Page 47 - Food & Drink Business Magazine March 2019

Seasonal demand presents challenges for Ingham’s, but a new software solution is helping the poultry processor stay ahead of the game.
Meating demand
MEAT, FISH & POULTRY
AUSTRALIA’S largest poultry producer Ingham’s has some busy seasonal trading periods to accommodate, and predicting the demand is a complicated process.
Given that Ingham’s processes 200 million birds each year, the company relies on careful planning and complex calculations to make sure its various products arrive fresh on supermarket shelves in the correct quantities, as and when required.
Sales of turkeys increase substantially over Christmas. Planning for Christmas turkey production starts early in September, including any plans for promotions or seasonal ranges, and relies on accurate data on forecasting retailers’ requirements two to three months ahead, including any plans for promotions or seasonal ranges.
Also, demand for convenient, ready-to-serve barbecue chicken tends to increase during warmer weather. However, the dynamics of poultry production and working with fresh produce with only a limited shelf-life means having to carefully manage inventory to avoid stock losses and wastage.
“We have to get things right first time,” says Ingham’s demand planning manager Chee Foong. “The retail and quick-service restaurant market environment is very dynamic, so we want to be more proactive by using technology for collaborative forecasting and getting much more efficient at what we do.”
To this end, Foong says, the company has implemented demand planning software to help more accurately forecast how many chickens and turkeys supermarkets are likely to require over busy times such as in the lead up to Christmas.
Ingham selected FuturMaster demand planning software in a bid to increase its forecast accuracy and be much more responsive to seasonal fluctuations in demand.
“We now have a sophisticated tool-set in place for matching demand plans with production,” says Foong. “With the help of FuturMaster, we expect an uplift in service levels and increased forecast accuracy.”
4 million
BIRDS PROCESSED BY INGHAM’S PER WEEK
The first phase of FuturMaster’s cloud-based software implementation went live in April 2018, and Ingham’s says it intends to add more advanced promotion planning capabilities.
CEO and president of FuturMaster Bo Zhou says Ingham’s is adopting the company’s software via the cloud.
“We trust it will give them the reliability and flexibility that outsourcing important IT areas of the business can bring.
“Our Cloud Services offer is on the rise among our clients,
allowing them to minimise any up-front IT and infrastructure costs.”
Farthing West, a local partner and reseller, provided additional support in the sales cycle.
FuturMaster’s other customers include companies like Heineken, L’Oréal, Danone Waters, Lactalis, Pepsico andLVMH.
Ingham’s processes four million birds per week and operates 345 facilities and farms across Australia and New Zealand. The company, which supplies major retailers and quick-service restaurant chains including Woolworths and McDonald’s, says it is continuing to invest to enhance its production andprocessingnetworks. ✷
YOUR ONE ANSWER TO ON-SITE FOOD AND BEVERAGE TESTING
Food: bakery products, egg products, fish oil, milk & dairy products, nuts, oils & fats, and more.
Beverage: beer & wort, wine and must and more.
For more information, contact us on
(02) 9882 3666 or at orders@amsl.com.au
amsl.com.au
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | March 2019 | Food&Drink business | 47