Programme

Designing Supply Chains to match Indian Realties : An action Manifesto

• What are top ten Supply chain Management Strategies in 2012
In the face of the steady run up in manufacturing and logistics costs, the old strategies for cost containment no longer have the same punch. Food Processing Companies now widely realize that they must restructure their supply chains to take out costs and maintain their customer service edge. The session will focus on the top supply Chain Management Strategies for 2012 and beyond.
• How to run effective supply chains in a volatile business environment?
Surviving and thriving in the volatile environment requires that food processing companies employ focused, effective solutions in areas such as CRM, supply chain management and distribution management. The session would dwell upon the effective strategizes/solutions for running supply chains in the volatile business environment.
• Impact of Copenhagen Accord on food Supply Chain
Enjoying a net worth of about $5.7tn in 2008 – and tipped to exceed $7tn by 2014 – the global food and beverage industry is a major player on the world stage. The food and drink industry has a major role to play in the development of a low carbon economy. Sustainable production is emerging as the defining issue in the wake of the short-comings of Copenhagen. So it was no surprise that the sector waited on tenterhooks for last year’s COP15 accord, which with it, if had been passed, could have brought a range of sweeping commitments and legislation that could have affected how the food industry is poised alongside the rest of the world. The session focus on pros and cons of COP15 accord on food processing sector.
• Technical intelligence driving the food value chain
Food and agribusiness supply chains and networks – once characterized by autonomy and independence of actors – are now swiftly moving toward globally interconnected systems with a large variety of complex relationships. The market forces exert a dual pressure on agro-food chains, forcing towards continuous innovation and agency coordination. The session will dwell on how technical intelligence can create efficient supply chains and provide a competitive edge.
• Greener food supply Chain for the Future
While the green movement is considered by some to be the latest trend or "fad" within the marketplace, it is also being referred to as a "revolution". With the industry looking at the overall picture of sustainability and "greening" all aspects of their business, three factors of responsibility are increasingly involved: environmental, economic, and social. The experts will share their knowledge and expertise on supply chains for future.
• When Cost and Collaboration Collide: Making Supplier Partnerships work
The idea of a supplier as partner might sound like a fantasy promoted by academics, who have never experienced the tough conditions of real business. But there are benefits to having a collaborative, collegial relationship with your suppliers. Suppliers help companies build better products and services. A partnership can give suppliers greater visibility into how you operate, enabling you and your suppliers to collaborate by reducing costs, improving service and quality, and even innovating. The session will focus on strategies to develop effective partnerships.

Question & Answer

New Perspectives in Research and Development in Food Processing sector

• International trends in Research and Development in Food Processing secto
Customers look for innovation, new variety, and brand loyalty. Innovations require implementation and application of high tech food processing technologies and tailor made multidisciplinary solutions. The session will highlight recent innovations and trends in products, processes and packaging which have significantly altered the contours of the food industry across the globe.
• Business Incubation: Driving collaborations to deliver innovation
Collaboration is key driver of successful innovation. Working together with a group of diverse people tends to stimulate and challenge each other to come up with more creative solutions. Reflection, enquiry and advocacy are the three skills that are critical to successful collaborations. The session will further elaborate on the role of business incubators in supporting innovation and new business creation.
• Foot printing: Carbon & Water
Carbon footprint is a way organizations assess impact of their operations on Climate change. Food processing sector is identified as a major contributor. As more and more food industries are signing in to carbon footprint their products, more and more research activities are initiated for carbon mapping and labelling of products throughout their lifecycle. Similarly, our virtual water footprint is critical and we need to give it far more attention. This session will share the global trends in carbon and water foot printing and elaborate how food industry is adapting to it.
• Cutting Edge Applications of Nanotechnology for Food Industry
Nanotechnology is an emerging area with massive potential, be it for smart packaging that lets you know when a food is really out of date, or for enhancing the delivery of nutrients in the body. As a new technology it will rightly attract interest from the public. Market analysts predict billion dollars market for food produced with nanotechnology within five years. The session will dwell on research work on nano related technologies in the country with special focus on nanosensors.
• Food Forensic: Using DNA fingerprinting
Food fraud is a growing problem for food industry that is costing crores of rupees. One of the greatest problems facing this branch of criminal investigation - food forensics - is that consumers can't always tell when they're being defrauded. The product might taste similar, will probably look similar, will cost about the same, and will not necessarily do the consumer any harm (apart from financially). A variety of techniques including DNA-based methods are used to identify grains in food mixtures, and to fingerprint grain varieties. This session will focus on related research in our country.
• Novel Foods: Adding Values through Differentiation
It is difficult to define novel foods in a legal sense. However, novel foods are often defined as a type of food that does not have a significant history of consumption or is produced by a method that has not previously been used for food. In order to meet the trend amongst consumers towards newer foods, companies are testing novel technologies for differentiating their products at marketplace. This topic will elaborate some key novel trends and technologies.

Question & Answer

Technology:  Trigger to achieve a High Growth Trajectory

• What are Top Ten Supply Chain Technologies for 2012
In today’s highly competitive environment, most companies are constantly searching for cost-effective ways to lower production costs while improving quality and response times to meet changing consumer demands. To gain a competitive edge, many companies are re-assessing their supply chains and getting more strategic with the adoption of latest technologies. Substantial competitive benefits can result from emerging technologies designed to quickly reduce supply chain production costs and improve efficiencies, accuracy, and output. The session will focus on the top supply Chain Technologies for 2012 and beyond.
• Cold Chain technologies that work for India
So far there is not enough private investment in the development of agri-focused infrastructure such as creation of pre-cooling facilities at farm gates, warehousing and storage infrastructure facilities including cold storage, wholesale/terminal agriculture markets, because of inherent viability gaps. An effective cold chain infrastructure is today the need of the hour to contain the huge wastage of Agri food produce annually due to a highly fragmented supply chain & cold chain infrastructure. This session is thus an attempt to understand various innovative and cost effective cold chain technologies that work for India.
• Emerging supply chain technology innovations: software delivery, community intelligence, and buyer-supplier collaboration.
Having achieved significant improvements in manufacturing, many firms are now focusing their attention on their supply chains. With increased globalisation, supply chains for most products have become longer both on the input as well as the output sides. This, combined with the trend towards proliferation of products makes management of the supply chain a very challenging task. The session will focus on some of the recent strategic and technological innovations in the management of manufacturing supply chains.
• Transforming India’s fresh food Supply Chains through cost effective technology solutions
India is positioned as world's largest producer of fresh fruits and the second largest of vegetables. But around 40% of India’s fresh fruit and vegetables deteriorate due to lack of proper infrastructure. This wastage is estimated to a value loss of approx $ 10 Billion per annum. The session would focus on cost effective technology solutions to address the issues of wastage that has marred the agri food business since decades and resulted in the loss that is colossal.
• New Technology to Trim Food Waste: Case Study
Since past few years global companies have started investing in new technology that will allow the food companies to make real-time supply chain decisions aimed at reducing food waste caused by unexpected weather. Unpredictable weather, wreaks havoc, often resulting in perishable food left languishing on shelves, uneaten. This session would focus on the cutting edge technologies to trim processed food waste.

Question & Answer

Managing Food Safety : Global Challenge & Global Solutions

• What are top ten Food Safety Challenges globally ahead
Food has become a global commodity but the system of assuring the safety of food is not adequate. Global food safety challenges constitute differences in standards, methodologies, and philosophies. Reducing food safety risk can be achieved by preventing contamination from farm to fork. The topic will focus on how food safety strategies should be risk based targeting food that contribute significantly to the exposure of the consumer along the entire food chain.
• Food Security : A recipe for tough times
Food security is not just a poverty issue: it is a much larger issue that involves the whole food system and affects every one of us in some way. Food security happens when all people at all times have access to food that is affordable, safe and healthy. Food security is built on three pillars which are food availability, food access, and food use. The session will try to understand how food security is linked to sustainable economic development of the country.
• The Importance of Food Safety Culture in Food Business
Food safety culture is at an all time high, new and emerging threats to the food supply are being recognized and retailers, food service establishments and food producers at all level of food chain have a growing responsibility to ensure good food safety culture. Achieving food safety culture successfully in this changing environment requires going beyond traditional training, testing, and inspectional approaches to managing risk. The topic will highlight how better understanding of organizational culture and human dimensions are essential for maintaining food safety.
• Regulatory Regime 2020: What is in store for food fortification?
Food regulatory regime can be understood as a political rather than science based solution to the problems of recurrent food crisis that have threatened the foundations of a single market. The session will try to unleash how the new food regulatory regime can integrate food fortification into the existing food pattern.
• Food safety regulations: Seek Globally & Implement Locally
Food safety and regulations is a dynamic area. With technological advancements and new researches, the regulations undergo updation and revisions. During such a reform process, international best practices are often referred as tried and tested proposals that could be further customized to match local needs and practices. This topic will further dwell upon the advantages and disadvantages of such a strategy.
• Role of GFSI in Developing countries
Private food standards are playing increasingly important role in determining market access in international trade. In order to provide equivalence and convergence, GFSI benchmarks food safety management systems. This topic will elaborate on the benefits of benchmarking schemes and the private standard scenario globally.

Question & Answer