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Ferrara Tech Stack

Sugar confectionery manufacturer scaling maintenance and manufacturing operations

Food and Beverage Manufacturing Chicago, Illinois 5,001–10,000 employees Founded 1908 Privately Held

Ferrara is the largest U.S. sugar confectioner, operating a 30+ site global manufacturing footprint with over 9,400 employees. The company's tech stack is heavily weighted toward enterprise resource planning (SAP, SAP S/4HANA, Ariba) and industrial control systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Wonderware, Maximo) — typical of capital-intensive food manufacturing. Active hiring across manufacturing, operations, and engineering roles, plus aggressive focus on preventative and predictive maintenance projects and downtime reduction, indicates a push to modernize factory operations and improve asset reliability.

Tech Stack 46 technologies

Core StackSAP SAP S/4HANA Allen-Bradley Siemens Active Directory Windows Server Microsoft Exchange PowerPoint Ariba Excel Microsoft Office RSLogix 5000 RSLogix 500 Wonderware Keyence ABB RS-232 RS485 Profibus DP Profibus PA Variable Frequency Drive PLC Ladder Logic HMI SAP Ariba SAP IBP SAP Cloud Platform Integration PLC Scintilla Maximo Word+14 more

AdoptingSAP S/4HANA SAP BTP

What Ferrara Is Building

◆Challenges

Ensuring safety compliance
Inventory accuracy
Scaling platforms
Reducing downtime
Inventory discrepancies
Improving quality
Reducing workplace incidents
Reducing top losses
Production downtime
Minimizing downtime and waste

▲Active Projects

Preventative maintenance and predictive maintenance tasks and plans
Total productive maintenance implementation
Joint business planning (jbp)
Preventative maintenance program implementation
New construction projects
Product development projects in sugar confectionery
New equipment installations
Preventative maintenance scheduling for facility maintenance
Digital experience product roadmap
Continuous improvement and zero loss culture

Hiring Activity

Accelerating90 roles · 40 in 30d

Department

Manufacturing

40

Ops

11

Engineering

10

Product

6

Operations

4

Sales

4

Logistics

3

Finance

2

Seniority

Mid

25

Junior

23

Senior

18

Manager

9

Intern

4

Principal

3

Director

2

Lead

2

Notable leadership hires: Head of Total Rewards, Plant Director

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About Ferrara

Ferrara manufactures and distributes iconic candy brands including NERDS, Brach's, Jelly Belly, SweeTARTS, Laffy Taffy, and Trolli, reaching over 91 million U.S. households annually. The company also owns regional powerhouse brands in Brazil (Dori) and France (Carambar & Co). With operations across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, Ferrara combines a legacy manufacturing operation (founded 1908) with global supply chain complexity. Current operational priorities center on preventative maintenance, total productive maintenance adoption, inventory accuracy, production downtime reduction, and workplace safety compliance.

HeadquartersChicago, Illinois

Company Size5,001–10,000 employees

Founded1908

Hiring MarketsUnited States, Thailand, Canada, Mexico, South Korea

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ferrara's tech stack?

SAP and SAP S/4HANA for ERP, Ariba for procurement, Wonderware and Allen-Bradley for industrial automation, Maximo for asset maintenance management, and Microsoft Office suite. Actively adopting SAP S/4HANA and SAP BTP for cloud integration.

What is Ferrara working on operationally?

Preventative and predictive maintenance programs, total productive maintenance implementation, new equipment installations, joint business planning, continuous improvement initiatives, and digital experience product development — all aimed at reducing downtime and waste.