INTHEBLACK July/August 2023 - Magazine - Page 35
AT A GLANCE
The past few years
have exposed many
shortcomings across
global supply chains.
Some industries are being
transformed by technologies
like artificial intelligence and
automation, but this is not yet
practical for most sectors.
Modern IT systems can
make supply chains more
resilient and leverage
data to improve
decision‑making.
Implementing technology in your supply chain
no longer demands a total transformation.
Businesses large and small can apply powerful,
data-driven supply chain solutions using
technology that solves a specific problem.
Words Chris Sheedy
Until two years ago, Accolade Wines had outsourced the
bottling of many of its sparkling and still wines, including
House of Arras, Grant Burge, St Hallett and Croser. In 2021,
the business wanted greater capability to manage and enhance
its brand offerings internally. That meant making the decision
to own the entire production process.
A state-of-the-art, automated packaging facility was designed
and built at Berri Estates in South Australia. This facility is
attached to the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere,
and it can bottle more than 100 million litres of wine per year.
The global supply chain for Accolade Wines has benefitted
from the change. The automated facility has improved efficiency,
reliability, performance and quality control of the production
line. The data it produces, when analysed by digital factory
platform TilliT, has offered the business an entirely new level
of insight into its processes.
Derek Nicol, chief supply chain officer at Accolade Wines,
says the change has increased the performance of the supply
chain. “If you are not monitoring these things, you are relying
solely on humans. Let’s be honest, humans all have different
interpretations, but data does not lie.”
“The technology has given us the ability to track and improve
our processes. It is a great example of us taking a decision to
improve things, but also using data analytics and technology
to support and enhance more of the business,” Nicol says.
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