Fresh Del Monte Produce hasย tapped into blockchain technologyย to improve food safety, tracking, and traceability across its supply chain. The fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables company recently invested a 39 percent stake in Jordanian and U.K.-based startup Decapolis, aย blockchain-powered food safety and quality assurance provider.
By using QR codes, Fresh Del Monte can increase visibility into all stages of production, from plating to purchase. The brand is first implementing the technology in Fresh Del Monteโs pineapple operations in Costa Rica, looking to eventually launch it across all of its business segments.
Gartner’s Jana says blockchain is an area of opportunity not yet embraced across the industry, in terms of not only traceability but sourcing as well. It provides clearer visibility into the process and if the product source is sustainable, other companies leveraging this technology includeย Unilever for its palm oil supply chain strategy.
An Inside Look: Fresh Del Monte Shares Supply Chain Plans
Jesus Rodriguez, SVP of sales for North America, and Ziad Nabulsi, SVP of operations of North America, shared with CGTย additional areasย of opportunity the brand is zoning in on: fulfillment and transportation.
โWhile the situation with the supply chain has normalized quite a bit due to labor availability, the issue of fuel cost is still very hard to predict. Recent trends (down) seem like a tailwind, but the questions remain around the long term,โ says Rodriguez. โWhile gas prices are forecasted to continue going down, it is not so clear on diesel.โ
Alternative modes of transportation still need to be considered, he says, and this includes rail โ but it’s problematic when it comes to refrigerated loads. The company, however, is looking toward a solution with potential, which will improve forecasting cost and design routes for efficiency.
4. Marsโ Digital Twin Kickoff
Following a series of initial trials in 2020 across U.S. manufacturing plants that proved successful, Mars has invested inย digital twinsย for its factories across the globe. The technology stimulates and validates product and factory adjustments, reducing time and resources.
In one instance, Mars leveraged a digital twin to reduce over-filling packages in an Illinois factory. By feeding manufacturing machinery sensor data into a predictive analytics model, factory line operators can monitor events in real time, adjusting the filling process.
Unilever, Mars, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, and Johnson & Johnson are also investing in digital twins. In fact, 19 percent of manufacturers across industries reported using digital twins, according to an October Gartner surveyย shared withย CGT.
5. Hormelโs Deep Data Dive
Hormel is improving on-shelf availability by investing in real-time data sharing. The company has tapped into the Google Cloud Platform data lake toย access high-priority consumer data sets, and partnered with retail analytics platform Crisp to more quickly obtain and analyze insights, simplifying the data pipeline architecture.
With more robust access, Hormel can tap into historical and real-time data insights from retailers across delivery, retail, supply chain, manufacturing, and inventory. And by implementing automation, the company has sped up delivery and improved quality and breadth.
โOur approach to leveraging analytics across the enterprise is centered around one source of the truth,โย Mark Vaupel, VP IT services at Hormel Foods, told CGT in an earlier interview. โThat means as we work with retail partners, anyone needing data can access the right data at the right time to answer questions and provide actionable insights.โ
The Secret to Success: There Isnโt Just One
What elements โ emerging technologies, elevated access to data, a strong talent pool, improved workflows โ combine to form the ideal supply chain of the future? With CG companies requiring niche solutions to meet unique demands, itโs a question the industry has struggled to answer.
As far as supply chain investments thus far, Nabulsi says the Fresh Del Monte has implemented a transportation management system, SAP at a national scale for all levels of the supply chain, and an artificial intelligence project for commodities.
Clearly there is not a single approach that bests all competition, but the supply chain of the future moves far beyond data strategies and automation โ it almost comes to life.
โSentient is a Latin term for anything that is alive. It can feel, it can proceed,โ says Jana. โThe future of supply chain would move toward a real-time distinction execution network. That means it can feel as well as act.”
“We have always had real-time analytics,” he notes. “The thing that will change is real-time analytics becoming real-time decision making.โ
Core to this will be developing supply chain resilience, currently a primary area of focus for consumer goods companies. By the end of 2022, half of all manufacturing supply chains will see the benefits of supply chain resiliency,ย according to IDC, resulting in 10 percent reduction in disruption impact.
CG companies that have made strategic investments in building out greater supply chain resiliency are able to “ensureย the availability and affordability of products that are able to meet retailers demands,”ย Tomย Madrecki, VP of supply chain at the Consumer Brands Association, noted in aย recentย CGTย webinar.
Buy-in can be a hurdle here, he pointed out, as CFOs and investors want to see short-term results. While some companies dive in, others are more strategic, taking “bites at the apple,” but may be seeing more immediate payoffs.
Consultancy firmย McKinsey & Companyย highlighted five areas where CG companies can build resiliency into their supply chains: creating end-to-end transparency, investing in digitization, improving communication and collaboration, embracing e-commerce, and building talent.
โThe pandemic has tested many companies to the limit. And while COVID-19 has commanded the worldโs attention, supply-chain shocks are becoming increasingly common. By investing in supply-chain resilience now, organizations have an opportunity to build critical agility into their supply chains, which will help them withstand not only the current crisis but also those to come.โ โ Ignacio Felix, Carolina Mazuera, Julian Salguero, and Frank Sรคnger at McKinsey & Company