Most likely you have an ERP system running your business, which may consist of many modules including, for example, customer relationship management (CRM), inventory systems, scheduling, ledgers, track-and-trace functionality and possibly some sort of warehouse management system (WMS). Depending on your needs or the timing of your software purchases, you may also have a shop floor or MES (manufacturing execution system) and a standalone WMS—which may or may not be connected to your ERP system. Often one role of a shop floor or MES is to act as a relay or connection point between the ERP and WMS. In case of a non-automated shop floor where there is no MES, there is a good chance that the ERP system connects with an independent WMS or has some built-in WMS functionality.
Our focus is to look at the connection between production/business (MES)/ERP systems and the WMS and understand how they function together to keep you abreast of ingredient shortages, customer/consumer issues and potential recalls due to a quality/food safety issue.