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SEAL Systems AG > Blog > SEAL Systems > Why Manufacturing Companies Need a Centralized ERP
SEAL Systems
22.09.2021
Reading Time: 5 Minutes

Why Manufacturing Companies Need a Centralized ERP

In this Article

    People on the Computer - Manufacturing Companies Need A Centralized ERP

    A company’s success largely stems from how well the different departments can exchange data with each other. Learn the difference between decentralized and centralized software systems, along with how a centralized ERP system is vital to achieving success.

    Manufacturing Process Scenario

    First, a customer approaches a company’s sales team about a product. The sales team then goes to the inventory department to check on the availability of the product. If the product is out of stock, the salesperson would have to approach the production planning department so that the product can be manufactured.

    With the salesperson’s inquiry, the production team or production planners check with the inventory department to find out the availability of the raw material needed to manufacture the product. If the raw material is not in stock, the production team or production planners buy the raw material from their vendors – and ships these materials to the shop floor for production.

    Once the product is manufactured, the inventory department forwards the final product to the warehouse for the sales team to order delivery to the customer. Then, the sales team updates the finance department about the sale of the product to the customer. In addition, the production planning team also updates finance about the payments that need to be made to the different vendors for the raw materials.

    Decentralized Software Systems

    In the scenario above, the salesperson approaches each department individually. Therefore, the scenario is an example of a decentralized software system. A decentralized software system is when data is maintained locally in the individual departments. In this environment, each department has no access to data from other departments.

    Decentralized Systems and the Manufacturing Process

    Numerous software systems mean that the information cannot be seamlessly shared. Therefore, lack of real-time data can lead to an unnecessary halt in an urgent order, misunderstanding of the current inventory, inconsistencies and duplication of data, and much more. For example, because the salesperson does not have access to the inventory department’s data – the salesperson must wait for someone in the proper department to respond to know if the product the customer is interested in is in stock. This unneeded wait could lead the customer to lose time in their own process, and worst case look for another vendor for the product. This results in unhappy customers and a loss of sale because the information could not be seamlessly shared.

    >> See also: Solutions for Manufacturing in SAP

    Centralized Software Systems

    A major factor in the success of a company largely stems from how well the different departments can continuously communicate and exchange data easily between each other. Therefore, a centralized software system is the key to success because companies that maintain their data in a central location can share information easily with various departments.

     

    Why Centralized Software Systems – Like ERP – Are the Key to Success

    Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the name for the business process management software. It is a suite of applications to manage vital functions of a business (sales, inventory, production planning, etc.) With the integration of all a company’s departments data, information can easily flow across the enterprise, and the process becomes reliable and streamlined.

    For example, if we return to the manufacturing scenario, let’s say that the same salesperson tried to find out if the product was in stock using the company’s centralized software system: ERP. With the company’s ERP system, the salesperson can check the current inventory of the product within the system. Now, any wait time for the customer is eliminated because the salesperson is able to check the inventory right away.

    Additional Benefits of ERP Systems

    Below are some other benefits a manufacturing company can experience with a centralized ERP system (like SAP):

    • Eliminate data duplication, discontinuity, and redundancy
    • Share real-time information across departments
    • Control various business processes
    • Increase productivity
    • Manage inventory
    • Reduce material cost

    Optimize Your Processes Even More – Standardize Your SAP Output with SEAL Systems

    SEAL Systems SAP Output Management solution standardizes the document distribution process. With our output management solution, easily print data, files, documents, lists, and forms from SAP enterprise-wide.

    >> See also: How an Output Management Solution Can Help You Reduce IT Operational Costs

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