Learning from the European Food Manufacturing Summit

With a number of delegates, scheduled meetings, panel sessions and the great and good of the food supply chain, the first European Food Manufacturing Summit in Dusseldorf was an exhilarating two-day journey into the heart of the food supply chain.

This year’s summit provided impactful and inspiring conversations about the future of the supply chain.

Keynotes and sessions focused on preparing for supply chain volatility, mitigating risk, mastering disruptions and ensuring future readiness via digital transformation.

So how can supply chain teams best leverage technology to prepare more effectively for the future? I identified some key themes that emerged over the conference.

• To build resilience via digitalisation, organisations need to:
  Initiate change from the top (and embrace the workforce). The supply chain plays a crucial role in fostering innovation by identifying and rewarding early adopters within an organisation. By doing so, it is possible to create a culture that embraces and accelerates change.
• Digitalisation can cut costs, improve efficiency and achieve other key operational outcomes, while also making employees’ jobs easier and more satisfying.

But digital transformation must be coupled with a cultural transformation that’s championed by leadership and explained to those making operations tick on a day-to-day basis.

Tailor artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. It’s essential to choose AI solutions that align with an organisation’s specific goals. Being strategic in implementation ensures that technology serves as a powerful tool for achieving the objectives a company has set itself.

AI is readily accessible, but that doesn’t mean everyone should adopt it without careful consideration of its usefulness.

The European Food Manufacturing Summit served as a reminder that with digitalisation, it needs to be applied thoughtfully and strategically.

Companies need to understand the benefits digitalisation brings, the end benefits that can be  produced — instead of launching general, vague initiatives across the supply chain.

The forward-thinking companies who get it right are using digital assets thoughtfully to improve  sustainability, resilience and accuracy – and by some margin.

Organisations that learn the lessons will find they thrive amid constant change.

• Rodney Jack, editor, Food & Drink Technology.
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