Make your data work for you with ERP software

The key to staying competitive as a manufacturing business is to optimise efficiencies and productivity. With e-commerce making it easier for customers to buy goods, the demand for speedy product manufacturing is high! In order to keep up with increasing demands, outperform the competition and develop a good reputation, your manufacturing business needs to be able to use the data available in the business to increase efficiency and accuracy. ERP, or Enterprise Resource Management, software can help you to utilise the power of data and improve your manufacturing business processes. Learn exactly how you can make data work for you with an integrated ERP solution.

What is ERP?

Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) is the process of managing business data through the use of an integrated software suite. This process creates a system that contains applications that map the end-to-end business process and enable automation of a range of areas within your business, such as packaging and production. For manufacturing companies, ERP can take over sensitive or precision focused tasks, freeing up more time for teams to focus on softer skills or unpredictable variables found within a production line, for example. Data is crucial to 'training' each element of an ERP system giving it the information required to accurately and effectively take control of tasks.

How to make data work for you enabled by ERP

ERP systems enable you to use data to your advantage and literally make it 'work for you' by automating many business functions. In doing this, you will be able to optimise or give much needed attention to areas that may usually go neglected or, for which, you often have little time available to focus on them. Automating manufacturing processes will also make the entire process more efficient as ERP systems are developed to be entirely accurate, fast and productive. With ERP, data could be used to improve a number of elements in your manufacturing business.

Resource and inventory management

The task of stock take, or the monitoring of barcoded and serial numbered goods, are both tasks that can easily become time-consuming, prone to errors or tedious. It is when attention to detail or focus is at risk of being lost, that mistakes are more likely to be made. Errors with barcoding and labelling could lead to operational errors, such as delivery to the wrong customer, which could cause major problems for your manufacturing business in the long run. The solution to this? Use data collected within a single ERP business system to streamline the transfer of information or data from one department to another by centralising address details, and in turn improve the accuracy of labelling, coupled with the use of barcoding to track how your product flows through the business and out to the customer!

ERP solutions can also reduce the time it takes to generate and affix barcodes and labels. This, not only, avoids errors occurring but it also makes it easier to locate goods, keep stock to a minimum and access inventory data.

Shop floor monitoring and management

The task of managing an entire manufacturing business can be extremely vast. Luckily, data can be used to understand how the business is performing and can be used make daily monitoring easier!

ERP systems use data, for example, to track and organise the progress of an order and then to create accurate scheduling. Visibility of this will help your business reduce the chance of running into issues and will limit the room for error, such as parts not arriving on time in your manufacturing processes. Similarly, ERP can also be used to create production schedules that will enable your production line to work from available resources and keep up with customer requirements.

Material requirement planning - MRP

To speed up the production line and keep the manufacturing processes flowing smoothly, MRP modules within your EPR system can be developed from the data that is available captured in your final sales orders and sales forecasts. This enables your manufacturing business to order the required materials and plan accurate production timetables. Automated MRP makes for more effective and accurate production planning and resource purchasing methods, as triggers can be set to order, when stock thresholds reach a specific limit.

Our ERP software offers an all-in-one solution for your manufacturing needs. You can click here to contact a member of our team today to find out more.

Read how Crimson Renewable Energy used WinMan ERP to establish a single source of business data here: