IFEX 2026 has officially wrapped up, and what a fantastic few days it was.
From the moment the doors opened, there was a real energy across the exhibition floor. It was brilliant to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new food and drink manufacturers, and have open conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector right now.
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand. Whether you joined us for a quick chat, a live demo, or a deeper conversation about your systems and processes, we genuinely appreciated it.
Meaningful Conversations with Food & Drink Manufacturers
One theme came up again and again:
Visibility.
Manufacturers are dealing with rising costs, tighter margins, labour pressures, compliance requirements, and increasing customer expectations. Yet many are still operating with disconnected systems, spreadsheets, or limited real-time insight into their operations.
We spoke to producers across:
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Food manufacturing
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Beverage production
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Packaging and distribution
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Cold storage and logistics
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Ingredient and raw material suppliers
And while each business is unique, the challenges were often similar:
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Limited real-time stock visibility
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Difficulty tracking margins accurately
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Manual production planning
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Lack of integration between sales, finance, and operations
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Struggles with traceability and compliance
From Complexity to Clarity.. Live in Action
Throughout the event, we ran live demonstrations of a typical food manufacturing journey, from sales order through to production, stock movement, and invoicing. Rather than speaking in theory, we walked visitors through how an integrated ERP system like Odoo connects each stage of the process.
We demonstrated how a confirmed sales order can automatically:
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Trigger production planning
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Check raw material availability
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Generate manufacturing orders
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Allocate stock
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Update inventory levels in real time
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Reflect instantly in financial reporting
For many manufacturers we spoke to, this end-to-end visibility was the real eye-opener.
By implementing integrated ERP systems like Odoo, manufacturers can:
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Gain real-time visibility across production, inventory, and finance
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Improve traceability and compliance
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Automate manual processes to reduce errors
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Plan production more effectively
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Connect sales forecasts directly to manufacturing demand
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Improve reporting for faster, better decisions
Seeing the full manufacturing process live on screen helped bring these benefits to life. It wasn’t just about features, it was about control, speed, and confidence in the data.
When systems talk to each other, teams move faster.
When data is accurate and live, decisions become easier.
And in a sector as fast-moving as food and drink, that visibility makes all the difference.
A Brilliant Team Effort
IFEX was also a fantastic opportunity for our team to collaborate in person.
If you spoke with any of our team members and would like to continue the conversation, we’d be delighted to reconnect. Click here to book a meeting.
What We Took Away from IFEX
IFEX 2026 reinforced something important:
Food and drink manufacturers aren’t standing still.
There is a strong appetite for digital transformation, but it has to be practical and affordable. It has to solve real problems. And it has to deliver measurable results.
The businesses that will thrive over the next few years are those that prioritise:
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Operational visibility
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Data-driven decision making
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Automation where it makes sense
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Integrated systems rather than patchwork solutions
We’re excited to continue supporting manufacturers across Ireland and the UK as they take those next steps.
Let’s Continue the Conversation
If we met at IFEX, thank you again for your time.
And if you couldn’t make it but would like to explore how better visibility and integration could support your operations, we’re always happy to have a conversation.
Book a short discovery call with our team to explore how we can support your food or drink manufacturing business.
We look forward to continuing the conversations started at IFEX.
