6 reasons why food manufacturers and distributors need Dynamics Food, the complete end-to-end ERP solution designed specifically for the needs of the food industry!

If you’re a food manufacturer or distributor, you’ll know that running your business involves successfully navigating the many unpalatable challenges of the food industry. Trying to overcome and grow despite these challenges is made significantly harder if you have an ERP system that is disjointed or unreliable or if you’re using spreadsheets that are prone to human error. Your food manufacturing or distribution business needs software that is industry specific, reliable, paperless, minimises the risk of human error and helps your business to finally move forwards. Luckily, we’ve built the perfect tool that will help your business both survive and thrive whatever is thrown at you, and that is Dynamics Food! 

But what is Dynamics Food? Well, in a nutshell, it’s a comprehensive, out-the-box application, built onto Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that provides you with tailored functionality for the needs of food manufacturers and distributors. With our 30+ years of experience, we know exactly what businesses like yours need. If you need specific functionality not included in the standard offering, we’ve got you covered! Dynamics Food can also be customised to match your specific business needs. 

When we say Dynamics Food is a complete ERP system, we really mean it! 

Let’s dive into how Dynamics Food is going to transform your business. Here are just six of the many reasons why your food manufacturing or distribution business needs Dynamics Food!

1. It’s built specifically for food manufacturers and distributors, giving you everything that you need for your business to be the best it can be 

Starting with the perhaps the most important point, Dynamics Food has all bases covered in terms of the functionality manufacturers and distributors need to operate successfully. After three decades in the business, we’ve come to know the specific requirements of food manufacturers and distributors and have ensured that Dynamics Food addresses all these needs whilst also making it customisable if need be. 

For manufacturers, it includes built-in EDI alongside multiple order channels, sales catch weight, farm-to-fork traceability with all information and documentation accessible at the click of a button, and more. You can also manage your production with a single system for storing BOMs (bill of materials), recipes and scheduling. Shelf-life management functionality helps prevent stock from expiring before it has been used, while demand planning helps you meet customers’ orders without over-producing. Plus, Dynamics Food includes New Product Development software so you can keep on top of trends and maybe even become a food trendsetter yourself! 

For distributors, it has a comprehensive warehouse management system that helps you to manage all aspects of your operations from keeping track of stock and expiry dates to finances, managing customer and vendor relationships, promotions, and more. Barcode scanning gives you a quicker and paperless way of knowing your stock levels, makes picking easier and automatically stores the information on your system, so you get the information you need in real-time. When it comes to moving products from your warehouse to retailers, Dynamics Food will help plan optimal routes for your fleet to take. Plus, it has the functionality to navigate complex pricing models so you don’t have to spend time trying to figure it out.   

The good news is that absolutely everything is stored in your system, meaning that don’t need to manually keep track of documents, information and certificates, saving you lots of time, worry, and paper. Which we can all agree is no bad thing! From arrival at your warehouse to goods leaving, Dynamics Food will make each step much less of a hassle. 

2. Get real-time information, giving you the best seat in the house to see what’s going on in your business 

This completely removes the guesswork out of running your business and gives you the most up-to-date and accurate information, whether that be about your finances, stock levels, or delivery information.  

So, manufacturers and distributors alike can make informed decisions about what to do next that are backed up by evidence. Plus, knowledge gives you the chance to be reactive when things change and proactive in doing whatever is necessary to stay on track. After all, knowledge is power and you should use it to your advantage!  

3. Maximising efficiency is at the core

Helping you maximise profit. Dynamics Food helps manufacturers to work smarter with an integrated manufacturing execution system so you can manage processes at each stage when manufacturing products, from managing stock, shelf-life and more. Dynamics Food also helps with demand planning and forecasting so you can stay on top of fluctuating order volumes to prevent under or over-producing. All helping you avoid missing orders or having to sell excess stock to the discount houses (or worse, not being able to sell at all) and seeing your profit margins being sliced away! 

For distributors, Dynamics Food can also be utilised at every stage, from goods arriving at your warehouse to them being sent to retailers. Some of the biggest advantages Dynamics Food can bring to distributors are the use of handheld barcode scanners for picking, help with drop and route planning and electronic proof of delivery on your system, meaning you can get on with the job rather than having to spend time figuring out what you’ve used and what you need to buy. Dynamics Food removes the uncertainty, giving you information that you can truly rely on! 

4. Achieve a healthy bottom line

Stop throwing away profits by keeping a closer eye on your scrap and wastage thanks to Dynamics Food. Whether it’s getting a better understanding of how much scrap you’re producing when manufacturing (so you can easily identify quality issues and get them resolved), or ensuring ingredients are used before they expire thanks to the real-time shelf-life management functionality.  

For both manufacturers and distributors, Dynamics Food limits your labour costs. Distributors will benefit from the handheld barcode scanning to save time when picking, prevents human error during data input, and stops masses of paper from cluttering up the warehouse and potentially getting lost.  With Dynamics Food, paper records are history and you can retire the shredder.

5. Reporting tools will put you in the driver’s seat on your journey to success

Utilise Power BI and AI to create reports on all areas of the business that are easier to understand and are generated with just a few clicks. With the information you’ll gain, you can turn insight into impact and grow your business. For example, get insights on what your customers are buying and when, so you can focus on the products that will maintain customer retention. By using Power BI and AI for insight into what is or isn’t working, you don’t need to work it out for yourself with spreadsheets and perhaps incorrect maths! Use this information to act and drive your business forward with knowledge.

5. You’ll be using a system trusted by major retailers and is implemented by experts 

When we say ‘major’, we’re talking about the likes of Costa, Bernard Matthews, Grenade – no apologies for the namedropping! When it comes to the implementation and ongoing support for Dynamics Food, we truly are experts, in no small part due to us actually creating it in the first place! We’ve got 30+ years of experience and know exactly what food manufacturers and distributors need for their businesses to run at their most profitable best. 

Now that you’ve read all of that, it’s time for a cuppa if you ask me...