Download this audio podcast Recall. For consumers it can mean illness and, in some cases, death from ingesting tainted products. For producers a recall, however modest, can mean lost business and, often, bankruptcy. The bottom line: Recalls are not good for anyone.  For food and beverage producers surviving a recall hinges on several factors, not the least of which is the ability [...]

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Download this audio podcast Ok, I’ll concede that achieving yield perfection is pretty difficult, but that doesn’t me you don’t do your best to get as close as possible. After all, any variance on yield - high or low - costs the company cash.  If you find yourself on the low end - getting out less than planned - [...]

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Download this audio podcast Controlling costs through controlling inventory is Manufacturing 101. But for small batch manufacturers of food and  beverage products, indeed any perishable goods, the simple becomes complex. Unlike big batch enterprises, where one line will produce the same product day after day, week after week, small batchers may run several products on one line, [...]

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Download this audio podcast Chuck Sacco concludes the BPM equation by adding the final variables for success: skills & tools. You may have a great implementation plan, but without the right skills in place and tools at hand your chances of are limited.  Listen to the final episode and you’ll find out what tools are available, what skill [...]

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Download this audio podcast Business Process Management isn’t brain surgery, but, as with most things, if you fail to execute you lose.  You lose time and money that can never be recovered. Failure also mean you stand a good chance of losing ground against the competition. Simply put: Execution is everything, and that is what Business Process Management [...]

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Download this audio podcast Ever heard of Business Process Management, aka BPM?  I’m joking. Whenever a topic finds its way into the headlines of almost every e-newsletter I subscribe to, I ask if the subject is really that important, or if it’s simply a case of editors not wanting to be left out of the conversation. BPM has [...]

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Download this audio podcast In second part of my conversation with SAP’s Ralf Menhert-Meland we switch tracks.  Moving away from SAP specific topics, he and I discuss the fast-growing market of on-demand software.  SAP entered the market with the unveiling of SAP Business ByDesign in October of last year and, while it isn’t the first SaaS product [...]

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Download this audio podcast SAP has been very public about its goal to reach 100,000 customers by 2010 and, to be successful, SAP will have to rely on their global network of partners . To better understand the critical role partners will play, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with Ralf Mehnert-Meland a global senior [...]

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Download this audio podcast The continuing growth of Software as a Service is causing a sea change in the way software is deployed and, for publicly traded companies, it means changing expectations for what counts to investors and analysts.  Give the fourth installment a listen as Diane and I talk about what it means. Don’t forget Parts I, [...]

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Download this audio podcast In part 3 of my 4 part conversation, Diane and I talk about reaction to SAP’s inveiling of Business ByDesign and the risks and benefits of their entry into the on-demand software market.  Diane also talks about the barriers to entry and why some may find it difficult to become involved. The introduction [...]

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Download this audio podcast On Monday I posted this interview with Tim Farey, SoftBrands VP and GM of APAC.  To complement Tim’s view from China I spoke with Gary Rushlo, a SoftBrands consultant with several years of experiencing working with food and beverage manufacturers.  Gary and I spoke about domestic manufacturers and the responsibility they have to [...]

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Download this audio podcast My conversation with Diane Palmquist continues as she shares her views on the future of Business ByDesign and on-demand software in general, it’s scalability and how third party applications fit into the puzzle. In case you missed it, here is Part 1.

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Download this audio podcast One of the big stories from 2007, was the seemingly endless stream of tainted products imported from China. By the time summer rolled around we couldn’t go a day without hearing of another product recall. We decided to address the issue in August with the launching of a Food Safety page at our [...]

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Download this audio podcast Welcome to part 1 of my conversation with Diane Palmquist, VP of SAP Products for SoftBrands. Diane and I sat down to discuss SAP Business ByDesign ? its entry into the world of SaaS ? but the discussion quickly expanded to include the future of on-demand software, why Diane is convinced the [...]

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