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Now fast approaching two years of a pandemic, as well as ongoing commercial issues relating to Brexit, maintaining an agile supply chain within the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry is far from plain sailing.
With reports of empty shelves in supermarkets across the country in recent months, retailers have evidently been struggling to meet consumer demand. This is, in part, due to significant changes in buying habits as large portions of the population continue to work from home on a more permanent basis. However, despite knowing this, many retailers have not been able to pivot to new suppliers quick enough to meet this new demand. The question is why?
In this blog we look at how an agile supply chain for F&B businesses can be achieved with a robust digital strategy.
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Maintaining agility post-COVID and Brexit
Maintaining an agile supply chain in the F&B industry has been an exceptional challenge during this period. The need for solid cashflows and to cut costs has been even more pertinent for many F&B producers. However, there have been many factors which have greatly challenged F&B supply chains over the last year. There have been issues with logistics across the globe as well as product availability. The latter can be solved when F&B retailers have the ability to efficiently switch suppliers when required. This is where EDI, or Electronic Data Interchange, comes in.
Taking cost and complexity out of the supply chain will have many benefits for F&B retailers throughout 2022. EDI can facilitate this, as it automates communication between trading partners. When well planned and executed, businesses are able to manage an agile supply chain by efficiently switching between suppliers, reducing delays and cutting costs.
According to a recent report by BBC News*, food industry representatives have warned that the UK is facing a “worsening food supply chain crisis” without sufficient help from the government.
This is why it’s essential for F&B businesses to optimise the efficiency of internal and external processes. This includes supply chain management; which is where choosing the best EDI solution comes in.
At a time when revenues have been greatly challenged, the implementation of an effective EDI solution can mitigate some of these ongoing problems for F&B businesses by:
accelerating the “order-to-cash” cycle
strengthening cashflows
cutting order lead times
automatically flagging up rejected invoices
Are EDI providers supporting F&B commerce?
However, according to recent research by Transalis it has been highlighted that many EDI providers cannot fully support their clients through continuing supply chain challenges and complications.
Currently, businesses regularly require the rapid onboarding of new suppliers to maintain supply, meet consumer demand, and remain competitive. Respondents in the research expressed their concerns about whether their current provider would be able to accommodate these needs.
Even knowing that current EDI suppliers are falling short, many organisations have reservations about switching. Our research revealed that businesses are hesitant to switch to a more suitable EDI provider, one which could offer more agility, as they perceive the process to be equally complicated and time-consuming.
Transalis eDI™ for an agile supply chain
At Transalis, we have developed EDI solutions to support F&B business through these challenging times, whilst also busting common myths surrounding EDI and switching providers.
We offer our clients:
Transparently priced, bundled EDI packages to suit your needs
Unlimited message exchanges without VAN (Value Added Network) charges
Simple, flexible and efficient solutions that can evolve with your business
Freedom and control with a self-managed system
Maintain an agile supply chain with Transalis, choose from one of our pre-packaged solutions starting at just £495 with eDI Instant. Or build your own bespoke solution using eDI Freedom, with options for integrations, reporting, and other additional functionalities.
eDI Software
eDI Freedom
Build your own bespoke EDI solution according to your supply chain & integration needs
eDI Connect
Ideal for companies with many trading network, high order volumes, requiring enhanced stock & sales reporting
eDI Connect+
Perfect for larger organisations requiring complete visibility across their supply chain to improve efficiencies
Need to improve the agility of your food and beverage business? Contact our helpful team on 0845 123 3746 (calling from UK) or +44 1978 369 343 (for international callers), or email sales@transalis.com who can advise you on the best course of action and the right Transalis eDI™ solution for your business.
References:
* Food firms ask government to fix supply chain crisis. BBC News.