The Power of Purpose-Built Software: Elevating Your Distillery Management
Welcome back to the final instalment of our mini-series on software options for growing distilleries! In our previous posts, we’ve explored using Excel spreadsheets and off-the-shelf software for distillery management. While these solutions can be helpful for some distilleries, they often fall short when it comes to addressing the unique challenges and complexities of the spirits industry. In this final instalment, we’ll discuss the benefits of purpose-built distillery management software and how it can empower your team and distillery to grow and thrive.
- Where do I even start with an ERP Distillery Management system project ?!
- What makes purpose-built distillery management software different from other options?
- Can industry-specific software help make HMRC compliance easier?
- We’re young and growing, focusing on cashflow. Is purpose-built software really worth the investment for my distillery, at the moment?
- What are the key features I should look for in distillery management software?
These are all valid concerns and common questions we hear. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages and limitations…
Advantages of Industry Specific Distillery Management Software
- Industry-Specific Functionality: Distillery management software is designed specifically for the distilling industry, incorporating features such as duty calculation / HMRC reporting, recipe management, barrel tracking and aging projections.
- Streamlined Workflows: These systems track complex distillery-specific processes, such as mashing, fermentation, malt analysis, blending, bottling, and labelling, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
- Regulatory Compliance: Purpose-built software helps you maintain compliance with complex HMRC regulations, reducing the risk of costly errors and penalties.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Advanced analytics and reporting tools provide in-depth insights into your production costs, inventory valuation, sales trends and margins empowering you to make informed business decisions.
- Real-Time Inventory Tracking: Gain accurate, up-to-the-minute visibility into your inventory levels, including raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.
- Full Provenance and Traceability: Take a bottle in a consumer’s hand back to the component parts and their journey, helping build unique experiences and enhance brand value.
- Example: MasterDistiller client Isle of Raasay Distillery uses the power of provenance to help build it’s brand story. Able to take a lot # on the back of a bottle in a consumer’s hand back to the grape variety that specific ex-red wine cask had in it before their liquid went in, as well as the barley variety, scientific malt analysis and production processes (think fermentation time etc.) that went in to creating that particular liquid consumer experience.
- Quality Control and Assurance: Track and manage quality control data throughout the liquid production process and bottle manufacture, ensuring consistency, efficiency and adherence to standards.
- Sales and Distribution Management: Streamline order processing, manage customer relationships, and track sales performance.
Limitations of Distillery Management Software
- Implementation Time: Implementing a new software system can take time and effort, fighting against multiple immediate priorities in the business.
- Limited Flexibility: Some (not by any means all!) industry specific tools have been around for decades and were designed by large industry players, whilst great at what they do they can be a bit ‘clunky’ and a challenge to turn towards more modern ways of working or a challenge to flex to customer specific needs
- Full range of functionality: Many industry specific systems have, quite sensibly, focused on industry specific problems. This has left them excellent at specific areas but lacking a broader business view, there are a few out there that are full ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions truly managing the end to end process of the full business.
- Cost: While some cloud-based solutions offer affordable and, importantly, scalable monthly subscriptions, some of the more comprehensive on-premise systems can require a significant upfront investment and challenging on-going maintenance.
So, is Industry-Specific Distillery Management Software Right for You?
Again, ultimately the decision of whether to invest in purpose-built distillery management software depends on your distillery’s specific needs and priorities. Given the scale of industry and unique challenges there are a handful of options out there, common names are Vapour, MasterDistiller, Distillx5, Bottle ERP, DRAMS to name a few.
If seeking a comprehensive solution that can streamline your operations, ensure compliance, and provide valuable insights into your business, then industry-specific software is a worthwhile investment. We would also encourage it at an early stage, this can reduce cost, embed early on the processes/systemisation the business needs and provide a solid platform for scalable business growth. While the upfront cost and implementation time may be higher than simply using Excel, the long-term benefits in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and growth potential are immeasurable.
Could MasterDistiller be the right software for you?
Obviously we’re a bit biased here at MasterDistiller, we thoroughly believe we’ve got a comprehensive distillery management software solution designed to meet the unique needs of craft distillers. As well as all the general points above on the benefits of and industry spefic solution here’s what we and our clients believe sets MasterDistiller apart:
- Designed by the Industry, For the Industry: MasterDistiller was developed in collaboration with experienced distillers, ensuring that it addresses the specific challenges and pain points of the industry.
- Full ERP Functionality: MasterDistiller is built within the global open-source Odoo ERP software, offering a complete suite of tools to manage every aspect of your distillery, from production and inventory to sales and financials through to employee management and brand-home PoS.
- Expert Project Management: Our team implements ERP systems in to distillery businesses , it’s what we do. We understand the common challenges and can help either guide from a distance if you’ve got in-house IT teams and data leads, or step in to fill any gaps required using our broader commercial knowledge to help deliver the project to everyone’s agreed “Why” outlined before we start.
- Traceability and Compliance: MasterDistiller enables full traceability of your products from grain to glass, let your customer pick up a bottle and track back through to the fermentation period, cask journey and field of barley that created that experience.
- Cost and Financial Management: Track your production costs through to finished bottles, monitor inventory valuation, and gain insights into your profitability with MasterDistiller’s robust financial management features.
- Scalability: Whether you’re a small startup or a large established distillery, MasterDistiller can scale to meet your needs and has a licensing structure designed to match your business’ journey.
- Ongoing support, updates and broad knowledge: Not only is the MasterDistiller team committed to providing ongoing support and updates to ensure that your software stays up-to-date but that support is provided by a team with wider knowledge than just technical support, with expertise in e-commerce, project management, accountancy and, of course, distilling!
So if you’re looking for a powerful, user-friendly, cost-effective and industry-specific solution to manage your distillery operations then get in touch on [email protected]
