Craft brewing has undergone an amazing surge over the past decade. Click for info are showing up in cities over the nation, in dedicated plants to former retail locations in strip malls. Even the biggest beer manufacturers around the world are marketing their 'craft' brewing options to contend with smaller operations. Opinions abound concerning this amazing growth and what the near future will hold, but a very important factor seems certain, craft brewing isn't going away anytime soon. Even though many craft brewing operations may understand how to make an incredible beer, or know how to market their wares like nobody else, many battle to meet the demands that more established and long-term food and beverage manufacturing companies have grown up with.
Often the largest challenge a number of these craft breweries must face is not how to market and sell their product, but how to manage all the regulations and requirements, and how to maneuver all the details that go with production and distribution. They simply don't have the experience or the various tools in place that allow them to remain lean and operate smoothly. This is why it really is so important that along with their tanks and bottle systems, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system ought to be high on their list of needed equipment.
Top 3 Craft Brewery ERP Needs
The main areas an Enterprise Resource Planning Software (ERP) can best help craft breweries both large and small aren't in essence much unique of other types of food and beverage process manufacturers, though there are a few intricacies as there's with any specialized product. We go through the top four areas that breweries must carefully consider and how an ERP could make their lives and their beer much richer and vibrant.
Meeting Regulations
It is not surprising that brewing beer to market to the general public is under strict scrutiny. There are several legal ramifications with this type of product, but beer does not have any fewer health insurance and traceability requirements than any food or drink. They need to manage proper reporting, traceability of manufacturing actions, documentation of ingredients, documentation of shipping and sales, and many other regulatory necessities. An ERP system contains all this information for the brewer and manages it smoothly to remove the possibility of non-compliance, which can be deadly for a small brewery attempting to grow.
Product Development
If you've ever read the labels in the craft beer section at your neighborhood liquor store, you will see that the uniqueness of every brew matches the uniqueness of its name. For some beer consumers, they are pleased with finding one brew and sticking with it. Nevertheless the current trend is sampling. Beer connoisseurs are constantly seeking new flavors and new complexities, even within a particular style. For instance, an individual may only drink imperial pale ales, but wants to try a different formula every day. Or, a person might not have a popular style, but rather has loyalty to a particular brand and desires a variety of styles to try. In any event, craft brewers must keep reinventing themselves and their selections to remain competitive. That means tracking recipe changes, understanding life cycles, and having clear data related to development costs are necessary. Once again, the very best answer for this is the implementation of an ERP system.
Supply Chain
Unlike giant beer companies with huge distribution agreements and national advertising, craft brewers should be creative and put a lot of focus on how they can bring their creations to the public. Every aspect must be carefully monitored from the receipt of raw ingredients to delivery at the restaurant or liquor store featuring their product. An ERP manages their inventory and all aspects of it, and will continue steadily to track those ingredients through production and on the shelves.
What was once a hobby for most craft brewers has grown into their livelihood. The probabilities are good that many of well known craft brew companies began in the basement or closet with a house brew kit, no idea of all of the intricacies involved in moving it to a successful business operation. Fortunately, there is help for all those passionate individuals to remain profitable, and continue steadily to thrive.