Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP, is a system aligned to business improvement processes that many companies use to integrate and manage essential parts of their business. For a long-time businesses, especially those in manufacturing, have found it difficult to balance lots of moving parts in the manufacturing process without impacting the business or sacrificing resources elsewhere. This has often forced them to hire additional heads, which in turn has increased operating costs. The rise of computer software integrations with daily business operations has helped to build modern practices, and today ERP systems are used across a wide range of industries to help automate functions.
Key areas within which an ERP system can make your business more efficient
An ERP system is made up of various modules offering an array of tools that help different areas of your business communicate with each other more effectively. ERP solutions integrate all areas of your manufacturing company, including accounting, human resources, eCommerce, business intelligence, supply chain management, warehouse management, inventory management, and more. Cleverly built systems also enable you to automate business processes leading with new levels of accuracy and efficiency, this could for example be raw material stocks or the number of assembled products available on the shelf ready for sale. Some of the areas that benefit from automation include:
Sales order creation
Relying on manual, paper-based processes to manage sales orders and invoicing could be costing your company money. If data is entered incorrectly, your company could experience revenue leakage, or financial issues, making it a challenge to develop accurate reporting. An integrated ERP system automates sales order creation by automatically capturing data from a placed order. This provides audits trails for better visibility and also helps increase efficiency and accuracy.
Inventory management
Manufacturers can lose time maintaining a holistic view of their inventory if they rely on manual counting and tracking. However, with an ERP system, you can accurately track stock levels in all your warehouses, goods in and loading areas. Gaining this level of visibility helps you maintain the optimum product quantities required to fulfil customer demand.
Financial reporting
Every business owner wants to gain a better understanding of their business, especially its financial health. However, if you are still using traditional bookkeeping methods that are not integrated with the rest of your day-to-day operations, getting financial data on time can be difficult. Luckily, ERP software allows you to automate report generation to always have real-time data on sales trends, high margin customers, underperforming product lines, and more, as some ERP systems give you the flexibility to build the reports you need. Having access to this information helps your teams make well-informed decisions and undertake higher-value initiatives.
The benefits of an ERP system in manufacturing
It takes advantage of the cloud and mobility
Cloud-based ERP solutions allow companies to store and manage data and software in the cloud where an ERP software owner manages it for you. Compared to on-premise ERP solutions, cloud-based ERP solutions offer enhanced performance metrics and greater accessibility. The ability to use it on mobile devices, allowing you to update information in real-time while you move around. This enables your senior management teams and their teams to use business data to manage operations more effectively and flexibly.
Saving you money
ERP systems document your workflow, allowing you to identify any redundancies or inefficiencies that may be slowing down your day-to-day operations. ERP data and intelligent analysis will help you find and implement solutions to these areas of inefficiency once highlighted in your regular business reviews. Some of these solutions include automation, workflow monitoring, scheduling, and ensure that your company optimises lower input levels while maximising production outputs.
ERP solutions through Winman
An integrated ERP system has the power to change your entire business for the better. If you want to improve your manufacturing efficiency, contact us today to find out more about our ERP solutions.
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