Choosing the right software solution for your manufacturing business

Posted on 26th Nov 2020

Eliminating waste, managing costs and maximising efficiency and profitability are ideals that most manufacturing business operations aspire to. When linked in with successful sales and marketing and on-time order completion, hitting these goals will help enterprises, achieve success.
The key to achieving these objectives and growth lies in having the right software solution in place, having the correct resources, continuously improving processes and adapting to changing market conditions. For manufacturers, selecting the right manufacturing ERP software can make a big difference in efficiency and productivity.

It goes beyond supply chain management
When some people think about ERP software, the first thing that often springs to mind is supply chain management. Supply chain management incorporates sourcing, scheduling, transportation warehousing and storage but, it also relates to and affects other departments. A profitable manufacturing business must take other areas into account too; things like sales, production management, product data management, customer relationship management and IT.

All of these disciplines are a vital part of the running of any manufacturing firm and to select the right software solution, that solution must incorporate the appropriate ERP software features that correspond and compliment the day-to-day running of the business.

Gathering the right team of internal experts
The selection process needs to start with gathering team members who are experts from the business. They will be responsible for managing the ERP project to ensure the system has the must-have features to meet the company's challenges. Each member of the team needs to be a specialist in their own field and has a thorough understanding of the operation. They must also be aware of how the decisions and events that take place in one department can affect another department. Without this knowledge and expertise during the process, the chosen manufacturing ERP solution could be lacking in certain areas.

The crucial role of IT and change management
The IT Department will be pivotal to the success of implementing the right software solution because they will need to maintain the infrastructure and potentially the upgrades and workflows within the software as well.

Another consideration when installing any new software is change management. Some may be resistant to change to some degree. Accepting change and more importantly embracing change, is all important and with any new system, there will be a period of transition.

The right choice of the ERP software is, of course, fundamental. Choosing a software package that is fully comprehensive and total scalable is vital. This allows any business to pick and choose the ERP software features that are essential to its needs. No two companies will share exactly the same needs, each will be unique in some way or another.

Choose the right implementation partner
Another important part of choosing the right software solution for your company’s needs is selecting the most suitable implementation partner. The partner you end-up working with must be able to understand the way your industry works and what your requirements are. What you must avoid at all costs is choosing a partner who just wants to sell you what they offer, just to make a sale and not support you through the implementation process.

The right implementation partner should support you through the selection process as well. As experts, they would have helped various of companies in choosing and installing manufacturing ERP solutions on a business by business basis.