Food Manufacture Excellence Award

SSI to sponsor first 'fresh produce' category at 2007 Food Manufacture Excellence Awards

LONDON – 18 July, 2007 – SSI, a Chelford Group company and provider of ERP and supply chain management solutions for specialist industries, has announced that it will sponsor the inaugural ‘fresh produce’ category at the 2007 Food Manufacture Excellence Awards. The new award has been created to reflect the growing significance of the fresh produce sector within the UK food industry, and the increasing role technology plays in enabling food processors and distributors to meet the retailer’s requirements.

The market for fresh produce in the UK has grown rapidly in recent years, and the sector is now worth well over £1 billion. Much has changed in this sector. Organic food sales have more than doubled since 2000, and the grocery sector experienced growth of 7.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2007 alone. There are more product variants and significantly more value-added products available. The huge changes in this sector have led companies to implement new systems and business processes, including supply chain management and ERP systems, in order to deliver high quality products to stores. Award winners will be companies that demonstrate excellence in areas including productivity, process innovation, product development and company growth – including emerging in new areas of the fresh produce market.

“The fresh produce sector has completely revolutionised itself in the last ten years,” commented Neville Merritt, Group Marketing Director, Chelford Group. “Shoppers no longer simply demand fresh fruit and vegetables on the shelves – they now expect supermarkets to provide high quality, pre-prepared and packaged goods – such as garnished potatoes or baby vegetable packs – that are just as ready for use as any other food product. The fresh produce sector has responded to this demand, and evolved by adding multiple process and packing lines in what was previously a straight-forward warehousing and distribution facility. A company’s ability to effectively manage and control this new aspect of their business has become crucial.

“In addition to these market changes, the major retailers have also consolidated their suppliers, which means that many produce suppliers now have to source additional volumes from third parties in order to fulfil growing requirements,” continued Neville Merritt. “This increases the importance of effective integration between the order management systems of the retail suppliers and third parties, to manage complex triangulation of business transactions. Margins are tight in this sector, so ever more sophisticated transaction monitoring and cost analysis is needed to closely track consignment costs. This new award category recognises companies that have mastered these processes, and are adopting innovative practices across the supply chain.”

SSI TO SPONSOR FIRST FRESH PRODUCE CATEGORY AT FOOD MANUFACTURE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

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