Choosing ERP software for mixed-mode manufacturing will necessarily differ from the most suitable ERP for custom manufacturing because these enterprise-wide software tools must be designed for the specific production techniques you deploy.
Batch manufacturing centers on efficiency and precision. To be truly effective, an ERP must address every aspect of the manufacturing process, with excellent benefits available, not least traceability and visibility at each level of resource management.
How to Pick the Best ERP for Batch Production
Formula management functionality is essential when selecting an ERP system for your organization, particularly from a batch manufacturing perspective. The ideal solution will help to provide enhanced monitoring and oversight over every aspect of operational management while addressing challenges head-on.
Manufacturers who produce end products or components in larger volumes often rely on just-in-time (JIT) approaches as a key feature in lean production. Hence, an ERP created for this type of manufacturing is necessary. A powerful ERP can also assist with other departments and functions such as inventory control, customer communications, and financial administration.
Across the board, manufacturing ERP industry-specific solutions enable you to focus on maximizing all available efficiencies, helping batch manufacturing return the best results and most efficient production outputs without unnecessary lags, downtime, shortages, or overstocks.
Priorities When Choosing a Batch Manufacturing ERP
Control is a fundamental criterion where production managers must handle manufacturing cycles with multiple moving parts, including procurement and planning, stock management, production targets, and quality control. In lean manufacturing, an ERP deployed in all operations can identify potential or recurring issues and establish the most efficient production approaches, offering enhanced savings and reduced manufacturing costs.
A manually controlled batch production process based on JIT principles commands a complex and large amount of expertise and hours. In contrast, ERP can achieve the same scheduling within a fraction of the time while mitigating the chance of manual errors. Rather than over or understocking parts and raw materials, a batch production ERP can apply precision calculations and forecasts to ensure procurement teams purchase the right materials at the right time and don't find that a batch is delayed or has surplus waste materials.
Benefits of ERP Solutions in Lean Manufacturing Environments
Lean production relies heavily on accurate, precise schedules and material supplies, so waste and time must be comprehensively managed to make every batch as efficient as possible. Batch process manufacturing is more successful where software solutions provide precise applications to allocate materials, plant, and time to each batch while pinpointing requirements relating to maintenance and servicing to keep equipment running smoothly.
Even where batch manufacturing appears to be operating well, many of the costs or inefficiencies can be concealed without the right metrics and information to provide greater depth of awareness. An advanced ERP can also help production managers stay on top of progress and monitor current production against targets, past outputs, and expectations to identify possible shortages or gaps in supply before they occur, giving advance notice where changes are necessary.
Modern batch production incorporates several phases. To succeed in lean production, a business needs access to critical data and information–an ERP can provide extensive monitoring of each stage while ensuring managers concentrate their efforts on the parts of the process that make the most difference to outcomes.
