Food manufacturers: problems we solve
28 problems food manufacturers bring us, each with the cause, what it costs and what we build to fix it.
Food manufacturers problems
28 articlesWhy Are We Still Keying Supermarket Orders Into Our System by Hand Every Morning?
Food manufacturers often retype retailer EDI orders from a web portal. We connect the order feed straight into your ERP, with odd orders held for a person.
How Do We Keep Recipe Costs Right When Ingredient and Packaging Prices Keep Moving?
Food manufacturer recipe costings sit in old spreadsheets while ingredient prices move. We build costing that reads current prices and flags margin drops.
How Do We Answer Endless Product Specification and Questionnaire Requests From Customers?
Food manufacturers rewrite the same product spec data into every customer's template. We build one product data store that fills each questionnaire for review.
How Do We Stop Our Allergen Matrix Spreadsheet Falling Behind Recipe Changes?
Food manufacturers keep the allergen matrix apart from recipes. We link that admin record to recipe changes so your technical team sees what needs review.
Why Does It Take Us So Long to Pull Together Batch Trace Records From Paper and Spreadsheets?
Food manufacturer batch trace records sit on paper and in separate spreadsheets. We build a record system linking intake lots to batches and despatches.
How Do We Stop Label Artwork Approvals Getting Lost in Email Threads Between Us, the Designer and the Customer?
Food manufacturer label artwork goes round designer, technical and customer by email. We build a tracker so every proof and sign-off is recorded.
How Do We Keep Track of What Supermarkets and Wholesalers Deduct From Our Remittances?
Retailer remittances arrive short with codes nobody explains. We build a deductions tracker matching each one to invoices, promotions and delivery proof.
How Do We Plan Ingredients and Production When a Retailer Promotion Doubles Our Orders With Little Warning?
Retailer promotions send food manufacturer orders swinging. We build a promotion planner linking agreed deals to forecasts, ingredients and capacity.
Why Do Depots Keep Rejecting Our Deliveries for Not Having Enough Life Left on the Product?
Food manufacturers lose loads when depots reject stock with too little life left. We build despatch checks that pick by date code per customer rule.
How Do We Stop Rebuilding the Food Factory Production Schedule on a Whiteboard Every Time an Order Changes?
A food factory production schedule on a whiteboard breaks with every order change. We build a scheduler using your lines, changeover rules and orders.
How Do We Work Out What Ingredients to Order Without the Buyer Walking the Chiller With a Clipboard?
Food manufacturer ingredient orders are often based on a walk round stores and a guess. We build ordering that works from your plan, recipes and stock on hand.
Why Do We Keep Throwing Away Printed Film and Sleeves Every Time a Label Changes?
Food manufacturers write off printed packaging when artwork or recipes change. We build a packaging stock view that plans changes around what is still in stock.
How Do We See How Much Product We Are Giving Away in Overweight Packs, Line by Line?
Food manufacturer checkweigher data sits unread while packs run over target weight. We build giveaway reports by line, shift and product from the data you have.
How Do We Keep Supplier Certificates, Specifications and Questionnaires Current Without Chasing Every Month?
Food manufacturers chase suppliers for certificates, specs and questionnaires by hand. We build a document tracker that requests renewals before expiry.
Why Does Every Food Safety Audit Mean Two Weeks of Pulling Records Out of Folders and Inboxes?
Before each audit, food manufacturers pull records from folders, inboxes and clipboards. We build a record index so your team finds any record in a search.
How Do We Get Consumer and Customer Complaints Into One Log We Can Actually Trend?
Food manufacturer complaints arrive by email, phone, retailer portal and social media. We build one log that records, routes and trends them for your team.
How Do We Keep Track of New Product Development Briefs, Samples and Trials Across Several Customers?
Food manufacturer NPD runs on email, sample fridges and memory. We build an NPD tracker holding briefs, sample rounds, costings and launch steps.
How Do We Actually Use the Store Sales Data Sitting in Our Retailers' Supplier Portals?
Food manufacturers download retailer EPOS and depot stock files but rarely analyse them. We build reports that pull the data in and show sales, stock and gaps.
How Do We Book the Right Number of Agency Staff for Each Shift When the Production Plan Keeps Changing?
Food factories book agency labour by phone the day before, from a plan that has since changed. We build crewing that works out shift needs from the line plan.
How Do We Send Price Changes to Wholesalers, Distributors and Cash and Carries Without Retyping Every Price File?
Food manufacturers rebuild each wholesaler's price file by hand for every price change. We build one price list that produces every customer's format.
Why Does Valuing Ingredients, Work in Progress and Finished Goods Take Our Accounts Team Days Every Month?
Food manufacturer month-end stock valuation means counting chillers and rebuilding sheets. We build a stock view that values raw, WIP and finished goods.
How Do We Keep Barcodes, Case Sizes and Product Data Consistent for Every Retailer and Wholesaler?
Food manufacturer product data, barcodes and case details differ between systems and customers. We build one product master that feeds each of them.
How Do We Quote Private Label and Co-Packing Enquiries Faster Without Guessing the Numbers?
Private label and co-packing enquiries sit for weeks while a food manufacturer works out costs. We build a quoting tool using your rates, lines and recipes.
How Do We Find Out Why Our Food Production Lines Keep Stopping When Downtime Is Written on Paper?
Food factory line stoppages are logged on clipboards and rarely analysed. We build downtime logging on tablets and reports that show causes by line.
How Do We Stop Handwriting or Retyping Pallet Labels and Delivery Paperwork for Retailer Depots?
Food manufacturers print SSCC pallet labels and ASNs by hand for retailer depots. We build pallet labelling at despatch that feeds delivery paperwork.
How Do We Stop Losing Hours Booking Delivery Slots at Retailer and Wholesaler Depots?
Food manufacturers book depot delivery slots in several portals and pass them to hauliers by email. We build one booking view tied to orders and loads.
How Do We Keep Track of Which Line Staff Are Trained on Which Tasks Across Days, Lates and Nights?
Food factory training records sit in binders, so supervisors cannot see who is signed off for which task. We build a skills matrix that stays current.
How Do We Stop Retyping Orders From Delis, Farm Shops and Caterers That Arrive by Email, Phone and Text?
Food manufacturers retype small trade orders from email, phone and text. We build order capture that reads them into your system for a person to check.