You may be able to use a spreadsheet or home accounting program to get your household finances in order. But, there are so many places for cash to evaporate in a food or beverage plant, that unless you are using an integrated software system to track and focus every process, you may never know if leaks exist. But an integrated software system that covers from the “top floor to the shop floor” is somewhat elusive for many processors, especially those running several disparate software systems that contain their own data (data silos) and are not interconnected.
A recent ARC survey, “Automation Expenditures for Food & Beverage Industry Global Market Research Study,” found the major areas of focus in food and beverage manufacturing are margin protection and cost containment, followed by innovation and time to profitability, food safety, more sustainable manufacturing focused on energy usage and waste reduction and minimizing brand risk.