PPS ERP Solution: The Key to Inventory Management

With operational efficiency being the golden goose of the produce industry, produce ERP also referred to as the PPS solution is selling like hot cakes among the produce packers and produce shippers of the world. With food safety regulations breathing down the necks of produce packers and shippers alike, inventory management has emerged as the only means to survive.

Challenges

Produce packers and shippers face the following hurdles in their road to profit such as:

1. Managing labour for planting and harvest

2. Dealing with the changes in weather conditions

3. Inaccurate reporting of the produce

4. cost accounting inaccuracy

5. Tracing produce to its lot in case of a defect

To add fuel to the fire, cut-throat competition thanks to globalization has made the produce industry a red ocean with price points being a major differentiator thus making operational efficiency the need of the hour.

What to do?

The only way to overcome the above challenges and differentiate from competition is ERP. Food ERP not only brings food safety to the table but also ensures produce is tracked and monitored at every stage of production. To speak volumes, let’s look at what produce ERP has in store for produce packers and produce shippers:

1. Food ERP helps produce shippers better manage the supply chain and save costs by helping businesses become more effective in moving and loading orders.

2. Many produce shippers import products from all over the globe. With complete integration to Produce ERP and Food ERP, users can track containers, and the carrier, and view the estimated time of departure and arrival of every shipment. Detailed tracking of lot information including country of origin (growing, production, and holding), and shelf life dating help companies comply with food quality regulations.

3. From Manufacturing to Distribution, to Retail point-of-sale, the ERP solution specific to produce packers and produce shippers will help companies comply with food safety regulations and manage enterprise resources more proficiently and effectively.

4. ERP software can unify the IT costs and improve efficiency and savings. Instead of spending resources on multiple systems that all need dedicated staff, infrastructure, support teams and licenses, you can focus all these costs into one ERP system.

5. For all the companies that deal with the produce, produce packers and produce shippers a produce ERP system bolsters supply chain management in a variety of ways. This improvement results in:

1. shortened lead times

2. more on-time deliveries

3. Traceability

Through a well-designed ERP platform, the supply chain can become leaner and more responsive via improved demand forecasting, procurement and produce management.

6. Field Traceability – ERP helps in record Field ID and related information as product is received. This will easily retrieve sales history for recall

7. Produce ERP helps produce packers and shipping in day to day operations like the following:

1. scanning shipments

2. dock management

3. no-show reporting

4. automated shipping notifications.

From an inventory perspective, ERP helps in automated holdover calculation, estimated inventory reporting, multiple location tracking and extended Lot criteria reporting.

It is no secret that the produce packers and shippers are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea with low margins at one end and compliance on the other. Now that survival is the name of the game, profit is how produce packers and shippers will keep score and produce ERP is how they win the game.