March Madness is upon us, and the eyes and minds of the country are riveted on the basketball court for two glorious, action-packed weeks of surprise upsets and glorious displays of exceptional grace and skill. Teams that climb the bracket scaffolding and make it to the “Elite Eight,” “Final Four,” and the “National Championship” games have one thing in common. Almost without exception, teams that rise to the top have a synergistic team chemistry. On these outstanding teams, individual teammates, coaches, staff, and support team work together so that they are much more than the sum of their parts. Grace, hard work, efficiency, beauty, accuracy, grit, and incredible victories are the result.

As on the basketball court, outstanding food manufacturing is the result of synergistic teamwork between the many working players in the organization. If there are weaknesses in one facet of the company, the entire enterprise suffers. For example, even if operations are outstanding (with high product output, low production downtime, and high customer satisfaction), if the forecasting and planning teammate is inefficient and inaccurate, the manufacturing team will lose. To have a “Final Four” type presence in the marketplace, all individual parts must be thriving, and then they must be bound together with a chemistry that generates energy and yields outstanding results.

Assuming that, any food manufacturing company would want to achieve “National Championship” status, how does a company get there? How is the synergy seen in a national championship basketball team achieved in manufacturing? One key to getting there is the adhesive or web that connects all of those working pieces, and that, in manufacturing, is often the ERP software that links all parts of the business.

How can IFS help take your food manufacturing company to the next bracket of competition?

1. IFS offers a comprehensive, flexible and industry-specific solution.

Offering support to all phases of the product lifecycle—new product development, procurement, manufacturing, quality compliance and delivery to customers—IFS puts everything in one place helping manufacturers have a single vision of the truth of their business.

2. IFS enables more accurate forecasting and planning.

IFS promises accelerated responsiveness and agility to help manufacturers respond to last-minute customer changes and help drive bottom-line growth by improving customer service while keeping scheduled production disruption to a minimum.

3. IFS drives integrated quality management.

End-to-end quality management—from compliance to audits to in-process controls, to positive release and traceability—IFS helps manufacturers control and analyze processes for problem areas.

4. IFS delivers process-specific key capabilities.

True food and beverage-specific key capabilities, such as recipe/formula functionality, lot/batch traceability, yields, by-products, shelf-life and expiration dates are promised IFS capabilities.

5. Operational Intelligence.

Food and beverage-specific lobbies guide users to the most relevant screens based on role and process flow, reducing training and inefficiencies. Additionally, industry-specific KPIs are available at a glance, drawing attention to actions needed.

Championship-caliber success is within reach.

John Wooden, UCLA’s wildly successful basketball coach said, “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” In food manufacturing, as in championship basketball, success is based on choices. Choosing to make the best choices to equip yourself for success is the first step to getting there. IFS could be that missing ingredient that can take your business to that next level of competition, offering the tools, agility, and capabilities that will help you achieve the synergy that will drive you to your next victory."