Mr. Lehnen, when we look at the food industry: What tech trends will particularly shape the industry in the coming years?
Clearly, artificial intelligence as a technology and specific AI functions. They will have a major impact in many industries – of course, also in the food industry. An important topic is, for example, traceability: from the harvest to the finished product. Especially in the food industry, it must be possible to trace where a product or raw material comes from and the path it has taken – this can support quality management. Even cold-chain operations can be monitored digitally. Through digitalization and AI, companies increasingly have the opportunity to combine data from different environments and automate processes.
So AI is already a big issue. How well is the food industry generally prepared for digitalization?
As in many other industries, there was a rather reserved approach. This certainly has to do with uncertainty regarding investments. Many companies have waited a long time for new technologies and system environments. This starts with the fundamental question: Do I have my own server in the company, do I have it run by a provider, or do I go to the cloud? There is a will to digitize, but implementation was often still cautious. Therefore, there is certainly room for catching up, even though companies shy away from the necessary investments.
In your opinion, where should companies start first?
An important point is to streamline processes and fundamentally question them. Do I have to constantly train employees in the same manual processes? Or can I automate certain processes? A software upgrade is a great opportunity to look at every process step and ask: Is this still necessary or is there a different way to do it? This requires not only the willingness to invest, but also human resources and the support of the management.
Which processes are still being carried out manually today, even though things could be done differently?
A good example is sales. Orders reach a company in very different ways: a customer calls, an order arrives via email or already as a structured dataset via an interface. Such processes can increasingly be automated with the help of AI. An AI agent can process the incoming information and generate an order – all the way to further processing and invoicing.
When such routine tasks are eliminated, the concern quickly arises that even less staff will be needed…
Of course, this can save us resources. However, for me, the key is that employees are freed from repetitive tasks and have more time for more important tasks. For example, capturing an order can be automated, but the control function remains in the hands of humans. Employees must still check and consider special features that the system may not know about. Manual capture will become less common, while professional control will remain in place.
However, given the shortage of skilled workers, this relief could be an important factor, right?
Definitely. In my view, this is one of the major levers. Especially against the backdrop of the shortage of skilled workers, it is important to relieve employees of manual routine tasks. This allows them to focus more on tasks where their experience and technical expertise are needed. For me, it’s not about replacing people with technology; it’s about supporting their work in a meaningful way.
For such automated processes to work, a corresponding data base is needed. What role do data play today along the value chain?
Data is the key – whether we are talking about automation, digitalization, or AI. If the necessary data are not available, the process cannot function either. Therefore, information from different systems should be combined as centrally as possible. This is important, for example, for reporting, quality management, or traceability. Many pieces of information have been maintained manually in Excel tables in the past. We should get rid of this. A software upgrade is therefore also a good opportunity to clean up: an ERP system* is often used for five to ten years; during this time, data inevitably accumulates that will eventually no longer be needed. I call these „archived documents.“ Therefore, when making a change, we pay close attention: where are the data? Are they still current? What do we really need? This is the opportunity to separate from data clutter and reorganize structures.
And presumably there is a lot of data that isn’t contained in the central system but in the employees’ own Excel lists?
Yes. As a consultant, for example, I like to look at the Excel lists of employees. Often I notice that information is maintained manually in addition. Perhaps the colleague at the desk even keeps a similar list next to them. Then the question arises: Why do we keep this information multiple times and can we not display it centrally in the system?
All of this costs money first and foremost. How do you view the willingness to invest in light of the economic uncertainty?
We have been seeing a certain level of investment restraint in many industries for some time. Of course, we as IT service providers have also noticed this. But a calmer phase can be a good time to prepare for future business. Ultimately, as part of entrepreneurship, it is necessary to decide when the right time for modernization has come, despite the uncertainty.
Anyone investing today must also consider which technologies will truly be relevant tomorrow. In your opinion, what will be the most pressing issues for us in the next few years?
From our point of view, clearly the AI-supported processing of processes and tasks. We use such applications ourselves and see how much they can help us. The topic is developing extremely quickly. I assume that AI will be a massive concern for us in the next two to three years. I wouldn’t even look at the future in the IT sector at all at the moment. There are too many changes happening in too short a time.
However, with the multitude of new AI solutions, it may be difficult for companies to decide what is actually useful. How do you deal with this?
We are currently faced with new topics almost on a weekly basis. We as consultants must therefore sort out: Which of these actually brings added value to a company and which tool fits the respective customer? It is not about using AI just because it is being discussed everywhere. The application must fit the company and its processes.
One company that is currently taking this route is Paul M. Müller. What exactly is behind this project?
We are helping Paul M. Müller review the existing processes and best represent them in a new software environment. This includes master data as well as financial accounting, sales, purchasing, production, logistics, and management. Basically, we are conducting a review of the company’s processes and are considering: What is currently available and how can we better represent it in the future?
What mistakes should companies avoid during such a modernization?
Simply turning something old into something new. When I introduce a new software and take over all the old data and processes one-to-one, I do have a new interface at the end, but basically the same structures remain. Therefore, one should take the opportunity to use the new system and question existing processes fundamentally, rather than simply transferring them into the new system. In IT, we also talk about a Greenfield approach. You start from scratch and only adopt what is actually needed. If a company is willing to take this path and truly question its previous processes, such a project is also fun to work on.
*central software for controlling and managing a company – for example in the areas of warehouse, sales, finance, purchasing, personnel or production.
About the person:
Axel Lehnen is a Senior Project Manager at Aptean and helps companies with the implementation and modernization of enterprise software. In his work, he focuses on optimizing and digitizing business processes and on how new technologies can be meaningfully integrated into existing workflows. Currently, he and his project team are assisting Paul M. Müller in the transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in conjunction with the F&B solution from Aptean.
