Wine ERP : a solution adapted to wine professionals

Winegrowers, wine merchants, sales representatives, sommeliers, merchants, wine cooperatives : the wine and spirits industry brings together many players whose need for management tools is increasing in order to face up to the competition. ERP software, by centralising the various activities of a company, from order taking to logistics flows, enables the optimisation of business in this sector, whatever the trade concerned. Find out how ERP solutions and wine and spirits companies work together.

Wine ERP : an indispensable tool in this unique sector

Recognised as a cultural and gastronomic heritage, wine is a product at the heart of many professions, from producer to distributor. Some companies specialising in wines and spirits group together all the activities specific to the sector, and must therefore be able to manage the entire production chain while maintaining good relations with their customers. In this situation, in order to stand out from the ever-increasing competition and to concentrate on the technical aspects of the wine business without being encumbered by practical constraints linked to work tools, it is essential to opt for an adapted ERP software. An acronym for “Enterprise Resource Planning”, this type of computer tool centralises all of a company’s operations and provides a global view of the entire business. If you work in the wine and spirits sector, the services covered by ERP software for SMEs such as SAP Business ByDesign correspond to the specificities of your business. These include

Sales ;
Purchasing of bulk wines
Stock management
Supply chain (logistics flows) ;
Monitoring of quotas and available stocks ;
Management or material accounting ;
Finance
Human resources ;
Customer relations,

The data specific to these different areas of activity (traceability of the flow of goods, order forms, directory and monitoring of customer files, balance sheet, stocks, etc.) are thus centralised on a single IT support installed on site or thanks to a Cloud system. The latter option reduces internal costs in terms of IT management and offers the wine and spirits business players greater freedom of action.

A wine ERP configuration for greater profitability :

Carefully selected according to a set of specifications listing all the company’s needs, a wine and spirits ERP software meets about 80% of the problems encountered by the company. The remaining 20% depend directly on the customised configuration of the ERP. As an integrator partner of the SAP editor, CEREALOG adapts its software to the specific constraints of the company. In the case of an SME in wines and spirits, it will be a question, for example, of optimising the search engine of the tool so as to include the criteria specific to the products of the sector (appellations, vineyards, grape varieties, vintages, etc.). It could be a question of creating an interface that communicates with solutions such as GAMMA to manage the management. Also, to monitor quotas and available stocks, to set up a traceability system for example. Many other customisations are possible depending on the constraints of your business.

The benefits of an ERP for wines and spirits :

In a fast-growing sector and a competitive market in turmoil, the main challenge of a wine ERP is to improve the company’s competitiveness. Thanks to the deployment of the tool in optimal conditions, as close as possible to the operational needs of the entity, the ERP offers the following benefits

Optimisation of stocks thanks to better real-time visibility and updated reporting, leading to greater profits ;
Improved monitoring of distribution channels for greater customer satisfaction ;
Facilitate product traceability and compliance with customs requirements ;
Reduced workload and better communication between different departments in the company ;
Increased sales and purchasing possibilities, especially with the mobile version of the ERP, which allows sales representatives and traders to access the database from any location, including abroad.

A wine and spirits ERP to support the growth of an SME :

In the case of a new company or a small or medium-sized structure, the possibility of rapid growth must be taken into consideration. It is therefore essential to integrate an ERP on the vine capable of accommodating new functionalities according to the evolution of the entity in order to accompany its development without restriction. Cloud ERP tools are highly flexible and particularly suited to SMEs. More agile than on-premise software, these tools installed in SaaS mode are modular and can be adapted to the company’s changes. This is a real plus that provides all the conditions for the growth of a wine and spirits SME. Depending on the layout of the workstations and the structure of the company, it is also possible to personalise the user interfaces and to distribute different roles according to the professions and departments.

Optimising logistics : an advantage for the wine and spirits industry :

What better way to stand out in the wine and spirits market than with deadlines met and stocks updated in real time ? As purchasing and sales are at the heart of this business sector, the logistics division is one of the departments particularly concerned by an ERP management tool. In this respect, thanks to the pooling of data and innovative technological tools, an ERP in wine acts effectively on the supply chain at all stages of distribution. Thus, this integrated software allows to reduce delivery times thanks to immediate order processing and direct communication with the tools of partner transport companies. It is also possible to issue dispatch notes automatically as soon as the invoice is issued, saving not only time but also money. Because with improved logistic flows and transparent traceability, accessible at all times, the wine and spirits ERP indirectly generates better distribution, customer loyalty and favourable results in the short and long term.

IoT, predictive analysis : towards an intelligent wine ERP

In order to meet the needs of SMEs, SAP ERPs now use Artificial Intelligence, integrating machine learning (predictive analysis of trends) and IoT (Internet of Things). Also known as the Internet of Things, the IoT makes it possible to collect new data and send it directly into the ERP. In the wine sector, for example, it will be possible to connect drones to monitor vineyards remotely. These functionalities offered by new technologies interfaced with an ERP are ideal for automating certain tasks and improving decision-making, particularly through predictive analysis.

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