Monthly Archives: February 2024

Planning for Your Next ERP System as a Manufacturing Company

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Staying competitive requires efficient and streamlined processes. One key element in achieving this is the implementation of a robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. As manufacturing companies plan for the future, the selection and implementation of an ERP system plays a pivotal role in enhancing productivity, reducing costs, and ensuring long-term success. This article aims to guide manufacturing companies through the crucial steps involved in planning for their next ERP system.

Assess Current Processes and Identify Pain Points:

Before embarking on the journey of selecting a new ERP system, it’s essential to conduct a thorough assessment of your current processes. Identify pain points, bottlenecks, and areas where efficiency can be improved. Engage with employees at various levels to gain insights into their daily challenges and gather valuable feedback. Understanding your current state will help define the objectives and requirements for the new ERP system.

Define Clear Objectives:

Establishing clear objectives is fundamental to the success of any ERP implementation. Determine what specific goals you aim to achieve with the new system, whether it’s improving production efficiency, reducing lead times, enhancing quality control, or optimizing inventory management. Clear objectives provide a roadmap for the selection process and help measure the success of the implementation.

Involve Key Stakeholders:

Involving key stakeholders from different departments early in the planning process is crucial. Engage representatives from production, finance, supply chain, and IT to ensure that all perspectives are considered. This collaborative approach not only fosters buy-in but also helps in crafting a comprehensive list of requirements that address the needs of various departments.

Research and Evaluate ERP Solutions:

Conduct thorough research on available ERP solutions in the market. Consider industry-specific solutions tailored for manufacturing companies. Evaluate each option based on functionality, scalability, ease of use, and vendor reputation. Pay attention to the vendor’s track record in implementing ERP systems for similar-sized manufacturing companies.

Budgeting and Cost Considerations:

Establishing a realistic budget is a critical step in the planning process. Consider both upfront costs, including software licenses and implementation fees, as well as ongoing expenses such as maintenance, support, and training. Be mindful of potential hidden costs and factor in resources needed for data migration and system customization.

Customization and Integration:

While selecting an ERP system with a rich feature set is essential, it’s equally important to assess the system’s flexibility for customization. Your manufacturing processes may have unique requirements that demand a certain level of customization. Additionally, consider how well the new ERP system can integrate with existing software solutions to avoid data silos and ensure seamless information flow across the organization.

Develop a Realistic Implementation Timeline:

Setting a realistic timeline is crucial for managing expectations and ensuring a smooth transition. Work closely with the selected ERP vendor to create a detailed implementation plan. Consider factors such as data migration, employee training, and system testing. Allocate sufficient time for each phase to minimize disruptions to daily operations.

Employee Training and Change Management:

Investing in employee training is key to the successful adoption of a new ERP system. Develop a comprehensive training program to empower employees with the skills needed to use the system effectively. Implement change management strategies to address any resistance and foster a positive attitude towards the new technology.

Choosing and implementing a new ERP system is a significant undertaking for any manufacturing company. By carefully assessing current processes, defining clear objectives, involving key stakeholders, researching ERP solutions, budgeting effectively, considering customization and integration, developing a realistic implementation timeline, and prioritizing employee training, manufacturing companies can position themselves for success in an increasingly competitive market. A well-planned and executed ERP implementation has the potential to transform operations, drive efficiency, and pave the way for sustained growth.

As you move forward, it’s essential to work closely with experienced ERP consultants and vendors who can guide you through the selection and implementation process, ensuring that your ERP system aligns with your business’s immediate needs and long-term vision.

Are you considering a new ERP system? Contact our experts! We have local solution providers who can help you navigate the process. Contact us now or call 707-774-7537 to talk to someone about your specific needs.

ERP System Integrations that are Beneficial for Manufacturing Companies

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Manufacturing companies are constantly seeking ways to enhance operational efficiency, streamline processes, and gain a competitive edge. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems play a pivotal role in achieving these goals by integrating various business processes into a unified platform. To maximize the benefits of ERP, manufacturing companies are increasingly turning to strategic integrations that cater specifically to their industry needs.

Our Partners Make it Easy

Supply Chain Integration: AIS JobBoard is a web based remote access browser-based application that automates to an existing AccountMate SQL and Express account. Without having to log onto a machine in order to input live data creates more efficiency. Quotes, order status, job allocations for manufacturing or distribution, scheduling, shipping, delivery, installation, inspection, and detailed activity are provided with the click of a button.

Fixed Asset Integration: Fixed Assets Management System is powerful, easy-to-use fixed asset accounting software with the flexibility to handle complex asset information in any industry and across multiple companies, countries, and books. FMIS Fixed Assets is part of the FMIS comprehensive asset management suite that includes tracking, maintenance (CMMS) and asset accounting. Designed for accounting professionals, the Fixed Assets module automates fixed asset accounting calculations including depreciation and amortization for regulatory and tax purposes.

Inventory Control Integration: SwiftCount by AIS improves speed and accuracy in warehouses that are organized by item, by sales order, by palette or by job number—whether high volume items, custom-built components, raw materials or finished goods. Go from minutes to seconds when processing items for orders.

Shipping Integration: ShipIt is a fully integrated shipping solution that allows a company to process shipments from within the Ship Sales Order, Create Invoice and Create RMA Screens. It allows them to create multiple packages/boxes and automatically calculate the weight of them by using the weight field from the AccountMate inventory. It also automatically and accurately calculates the insurance value for each package, and allows them to assign 3rd party billing from account number stored in the AccountMate customer record, all seamlessly integrated.

Business Alerts Integration: Business Alerts are now incorporated as an AccountMate Alerts Module. Licensed Users can use the many predefined alerts to send emails to specific individuals or groups that need to be aware of a situation that has just occurred or a reminder to take some action. These email alerts can be administered to send an alert to one specific person or to a specified group of people. No longer do people have to read reports and manually send off an email. Proper alerts can be scheduled by an Administrator who names the appropriate addressee and when a condition is met, emails are sent automatically.

Quality Management Integration: AIS Quality Assurance for AccountMate is a customizable software solution designed to meet the unique quality management needs of enterprises. With AIS Quality Assurance, businesses can effectively track and manage non-conformances, implement corrective and preventative actions (CAPA), ensure regulatory compliance, manage documents, enforce training initiatives, and oversee audits seamlessly.

Report Writing Integration:

Infor F9 is a powerful financial reporting and analysis solution that provides speed, flexibility, and ease of use to customers worldwide. F9 dynamically links a company’s AccountMate general ledger data to Microsoft Excel, and rapidly presents a real-time view of business information with just the push of a button. F9 offers an unbeatable feature package including flexible cell based reporting, consolidations, drill down, budgeting, multiple date ranges, multi-currency, lists of account segments and report analysis.

Spreadsheet Server is an intuitive Microsoft Excel add-in that provides live reporting and analysis from customers’ AccountMate ERP directly in Excel. Spreadsheet Server provides users the ability to populate pre-built financial and project reports within seconds, drill down from summary to transaction level detail, automatically distribute reports to others in a variety of formats, access any piece of data within their ERP with no staging area or data warehouse required, and much more.

Stonefield Query provides a step-by-step method to create professional business reports from information stored in AccountMate. Anyone can create detailed reports, high level overview, drill-down, charts/graphs, pivot tables, and more. Stonefield Query has been customized specifically for AccountMate so you can start creating reports now.

In the dynamic world of manufacturing, ERP system integrations are essential for companies aiming to stay ahead of the curve. As technology continues to evolve, embracing these integrations will be key to unlocking the full potential of ERP systems for manufacturing.

As you move forward, it’s essential to work closely with experienced ERP consultants and vendors who can guide you through the selection and implementation process, ensuring that your ERP system aligns with your business’s immediate needs and long-term vision.

Are you considering a new ERP system? Contact our experts! We have local solution providers who can help you navigate the process. Contact us now or call 707-774-7537 to talk to someone about your specific needs.