AFGC SYMPOSIUM – 21 JULY – VIRTUAL EVENT - REGISTER NOW!

The Australian Food and Grocery Council’s 2021 Symposium is a one-day, multi-stream, online event designed to give our members relevant, real-world insights into the challenges, changes and opportunities that exist for our vitally important sector.

Industry experts from around Australia and the world will discuss the big picture for the food and grocery sector. Delegates can tailor their choices to a presentation stream that is most relevant to their role and interests, with specialised channels covering Supply Chain, Sustainability, Commercial (Sales/Marketing), Nutrition and Regulation, and Trade.

The Supply Chain stream has a fantastic speaker line up, discussing topics of maximum relevance and  interest to all Supply Chain practitioners. The program includes:

• Thomas O’Connor, Gartner -  discussing Supply Chain Technology and the Digital Decade
• Kate Hart and Clif Triplett (USA) - Kearney discussing Supply Chain Risk Management and Cyber Security
• James Hulse, Coles - providing insights re Coles Automation and Supply Chain Strategy
• Shantanu Bawari, CHEP, discussing what’s happening with Display Pallets in the retailer space
• Dan Knox, GRA/Accenture - discussing key findings from the 2021 AFGC Supply Chain Survey
• Marcel Sieira, GS1 - discussing what suppliers need to do to prepare for Data Embedded Barcodes and the National Location Register
• Paul Hill Woolworths -  discussing Primary Connect and Network plans for Woolworths plus key Supply Chain Strategic Initiatives

The AFGC 2021 Symposium is targeted for maximum relevance to industry practitioners and is priced to allow member companies to optimise attendance across functions. This is an event run by industry, for industry and is one not to be missed!

Click here to register.

AFGC SUPPLY CHAIN RISK REGISTER – UPDATED FOR 2021

The Supply Chain Risk Register Tool, developed by the Supply Chain Committee in collaboration with Kearney, captures meaningful insight directly from the Heads of Supply Chain at fifteen AFGC member companies. They assess a range of implications flowing from over 40 disruptive events across six ‘megatrends’ facing the industry.

The tool has been developed in a way which facilitates individual members assessing risks to their own businesses against these issues. It can be utilised as an input to individual company’s supply chain risk mitigation and business continuity planning. The Supply Chain Committee has updated the Risk Register in June 2021 - it can be accessed by members on the AFGC website under Member Resources / Industry Affairs / Supply Chain.

TRADING PARTNER FORUM RESOURCES – TAKE A LOOK AT THESE FREE RESOURCES!

The AFGC’s Trading Partner Forum is where retailers and suppliers work together collaboratively to drive mutually beneficial outcomes in non-competitive areas of the Supply Chain.

A vast array of FREE resources are available to members covering topics such as:

• The Perfect Delivery Program, including the Common Delivery Guidelines, Perfect Delivery Annual Retailer Reports, Common Despatch Toolkit and more.
• The Data Integrity & Alignment Program , including the Product Master Data Guide.
• Collaborative Logistics Report
• Loss Prevention Tools and Reports
• On Shelf Availability Tools and Reports
• The Shelf Ready Packaging Toolkit

The content has been developed by industry for industry and can provide invaluable support to member companies in their dealings with retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

 Access all these resources and more here.

AFGC SUPPLY CHAIN SURVEY 2021 REPORT – FOR RELEASE IN  JULY

SUSTAINING AUSTRALIA: FOOD AND GROCERY 2030
 

Sustaining Australia: Food and Grocery Manufacturing 2030 provides in-depth analysis of the Australian food and grocery manufacturing sector and outlines the investment and policy decisions needed to ensure it has a strong future in both domestic and international markets. This report, produced by the AFGC with economic analysis conducted by leading economist Warren Hogan of EQ Economics, identifies major opportunities and vulnerabilities for the sector.

The report finds that:

• Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing sector is under pressure from declining profitability due to a highly concentrated retail marketplace, resulting in a decade of stagnant capital investment and low innovation
• food and grocery manufacturing risks losing ground to imports unless steps are taken to boost investment in new technology
• non-food grocery, which includes vitamins and household products, should be included as a manufacturing priority alongside food and beverage under the federal government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy
• the right policies and incentives can double the size of Australia’s food and grocery sector to $250 billion by 2030, with a resulting 54 per cent increase in employment to 427,000 people

The alternatives to adapting and investing are a “muddle through” business as usual case in which food and grocery manufacturing continues to underperform the broader Australian economy or, at worst, a progressive decline with increased offshoring of production, job losses and increased import penetration. This report includes important recommendations for policymakers covering long-term industry strategy, investment incentives, workforce skills, regulatory reform, digital labelling, retailer-supplier relationships and export growth strategy.  Click here to download the report.

ACCC CLEAR WOOLWORTHS’ ACQUISITION OF 65% OF PFD FOODS

In August 2020, Woolworths announced their intentions to acquire 65 per cent ownership of PFD Foods (PFD). This acquisition was subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) approval.   

On 10 June 2021, the ACCC announced that they would not oppose the acquisition, following a detailed investigation that found the transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition. In making their decision the ACCC noted: 
 

• There are very few suppliers for whom both PFD and Woolworths make up a significant proportion of their channels to market. The entire wholesale channel generally purchases less than either of the major supermarket chains. 
• That while the acquisition will likely lead to changes in the way the wholesale food distribution industry operates, the several competitors in the wholesale segment with similar market share to PFD and non-price aspects of competition, such as range, quality and service levels are likely to remain an important part of the competitive dynamics. 

During the ACCC’s investigation Woolworths offered a behavioural undertaking with temporary measures, including prohibiting the sharing of trading terms between Woolworths and PFD without a supplier’s consent and a code of conduct under which PFD would operate. The ACCC received feedback that the undertaking would not be effective in addressing the concerns raised by market participants. The ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition was not likely to substantially lessen competition, ultimately it was not necessary for the ACCC to decide whether to accept the undertaking. 

GS1 NEWS  

National Location Registry - What you need to do to prepare!

Free webinar

The current situation of collecting and exchanging information about physical locations is an entirely manual process, right across the country. The National Location Registry is set to digitise this important aspect of the supply chain management process, bringing industry wide benefits and operational value to the freight and logistics industry.

At the end of this webinar you will understand how the registry will provide essential data to drive productivity improvements in the Transport & Logistics industry, and how organisations can get involved and benefit. View available webinar dates

GS1 are presenting at the AFGC Symposium – Supply Chain Stream!

Over 40 years ago, business leaders in the food and grocery industry agreed on a single standard for product barcodes that transformed the face of retail globally. Today, a new group of global leaders is once again setting the direction for the next generation of barcodes with even greater impact for the industry in future. Similarly, increased focus on transport and logistics has led to the development and endorsement of global standards to better manage freight, domestically and across borders. These standards are providing the foundations for the new Freight Data Hub, a Federal Government initiative that will transform freight management, increase visibility, and improve productivity. In this session, GS1’s Marcel Sieira will provide the background and details of these two initiatives, the benefits to FMCG industry stakeholders and expected timelines AFGC members need to be aware of.  

AUSTRALIAN SUPPLY CHAIN INSTITUTE (ASCI) NEWS

AFGC Member Discount for Professional Development Study

ASCI is offering AFGC members a $275 discount for any of ASCI's professional certification study (Continued Professional Development Program) to boost their business acumen. For a quote or to review courses and schedules visit: https://tinyurl.com/1gvnl9cc 

AFGC Offer Password for the special offer is AFGCTRAIN2021

Webinar July – 21 July: Internet of Things (IoT) and Risk Mitigation

Panel discussion describing: how IoT solutions empower Supply Chain professionals with more control through greater visibility of their assets; what data insights IoT can really deliver - beyond simple location information; how the IoT gives you real-time knowledge about the condition of your shipments;  insights from a wealth of experience to manage your IoT project across many stakeholders and external partners; and, how the knowledge and certainty derived from IoT solutions helps you build better, more trusted relationships with supply chain/network partners

For registration and details click on: https://asci.org.au/event-4353157

THE CONSUMER GOODS FORUM  NEWS

The Consumer Goods Forum provides global leadership within the FMCG and Retail industry. Its End to End Value Chain division can be a rich source of information regarding global initiatives in the supply chain space, which members can source at https://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/

A NEW WAY TO SERVE - The Big Opportunity for FMCG and Retail

The Consumer Goods Forum, in collaboration with Oracle and Capgemini, has published a new End-to-End Value Chain Learning Series paper, which explores how a global requirement to immediately scale digitisation confirmed supply chain as the next customer experience battleground for fast-moving consumer goods and retail. Click here for details. 
 

Nathan Schubert, Supply Chain Director, Mars Petcare Australia
Mark Olson, Distribution & Logistics, General Manager Supply Chain, Primo Smallgoods
Michael Barton, General Manager Logistics, Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company
Chris Madden, Head of Supply Chain, Tip Top
David Lloyd-Jones, Head of Logistics and Customer Supply, Arnott's Group
Patrick Showyin, Head of Supply Chain, Unilever Australia & New Zealand|
Tina Hu, Supply Chain Director Australia & New Zealand, Kimberly-Clark Australia 
Ian Bell, Supply Chain & Operations Director ANZ, The A2 Milk Company (Australia) 
Adam Sime, Operations Director, Church & Dwight (Australia) Pty Ltd
George Sebastian, Planning and Logistics Director ANZ, Pepsico Australia & New Zealand