How ERP (Enterprise Resourcing Planning) can benefit your whole business

The benefits that technology can bring to the modern business have by now been well documented; process efficiencies, increased collaboration, and improved business decisions from better quality data, all are key reasons why so many companies are investing in ERP systems to enable business agility and growth.

However, so much of this technology remains in silos, not linked up in any way, and the promised efficiencies often don’t materialise. Different departments continue to be unconnected and organised in conflicting ways, which in turn means data can’t flow easily between departments and crucial warnings or triggers can be missed.

ERP is more than just a financial operations system

At its heart, an ERP system acts as a central hub for a company’s information, automating routine tasks and simplifying business processes. The end goal is to optimise operations and free-up employee time to work on more strategic, value-added tasks.

An ERP system can include various modules or functionality that covers finance, manufacturing, inventory, logistics, supply chain management, procurement, sales and customer relationship management (CRM) and the all-important analytics and reporting functions.

Find an ERP solution suited to your industry

But, even with these different functionalities, not every ERP system is built equally. Some place more emphasis on different capabilities to suit diverse industry needs. So, if your business is in manufacturing your chosen ERP should have stock management functionality, batch/serial number traceability, Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and/or Master Production Scheduling (MPS) to name a few.

When selecting your ERP system to invest in, choose wisely and research well. To assist in your research, consider Sage X3 ERP and its specialist functionality for specific industries that include:

  • Process manufacturing: ensure consistency, optimise planning and manage compliance across currencies, regions and regulations
  • Discrete manufacturing: get deeper insights and visibility on your entire manufacturing operations to enhance decision making
  • Distribution: improve supply chain efficiency with real-time insights into all aspects of your operations
  • Chemicals: respond to complex and changing regulations with quality control, regulatory compliance and lot tracking
  • Services: delivery an extraordinary customer experience with automated processes, streamlined workflows, and real-time insights

ERP is for the whole business, not just finance

With the ERP ecosystem touching and influencing multiple areas of the business, it’s important to involve those departments likely to use the ERP system in the selection process. It’s an enduring myth that cost is the biggest factor in ERP selection, and that selection and implementation are best handled by in-house IT teams.

Those selecting the ERP system mustn’t be dazzled by extra functionality that will never be used; instead, the focus should firmly be on the solution that addresses the whole business needs, which means those who’ll be interacting with the system on a day-to-day basis should be involved in research and decision making.

When in doubt or when you have queries about how an ERP system will benefit your organisation, it pays to work with an experienced ERP partner like Inixion, with a depth of experience across different industries, such as manufacturing, distribution and services who can help steer you in the right direction and guide both the implementation and the ongoing support.

An ERP system is a significant investment that will positively impact operations for years to come, so make sure you partner with the right ERP specialist and gain those business benefits of ERP sooner rather than later.

Download our ‘Reimagining manufacturing guide’ to find out how to build digital manufacturing operations with an ERP designed for manufacturers and distributors.