From Data Silos to Cloud Systems: A Recipe for Food and Beverage Success

Consumer values, interests, and taste buds are rapidly changing. Companies in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry need incredible product differentiation to get noticed. The key to achieving this is to embrace change and drive innovation, which requires managing a massive amount of data. But how do you handle the product lifecycle systematically?

While advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation technology can help, a dedicated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform is the missing ingredient.

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Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation

From advancements in science to consumer trends, 2025 is full of change in the marketplace, such as: 

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  New Food Safety Regulations: Changing food regulations add complexity for manufacturers. Many countries have implemented a tax on sugar, and the growing demand for clean labels puts pressure on companies to maintain supply chain visibility.
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  Climate Change and Eco-Conscious Diets: As consumers adopt plant-based and vegan diets to mitigate carbon emissions, the demand for sustainably sourced food and ingredients increases, requiring manufacturers to improve traceability.
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  Competition from Startups and Retailers: Finding shelf space is daunting as retailers focus on microtrends. Disruptive startups gain a foothold but must keep innovating new products, requiring more cost, time, management, and labor.

Creating a Recipe for Success with PLM Technology

Innovation is essential for survival in the F&B marketplace. However, it is time-consuming, with a longer idea-to-market pipeline than some trends might last. Complete control over the product lifecycle is crucial for innovation, encompassing raw material sourcing, recipe development, optimization, targeting, labeling, and packaging material. Excel spreadsheets aren’t up to the challenge. PLM helps manufacturers apply a consistent set of process solutions to support collaborative creation, management, dissemination, and use of product information and data across their organizations. This enables manufacturers to respond to quickly changing market demands, putting them ahead of the competition.

The Shift to Food & Beverage Cloud Based PLM Systems

Traditional on-premises PLM systems are becoming outdated. The cloud PLM market is expected to more than triple from 2024 to 2032, going from $44 billion to $149 billion. As food and beverage businesses look to stay competitive, cloud-based PLM software is gaining traction for its accessibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

Benefits of Cloud-Based PLM

PLM solutions play a vital role in managing product development, maintaining compliance, and ensuring smooth operations. Many manufacturers transition from on-premises to cloud-based PLM software to meet evolving industry demands. Here are three reasons why:

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  Cost Efficiency: Cloud-based PLM systems offer significant cost savings by eliminating the need for costly hardware, software licenses, and on-site infrastructure. With fewer IT resources required, internal teams can focus on other tasks, and rapid deployment means companies see returns faster.
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  Enhanced Security and Compliance: Security and compliance are paramount for F&B manufacturers. Cloud-based PLM systems offer advanced solutions with built-in security features like data encryption, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and disaster recovery protocols. These platforms simplify compliance by helping businesses adhere to industry standards such as FDA and EFSA regulations. For organizations operating across multiple countries, cloud PLM systems ensure data privacy standards are met globally.
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  Improved Accessibility and Scalability: Cloud-based PLM systems, like SpecPage, provide unmatched accessibility, allowing teams to collaborate in real time and access essential data from anywhere. SpecPage centralizes product information, ensuring all departments work from a single source of truth to reduce errors and increase efficiency. The platform integrates with other cloud tools, enabling smoother operations across the supply chain. The scalability of this software empowers manufacturers to grow their operations without worrying about additional infrastructure investments or system upgrades.

What Makes SpecPage Unique?

SpecPage is the industry standard for PLM and product data management. Its out-of-the-box application allows companies to deploy the system quickly to consolidate operations, manage compliance, and optimize product development. The platform integrates seamlessly with other business systems, streamlining workflows and reducing operational bottlenecks.

Cloud PLM is the Future for F&B Manufacturers

In an industry where innovation and efficiency are key to staying competitive, cloud-based PLM systems offer a modern approach to managing operations. Solutions like SpecPage provide significant cost savings, robust security, and simplified compliance management. With greater accessibility and scalability, manufacturers can better coordinate product development and respond to market changes quickly. Embracing food & beverage cloud-based PLM will help companies unlock new levels of efficiency and growth.

Learn how you can drive performance with SpecPage today!

Interested in Learning More?

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