Enterprise Resource Planning is the integration and management of a company’s core processes; finance, HR, manufacturing, supply chain, service, procurement, and others.
Manufacturing is a highly competitive marketplace, coupled with the rapidly changing business, financial and social norms tech innovations are creating; SMEs know the importance of delivering orders on time, minimizing errors, delivering customer satisfaction, increasing efficiency and value throughout the organization.
Today’s leading ERP systems help manufacturers stay ahead of the competition with the use of digital assistants to help focus on what matters, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to automate processes, and predictive analytics to support real-time decision making.
When you begin your search for ERP software the following steps will help with the decision-making process:
Determine the company’s specific and unique needs.
· It is vital to have a clear picture of what your company requires when choosing an ERP.
· Involve as many stakeholders as possible. As ERP integrates the core processes in your business it is important to consult those who will be operating the ERP and what they need it to do.
Find a system that can be easily tailored to the company’s specific and unique needs, rather than having to compromise or force-fit the processes to suit the software.
· While an ERP system integrates and manages the core processes; it is important to consider how it integrates with other systems in the businesses and externally.
· The more widely used systems like SAP are compatible with most requirements; meaning fewer problems, rather than the ERP possibly just creating new ones.
Get an ERP system for the future.
· How do the business and its processes look today compared to 10 years ago? Imagine trying to predict how they will look in another 10 years?…chances are you will get some predictions right and some very wrong (who’d have predicted Brexit in 2009!?).
· Ability to adapt to future change and the cost impacts of these changes must be considered, or what seems like a good option today will lead to rapidly diminishing returns on your ERP investment.
Consider how user-friendly the implementation, training and daily use of the system is for the people in the company; from shop floor to top floor.
· The easier to use, the less time and money required.
· The more intuitive the system, the less stressful and more valuable the ERP.
· Confidence that the ERP implementer has the expertise required to make the system fit your business needs. Get to know more about them, ask questions and speak to companies they have done work for in the past.
Absoft has created an integrated system specifically to assist SME manufacturers in meeting the challenges and opportunities facing the sector named Absoft ADIMA (AD-vanced DI-screte MA-nufacturing). Based on the very latest version of SAP’s world-class ERP solution – S/4HANA; Absoft ADIMA is the UK’s ONLY S/4HANA SAP qualified partner-packaged solution for Manufacturing.
To find out more about our SAP Consultancy Absoft and our ERP ADIMA – visit our website or you contact Steve McCann.
