New system aims to improve visibility of food lifecycle processes

Food company Bernard Matthews is introducing an integrated product development system to help keep up with constant updates in food regulations.

The lifecycle management software, being developed by Siemens, aims to replace a mix of manual processes, standalone applications and an in-house product specification system of limited capability, Bernard Matthews’ information systems director Edwin Pearson told Computing.

“Procedures ranging from labelling and packaging to compliance validation were previously decentralised and consequently we did not have the ideal visibility of product lifecycle management,” he said.

Under the new system, due to go live by the end of this year, all processes will operate under one database and data can be checked against official specifications.

“By consolidating processes, we expect speedier product development and a reduced time to market,” said Pearson.

The turkey farmer is also implementing Cognos business intelligence tools to replace manual reporting and has finished the first stage focusing on its sales division.

“We have cut down sales reporting time by about three and a half days,” he said.

“Staff can obtain, analyse and disseminate sales-related data much more quickly and in a more comprehensive way.”