food and beverage, explore, frontier

I love movies. Give me a bucket of popcorn, a box of candy and a gallon of soda pop and I am good to go. Some of my favorites are westerns. From the old “spaghetti” westerns to those made today. And when I think of westerns, I think of Texas, which just so happens to be the location of this year’s Explore event.

My favorite scenes in these movies are when the cowboys are sitting around the campfire, sharing stories of the day, tales from the past or plotting their next adventure; the next roundup, the next heist or the next big thing that is going to help them all strike gold. With that in mind, I think Texas is a fitting location for this year’s Explore event, because in essence, what is Explore?

It is very similar to that western movie campfire, a bunch of QAD customers getting together and collaborating, sharing thoughts and ideas. So, come to Explore and sit around the campfire to share ideas about the next “big thing” that will help you strike gold. And that gold, your gold, is the agile, Effective Enterprise.

Time to Change, There’s a New Marshal in Town!

Change is everywhere — the only constant in life is change. In the old western films, just when the cowboys think everything is going their way — BAM! there he is, the new marshal laying down the law, the new way. In today’s consumer products and food & beverage world, it is pretty much the same story. There is a new marshal and it is the consumer of today.

Today’s consumers are challenging CPG manufacturers. Technology, social media, peer pressures, environmental factors and a rejuvenated burst of individualism have turned the consumer into a monster. They want the newest and healthiest products, perfectly customized, fat-free, sugar-free and they want it yesterday all with free shipping! Add in changing government regulations, traceability requirements and an expanding value chain and you have the makings of a marketplace more unpredictable than an unruly herd of Texas cattle.

Consumer Products and Food & Beverage, A Big Frontier with Lots of Gold!

The consumer products and food & beverage industry is a vast frontier of opportunity. The marketplace is changing drastically, but there are tremendous opportunities for businesses to embrace the needs of today’s consumer and the changing and expanding markets. Manufacturers need to be flexible. People, processes and systems must be in perfect synchronization to maintain profitability and provide the high level of quality products and customer service to meet today’s market demands.

The companies that will succeed tomorrow are the companies that are making changes today. However, it is not easy to make changes when your time and resources are spent just getting through the rigors of each day. Manufacturers are looking for ways to adapt to those changes and seize the opportunities of the new frontier. Industry 4.0 and a host of new processes are being implemented. You might be using some of these tools now or simply looking for ideas. Explore is the best place to share those with your fellow QAD users.

Explore the Frontier with Your Colleagues

If you think about it, Explore is like one big collection of campfires. With over 45 sessions to choose from, the opportunity to learn and share information with fellow QAD users, QAD employees and industry experts is easy. This year’s agenda is jammed packed with exciting material for all customers, especially those in Consumer Products and Food & Beverage. There are a number of sessions that feature customer success stories in critical topics. Here are a few “campfires” you might want to check out:

  • QAD in Consumer Products and Food & Beverage
  • Your Journey to the QAD Enterprise Platform
  • QAD Automation Solutions Portfolio
  • DDMRP – The Reality Behind the Acronym
  • Global Trade Management – Best Practices for Optimizing Your International Supply Chain
  • Streamline Customer and Supplier Interactions
  • MRP as a Planning Tool in QAD
  • Simplifying Your Upgrade to QAD Enterprise Edition

New for 2018: Consumer Products and Food & Beverage Roundtable

This year we are adding a customer roundtable for Consumer Products and Food & Beverage customers. The session will be held during the lunch session on Wednesday, May 9th.

This is a fantastic opportunity to discuss the issues these industries are facing today as manufacturers. Manufacturers in these industries are seeing rapid change that is impacting all areas of their businesses and a number of challenges such as:

  • Consumers demand patterns changing
  • Retail marketplace changes
  • On-line consumer products and food & beverage purchases
  • Expanded supply chains
  • Industry 4.0

Having the ability to discuss these issues and how to manage them is an essential element of the Explore experience. Check out the Explore Agenda for more information on these sessions, as well as other exciting presentations, hands-on trainings, demos and networking activities. Come on out to the Lone Star State, y’all, and I’ll see you around the campfire!

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