Taking Advantage of Supply Chain Solutions Give Businesses A Competitive Advantage

The value of a flexible supply chain network

To compete in the global marketplace, a company needs a dynamic and flexible logistic network. Businesses can use such a network to:

• Be adaptable.

• Take advantage of new ideas.

• Obtain a larger market share

• Cost savings Respond more quickly to shifting client demands and unanticipated market disruptions.

• Obtain a competitive edge

Many firms are unaware of the multiple benefits of establishing a highly responsive and high-quality supply chain. These businesses are slow to respond to changes in demand, technology disruptions, competitive challenges, and client preferences. Because outdated operational processes don't provide management teams with the information they need to run the business properly, they require much higher levels of operating capital in the form of inventory, which could be used for R&D, launching new products, acquisition, and other business activities that would accelerate growth and profit, they remain stuck in a rut.

Because of their difficulty to acquire and retain workers with the necessary skill sets to implement sophisticated operational systems and develop acceptable operational strategies, these challenges are common in middle market organizations. As a result, they may consider enlisting the help of outside consulting firms that specialize in formulating and planning operational plans that support the overall business strategy.

How can logistic consultancies benefit businesses looking to build, reconstruct, or renovate their operational networks?

A logistic consultant, to be specific, will help clients deliver high performance by working with their existing team to remodel their supply chains. The following are some of the major advantages that a company can gain by engaging a certain consultant.

1. A particular assessment program is designed by some skilled, qualified consultancies to verify the efficacy of a company's existing logistics. This procedure provides the organization with a fundamental road map for developing the best logistical plans. To examine the performance of an existing supply chain, a well-designed evaluation program will focus on the following:

• Objectives stratégiques

• Drivers of market value

• Quality

• commitment from the vendor

• Working capital has been deployed.

• Responsiveness

• Skillset and organizational design

2. These consultants have one goal in mind: to improve what already exists. As a result, they collaborate with a customer to rethink and revamp its:

• Processes of product development

• Processes for managing product portfolios

• Methodologies for material acquisition

• Strategy for delivering a product or a service

• Practices in inventory management

• Management of vendors

• Distribution plans for the entire world

3. In general, supply chain management solutions entail developing solutions that enhance the capabilities of an existing network. This type of transition occurs when:

• Global operations have been improved.

• Business strategy are connected with operating models.

• A company's operational workforce's skills are improved.

• Management dashboards are used to keep track of performance goals.

For these reasons, any company that wants to optimize and improve its logistical and network workflows should engage the expertise of a seasoned supply chain consulting firm. Such businesses have the ability and unique insights that turn logistics into more than just a technical procedure, but a competitive advantage for a company.

ReposiTrak Inc., which is powered by Park City Group's technology, is now the only platform that can provide customers with both compliance and commerce solutions, giving them a 360-degree view of their suppliers' data to increase supply chain efficiency and decrease risk. The ReposiTrak Speed Retail Platform, a cloud-based gateway, provides access to all of Park City Group's capabilities.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/fda-traceability-requirements

How Food Traceability Requirements Protect Consumers Under the Food Safety Modernization Act

President Barack Obama marked the Food Safety Modernization Act in an effort to make the US food supply safer. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the United States Department of Agriculture are in charge of implementing this law, which marks a significant shift in how authorities monitor, trace, and protect high-risk food sources across the country.

For consumer protection, the Ace significantly expands federal jurisdiction over food. The FDA is authorized by the Act to impose quarantines on the movement of food goods across state lines, with judicial monitoring.

Both the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services will have the authority to enhance inspections of domestic food production enterprises under the new law. Food poisoning outbreaks will be less likely if the detection of foodborne illnesses improves. This Act represents a departure from the government's usual reactionary response to risks to the food supply, and it is a step toward preventing food-borne illnesses. The FDA and HHS will have the capacity and knowledge to trace and recall food products throughout the food supply chain as an effect of increased recall capabilities and new standards for food companies' record keeping.

Much remains unknown about the new record-keeping requirements that food companies must comply. The USDA will operate two pilot programs as one of the initial measures. The newly developed data will be integrated with high-risk food data collected by the FDA over the last decade after these projects are completed. This information will aid the FDA in the establishment of new laws forcing food firms to implement new safety regulations in order to prevent potential dangers.

Consumers and farmers alike clearly desire a safe food supply. Smaller producers are already voicing their dissatisfaction. There is considerable speculation that the new restrictions will not apply to manufacturers that sell less than $500,000 worth of product every year. The Food Safety Modernization Act, as is customary, will stoke debate between consumer advocates and industry interests for some time. The real cost of adopting the Act by enterprises operating in the United States will not be known until the FDA releases its new standards.

The Food Safety Modernization Act is prepared to safeguard consumers as well as growers and producers. The Food and Drug Administration has existed given a specific responsibility to prevent food related illness for the first time in its history. With the ability to track food from field to table, the government will be able to identify risk and eliminate it from the entire food supply chain.

Visit: https://repositrak.com/traceability-network/

Exemptions from the Food Safety Modernization Act for businesses and farms

The new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act alters the standards for food traceability as well as the Secretary's overall authority to visit producers' facilities. While this law goes so far as to give the government the right to shut down a firm if it fails to meet certain criteria, many small farms and enterprises are exempt from the registration requirements. The three primary criteria for exclusion are established by the business's operations and the target market for its products.

A business will be excluded from the new regulation if its gross sales are less than $500,000 per year. This was added as an amendment to protect small farms and retail food enterprises from unwanted consequences. This includes internet-based firms with revenue under the threshold limit and that generate consumer goods. This modification does not indicate whether a business must register in the same year that its revenue surpasses the threshold or if the next registration cycle would be delayed. Many aspects are expected to be worked out after the law is fully implemented in 2012.

When the bulk of a farm's customers are end-clients, meaning they will utilize the produce directly, the farm will be exempt from the regulation. Farms that sell the majority of their produce to retail marketing companies, local grocery stores, or farmer's markets will be exempt from the new law's obligatory registration and routine inspections under the present system. Even if they sell the majority of their produce straight to consumers, farms must stay under the threshold limit. Once they reach the threshold limit, they will be obliged to register at some point.

Processed foods and services are thought to account for the majority of revenue at retail food establishments. This is typical among small producers who receive fresh produce and process it in a variety of ways before selling it straight to customers. Farms that process the majority of their food before selling it directly to customers will be exempt from the new law's registration and inspection requirements. There is currently no threshold limit for these products, but that is expected to change as the law evolves.

While the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act focuses primarily on preventing foodborne illness, the system for tracking down the original supplier is critical. If a business is exempt from registration under this legislation, it is nonetheless subject to a food contamination inquiry. Even if they are exempt from routine inspections, firms should keep records since this rule gives the government additional control over the distribution of food and processed items. Having a good record-keeping system in place will make the move to becoming a registered firm go more smoothly.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/how-supply-chain-management-works

Backbone of a Successful Business Venture: Quality Supply Chain Solutions

A good logistics company like ReposiTrak Inc. will help you adapt creatively to the needs of the hour, no matter what your business is. In today's world, where competition seems to be increasing by the hour, you could lose to a competitor with just a few mouse clicks. If you don't have the right supply chain solutions in place, you won't be able to take advantage of possibilities and produce results.

Many world-class logistics management firms are now equipped with a diverse collection of sophisticated supply chain execution capabilities. They assist in the provision of tailored solutions to particular clients in order to pave the way for high performance and excellence.

If you are looking for a supply chain management service provider, it is a good idea to go for one that has a lot of experience in this sector. This is due to the fact that only a service provider with tried-and-true solutions in its arsenal can handle even the most unusual and emergency scenarios. It is a critical aspect in gaining a long-term competitive advantage over competitors in your field of operation.

Only an experienced and competitive logistics business can provide a data-rich and highly flexible response to any request, which is essential for obtaining quality results. Only a well-established and experienced firm can master all of the requirements for producing dynamic solutions in an unpredictable world while maximizing profits.

Transparency is the cornerstone of supply chain management success. As a result, a reputable service provider will make sure to give you all of the information you need about customer orders, inventory levels, reverse logistics management, and so on. Regardless of whether you are a manufacturer or a supplier, this is true. As a result, you will have a greater understanding of the entire supply chain process, allowing you to make better and more informed business decisions. Needless to say, this would result in enhanced production and improved performance in the long run.

So, what do you have to lose? Employ the services of a logistics service provider and sit back while they handle all of your supply chain management needs.

Your First Step Towards Success: Supply Chain Solutions

Supply Chain Solutions enable company to be handled with in a more systematic and structured manner by having the varied feature of connecting the buyer and seller in the most friendly manner. Business has grown as the world has become a global village, and companies are selling their products all over the world. As a result, a well-defined demand and supply system is required to keep product inflow and outflow in the proper order.

To stay up with the changing dynamics of commerce, supply chain solutions should be domain specialized and technology driven. As a result, performance is improved, positioning is improved, and services are integrated. With timely delivery and transportation of products in the finest possible condition, an effective plan has the potential to propel the firm to the pinnacle in no time. Planning, execution, and implementation must be strategized in accordance with individual requirements and industry specifics.

Everything falls into place with an end-to-end supply chain solution. There are consultation services offered to assist consumers in selecting the solutions that would best meet their needs. It also aids in fulfilling the ever-changing demands of customers and completing them as efficiently as feasible. Supply chain management solutions bridge the gap between a product's origin and its final destination. These types of solutions play a critical part in completing the product life cycle.

A well-designed path is established to preserve product flow in situ while simultaneously directing it in the appropriate direction. To provide effective operational activity, channels are consolidated. Premium service providers establish instructions and carry them out in a way that improves overall performance and efficiency.

A well-integrated supply chain system can help your company achieve the unthinkable and reap the greatest rewards. Management of your logistics and inventory is a difficult undertaking that can be outsourced so you can focus on your core skills.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/fda-traceability-requirements

6 Ways to Manage Supplier Compliance Successfully

If you rely on suppliers substantially, make sure their business practices are in line with yours. Suppliers can be extremely valuable to your company, but they can also pose serious product compliance difficulties. Forward-thinking executives frequently use a supplier compliance system to collaborate with their suppliers, manage supplier compliance documentation, and reduce their exposure to supplier-related risks as a solution.

Two-way collaboration is the foundation of successful supplier management, and it can lead to more efficient product compliance management and make everyone's day-to-day work more enjoyable. It's no longer cost- or time-effective to send a supplier a slew of emails. Information can be lost if emails are erased. Visit: https://repositrak.com/compliance-management/

Supplier compliance suggestions

With that out of the way, let's look at some other supplier management ideas you can use.

#1. Be familiar with your vendors.

Make sure your list of functioning suppliers is up to date and complete, with correct information on what they provide and any potential hazards associated with their business practices. You may rapidly create a profile for each of your suppliers with the most up-to-date and accurate background information using software.

#2. Determine what kinds of supplier compliance data you'll need.

Examine the statutory reporting requirements that apply to your products to determine what kind of compliance data you'll need from your vendors. Suppliers must be able to produce accurate test reports as well as Certificates of Compliance/Conformity in general. You will also need to obtain information on articles containing Candidate List substances and report it to the SCIP database, as a result of the new, harsher EU legislation.

#3. Make supplier response processes more efficient.

Set up any workflows you need to keep on track with the help of a digital solution like Clever Compliance's supplier compliance software. Send a reminder to your provider, for example, if they haven't responded in seven days. To reduce legal risks and minimize future problems with market surveillance authorities, any missing information or non-compliance issues must be handled promptly.

#4. Back up all of your files to the cloud.

Make that all documentation, including supplier agreements, test reports, and compliance certificates, is stored in the cloud. All involved parties should be able to access and amend it in a single digital repository — with no uncertainty about version or status. You'll save time chasing data by doing so, and you'll be able to keep track of your vendors' compliance status. Instead of juggling hundreds of binders, files, and spreadsheets, you'll be able to access data at any time.

#5: Monitor the performance of your suppliers.

You may receive a detailed overview of your supplier performance by centralizing compliance data. This allows your teams to check for task accomplishment and get relevant information from your data on a daily basis. "Compliance vs. non-compliance suppliers," for example. In order to assure continuing compliance, you can also track general and individual supplier performance over time.

#6. Evaluate your vendors and the things they offer.

Provide questionnaires to your suppliers that evaluate their operational protocols for issues that could harm your business. Aim with questions that are impartial and unambiguous, eliciting complete but not lengthy responses. You may do this digitally by creating custom forms and collecting any information from your suppliers using Clever Compliance's supplier compliance solution.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/how-supply-chain-management-works

Getting Ready for the FDA's New Food Traceability Guidelines

For food and beverage companies like yours, few topics are more crucial than traceability. Food safety, which is intimately related to brand reputation and, in the end, your organization's profitability, necessitates the collection, secure storage, and high visibility of critical ingredient and product data.

Furthermore, your customers expect it: according to the Center for Food Integrity, 65 percent of consumers want to know more about their food's origins. The legal standards for traceability will soon be considerably stricter, thanks to the FDA's new proposed Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (or the "Proposed Rule for Food Traceability").

We'll look at how food traceability rules have evolved over time in this post, as well as what the new proposed rule means for your business. Then we'll wrap up with a quick look at how enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems may help you stay compliant as rules get more stringent.

Past Traceability Guidelines

Many industry professionals believe that the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices were the first traceability standards, but this is not the case—the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 introduced the "one step back, one step forward" approach for tracing food and beverage products in the supply chain.

However, for many years, the more strict GS1 Standards for traceability were regarded best practices, as food and beverage companies have long recognized the significant costs of contaminations, withdrawals, and recalls. However, because these guidelines are not enforceable by law, companies' techniques to tracking product information differed.

Then, in 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed, which added to the industry's transparency and safety. In particular, Section 204 gave the FDA permission to run trial traceability programs, analyze other worldwide standards, and construct a set of recordkeeping requirements, as well as alter and update their traceability laws in the future.

Fast forward to 2020, and the start of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety was declared as the next major development on this front. The FDA released the Proposed Rule for Food Traceability as part of its update in September of that year, and we anticipate more adjustments and, eventually, a finalized set of requirements.

What's the Best Way to Get Ready for More Traceability Requirements?

Clearly, the new law introduces a slew of new rules, phrases, and requirements for food and beverage companies. With the onus on your company to capture and retain so many additional facts and documents, it's clear that paper-based systems will be insufficient in the future if you've stuck to old-school ways thus far.

A single, digital database is required not only to store so much data, but also to retrieve it quickly in the event of an emergency food safety scenario. As a cross-functional platform that updates in real time as new facts and figures come in, ERP technology serves this role, giving you the agility to react in time to avoid undesirable outcomes while also giving you the confidence that everything is correct and up-to-date.

Smart sensors, scales, and imaging technology, as well as handheld barcode and QR code scanners, may all be integrated with purpose-built solutions like ReposiTrak Inc. to automate the data collecting process. With this feature, recording the necessary KDEs at each CTE becomes a much easier and faster operation, and the risk of human error is eliminated.

Automatically scheduled compliance inspections and expedited recall features are two other ways that food and beverage ERP systems can help you with your traceability initiatives. These not only ensure that all important steps in the tracking process are completed correctly every time, but they also protect you in the event of a mishap by tracking contaminations back to their source and automating elements of the recall process.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/how-supply-chain-management-works

Importer Security Filing (Vendor-Supplier Compliance)

Importer Security Filings (ISF) preparation

To underline the significance of the ten (10) ISF data elements (excluding the "phantom eleventh"), I highly suggest you to amend your purchase order or other contractual agreements used in the transaction to require the vendor or supplier to comply with Importer Security Filing standards. Some importers are also imposing conditions on financial instruments like letters of credit. Including such language in your contract documents could be a mitigating factor if CBP fines you for late or inaccurate reporting after January 2010.

I also propose that you contact your participating ocean carriers, NVOCCs, and freight forwarders and carefully coordinate operations with them. Meetings should be held ahead of time between your supplier base and the carrier(s) at origin to iron out new protocols and techniques for issuing the bill of lading number. Because most major ocean carriers (Maersk, APL/NOL, Evergreen, Hanjin, NYK, K-Line, OOCL, and others) are well-versed in ISF, their overseas offices can assist you in educating your vendor and supplier network if appropriately leveraged. I recommend contacting your carrier's US agent and demanding that their international offices engage problematic vendors or assist you in communicating this new requirement.

Several importers are enforcing vendor penalties as part of their vendor compliance procedures to encourage compliance and help offset the potential cost of CBP penalties filed against the importer.

Tips for Notifying Your Vendors and Suppliers

Importers are currently concerned about their ability to obtain a bill of lading number in advance, as well as a lack of cooperation from suppliers and vendors. If you decide to file your ISF directly, look for a provider that has produced recommended notifications to send to suppliers and vendors. Recommended reading or attachments to your correspondence include an Adobe copy of the CBP Interim Final Rule (Federal Register Notice), copies of your new company policies or methods, copies of other publications concerning Importer Security Filing, and/or letters from Senior Management emphasizing the importance and their support for the initiative.

Companies that use paper-based traceability procedures may under significant strain if they are asked to provide correct and updated records with only 24 hours' notice. They'd have to track down the documents, double-check them for accuracy, and then put them into a searchable spreadsheet with only the needed data – all in around 24 hours. Park City Group co-founded ReposiTrak Inc. with Leavitt Partners, chaired by Michael Leavitt, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, to meet the predicted surge in regulatory requirements connected with the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. (FSMA).

All of this can be done in a matter of seconds with SafetyChain. An easy-to-use dashboard allows you to search for records by product type, date, line, lot, and other criteria. These personalized reports are simple to share, so you may send them to as many people as you choose. You can also set up controls to guarantee that data is collected consistently and shared with just the people who need to know.

Exceptions to the rules

Small farms that sell linear to the public, small retail food enterprises, and nonprofit food establishments are among those that are excused from the proposed Food Traceability Rule. A complete list of exemptions can be seen on the FDA's website.

FDA traceability requirements compliance date proposed

The FDA has recommended a two-year compliance date following the final regulation, and unlike many previous laws, there will be no phase-in period based on the size of the business. By the same deadline, everyone involved must comply.

Meanwhile, the public comment period will run until January 21, 2021, and a series of virtual meetings to examine the proposed regulation will be held in November and December 2020.

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/what-is-the-fda-food-traceability

How to Adhere to the FDA's New Food Traceability Regulations

The FDA released the FSMA Proposed Rule for Food Traceability, a 55-page document that standardizes traceability techniques for high-risk foods, in late September 2020. We've included several critical items to keep in mind for food and beverage facilities, such as new foods on the Food Traceability checklist, record-keeping standards, and compliance deadlines.

The Food Traceability List is a list of foods that can be traced back to their source (FTL)

The FDA's new traceability standards are aimed at high-risk foods, while the language mostly avoids mentioning them by name. This is most likely a way of avoiding any allergies to certain foods that have been designated as high-risk, as well as dispelling the assumption that any items that aren't on the list are automatically risk-free.

One of the proposed rule's challenges is that it must take into account not only FTL foods, but also meals that contain them as ingredients. Because many food and beverage firms have a diverse product range, employing an electronic food safety management platform can assist executives in tracking all of the goods that would be subject to the law and ensuring compliance.

Key data items and critical tracking events

The proposed rule's two pillars, Key Data Elements (KDE) and Critical Tracking Events (CTE), initially emerged in the Institute of Food Technologies' suggestions for enhanced product tracing in 2012. Important traceability data should be collected and communicated at essential points in the supply chain, according to KDEs (CTEs).

The FDA should adopt a comprehensive set of record-keeping criteria, including the use of standardized technology to capture KDEs, according to an advisory group. KDEs can be used to initiate investigations and shorten traceback timelines in the event of an outbreak or recall. This assumption was embraced by the FDA in the proposed regulation, which stated that traceability lot numbers and additional KDEs should be recorded and linked to allow for product tracking in the event of foodborne illness outbreaks or recalls.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ready an interactive reference to provide examples of CTEs and KDEs in the supply chain. KDEs change depending on the type of one's business: data requirements for growing, receiving, transforming, making, and shipping meals are all distinct. Here's how these tracking events are specified in more detail:

Creating: making a food on the FTL using ingredients from foods that aren't on the list. Peanut butter is an example; peanuts are not on the FTL, but peanut butter is.

Growing: an early phase in the supply chain that necessitates the creation of a traceability lot code and linking it to growing area coordinates (sprouts have proposed additional requirements, including seed lot codes)

Receiving: the act of receiving food by a client (other than the consumer) after it has been transported.

Transportation of food from one establishment to another is known as shipping.

Any food on the FTL can be transformed, including its package or label.

Rules for keeping records

Since the obligation of tracing "one step forward, one step back" was specified in the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, industry efforts have already increased. Despite this, the agency's response to foodborne illness outbreaks has been hampered by a lack of timely access to accurate and complete data. Links will become more defined as a result of synchronizing traceability processes across the industry, making it easier to trace the origin of contaminated items.

The FDA's proposed rule requires food and beverage firms to keep the following records in order to achieve this goal:

All FTL foods that have been shipped: Companies should keep a list that includes a description of all FTL foods that have been shipped, as well as a traceable product identifier.

Companies should have a definition of traceability reference records and how different pieces of information, such as purchase orders and bills of lading, are linked.

Companies must generate traceability lot codes that identify distinct types of food at any step in the production, creation, or transformation process. It's also necessary to include a description of how these codes are created and given.

As you might expect, this brings a lot of data into food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods firms, which are already struggling to keep up with the volume of data generated in their plants every day. SafetyChain is a consolidated solution for all of your regulatory and non-regulatory programs, including a program manager feature and a simplified document repository that simplifies record-keeping. It can help you develop and maintain a robust traceability program that meets FDA regulations, in addition to food safety, quality, and compliance procedures.

Additional information relevant to traceability records, including as acronyms and classification systems, must also be included in records, according to the FDA. Companies would also be required to employ either electronic records or legible paper records that could be swiftly converted into sortable spreadsheets and delivered to the FDA within 24 hours of a request. This would provide full traceability information for all foods in question, with specific date ranges.

At ReposiTrak Inc., Park City Group co-founded ReposiTrak, Inc. with Leavitt Partners, chaired by Michael Leavitt, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, to meet the predicted surge in regulatory requirements connected with the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. (FSMA).

🎧 Listen to our podcast: https://pod.co/podcastlive/what-is-food-traceability