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Kettering partners with Bundaberg, supporting local and growing globally

Kettering

Kettering Professional Services is a consultancy that focuses on providing business processes and technology solutions to a range of industries, to support manufacturing in Australia. 

“Manufacturing is a massive contributor to the economy,” Ketting director Rob Cheesman said. 

“And in the current climate, more than ever, innovative solutions are an imperative.”  

For over 16 years Kettering, has partnered with family-owned Queensland beverage company Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. Recently, it has helped to align their entire brewing and sales process with the globally recognised standard, Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS). 

Bundaberg’s focus has always been two-fold, Brewhouse manager Belinda Desland said. 

“Providing Australians with great tasting, locally sourced brews, as well as growing our international markets, are top priorities for us,” Desland said. 

“Having consumers tell us our products taste great isn’t enough. We also want consumers to trust every bottle leaving our brewery meets the highest level of safety, no matter where they buy it.” 

It took Bundaberg 12 months to implement the BRCGS standard across the entire brewing and sales chain.  

“The work required to meet, as well as maintain, the BRCGS standard illustrates Bundaberg’s commitment to its customers,” Desland said.  

This has only been possible through the successful partnership between Bundaberg and Kettering. 

Kettering runs Bundaberg’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system using the QAD software application. 

“This application is the backbone of our operations, doing everything from inventory, sales, finance, wastage reports and traceability,” Desland said. 

The QAD application offers the flexibility that many of Kettering’s customers are looking for. Its application can suit a range of manufacturing verticals including automotive, consumer products, high technology and life sciences.  

“We provide ERP for more than 60 manufacturers, of which 25 are food and beverage – from high volume bottlers through to specialist ingredients,” Cheesman said.  

“For Bundaberg, the QAD software application definitely hit the right mark, and we’ve worked well together to ensure it’s working optimally at every stage of the brewing and sales process.” 

The BRCGS standard is comprehensive, including meeting an annual audit that can take up to three days. 

A challenging part of the global standard is the traceability. If there is a report of contamination or a product needs to be recalled, the manufacturer needs to identify product locations and ingredient sources within four hours.  

Traceability covers locating the product yet to be despatched, product in transit or where product has arrived at its destination. Other imperatives include where relevant ingredients are stored, or where the waste parts have been disposed of. This includes local as well as international markets. 

Confidence that the BRCGS standard is maintained is more vital than ever with Bundaberg supplying to over 60 countries in Asian, European, American and British markets. 

Bundaberg sources its brewing needs locally, resulting in strong working relationships with local growers and transport companies in the Bundaberg region. This also demonstrates Bundaberg’s important role in growing the local economy. 

“This procurement policy is really important to us. We want to ensure Australians have confidence that when they buy our product, they are supporting Aussie farmers and local businesses,” Desland said. 

The research confirms this, with more Australians actively seeking to buy locally produced products. According to a Roy Morgan 2019 poll, 90 per cent of Australians over the age of 14 are more likely to buy products made in Australia, up from 88 per cent four years ago. 

“(After the pandemic), it’s more important than ever we support ‘Australian Made’ and global consumers continue to trust Aussie products will be high-quality. This will be critical to our national recovery,” Desland said. 

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