Top Features to Look for in Production ERP Software

1. TopFeaturestoLookforinProduction ERPSoftware • Introduction • Tostayaheadintoday'scompetitivemanufacturingenvironment,youneedmorethanmodern machineryandskilledlabor.Youalsoneedintelligentsystemsthatintegrateallaspectsof production,quality,inventoryandsupplychainmanagement.ProductionERPsoftwareisthe answer. • ERPsystemsdesignedformanufacturingandproductiondon'tjustmanagetheprocesses,they integratethemintoaseamlessworkflow thatprovidesreal-timevisibilityandimprovesprofitability. NotallERPsystemswerecreatedequal.SomeERPsystemsaretoogenericwhileothersdonot havethedepthrequiredforcomplexmanufacturingoperations.Youcouldendup spending alot onatoolwhichdoesnotmeetyourrequirementsifyouselectasystem thatlacksthenecessary features. • Thisblogwillguideyou throughthemostimportantfeaturesofproductionERPsoftware.Itincludes examples,benefitsandindustry-specificapplicationstohelpyoumakethebestchoiceforyour company. • ComprehensiveProductionPlanningandScheduling • Productionplanningandschedulingarethecoreof anymanufacturingoperation.Eventhebest machinerycan'tpreventdelaysandinefficiencywithoutit. • Lookfor thefollowing: • Forecastingdemandaccuratelybasedonhistorical marketdataandtrends. • Updatesinreal-timetoadjustproductionscheduleswhenthereisadisruption. • Allocationofresourcesforrawmaterials,machines,andmanpower. • Example: • Thesoftwareallowsafurnituremanufacturertoschedulethewoodcutting,assemblyandfinishingof productsbasedonordersfromcustomers.Thiseliminatesbottlenecksandreducesleadtimesby 20%.Italsoimprovesdeliveryontime. • Benefits: • Reduceidletimeandequipmentdowntime.

2. Deliveryreliabilityimproved • Highercustomersatisfaction. • Real-TimeInventoryManagement • Inventoryproblemscanbecripplingforamanufacturing facility.Stockoutscandelayproduction whileanoverstockingofinventoryincreasesstoragecostsandtiesupcapital. • Lookfor thesefeatures: • Liveinventorytrackingatalllocations • Integrationofbarcode/RFIDforinstantupdates. • Reordering triggersaretriggeredautomaticallybasedonstockminimumlevels. • IndustryInsights: • ERP-integratedinventoriesareusedbyautomotivemanufacturerstodeliverpartsjust-intime, and reducewarehousecosts upto30%. • Benefits: • Improvedcashflowmanagement • Missingpartscausefewerdelays. • Reducedwasteof rawmaterials

3. QualityManagementandComplianceTracking • It'snotjustaboutavoidingflaws--it'salsoaboutmakingsureyourproductmeetsstandards consistentlyandbuilds trust. • TheERPQualityFeatures • Qualitychecksat eachstageof production. • Trackingnon-conformitiesandautomatingreporting. • DocumentationofcompliancewithISO,GMPorindustrystandards. • Example: • ERPsoftwareisusedbyafoodprocessingfacilitytologtheresultsofqualitytestsateachstage. ThisensurescompliancewithFDAregulations,andpreventscostlyrecalls. • Benefits: • Consistently highqualityoutput.

4. Problemresolutionisfaster. • Betterauditreadiness. • ShopFloorControlandReal-TimeMonitoring • You'reworkingblindwithoutvisibilityinyourshop. • ERPMonitoringFeatures • IoTdeviceformachineperformancemonitoring. • Real-timedashboardsfor operatorproductivity. • Alertsaresentinstantlyifthereisaproblemoradeviationintheprocess. • Example: • SensorsareintegratedwithERPsoftwarebyatextilemanufacturertomonitortheefficiencyof looms.Thesystemwillalertyouifamachinefallsbelowitstargetoutput.Thisminimizesproduction losses. • Benefits: • Proactivemaintenancescheduling. • Reducedunplannedoutages. • Overallequipmenteffectiveness(OEE)hasincreased. • SupplyChainIntegration • Yourproductionprocessisnotanisolatedoperation.It'sapartofalargerchain. • ERPSupplyChain Features • SupplierPerformanceAnalysis • Automatedgeneration ofPOs linkedto productionschedules. • Trackingrawmaterialsandfinishedproducts.

5. Examples ofIndustry: • AmanufacturerofelectronicsconnectsERPtosuppliersystemsinordertoautomaticallyadjust ordersaccordingtoreal-timeproductionrequirements,reducingdelays40% • . • Benefits: • Bettersupplierrelationships. • ReducedLeadTimes • Productioncyclesthataremorepredictable. • AdvancedReportingandAnalytics • Data-drivendecisionmakingisnow anecessity. • ERPAnalytics Capabilities • DashboardswithKPIsthatshow productionrates,scraplevel,anddeliveryperformance. • Predictiveanalyticsisusedtoforecastmaintenanceanddemand. • Drilldownreportsforcostandefficiencyanalyses. • Example: • ERPanalytics wasusedbyapharmaceuticalcompanytoidentifybottleneckswithintabletcoating operations.Thisledtoanincreaseof15%inproductionspeed. • Benefits: • Performance visibility isclear. • Rapididentificationofproblem areas. • Strategic,fact-baseddecision-making. • Scalabilityand Flexibility • YourERPsystemmustgrowalongwithyourbusiness. • Scalabilityfactors:

6. Additionofnewproductionlinesispossiblewithoutslowingdownthesystem.Additionofnewproductionlinesispossiblewithoutslowingdownthesystem. • Supportformulti-locationand multiple-currencyglobal operations. • Adaptabilitytonewproductiontechniquessuchasadditivemanufacturing(3D Printing). • Benefits: • Future-proofinvestment. • Easierexpansionintonewmarkets. • Overtime,upgradecostswill decrease. • IntegrationwithExistingSystems • Youressential toolsshouldnotbereplacedbyanERP. • IntegrationExamples • Softwareforthedesignof productionworkflows. • CRMsystemstosynchronizecustomerdemandwithproductionplanning. • Softwarefortrackingreal-timecosts. • Benefits: • Unifieddataflowacrossdepartments. • Eliminationofdoubledataentry • Collaborationbetweenteamsisimproved. • MobileAccessibilityandCloudDeployment • Manufacturingismovingtowardsamobileandconnectedfuture. • WhyitMatters • ManagerscanmonitorproductionorapprovePOsfromanywhere.

7. Cloudhostinglowersservermaintenancecosts. • Accessbasedonroles ensuressafetywhilefacilitating collaboration. • Example: • CloudERPisusedbyaglobalfurniturecompanytocentrallycontrolfactoriesondifferent continents. • Benefits: • Remoteworkcompatibility. • Updatesarefaster. • ReducedITinfrastructurecosts. • CostTrackingandBudgetManagement • Profitabilitysuffersifyoucannotaccuratelytrackcosts. • ERPCostingFeatures • Batch-levelcosttracking. • Budgetvarianceanalysis • Automatedcostallocationoflabor,materialsandoverhead. • Benefits: • Pricing accuracyimproved. • Improvedprofitabilitymonitoring • Identifyingcost-savingsopportunities is easier. • Industry-SpecificCustomization • GenericERPsoftwareoftenfailstomeettheneedsofmanufacturingindustries. • Examples:

8. Food&Beverage:batchtracking,expirationmanagement. • Automotive:VINtracking, just-in-timeinventory. • Pharmaceutical: Formulamanagementandregulatorycompliance. • Benefit: • Custommodulescanreducetheneedforcostlyworkarounds,andaccelerateimplementation. • BestPracticesforChoosingProductionERPSoftware • Defineyourrequirementsfirst-makealistoffeaturesbeforeyoutalktovendors. • Participatealldepartments-Incorporateinputfromtheproduction,financeandquality teams,aswellasthoseinthesupplychain. • Requestademo-Tryouttheusabilityandfunctionalityofthesoftwarebeforepurchasing. • CheckVendorSupport.Strongafter-salesserviceiscrucialforlong-termbusiness success. • PlanTraining-ThekeytomaximisingROIisuseradoption. • Conclusion • TherightproductionERPsoftwarecanhelpyoubuildamoreintelligentandefficient manufacturingoperation.Focusingontheessentialfeatures-fromproductionplanningtosupply chainintegration,fromadvancedanalyticstoqualitycontrol-willensurethatyourERPinvestment producesmeasurableresults. • ERPsoftwaretransformsyourbusiness.Yourbusinesscanincreaseproductivity,improvequality andprofitabilitywiththerightplanning,featuresetandimplementation.