Ale, IPA, stout, wit, pilsner, saison, sour, and lager. Most of you know by now I’m talking about one of America’s favorite beverages: Beer! While many of us just revel in the flavor of our favorite pint, we don’t often think about the business behind getting that beer in our hands.
If you’re a fellow beer fan, chances are you have heard of America’s oldest brewery – D. G. Yuengling & Son. As a staple in nearly every refrigerator on the East Coast, Yuengling Lager is starting to make its mark out west to welcome all states to #YuenglingCountry.
Producing 2.8 million barrels annually, many are curious how the Yuengling team is able to maintain smooth operations and uphold their honorable legacy while seeing through such an aggressive development strategy.
Before we answer that question, let’s go back to 2010. At this time, the team was “getting by” with two disparate, outdated ERP systems managing operations in their Pennsylvania and Florida locations. It was then that they realized that it would not be possible to successfully expand their distribution without uprooting that foundation.
THE CHALLENGE
These incompatible systems were causing duplicated processes, limited access to data, and an inability to generate effective and accurate reports. Significant manual data entry was required, resulting in high risk of human error and a lack of confidence in their data. In addition, the systems were used primarily for accounting, order entry and invoicing, and did not incorporate the operations side of the business, sales & marketing, point-of-sale, or gift shop sales.
Yuengling recognized their need for a centralized ERP system that would integrate all departments across each brewery. Streamlining their processes for greater efficiency across plants and having simple, standardized functions to effectively train employees, were high on their list of priorities.
Additionally, they required cross-facility invoicing functionality to ensure correct financial reporting, and tight security to allow all users access to the same system while also restricting their level of visibility.
THE SELECTION
After thorough evaluations, the selection team (made up of senior executives, IT professionals, and representation from various Yuengling departments) narrowed their search down to two vendors. As much as you want us to share, we’ll leave the competitor up to your imagination.
DEACOM, the only ERP system on the market to offer all required functionality for process manufacturing companies without third party bolt-ons and customizations, stood out due to its simplicity and ease-of-use. As many of the Yuengling users were not accustomed to using ERP regularly, these were important requirements. In addition, Yuengling placed high-value on the working relationship with their ERP provider and felt that Deacom’s business model and commitment to simplicity lent itself to first-class implementation and ongoing support.
THE RESULT
With DEACOM ERP in place, Yuengling has been able to significantly improve the data tracking required for reporting throughout the entire business.
“We were doing a lot of manual work and DEACOM ERP has made it easier for our employees to ensure only the best quality beer is being distributed, while also increasing productivity,” said Wendy Yuengling-Baker, Yuengling’s Chief Administration Officer.
The system has the capability to capture information at a level which was previously unattainable. “DEACOM has simplified our business reporting processes, particularly for state reports that we are required to submit on a monthly basis,” said Yuengling-Baker. “Additionally, the EDI import process, used for order services, gift shop web orders and point of sale web orders, has eliminated the need for manual data entry.”
