LONDON, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Flex Catering, a leading Australian catering software, is ready to shake up the UK catering industry with its state-of-the-art cloud-based platform. This expansion introduces a highly efficient and scalable solution for catering businesses and restaurants, designed to streamline operations and drive growth.

Tapping into a Growing Market
With the UK catering industry experiencing a 4% growth in 2023, generating £1.5 billion in revenue (IBIS WORLD), the market presents significant opportunities. Corporate catering, which made up 48.8% of catering sales last year, is particularly ripe for innovation.
Caterers and restaurants in the UK are increasingly recognising the value of catering to corporate clients, and Flex Catering’s platform is built to meet this demand, offering an all-in-one solution that optimises operations for both single and multi-site businesses.
Tailored Solutions
Flex Catering’s platform features robust online ordering capabilities and integration with local delivery services to manage high order volumes seamlessly.
The platform’s advanced kitchen reporting and B2B account management tools allow operators to plan, execute, and elevate their catering offerings, ensuring a premium service experience.
Driving UK Expansion with Visionary Leadership
Cris Matsunaga, the co-founder of Flex is at the forefront of Flex Catering’s UK expansion, bringing a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the unique challenges within the catering industry.
“Flex Catering is excited to bring our innovative platform to the UK,” says Cris Matsunaga, COO. “We’ve built a solution that addresses the operational challenges of caterers and restaurants, enabling them to scale their businesses and offer excellent service at every level.”
Global Reach
Flex Catering’s influence is rapidly growing, having already partnered with global brands such as Dairy Queen and Delaware North. The platform’s success across diverse markets speaks to its flexibility and value, and the UK market is set to be the next major milestone.
Join the Revolution in Catering Management
Restaurants and caterers are encouraged to explore Flex Catering’s innovative platform, designed for businesses at all stages of growth. Offering advanced features at great value, the solution is a game-changer for catering operators.
Flex Catering will be showcasing its platform at The Hospitality Tech Expo, 15th & 16th October at EXCEL London, stand K74.
For more information, visit:Flex Cateringwww.flexcateringhq.com

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WAGENINGEN, Netherlands, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Known as the Land of Windmills, the Netherlands is also a pioneer in technological innovation, especially in agriculture and food science. In 2014, Yili partnered with Wageningen University to establish the first overseas R&D center for China’s dairy industry. Located in the Netherlands’ Food Valley, the Yili European R&D Centre was upgraded to the Yili Innovation Center Europe in 2018. In April 2024, this center celebrated its tenth anniversary and underwent another comprehensive upgrade, marking a new milestone for Yili’s “Global Smart Chain.”

Over the past decade, Yili has assembled a world-class team of scientists dedicated to dairy innovation and turning research into products. This has significantly enhanced Yili’s innovative capacity and competitive edge in the global food and dairy industry. Yili has also built a platform for dairy cooperation between China and Europe.
The last decade has been a time of rapid growth for Yili Innovation Center Europe and a pivotal period for Yili’s Global Smart Chain. Over the past ten years, Yili Innovation Center Europe has forged partnerships with many European universities and research institutions, including Wageningen University, University of Cambridge, Technical University of Munich, and International Life Sciences Institute. Today, Yili boasts a network of 15 innovation centers, spanning China, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, and other countries and regions.
The Netherlands episode of Yili’s 2024 Online Tour will feature Amy Wang, a British-Chinese director and special correspondent from FoodBev Media, as the host. Join her as she explores Yili Innovation Center Europe and meets with the president of Wageningen University, the managing director of StartLife, and the executive director of International Life Sciences Institute. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Yili’s dairy innovation.
Video – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2527819/20241010________EN_200M.mp4 

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North America factory purchasing activity deteriorates more quickly in September, with demand at its weakest year-to-date, signaling a quickly slowing U.S. economyFactory procurement activity in China fell for a third straight month, and devastation from Typhoon Yagi hit vendors feeding Southeast Asian markets like VietnamEurope’s industrial recession deepens, leading to an even larger increase in supplier spare capacityCLARK, N.J., Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index — a leading indicator tracking demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses — decreased in September to -0.43 (August: -0.37), its lowest level in 14 months and indicating the greatest level of global supply chain spare capacity since July 2023.

The rise in underutilized vendor capacity was driven by a further deterioration in global demand. Factory purchasing activity was at its weakest in the year-to-date, with procurement trends in all major continents worsening in September and signaling gloomier prospects for economies heading into Q4.
Notably, supplier spare capacity shot up again in North America. U.S. manufacturers lowered their purchasing volumes aggressively in September, with a slowing of the U.S. economy denting factory orders. 
In Asia, supply chain spare capacity also rose to a year-to-date high. Slowing economic conditions in other parts of the globe led factory procurement activity in China to fall for a third straight month in September. There was also the devasting impact of Typhoon Yagi across Southeast Asia. Vietnam was affected in particular, causing vendor supplying this part of the region to suffer as a result.
Europe’s industrial recession intensified, reflecting the blight of major manufacturers in the continent due to macro factors like competitive pressures from China, high energy costs and a flagging eurozone economy.  
“September is the fourth straight month of declining demand and the third month running that the world’s supply chains have spare capacity, as manufacturing becomes an increasing drag on the major economies,” explained Jagadish Turimella, president, GEP. “With the potential of a widening war in the Middle East impacting oil, and the possibility of more tariffs and trade barriers in the new year, manufacturers should prioritize agility and resilience in their procurement and supply chains.”
SEPTEMBER 2024 KEY FINDINGS
DEMAND: Global demand for raw materials, commodities and other intermediate goods deteriorated more quickly in September, reflecting a stronger downturn in procurement activity across many major global economies, such as the U.S., China and Germany.INVENTORIES: In September, reports of stockpiling due to price or supply concerns remained below the long-term average.MATERIAL SHORTAGES: The item shortages indicator fell to its lowest level since January 2020, indicating improved global raw material availability as factories retrench.LABOR SHORTAGES: Reports of staff shortages leading to a rise in backlogs at manufacturers were in line with historically typical levels in September. This indicates that labor supply is generally capable of meeting demand.TRANSPORTATION: Global transportation costs once again dipped in September and were the lowest since July 2023.  REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN VOLATILITY
NORTH AMERICA: Index fell to a 15-month low of -0.78, from -0.62, signaling a further increase in spare vendor capacity. The U.S. market drove this, with the economyslowing ahead of the presidential election. EUROPE: Index fell to a nine-month low of -0.74, from -0.53, indicating a further intensification of the continent’s industrial downturn. Germany continues to pull other parts of the region down with it. U.K.: Index fractionally rose to -0.12, from -0.14. The U.K. is demonstrating some resilience to wider global economic headwinds — partly reflecting an ongoing post-election bounce. ASIA: Index at a year-to-date low of -0.36, down from -0.07, signalling the highest level of spare vendor capacity since December 2023. In addition to a slowing Chinese market, Typhoon Yagi dented supplier activity in Southeast Asia.For more information, visit www.gep.com/volatility.
Note: Full historical data dating back to January 2005 is available for subscription. Please contact [email protected].
The next release of the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index will be 8 a.m. ET, Nov. 12, 2024.
About the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index is produced by S&P Global and GEP. It is derived from S&P Global’s PMI® surveys, sent to companies in over 40 countries, totaling around 27,000 companies. The headline figure is a weighted sum of six sub-indices derived from PMI data, PMI Comments Trackers and PMI Commodity Price & Supply Indicators compiled by S&P Global.
A value above 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being stretched and supply chain volatility is increasing. The further above 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being stretched.A value below 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being underutilized, reducing supply chain volatility. The further below 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being underutilized.For more information about the methodology, click here.
About GEPGEP® delivers AI-powered procurement and supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability and increase shareholder value. Fresh thinking, innovative products, unrivaled domain expertise, smart, passionate people — this is how GEP SOFTWARE™, GEP STRATEGY™ and GEP MANAGED SERVICES™ together deliver procurement and supply chain solutions of unprecedented scale, power and effectiveness. Headquartered in Clark, New Jersey, GEP has offices and operations centers across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. To learn more, visit www.gep.com.
About S&P GlobalS&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) S&P Global provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today.
Media Contacts
Derek CreeveyGEPPhone: +1 646-276-4579Email: [email protected]
Joe HayesPrincipal EconomistS&P Global Market IntelligencePhone: +44-1344-328-099Email: [email protected]
S&P Global Market IntelligenceEmail: [email protected]
 
 
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