Process efficiency is a major priority for grain processing companies, but this task is virtually impossible without a way to effectively manage your operations.
The Beyond team aims to support companies in finding the right software to enhance their operations and help agribusinesses adopt the right tools for their unique needs. Below, you can discover some of the top business solutions your grain processor could benefit from.
Check it out now, or reach out to our team today to learn more.
What Are the Key Business Challenges for Grain Processors?
As the world increasingly turns to healthy foods and biofuels, grain processors are seeing more demand for their products. But with this opportunity for growth come several challenges. These businesses need to deal with a range of issues: adopting sustainable practices to meet public and government expectations, facing potential labor shortages, adapting to new technologies, keeping up with changing regulations, and managing rising production costs. All these factors make it crucial for grain processors to have a strong strategy and flexible approach.
Though there’s room to grow, agribusinesses still face several challenges ahead:
- Sustainability Concerns: Businesses will face increased pressure both from the general public and government bodies to ensure their production processes don’t contribute to climate change. There will be a heightened focus on adopting sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
- Labor Shortages: The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, one in six people will be over 60 years old. This, coupled with reduced interest in agriculture employment-wise, may trigger a labor shortage for agribusinesses.
- Digitalization: Traditional agricultural methods can see tremendous benefits from technology and digitalization, especially the ability to make data-driven decisions. However, smaller operations may struggle to effectively invest in new technologies.
- Changing Regulations: Agribusinesses will need to ensure compliance with changing laws, as governments are focusing more heavily on regulating the environmental impact of such businesses.
- Rising Production Costs: Agribusinesses also have to mitigate the rising costs of labor, fertilizers, tools, and other essential resources. This can strain a company’s finances without an effective accounting plan.
5 Business Solutions to Help in Grain Processing
Agribusinesses can successfully mitigate these challenges through a key set of tools designed to ease their operations and empower them to make data-driven decisions for the future.
Here are five solutions your company may benefit from:
1. Business Analytics
Business analytics software is a type of solution that collects data from multiple sources (such as business operations or the industry at large) to provide companies with a broader overview of their processes.
Agribusinesses can use such tools to gain a better understanding of how efficient their business practices are and even how they compare to overall grain industry trends. Through this data, you can:
- Spot business weaknesses
- Identify and fix issues with your production
- Forecast future trends and start adapting to them
- Compare your current business results to your overall goals, etc.
2. Accounting Software
Accounting software helps you keep a detailed record of all your company’s finances and eliminates many manual tasks from your staff’s to-do list.
However, since there isn’t a general consensus as to what these solutions look like, grain processors should carefully review the technology to ensure it can address their specific needs. Smaller companies may be content with a standard solution, but more complex ones will likely need to explore their custom software options.
When calibrated to your specific needs, financial management or accounting software may provide you with a complete overview of how your company spends money, how much is coming in, and even spot areas where you’re losing money without realizing it.
3. Team Collaboration
Team tools empower agribusinesses to have streamlined collaboration across all their departments and key staff members.
Such tools are more than simple messaging apps. In the context of an agribusiness, they should be able to allow staff members to interact, share knowledge and documents, and, in some cases, even allow and restrict access to certain channels and topics.
A good team collaboration tool can empower agribusiness employees to constantly remain updated and remove unnecessary production lags often produced by inefficient message delivery.
4. Risk Management
Agribusinesses looking to scale their operations or introduce new processes should also double down on their risk management efforts.
It’s crucial to understand the potential costs of these decisions, whether they outweigh the benefits, and establish key measures to mitigate potential issues that could arise.
Leveraging risk management tools may assist you by first gathering company data to allow you to make a risk analysis. They also include several additional tools to help your company mitigate risks, such as SWOT analysis or automated actions triggered when an unwanted event occurs.
5. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
ERPs are a type of unified solution that provides detailed overviews of several business processes in one powerful ecosystem.
For grain processing businesses, a robust ERP system is crucial for managing various aspects of operations effectively. This includes:
- Raw Material Sourcing: Efficiently sourcing and managing quality grains as raw materials for processing.
- Equipment Maintenance: Ensuring that all processing machinery is regularly maintained and operating at peak efficiency.
- Workforce Management: Aligning staffing levels and skills with production schedules and operational demands.
- Production Oversight: Streamlining the processes involved in converting raw grains into finished products.
- Distribution Management: Efficiently managing the logistics of getting processed grain products to the market.
Additionally, many ERP solutions for grain processing businesses include financial management tools, which integrate seamlessly with these operational aspects, offering a comprehensive management solution.
How to Choose the Right Business Solutions
It’s critical to first consider your agribusiness’ unique needs before adopting new business solutions.
Such tools only work when they can provide you with the necessary data and features that address your unique business processes. This way, they can enable you to migrate to more effective agribusiness management.
Other factors to consider when choosing a business solution can include:
- Whether these tools can be easily learned by your staff
- Their scalability and whether they can grow as your agribusiness grows
- The amount of technical support you can receive from the tools’ developers
- The cost of these solutions and whether your business can sustain them long-term
Wrapping Up
The grain processing industry is changing, and to meet the changing demands of the market, companies need to look closely at how they can optimize their operations. And in today’s landscape, optimization often involves leveraging digital technologies.
If you think you could benefit from the expertise of a team of consultants to help you tap into the right software, Beyond is only a few clicks away.
Reach out to us online to learn more about our advanced grain processing solutions.