle of ERP solutions and Microsoft was able to deliver with their 2013 systems, specifically Dynamics NAV 2013.

One of the most utilized new features in NAV 2013 is its advanced charts. This provides valuable analytics that logistics companies are using “…to get insights about their operations, customers, and employees.” With transportation costs consistently rising, companies have to ensure data is providing the best information for transit decision making.

With advanced analytics in play, the supply chain can be optimized for transparency and efficiency. Technology has improved the visibility of the supply chain process “… in order to meet increasing customer demand. With many retailers providing their customers with live inventory, consumers in all areas of business are demanding live visibility to all areas in the corporation.”

All of these trends in logistics and transportation are centered on digital growth. Information is becoming more accessible and providing greater value in logistics and those not utilizing this data will fall behind the pack. Contact SBS Group for all of your ERP software needs, including Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Remotely Controlling Mobile Collaboration

Back in 2006, only 14% of employers offered teleworking to employees. In 2011, that number was up to nearly 60%. According to the 2010 US census, “…9.4% of U.S. workers, labored at least one day at home per week in 2010, compared with 9.2 million people, or 7% of U.S. workers in 1997”. That’s an increase of over 4 million workers during that period. The movement towards remote working is becoming a considerable influence in companies.

With more employees working on the road, at home, or spread across the country, collaboration has become an increasingly difficult concept to constructively apply. Many professional service companies have employees and clients spread throughout numerous regions, with a variety of issues that need to be resolved.

Here at SBS Group, we have over 35 offices, spread throughout the United States. On a weekly basis, there are calls from our New Jersey headquarters with sales personnel in Texas and Ohio, marketing calls with team members in Chicago, Denver, and Kansas, and presentations with consultants from Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. Mobile collaboration has played a significant role in making sure all these moving parts work together.

One of the best ways to keep groups connected is through internal applications. “A recent survey of IT pros at 6,275 organizations found 66 percent were considering developing a corporate app store.” With products like Microsoft SharePoint, companies can build apps for laptops, netbooks, tablets, and phones to “…provide workers access to the information and applications that they need to do their jobs.”

The ability to share content at a mobile level and provide instant access to data and presentations allows for collaboration in the office, at home, or on the road. One of the biggest challenges to implementing successful collaboration strategies is cost. SBS Group offers a low cost, fixed solution to get your employees collaborating in just two weeks. Check out our program: Microsoft SharePoint Up in 2 and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.