Aptean - A leading enterprise software company, are looking forward to exhibiting at IFE Manufacturing 2022.  Here, Joris Kolff, Senior Regional Account Director, provides his insight into the sector, explains why live events such as IFE Manufacturing are so important and what visitors can expect to see from Aptean at the event in March.

How has your sector been impacted over the last two years? 

Both Brexit and Covid have had a big effect on the F&B industry, and we see that the biggest impact has been on the availability of labour across the sector. As availability of labour has fallen, the cost of labour has risen sharply. However, regardless of the cost increase associated with labour in the F&B industry, manufacturers are trying to meet the same, or higher, levels of demand as pre-Covid and pre-Brexit. For manufacturers, this means that they are having to become less reliant on people, and work much more efficiently with well organised processes to ensure that they can continue to meet demand and grow their business. 

What are some of the biggest innovations you've seen recently in the world of food & beverage? 

Many of the innovations centre on sustainability and convenience for consumers who are looking for more flexibility whilst reducing their impact on the planet. Plastic packaging reduction is one key area of innovation as businesses work to reduce and / or remove plastic packaging from products they make or sell, leading to innovations in plastic recycling, using new planet-friendly materials for packaging and in some cases, removing packaging altogether by lasering labels and codes onto products. The rise of direct to consumer options, such as recipe box kits, has given the sector a new way of reaching consumers who have been looking for convenience to aid busy lives and new food ideas while stuck at home during the pandemic. 

Why has Aptean decided to exhibit at IFE Manufacturing? 

We chose IFE Manufacturing as it is the perfect place to network and meet people in the Food & Beverage industry, and it provides us with a great forum to exchange ideas with leading experts in the UK F&B industry. There is also a big focus on technology and innovation at IFE Manufacturing making it the ideal place for us to exchange ideas and discuss challenges with experts, and develop new ideas related to technology and its use in the manufacturing and production of food. 

What are Aptean most looking forward to about getting back to live events? 

We are looking forward to exhibiting our F&B ERP platform and the Aptean integrated ecosystem of food-specific solutions, as well as sharing insights and networking with people face-to-face after so long. 

As a business, why do you think live events like IFE Manufacturing should be part of a company’s marketing mix? 

Live events, such as IFE Manufacturing, provide companies with the opportunity to get out into the market and speak to businesses across the whole sector about the subjects which matter to them. It allows us to make, and build on, valuable connections, and share insights and knowledge.  Some of these conversations can even help with the development of our solutions and ensure that they always remain in line with what the market requires. 

What can visitors expect to see from you at the event? 

Our friendly and experienced team will be showcasing Aptean F&B ERP – our next generation, cloud-based platform designed to meet the  particular requirements of the F&B sector through industry specific features and a flexible, always up to date architecture. They will be on-hand to explain its capabilities from traceability and recipe tracking to allergen management and quality control, as well as introduce you to our cohesive network of complimentary solutions and of course, answer any questions you may have. We’ll be located at stand 1339, so pop by and say hi – we’re looking forward to meeting you! 

Aptean will be exhibiting on stand 1339 at IFE Manufacturing 2022

Registration is open! Sign up here.

Get in touch with our team here.