A winery supply chain is like no other in the food and beverage industry. The acts of nature that can cut a grape harvest in half and the threat of floods that can destroy an entire field add to supply chain disruptions.
In addition, the warehousing of wine is a sensitive compendium of targeted movements to produce the wine itself. Another factor to consider is the distribution of wine, which requires thoughtful and secure planning.
To optimize the winery supply chain, we offer in the following paragraphs an outline of suggested improvements and revised plans that will inform and direct your winery supply chain to higher levels of efficiency, leading directly to greater productivity and increased profit margins.
Safe and Accurate Wine Handling and Distribution
The first step in optimizing your winery supply chain is found in the safe and accurate handling of the wine in the warehouse and through distribution to delivery. While traditional methods of the movement of wine have been somewhat consistent, the increase in wine production worldwide has led to the need for tighter controls, proper product placement, and efficient distribution management.
Fortunately, there are software programs for distribution management that will meet the needs of wineries across the spectrum, including high-production wineries and boutique wineries, as well.
Business Management Improvements
As wineries have grown in size and number, the complexity of day-to-day operations has grown with it. The business models for wineries have informed the creation of excellent business management software that can be applied to efficiency, production, sales performance, sales tracking and accounting.
Incorporate expertise in drink formulation and development: Hire experienced personnel with expertise in drink formulation and development to ensure that your winery is producing high-quality products that meet customer demand.
The acquisition of software can optimize efficiency in the daily sector of business, allowing staff members to oversee other projects. Consider purchasing winery business management software that will track wine, oversee inventory, organize winery contracts, manage day-to-day operations, provide sales information and prepare accounting reports.
Build a Comprehensive Business Plan
If your winery does not yet have a comprehensive winery business plan, this is the time to complete this structural document. While a business can operate without a business plan, a highly profitable business typically has a very detailed plan for the present and the future of the company.
Include in the plan the mission and objectives for the business, a demographic image of the average customer who purchases the winery products, an assessment of competitors within the same field producing similar wines, and include an operational plan detailing the present and optimal plans for the future. Include a financial forecast in the plan to cement the goals for long-term growth and profitability.
Optimize Inventory Control and Traceability
One of the most important interests in optimizing your winery supply chain will be in the inventory control arena. Recent news reports of theft from distribution centers have renewed calls for accurate inventory systems and tighter controls on oversight within distribution centers.
As production within the winery industry grows, software used to trace the movement of wine is becoming an essential tool for the winery and distribution centers. Traceability via software is now available and is also included in the supply chain movement of wines, which adds to an improved rate of loss in the system.
In larger inventory control systems, automated monitoring and evaluation systems can yield insights into creating optimized accuracy of counts, which reduces the opportunity for theft or oversight, as well.
Plan for Changes due to Natural Disasters
Similar to other industries that must plan for natural disasters, such as farming, wineries must be able to make contingency plans to prepare for floods or drought that can drastically change the trajectory of their production. While it isn’t possible to plan with complete accuracy, there are improvements to the supply chain industry that can foretell patterns of weather and the possible outcomes of it.
These include software options that track simple project management to cloud-based programs that detail every step and possible outcome for a variety of disasters or circumstantial-based changes that require solutions. Optimize your supply chain by investing in such programs to minimize damage and revise plans as quickly as possible.
Optimize Organically with a Suite of Software Applications
Finally, consider optimizing processes in the supply chain from start to finish by utilizing a suite of software applications that include a wide variety of capabilities. Such suites can forecast grape maturity based on weather forecasts and grape-testing methods, conduct planning and scheduling of the grape crush, as well as increase production methods in tank farms and bottling-line sequencing.
With the suite of applications deployed together, planning and scheduling activities across a winery’s supply chain can be smoothly completed.