Why Switch from Spreadsheets to Food Manufacturing Software?

Food and beverage manufacturing is serious business. The FDA imposes strict regulations on food manufacturing businesses to protect consumers from the contamination or misrepresentation of products. While these regulations are ultimately in place to protect both consumers and manufacturers alike, they can be quite cumbersome to adhere to and require a great deal of attention to the manufacturing process.

This past year as seen even more changes to the food and beverage industry, and we expect it to only continue from here on out. Earlier this year, the FDA implemented the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), further tightening the regulations food manufacturers face. In order to remain in compliance and ensure that you are doing everything in your power to protect both your customers and your business, you need to have a system in place for tracking and maintaining critical information related to the manufacturing of your products.

Spreadsheets No Longer Work for Food Manufacturing Needs

We all love spreadsheets. They’re simple to use, don’t require extensive knowledge of a complex system, and are easy to update and change as needed. While certainly useful for many business tasks, spreadsheets are not an effective tool when it comes to food manufacturing. Spreadsheets are limited in the things they can do and the information they can provide. They are not easily searchable and finding related information is difficult unless it is all included on the same sheet. To top it off, data is entered manually, increasing the likelihood of data errors and inaccuracies.

When you are trying to track products and their individual ingredients throughout the manufacturing process, spreadsheets simply don’t work. Instead, you need a system designed to automatically track the manufacturing process from the start, giving you a clear picture of what’s happening in the food manufacturing process at any given time.

Why Food Manufacturing Software is a Better Fit for the Food and Beverage Industry

While there is no official FDA compliant business management system, there are solutions that can assist you in meeting FDA compliance and improving the traceability of your manufacturing processes. Food manufacturing software, such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3), contains advanced food manufacturing features to stay up-to-date on consumer preferences, FDA regulations, and the happenings with your manufacturing facilities.

Spreadsheets only give you a limited view of your business. With food manufacturing software, you have a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that promotes innovation, tracks processes, automates tasks, and supports flexible supply chain management. So what are you waiting for? Contact us to learn how you can trade in those ineffective spreadsheets for a more capable solution today!

IWI Consulting offers food industry ERP software to help food manufacturing companies adequately prepare for recall instances and any other related food and beverage “emergencies”. You can learn more about our food industry ERP software by visiting our Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) page.

Our small and dedicated team specializes in helping small-to-medium size Canadian businesses and non-profits select and adapt Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resource Management (HRMS) and IT services. With IWI’s 15 years in business and 100 plus years of combined experience, IWI has helped hundreds of food manufacturing, distribution, and financial service companies gain efficiency, grow, and lower their operating costs.

With the unique combination of industry knowledge and diverse technology expertise, IWI provides cost-effective solutions to help clients gain a competitive edge. As a Sage business partner, servicing the Greater Toronto Area, we support evaluation and implementation of operations and finance systems to optimize technology, ensuring high return on investment with a quick and painless transition to new software.