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Food Processors & Manufacturers

There are also helpful ideas under Make/Save Money.

Business Strategy. Competitive advantage can be gained in many ways. The Farm Scorecard can be used by small food producers to help them think through business strengths and weaknesses to determine a business strategy. It includes a section on performance measurement. There is information, Worksheets and video clips.

Business Clubs. Encourage farmer suppliers to work together through Businesses Clubs by sharing best practice based on benchmarking. We explain the different approaches, list service providers and include case studies that show the benefits that can be obtained.

Differentiation. Good consumer insight is an integral part of any marketing plan. There is background information in Market Info including charts on market developments and consumption trends. This growing Library also includes a self-help section and case studies. It will be of most value to small food producers both those on and off the farm.

Production Excellence. Using techniques developed in other industries that have been adapted for the food industry, we show how production processes can be improved. ‘Masterclasses’ can help businesses identify wasteful operations like high machine down-time or long change-over times between production runs. They focus on better workplace organisation, reducing non-value adding activity and standardising operations. ‘PROBE’ is a way of comparing business practices and performance with those of peers. Case studies show how these techniques have been applied in practice and the benefits they bring.

Collaboration. We have pioneered a method called ‘value chain analysis’. This technique promotes collaborative working with suppliers and customers in order to both improve understanding of the supply chain and to make improvements. It is based on the ideas and principles behind ‘lean thinking’ that we have developed and adapted for the food industry. There is a growing Library of case studies that show how improvements can be made to efficiency, quality and service.