ERP Cloud: Characteristics and Differentials in the Management of the Food and Beverage Industry

Abstract

The food and beverage industry is formed by companies that focus on the processing, treatment, preparation and packaging of beverages and food products. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERPs), are integrating and consolidating accounting and management information systems used on a large scale by organizations of various sizes and segments. Due to the operational characteristics of the food and beverage industry, the increasingly intensive use of information technology resources makes the adoption of ERPs based on cloud technology a potential competitive advantage in this industry segment. This study aims to present the main functional aspects that should be considered as differentials in the generation of value to the business when choosing and implementing a cloud ERP in the food and beverage sector. In order to comply with this objective, a documental analysis of 20 manufacturers of national and foreign ERP cloud solutions directed specifically to this sector was developed. It was observed that the manufacturers of these ERP solutions as service oriented systems offer to the market a homogeneous nucleus formed by 4 specific slopes related use of the cloud ERPs: manufacturing, finance, quality, stocks and logistics. It is concluded that companies in the food and beverage sector should identify functionalities and aspects that best fit the business processes of each company, since the offer of specific features to the sector is dynamic.