Singapore launches B2B app and digital system for F&B companies

It said these will help firms to get new overseas opportunities.

Enterprise Singapore introduced SMF SMART App and Restaurant 3.0 for food and beverage (F&B) companies at Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) 2018 “to capture new overseas opportunities and improve operational efficiencies.”

According to an announcement, SMF SMART App was launched along with Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF). It is a B2B online platform which facilitates the consolidation of online orders for overseas buyers and provides features such as traceability and authentication of products.

Users were able to scan the barcode of physical products at the FHA and access the SMF Digital Marketplace.

The app also features automatic checks on quantities of product/s through the shipping cubic meter calculation function and a track and trace function via the use of QR code and IT security technology.

Moreover, Enterprise Singapore and SMF introduced an online Singapore Pavilion on Alibaba.com. “This enables the products to be showcased on a globally recognised B2B platform where overseas buyers can browse Singapore products and indicate business interest,” the organisation said.

Meanwhile, Restaurant 3.0 features a digital, robotics, and technology-enabled modular system for the supply chain. It covers the back-of-house and front-of-house segments of production.

Through the system, F&B operators can experiment on growing their own vegetables and herbs and F&B outlet kitchens can outsource other parts of the meal preparation to central kitchens. Basic optimisation for inventory, food preparation, and dishwashing can also be done.

Pre-programmed robotic arms that can pick up meat, grill beef, and do other basic tasks are also a feature.

For front-of-house production, Restaurant 3.0 has features for pick-up “food vaults,” Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) vending machines, and server robots.