Food & Beverage Industry
The food industry is facing a multitude of market developments, some of which are highly intricate. These include ensuring the long-term stability and security of supply chains, optimizing cost structures and efficiency, and leveraging the potential of digitalization and automation. Additionally, sustainability must be considered throughout the entire life cycle of the product, from production and processing to the disposal and recycling of packaging.
Furthermore, across the globe the food and beverage industry is facing fierce pressure on margins and value. Growth is spread across even more products in many fragmented markets with rising raw materials, energy and labor costs. In addition to this, the industry must take into account massive shifts in the consumer behavior. More demanding and less predictable than ever, they want more sustainable products and visibility of the sources and impact of what they eat and drink. They are quality conscious and want to be able to make ethical choices through transparency across the whole value chain.
Successfully handling these tasks requires setting the course at different levels of the organization and an industry-segment-specific approach. It also demands the ability to coordinate the variety of topics and projects within the organization and integrate them into a future-proof strategy.
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Whatever your challenges we will find a tailored approach with you
Viable supply chains
The food and beverage industry’s supply chains are vulnerable due to various political, environmental, and economic disruptions. These disruptions can lead to costly interruptions and threaten the supply of essential resources. The shift from global networks to local (or glocal) supply chains adds to the complexity of managing logistics and production processes. Companies need to develop effective strategies for long-term stability and create transparent supply chains for effective and near-real-time control. The use of digital solutions and lean planning methods is particularly important here.
At EFESO we enhance the resilience and performance of supply networks through various strategies: strategy and footprint; Transparency and planning; Operational Excellence; Digitalization and traceability.
Quality and Customer confidence
Quality and customer trust are fundamental in the food and beverage industry, and critical for a sustainable business model. Customers increasingly demand transparency, sustainability, and high quality throughout a product's life cycle. In response, EFESO offers agile and cost-efficient solutions. This includes integrating "food safety" and sustainability into corporate strategy, ensuring transparency on carbon footprints across the product portfolio.
The implementation of a comprehensive quality management system, featuring preventive and autonomous quality control loops, enhances operational processes. Additionally, tools for simulation, modeling, forecasting, and integrated business planning improve demand and supply planning along with inventory management. Digital interfaces are designed to engage customers in product development, manufacturing, and order management processes, meeting the industry's demanding requirements.
Digitalization and automation
Enhancing efficiency in the food and beverage industry through digitalization and automation is a key focus. The strategic application of digital tools, efficient data utilization, and consistent process automation can alleviate bottlenecks, especially in terms of staffing. EFESO actively supports these endeavors, ranging from digitalizing individual processes to designing and implementing complex, globally interconnected production systems and supply chains. This includes the development of customized Future Factory concepts and the establishment of digital technology standards globally. Furthermore, initiatives involve the application of predictive and prescriptive Supply Chain Management technologies for a digital supply chain, implementation of digital simulation and modelling tools for data-based planning, and the integration of automated conveyor and transport systems, along with the introduction of a modular and networked production and IT architecture.
Sustainability
Ensuring sustainable food and beverage production requires addressing ecological and social impacts, prioritizing regional procurement, transparent ingredient practices, and efficient resource use.
Sustainability, a vital purchasing criterion, is governed by dynamic national and international regulations. Implementing a comprehensive sustainability strategy in organization, processes, research, and supply chain management is crucial. EFESO's solutions empower companies to confidently enact ambitious sustainability measures, encompassing reduced environmental impact, transparent monitoring through digital tools, predictive maintenance, resource-efficient production concepts, and circular economy promotion with re-manufacturing and re-use strategies aligned with the entire product life cycle.
Product evolution & innovation
The food and beverage industry faces relentless innovation demands, necessitating continuous development of new flavors and product enhancements. This rapid innovation pace requires substantial financial investments and highly skilled personnel. EFESO addresses this challenge by ensuring focused, connected, and efficient innovation processes. Initiatives include developing comprehensive innovation strategies, introducing smart and modular production concepts for accelerated product launches, designing qualification programs to promote innovation, and anchoring sustainable practices in product development for increased resource productivity and reduced environmental impact throughout the product life cycle. This approach empowers companies to navigate the industry's high pressure to innovate while maintaining strategic efficiency.
Cost reduction & increased efficiency
The food industry grapples with consumer purchasing power decline and rising costs of raw materials, energy, and logistics, challenging profitability. Passing cost increases to price-sensitive segments has limitations, necessitating a thorough examination of value chains for potential savings. EFESO ensures systematic exploration of cost and efficiency potentials in the food and beverage sector while maintaining innovation and market competitiveness. This involves defining KPIs and implementing processes for holistic cost and revenue management, leveraging predictive Supply Chain Management for efficiency, optimizing machine utilization, implementing automation for reduced personnel requirements, and embracing resource efficiency and circular economy measures to cut costs through efficient resource use. This strategic approach ensures focused resource allocation for growth initiatives.
The EFESO touch
Delivering tangible results
At EFESO, our focus is on partnering with our clients to support their progression journey. We believe that the key to this lies in a trusted relationship, which can only be achieved through industry expertise, a ‘glocal’ presence, and a flexible approach to support. Instead of pushing ourselves to the forefront, we act as an energizer for change.
We work with clients to set a business strategy that aligns the organization towards growth and market challenges. We then help clients achieve the vision defined in the business strategy by progressing in maturity and assisting them in choosing and implementing effective execution solutions with the right stakeholders.
We have:
40+ years of experience in the food & beverage industry
Worked with 30 of the top 100 food & beverage companies
Successfully completed 500 projects globally in the last 3 years
Our Services
We support our food and beverage clients across a set of services ranging from operational strategy to its measurable implementation, including process, human, digital and sustainability dynamics.
Discover our Client Success Stories
Delivering tangible results
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News & Insights
Giving you inspiration and an outside view
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Rethinking Food Loss in Agri-Food Supply Chains - Unveiling the Hidden Dynamics for Sustainable Transformation
The persistent and pervasive challenge of food loss within agri-food supply chains is a multifaceted issue that has far-reaching implications for the industry's economic sustainability and the global food ecosystem's resilience. This white paper is a pioneering exploration into the…Read More -
Supply Chain Resilience in the Food & Beverage Industry: from Theory to Practice
Supply chain professionals in the Food and Beverage sector are trying to make their supply chains more resilient, given the unprecedented number of challenges that companies are facing. There are several solutions and best practices for the improvement of supply…Read More -
Navigating Labour Cost Pressures: Challenges for UK Food & Beverage and Consumer Goods Sector Amid Rising NI Contributions and Minimum Wage
In over 20 years of driving labour productivity improvements, I have seen first-hand how the recent economic and regulatory changes are posing significant challenges and risks to profitability for the UK food and beverage and Consumer Goods sectors.Read More
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