Food
Industry Executives Gather for Exclusive Breakfast Debate
On 25th June Anglia Business
Solutions hosted and chaired an exclusive breakfast debate for the food
industry on
“Remaining Profitable in a Demanding
and Highly Competitive Channel”.
Executives from a wide range of food industry organisations gathered
for breakfast at the prestigious One Aldwych hotel on The Strand in
London. Organisations represented at the debate
included Bakkavor, Deloitte Agribusiness, Diageo, Elisabeth the Chef,
Ferndale Foods, Fresh Produce Consortium, Microsoft,
Montana
Bakery, Reynolds Catering Supplies, Wealmoor and Vitacress.
The
debate commenced with short introductions from guest speakers Peter
Thornton, CEO of Noble Foods, and Michael Dudbridge from the Centre for Food
Manufacturing at The University of Lincoln.
Peter talked about his experiences and the challenges of working in
the food industry. He outlined the steps that he has taken to ensure Noble
Foods operate as efficiently as possible whilst maintaining the highest
levels of customer service.
Michael explained the changing trends and landscape of the food industry
today and the role that Information Technology can play in ensuring an
efficient supply chain.
The key themes covered during the debate were:
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The challenges imposed by regulatory compliance
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The importance of effective cost control mechanisms
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The ever present pressures of changing consumer and retail demands
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The effective use of ERP solutions to streamline supply chains
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Emerging niche and consolidation opportunities in the food sector
Speaking afterwards, event facilitator and Managing Director of Anglia
Business Solutions, David Hurley
said, “What was clear from this lively and informative
debate was the commonality of business challenges faced by organisations
serving the food industry. Margins are under pressure as supermarkets battle
for market share. Compliance with traceability regulations coupled with
tighter quality and delivery demands are making it difficult to generate
acceptable returns.”
“What also emerged was that ERP systems had a key role to play in
efficiently managing supply chains. There was general agreement that
eliminating islands of data could help by providing an insight into events
as they happen. We have seen that modern ERP technology can assist by
reducing waste and improving productivity while providing real time access
to key business information. This event confirmed our view that the
food and drink sector is becoming increasingly aware of the potential of
well implemented business management solutions as a competitive aid”.
Download Summary of Discussion (PDF)