The current COVID-19 pandemic has put a massive spotlight on an ongoing issue in the perishable food industry: weaknesses in supply chain performance. As consumer habits shift while vast sections of the population shelter at home, the perishable food industry has seen significant struggles in trying to meet changing needs. Now more than ever, it is imperative that business owners give full consideration to all facets of their supply chain, in order to maximize performance, minimize disruptions, and help with risk management.
Here are the three common mistakes that can harm your business, along with some easy steps to take to point your business back in the right direction.
1) Not knowing your suppliers
Relying too heavily on third-party brokers to manage the daily operations is a common mistake. Doing this can also put unneeded distance between you and your suppliers. This means you may be missing critical information that affects production, like the availability of raw materials, the capacity of the teams, and delivery schedules.
What to do:
Take charge of your supply chain management. HarvestERP puts supply chain data in your hands, right where you need it. Plan your raw material and packaging needs on-demand; track production line scheduling; manage delivery schedules — all in one place.
2) Not understanding your full supply chain
Especially during uncertain times, with a reduced workforce and decreases in production, it is more important than ever to understand every link in your global supply chain. Having detailed information about your suppliers will help you minimize disruptions and keep your business running smoothly.
What to do:
Put together a list of pertinent questions for your suppliers, such as: how many days a week do you work, how many shifts do you have, how many units do you produce per day, and so on. Getting this needed information is a critical part of your improvement.
3) Not digitizing your supply chain
One of the major mistakes we are seeing is when businesses do not take full advantage of the technology that is available to them. The more links you have in your supply chain, the more important it becomes that key players have access to necessary data. This includes not only connecting with supply chain operations, but with sales as well.
What to do:
Explore the digital tools that are available to help save your business time and money. HarvestBI provides a single source of data for your entire organization, capable of running on any type of device or operating system.
Conclusion
When it comes to optimizing your supply chain, data is of the utmost importance. Harvest Food Solutions has spent decades analyzing the perishable food industry, creating effective management tools, and building a community of experts and users. Our cloud-based systems are designed to give you maximum control of the data you need to keep your perishable food business running smoothly.
If your business is in need of some assistance in getting your supply chain optimized for long-term efficiency, we are ready to help. Give Harvest Food Solutions a call today to find out how our systems can help your business.
