How Wherefour’s ERP System for Food Manufacturers Ensures Efficiency, Compliance and Profitability

In today’s rapidly evolving food industry, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for food manufacturers are essential. They ensure efficiency, compliance and profitability. Wherefour, a leader in ERP solutions, is transforming and simplifying how food and beverage companies manage production and compliance.

The Importance of ERP Systems for Food Manufacturers

ERP systems are crucial for the food and beverage industry. They help manage complex operations, track inventory and ensure regulatory compliance. Matt Brown, CEO of Wherefour, highlights this necessity, saying “Technology feels like the language of business, especially these days. Every business, from the most simple to the most complex, needs to access and use technology.”

Wherefour’s ERP system provides a comprehensive solution. It offers built-in traceability, automatic reorder alerts and custom lot code generation. These features ensure that manufacturers have real-time visibility into their operations. This visibility is essential for maintaining product quality and meeting regulatory requirements.

Streamlining Inventory Management

Inventory management is a significant challenge for food manufacturers. Managing raw materials, finished goods and ensuring that products do not expire can be daunting. Wherefour addresses these challenges with its advanced inventory control system. The system includes start-to-finish traceability, allowing users to drill into any item in inventory to see on-hand amounts, status, cost and traceability aspects.

One standout feature of Wherefour is its automatic alerts for expiring products and ingredients reaching low levels. This feature helps manufacturers avoid wastage and ensure that they always have the necessary materials on hand.

As Brown explains, “The thing that I worry about for food and beverage companies, especially the small ones, is that aspect of how much money they’ve got tied up in inventory and what happens when they need to utilize that cash.”

Additionally, Wherefour’s system can handle catch weights, a crucial capability for industries dealing with variable weight products. The ability to print GS1, Code 128 or Code 93 barcodes for product, inventory, package or pallet labels further enhances inventory management. These features make Wherefour an essential tool for food manufacturers.

Ensuring Compliance with Ease

Regulatory compliance is another critical area where ERP systems for food manufacturers are indispensable. Wherefour simplifies compliance with its comprehensive tracking and reporting capabilities. The system includes recall reports with lot codes, digital storage for Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and delivery pictures with handy search tags.

“We like to think of an ERP as kind of a check and balance on that system,” Brown said, emphasizing the importance of compliance. “Users need to do things in the right order, they need to record what they did, they need to record where it went and the system should become a single source of truth.”

Wherefour also allows users to create custom quality assurance (QA) tests, linking results to specific stock lots or production runs. This capability ensures that manufacturers can quickly and accurately respond to any quality issues. The ability to automatically pull ingredients and supplies via First In, First Out (FIFO), First Expired, First Out (FEFO) and Last In, First Out (LIFO) or on a per-batch need basis further ensures compliance and efficiency.

Real-World Success Stories

Wherefour has made a significant impact on many food and beverage startups, both large and small. For example, a frozen pizza company in Europe leveraged Wherefour to transition from direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales during the COVID-19 pandemic to wholesale operations post-pandemic. The company expanded into the US market seamlessly, thanks to Wherefour’s robust ERP system.

Another success story involves an ice cream company that expanded from its home state to Las Vegas. Wherefour helped the company set up its new facility, ensuring that its production process remained consistent across locations. This consistency allowed the company to focus on other critical aspects of their business, such as staffing and regulatory compliance.

These success stories demonstrate the tangible benefits of Wherefour’s ERP system. By providing real-time visibility, automating compliance tasks and streamlining inventory management, Wherefour enables food manufacturers to scale their operations efficiently and effectively.

Future of ERP Systems in the Food Industry

The role of ERP systems for food manufacturers will continue to evolve. With advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), ERP systems like Wherefour will become even more powerful.

Brown is optimistic about these advancements, stating, “AI is everywhere now, and there are certainly factors of AI that are going to affect how ERPs work. If you think about more and more inexpensive sensors, cameras everywhere, AI monitoring a production line for efficiency, I’m hopeful that those kinds of technologies are going to replace some of what humans do, but not replace the value that humans bring to the table.”

In the future, ERP systems will likely incorporate more advanced features, such as biodegradable packaging monitoring and laser tattooing of produce. These innovations will further enhance the capabilities of ERP systems, helping food manufacturers maintain product quality, ensure compliance and reduce waste.

ERP systems for food manufacturers are vital tools that ensure efficiency, compliance and profitability. Wherefour stands out as a leader in this space, offering a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique challenges of the food and beverage industry.

With its advanced features, real-time visibility and ease of use, Wherefour is streamlining how food manufacturers manage their operations. As the industry continues to evolve, Wherefour’s ERP system will remain an indispensable tool for food manufacturers worldwide.

This article was created in collaboration with the sponsoring company and the Xtalks editorial team.