Christmas is over for another year, the food has been eaten, the wine has been drunk and the decorations have long since been put away. The New Year represents a real turning point in the logistics calendar as operations directors and managers reflect upon their performance over the peak period.

The BRC’S new version of Global Standard for Food Safety, Issue 7, continued to exert pressure on the food industry, upping the ante on the tracking and traceability of our food with audits having started in July 2015.

Identifying the best way to ensure every part of the food chain is audited and recorded whilst managing the peak flow of fresh and frozen goods sets a complex challenge for the logistics operations of any food producer and manufacturer.

So how do we avoid another Christmas hangover? The answer lies in becoming a more efficient operation. By creating an environment flexible enough to grow with demand means you can meet tough retailer SLAs, manage peak demand and take on larger contracts.

In order to do this you must take a step back and review what you already have. For most companies people are the heart of the operation, increasing productivity comes from understanding the critical roles they perform.

By mapping out the processes many companies uncover inefficiencies. Such an understanding enables removal of defunct processes and identifies areas where technology will help speed up a task.

Advances in technology have led to rugged mobile computers which offer quick and accurate scanning in temperatures down to -20°C. These can be simply mounted on to forklifts so pallets can be identified, picked and moved from refrigeration to lorry speedily.

Devices like these, when adopted as part of a sophisticated warehouse management system (WMS), are capable of generating the audit trail that legislation and retailers demand. The WMS can even be opened up to suppliers and customers who need to accurately trace a food item.

Additionally, technology frees up your team to do more, or to perform other critical tasks. Being able to increase your throughput without having to increase your overheads is vital to the bottom line, especially as the living wage increase comes into force.

There’s no doubt that taking the time to step back from the day to day and plan the future is difficult. Work with consultants and technology experts who can use their experience in the food industry to quickly assess the operational environment and make recommendations to be implemented in the short and long term. This helps to phase the changes and the investment and ensure that there is no disruption to service.

Often some of the most exciting developments come out of changes due to industry imposed legislation. Indeed, those that view the imposed changes as an opportunity to review their processes and make improvements will often accelerate their fortunes and move ahead of competitors.