Coca-Cola has a global brand value of 71 billion USD, while Pepsico has a global brand value of 33 billion USD. These companies have over 200+ bottling partners across the globe, and the enormity of their distribution chain and inventory management compels them to run their distribution processes using automation.

Many industries already use automation technologies for their day-to-day operations, and the beverage industry has been embracing this change slowly, owing to digital transformation initiatives.

Automation can help beverage companies gain complete visibility of their supply chain and distribution while reducing labor costs. It allows consumer goods companies to eliminate monotonous tasks like store visits planning, route management, and in-store activities for the field agents to execute them effectively.

We will cover some of the benefits of automation within the beverage industry in this blog. Let’s deep dive!

Time Efficiency

Automation in distribution can save hours when used right. Monotonous tasks like placing the same order multiple times a week, placing returns, and expiry date checks have become easier to execute. Following pre-prepared timed checklists and traveling through planned route calls, distribution process automation can boost the overall efficiency of the field force. With minimum time spent by field forces to execute, employees’ productivity rises.

Traceability

With digital automation software, traceability comes by default. Based on the roles defined by the company, access to complete or partial data is provided across different hierarchies within the enterprise. The data helps each organization to make informed decisions, extending enhanced visibility to understand the inflow and outflow of products, the pace of movements, the backlogs, the near expiry products, and many other details.

Virtual Assets Management

The beverage industry deals with bulk assets like coolers, draught machines, and refrigerators. These assets’ transportation, installation, and maintenance come at a high cost for the manufacturer. Technologies like Augmented Reality can help field forces view assets as 3D objects in the in-store spaces and can automate the asset allocation and maintenance to a great extent.

Empties Collection

The beverage industry collects glass bottles and recycles them regularly as part of their distribution process. Manufacturers extend to retailers, hotels, and pubs discounts or promotional benefits proportional to the empties collected from them to promote recycling. The ability to digitally track empties can be a game-changer for beverage companies by allowing them to have complete visibility into empties stock and also helps with the calculation of discounts offered to retailers.

Demand Forecasting

Automation can help beverage manufacturers improve overall supply and demand management and forecasting. By leveraging accurate data on the amount of stock needed based on real-time demand, beverage companies can achieve better fulfillment.

Investing in intelligent AI & ML-driven technology can help beverage companies with relevant recommendations and forecast manufacturing requirements for the seasons ahead. Manufacturers can regulate excess production, and accurate recommendations can boost overall sales.

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Our industry experts have spent years mastering automation features that can boost sales for our beverage customers. Our solution architects are committed to creating features that work for the global and local markets alike. With seamless integrations and freedom for customizations, our solutions have helped many beverage companies across the globe to thrive.

If you’re a beverage manufacturer or distributor looking for solutions to help your business thrive, then you might want to take a demo with us to understand our capabilities. Book here.