3 Steps to Revolutionize Food & Beverage Warehouse Efficiency

So, what can food and beverage companies do to improve warehousing efficiency? They can begin by implementing the right warehouse management solution. It should be tailored to improve speed, cut costs, and solve today’s business challenges and provide for a profitable future.  

This three-step approach is critical to revolutionizing food and beverage warehousing efficiency.  

Step 1: Implement a collaborative supply chain solution 

Food and beverage companies today rely on extended supply chains to meet consumer demands. Companies who do not operate at high efficiency run the risk of promising what they can’t deliver. Supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link and must implement a collaborative solution that unites various vendors, IT architectures, and provides optimal warehousing speed and efficiency.  

A collaborative supply chain solution seeks to provide a central repository for all data, documentation, and logistics, enabling various supply chains to access the information they need in real time, improving the speed of decision making, and the efficiency of day-to-day operations 

This way, food and beverage supply chains can share consumption forecasts, sales volumes, and inventory levels, enabling vendors to adjust their pace and capacity and refine production activity. This can limit the risk of shortages and reduce unnecessary inventory management costs.  

Such solutions provide vendors with the data, visibility, and resources needed to work more efficiently and improve customer satisfaction, while keeping supply chain costs low. It’s the first step to improving warehousing efficiency for multi-vendor food and beverage companies.  

Step 2: Join the edge of warehousing  

Some supply chains have sought to improve warehousing efficiency by integrating the latest technology. From 5G enablement to IoT devices, these technologies can improve warehousing speed and efficiency through a variety of leading-edge solutions. However, an increased flow of data to centralized cloud servers can cause bandwidth limitations, latency issues, and network disruptions.  

For this reason some food and beverage supply chains are moving towards edge based computing, an IT architecture that removes portions of data from cloud-based centers and repositions it closer to the source of the activity itself — at the site of the farm, warehouse, or processing plant.  

Edge computing solutions enable warehousing devices to operate over leaner, localized networks, enabling 5G compatibility, and providing unprecedented speed and connectivity. Edge computing also improves supply chain visibility by creating a shared blockchain network, allowing all stakeholders to track down the location of goods or data quickly and easily.  

Warehousing solutions that embrace 5G and edge computing are positioned to increase speed and efficiency today while futureproofing their operation for the demands of tomorrow.  

Step 3: Integrate a strategic WMS  

The third and perhaps most critical step to improved warehouse efficiency is the integration of the right Warehouse Management Solution (WMS). This system helps manage the operations within the distribution centers and optimize day-to-day functionality.  

But a WMS is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Investing in the right WMS that solves industry specific business challenges, fits an existing ERP or IT architecture, and is scalable with the latest technology is key, and can enable unprecedented speed and efficiency.  

Though it can seem daunting to leave behind a familiar IT system or an older WMS, the pitfalls of using outdated technology can begin to stack up. Costly and time-consuming custom development work and the inability to integrate with new technology can have serious consequences for your business. 

One example is Generix Group’s SOLOCHAIN WMS, a highly flexible and configurable warehouse management solution, enabling extended possibilities for business growth, a back-office that facilitates implementation efficiency and collaboration between all stakeholders, and modern visual tools providing exceptional ease of use.  

Achieve peak operational efficiency with an advanced WMS. To learn more, download the WMS SOLOCHAIN Product Sheet

Generix Group North America provides a series of solutions within our Supply Chain Hub product suite to create efficiencies across an entire supply chain. Our solutions are in use around the world and our experience is second-to-none. We invite you to contact us to learn more.