rough seas ahead?
Shifting consumer demands, supply chain interruptions, unpredictable economic conditions — do any of these sound familiar? Beverage producers (particularly wineries, breweries and distilleries) have had to weather quite the storm in recent years as the industry landscape has changed. The pandemic, climate change, political and economic uncertainty and the turning heads of consumers are really just the tip of the iceberg.
But while the instinct may be to batten down the hatches, these tumultuous times may actually be auspicious ones for moving your business forward by investing in an ERP solution. Let’s dive into what an ERP system is, what it can do for your business in the alcoholic beverage industry, and how the right one can get you ship-shape to weather any storm on the horizon.
What is an ERP Solution? Not Just Any Port in a Storm
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a type of software that companies can use to manage a wide range of business processes and activities. Accounting, project management, inventory tracking, risk management, compliance, supply chain ops, procurement — all these and a whole lot more can be effectively managed through a robust ERP solution. A complete, end-to-end ERP system will also help to provide visibility across all facets of the business making planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting all much smoother sailing.
Essentially, an ERP system pulls together all the disparate processes and transactional data that a company may previously have been cobbling together with multiple platforms, software systems and spreadsheets, and brings all of them aboard one (much tighter) ship. And having an industry-specific ERP solution like Crafted means that all the quirks and particulars of what it takes to run a business like yours have been accounted for by developers who also earned their chops as beverage industry professionals.
Stormy Weather: Top 5 Reasons to Invest in a BEVERAGE ERP SOLUTION
A lot of companies feel a bit unmoored when they start looking at the price tags on fully loaded ERP systems and, with stormy economic conditions looming, it may feel like time to tighten belts. But the investment in an ERP is an investment in weather-proofing your business. When your business runs more efficiently, it's better positioned to withstand market volatility and emerge from challenging times stronger than ever. Spreadsheets and cobbled-together systems may have sufficed in fair weather, but an ERP solution is going to lay the groundwork for your company to, not only survive whatever the future may throw your way, but to thrive and be underpinned with the right foundations for growth and scalability.
Here are our top five reasons to seize the day and get your company ship-shape with an ERP solution:
1. Save Money
Drive cost savings through efficiency and enhancing top-line growth. The standard first order of business when rough seas are predicted is finding ways to save money and stretch investments. Consolidating your company’s spend on suite software and platforms reduces complexity, risk and reduces the need for extended headcount.
2. Increase Profit
With real-time reporting and greater visibility across the board, you’ll be able to more efficiently plan your brewery, winery or distillery's supply and distribution activities. You’ll be able to gain insights and identify weak points, risks and opportunities as well as plan and even automate some responses — actioning real-time information to pivot with agility and minimize loss.
3. Save Time
Getting the sense that ‘efficiency’ is the key word here? Moving to an ERP system will allow you to eliminate redundant and time-consuming manual tasks from your business operations through streamlining and automation. You’ll see fewer data errors and your staff will have greater access to all the tools they need in a centralized system reducing login fatigue, a mundane but surprisingly detrimental woe to both employee well-being and productivity as well as company security. This also means faster, automatically generated reporting that gives you reliable, actionable insights.
Time will also be saved through:
- Improved collaboration — sharing a single source of truth across teams makes collaborative projects exponentially more manageable.
- Increased productivity — less time spent aggregating data, juggling multiple platforms and dealing with data entry errors means more time used wisely to meet your production goals.
- Simplified compliance — instead of treating TTB compliance like a merry-go-round, constantly chasing down the data needed to meet requirements, information is being gathered in real-time and audit reports can be automated or generated on the fly to simplify the process.
4. Prioritize Customer Satisfaction
Your company’s number one priority is happy customers — with your ERP system you will gain a deeper understanding of how to meet your customers’ needs. Enhance customer satisfaction with an integrated CRM, giving you insights into customer trends that will allow you to implement business strategies, improve processes or adjust inventory to increase profitability.
5. Improve Production Planning
Tracking and monitoring inventory is a thorn in the side of many growing companies, particularly if there are multiple locations or campuses for warehousing and distribution. Plus, with many companies shifting to a just-in-time (JIT) methodology to increase efficiency, reduce costs and speed up product delivery, having real-time, reliable inventory tracking is more crucial than ever. Increasing warehouse visibility will optimize the ‘pick, pack, ship’ process and automated reporting on this data will keep you informed about which products are hot, and which are not.
This also means you are making decisions about production schedules, equipment, labor and raw materials ordering with the most reliable, up-to-date inventory data close at hand. You’ll be able to forecast future sales and plan for production down the line farther in advance and with greater accuracy.
Smooth Sailing With BREWERY, WINERY & DISTILLERY ERP Solutions
Investing in an ERP system makes good business sense for beverage companies of all sizes — from family-run craft operations to larger enterprises and conglomerates. The right ERP software solution provides comprehensive control over every aspect of your business. You’ll gain visibility and improve efficiency through streamlining processes like order management, inventory control, customer relationship management, supply chain optimization and financial reporting. An ERP system will make your business better equipped with the insights and tools needed to succeed in a rapidly-evolving marketplace.
You’ll be prepared for all kinds of stormy weather and positioned to remain competitive — even through challenging economic times.
Learn more about Crafted ERP’s industry-specific cloud-based solutions in the links below, and
contact us if you'd like to discuss how to drive growth at your business.
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