The recent PIF V6 webinar by the Australian Food & Grocery Council (AFGC) was a chance for food and beverage companies from across the region to ask questions about how to make the transition to online PIFs without hassle and unnecessary expense. Here are the top five questions most commonly asked, and the answers from the experts.
The webinar, hosted by the Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology (AIFST), shared a step-by-step Implementation Guide created by the AFGC PIF Implementation Group with input from members including Kellogg’s, Kerry Ingredients, Mars, Goodman Fielder, Fonterra, CHR Hansen and HJ Langdon.
Here are some common questions from the industry – and answers from both the experts at the webinar, as well as our experts here at Bizcaps Software.
Q: Can I get PIF V6 in an Excel template to send to suppliers overseas to complete?
A: No, the PIF has left Excel behind. Bizcaps PIF Manager™ allows an overseas supplier to update a V6 PIF online. If this is a feature you need, contact the AFGC-authorised PIF vendor companies who can speak to you about their solution to replace emailing Excel PIF documents.
Q: Are there mandatory sections of the PIF V6 that suppliers are required to complete before sending the PIF? If they don’t have the information can they bypass it?
A: The AFGC has mandated the required fields for each PIF type, and these fields are highlighted in Bizcaps Software PIF Manager™. However, the portal won’t stop the user from sending the PIF if these sections are not completed.
The AFGC User Guide is also imbedded into the PIF Manager portal so users can simply click on the field and be automatically directed to help with that question in the AFGC User Guide. Download the AFGC PIF V6 User Guide here.
If your supplier sends you a PIF without completing all the required fields, you can reject that PIF and request further information.
Q: Do you have to be an AFGC member to access a PIF portal and use an online PIF V6?
A: No. Anyone can use a PIF portal – you don’t have to be an AFGC member.
Q: Can consultants subscribe to a PIF Portal?
A: Bizcaps PIF Manager portal is a great tool for industry contractors and consultants to manage their clients’ PIFs. A contractor can securely manage PIFs for multiple companies – and users within one company can’t access PIFs for any other company, only their own. Contractors and consultants can create and set up PIFs so that their client can access it as an external user. The client will receive a link to update their V6 PIF online, before the consultant checks and approves it. Once the PIF is finalised, the contractor or consultant has the option to send it to the client as a PDF or via portal-to-portal exchange directly to the client’s trading partner. Also, if their trading partner requires a V5 Excel PIF for their recipe system this can be extracted and sent alongside the V6 PDF.
If your company only requires a single PIF, Bizcaps Software has qualified PIF Manager Partners who will assist companies create, manage and share an online PIF V6. Simply contact these professionals for a quote.
Q: Is there any way to see which companies are using a PIF V6 Portal?
A: The AFGC is currently in the process of compiling a list of every company that has subscribed to a PIF Portal. You can see just some of the companies using the Bizcaps PIF Manager Portal here.
You can watch the AFGC webinar – including a comprehensive Q&A – here if you missed it live. And download a copy of the Implementation Roadmap presentation here.
And if you have a PIF question that needs answering don’t hesitate to email the Bizcaps PIF team at Sales_Info@bizcaps.com or call on +61 2 9252 7533.