Many of the manufacturers our team speaks with have put improving lead time at the top of their priority list. That’s no big surprise—lead time can be a determinant in winning new customers, driving business growth, and achieving on-time delivery.
Dozens of modules are used in just about all manufacturing ERP implementations, so why would we only focus on two of them? Of course ALL modules are important, but these two have the greatest impact on the entire ERP system.
Your ERP forms the backbone of your company. It is the platform that people use to support and execute the processes that make your company work. ERP software is a “tool” for a job, but how you use that tool is what separates good companies from great ones. ERP is also a large, often one-time investment. The partner you choose to help you bring this tool to life and apply it to your business to get the most out of your investment is of vital importance and should be carefully considered. Of all the Infor Channel Partners, here are some reasons we think Visual South is the best.
A quick review of ERP history and the evolution of ERP systems will show there are three primary, interrelated drivers: technology, functionality, and usability.
I’m a fan of a “can-do” attitude. Having a positive attitude helps you overcome obstacles and get through anything life throws at you. If a new ERP implementation in a manufacturing industry is something life will be throwing at your organization, a can-do attitude is the right attitude for the implementation team to have.
I have a certain passion for helping companies manage their capacity by scheduling properly. In this blog post, I’m going to discuss a common thought process companies go through to finally get to the point of using ERP to schedule their shop floor: They need to hire a Scheduler. Put someone in charge and have them get the company to the promised land of scheduling properly. It sounds reasonable, but in my experience, it’s a misguided strategy. Let me explain why.
When I was a Plant Manager at a rotary die manufacturer in 1994, I bought an ERP system. The biggest problem I was trying to solve was scheduling the shop floor. We were in an industry that demanded 2-4 day lead times. Everything we did was custom; each work order had around 20 operations. It was rare for me to get a question about our ability to produce a die, because we had all the right type of fabricating equipment to produce a die. The real question was if we could produce it in the lead time the customer provided. In other words, did we have enough open capacity to do what the customer wanted us to do?
As an ERP vendor for small and medium-sized manufacturers, we see a wide variety of tactics when it comes to managing information technologies. Some companies have a dedicated IT staff whose sole responsibility is keeping all servers, clients, networks, applications, and other related systems up and running. These companies typically also have a database administrator who insures all critical databases are properly backed up and maintained. However, we also commonly see manufacturers put less emphasis on IT. In other words, someone has been designated as the “IT” person, yet that is not their primary role.
The power of an ERP solution is highly dependent on the knowledge of the company using it. One company can use the software really well, while another company, well, not so much. We often use the analogy of an airplane; the airplane is built to fly, but it only works if there is a pilot sitting in it that knows what he is doing. Is your company flying the plane, or figuring out how to open the cockpit door?
