SAP has been named one of the top technology providers for food and beverage distributors by Food Logistics, a publication dedicated exclusively to the grocery and foodservice distribution industry.

The regulatory pressure on food and beverage distributors to ensure safety and traceability of their goods throughout the entire value chain has significantly increased with the January 2011 passage of the U.S. Food and Drug Association's landmark Food Safety and Modernization Act. According to ConsumerAffairs.com, food recalls in the U.S. rose significantly in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the preceding three months. At the same time, distributors must look after their profitability and react to quickly changing customer demand. This fuels distributors to put a renewed focus on investing in business software.

The SAP for Wholesale Distribution solution portfolio addresses the current food and beverage industry's challenges in three main areas:

• Meet track and trace compliance requirements while servicing customers at peak levels; With capabilities within the enterprise resource planning (ERP) application SAP ERP and the SAP Supply Chain Management application, distributors can know at any given point in time for each single branch what goods they have, since when and at what price. In times of increased regulatory attention and frequent product recalls, having such real-time capabilities at hand is a premier competitive differentiator.
• Grow profitably with strategic and actionable insight in real time: SAP ERP and the SAP BusinessObjects™ Profitability and Cost Management application enable distributors to segment their customers based on profitability and cost analysis. Additionally, wholesalers can analyze inventory mix and optimize pricing to maximize overall sales volume, gross profit and net profit.
• Effectively manage earned income and rebate programs for smarter cash flow: With the integrated and highly automated SAP Paybacks and Chargebacks application by Vistex, distributors can collect and track all their chargeback claims, from initiation to settlement — impacting positive cash flow and profitability.  

"SAP's inclusion in the FL 100 list is affirmation of our commitment to help food and beverage wholesalers turn today's industry challenges into real business opportunities," said Karen Lynch, Vice President, Wholesale Distribution Industry Business Unit, SAP AG. "With the SAP for Wholesale Distribution solution portfolio, we enable distributors to track and trace their goods in real time throughout the entire supply chain, adhere to regulatory standards while effectively managing their cash flow and better service their customers."