Will Kraft's Cadbury purchase affect ERP requirements?

Thu Jan 21 2010 13:30

One writer has pointed to the potential changes in enterprise resource planning that may be required in the wake of Kraft's purchase of Cadbury.

The purchase of Cadbury by US food firm Kraft could have a significant impact on both firms' enterprise resource planning requirements, it has been suggested.

Commenting as the board of the British confectioner agreed earlier this week to be purchased for around £11.9 billion, Leo King of ComputerWorld UK points to the statement issued by the firms noting that there will be a focus on "control of the supply chain".

He adds that although "exact details remain sketchy on the integration plans" the fact that both use ERP could mean that Kraft will eventually look to merge data from both companies on to a single system.

And those considering food distribution software requirements may be interested to hear him point out how Kraft uses ERP to lower operational costs and improve standardised processes in areas including purchasing and manufacturing.

Such comments come as Michael Dean, director of advisory services for the National Computing Centre, recently claimed that the introduction of ERP can give firms a competitive edge over their rivals.