Comprehensive ERP-solution Infor M3 for Chocolat Stella Bernrain

The diverse product portfolio of the family-owned Swiss company ranges from fine creations such as pralines and truffles to chocolates with innovative sweeteners such as organic agave nectar, and private label chocolate products made according to customer specifications. The supply of couverture and semi-finished products for industrial and commercial customers is also part of their business.  They pay particular attention to the origin of their raw materials as well as  their processing  to ensure the highest quality of their end products. Accordingly, the company’s performance requirements for business software are high.

In order to cope with the complexity of its production processes and the increasing integration of their two production sites, Stella Bernrain decided to use a comprehensive ERP-solution from BE-terna. 

BE-terna's experience in the food industry and the ERP-solution from Infor M3 offer the perfect combination for us here - everything from a single source.

Matthias Lauffer, CFO, Chocolat Stella Bernrain

From the cocoa bean to praline

The Infor M3-based solution for the food industry is to be used by the chocolate manufacturer for all business processes - from product development to systematic and graphical support in the event of a potential product recall, and ongoing evaluation options. The multisite capability of Infor M3 enables this across the entire corporate group with true multi-client capability.

In the new Product Lifecycle Management System (PLM), Infor Optiva, all recipes for chocolate will in future be developed, digitalised and stored with commercial calculations. Particularly  in the private label sector, where the company is strongly active, customer-specific recipes and product variants are not uncommon. Here, the PLM system can support the chocolate producer with the management of nutritional values, ingredients and allergens as well as compliance with guidelines and regulations.

The new IT-system also better reflects the increasing variety of articles and products available from Stella Bernrain. Infor M3's end-to-end attribute management makes product data easier to sort and manage by assigning attributes and tags, laying the foundation for efficient processes. In addition, a newly structured database also offers a wide range of options for evaluating and analysing business data in the ERP-system itself.

Another important function of BE-terna's Infor M3-solution in the food sector is complete batch tracking - from raw material to final product or vice versa. This is intended to minimise risks and make potential recall actions safe and efficient.

Gerald Pichler, Managing Director at BE-terna, said

We are very pleased that our ambitions in the Food & Beverage segment are bearing fruit with our industry-specific Infor-solutions, and that we are now providing Stella Bernrain with the backbone for their digitisation strategies through the combination of BE-terna and Infor M3.

About Chocolat Stella Bernrain

As a Swiss chocolate producer full of ideas and strong in implementation, Chocolat Stella Bernrain uses creative ideas to produce high-quality chocolate specialities that are entirely tailored to the wishes of the customer.

Chocolate Stella Bernrain is an independent, globally orientated family business and manufactures products for private labels and the Bernrain and Stella brands. Industrial and commercial customers are supplied with the wrappings and semi-finished products.

The culture of innovation that has been in place since 1928, knowledge of the markets and many years of experience in development and production enable the company to take advantage of market opportunities early on and to implement them consistently. They attach great importance to sustainability both in the purchase of raw materials and in production. Stella Bernrain is also fully committed to Switzerland as a production location. Genuine Swiss chocolate specialities are their obligation.