Can ERP software prepare industrial machinery manufacturers for what lies ahead?

The answer to the question in the above headline is a definite “yes.” There's not a single industry left untouched by the digital revolution, including industrial machinery manufacturing, and ERP is the key to driving digital transformation of your industrial machinery maker.

Industrial machinery manufacturers have a bird's-eye view of the Industry 4.0/advanced manufacturing/ smart manufacturing ground floor. They see how the manufacturing sector is undergoing a rapid evolution through their customers' changing operations and demands for new industrial machinery that’s “smart” and data-enabled, connected to ERP systems.

the manufacturing sector is undergoing a rapid evolution through their customers' changing operations and demands

What have industrial equipment manufacturers noticed from their perch atop the manufacturing industry? How does what they see challenge them, and how can advanced enterprise resource planning solutions, or ERP for industrial machinery makers, give them wings strong enough to soar through changing weather conditions? We’ll just say that ERP can give you wings, as we’ll explain.

Being on the forefront of manufacturing technology gives industrial machinery manufacturers a bird's-eye view of the Industry 4.0 trends. 

Meeting new customer demands

No two words define Industry 4.0 better than “personalization” and “agility.”

It's no wonder a 2016 Aberdeen Group survey found that industrial machinery manufacturers are asked by their customers, above all else, to "launch products quickly" and provide "customized and complex products." Intricately engineered assets present a profitable growth opportunity for industrial machine makers who know how best to collaborate with their customers and manage immense datasets efficiently. What does it take to support that complex and customized collaboration? ERP software that supports customization and agility. Industrial machine manufacturers must be agile themselves before they can offer agility to their customers, and ERP software for industrial machinery makers enables that agility and interconnection.

Make sure your ERP investment is paying off:
Download our how-to guide, Maximize ROI on Your ERP Investment

For example, computer-aided design (CAD) software and Compare Price Quote technology connected via ERP solidifies that necessary link between equipment producers and their customers. These interlocking solutions capture important information, create visual specs, relay pertinent stocking/fulfillment data intelligently and cinch sales, all by compressing lead and quote times on the next generation of industrial machinery. ERP makes it all happen, seamlessly so, enabling your to connect quickly with your customers to meet their demands. ERP can serve as a bridge connecting both sides, especially when it comes to CAD.

Expanding into new territories

Automation takes manual labor out of the hands of skilled workers so they have the capacity to address more urgent matters like strategic planning and strengthening customer relationships. That said, never before has automation been so accessible to such a wide breadth of industries, occupations and processes.

Eight out of 10 machine makers have already automated.

A survey from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation showed 83 percent of manufacturers have already automated at least one aspect of production in the last five years. Three out of 4 respondents also plan to automate, again or for the first time, within the next three years. Whatever those businesses decide to automate, industrial machinery manufacturers want to be ready to lend them a hand (even if that hand is a robotic). Connecting with your customer’s data and systems, as well as your internal data and systems, happens through ERP for industrial machinery makers.

New markets can bring you an array of obstacles: more materials are needed, more nodes in the supply chain, more demand to account for, more economies to watch. What do all these issues have in common? They each introduce risks to planning, production and customer satisfaction.

ERP software creates smart data exchanges between disparate departments and the outside world

Machine manufacturers, however, can address all of these burgeoning complications with end-to-end ERP software that creates smart data exchanges between disparate departments and the outside world. Data gets shared and made visible to relevant parties, enabling collaboration. As new information comes in, ERP for industrial machinery makers automatically routes it through the proper channels and uses it to update data repositories in real time. As a business scales up, its organization never degrades. ERP software for industrial machinery makers allows you to constantly monitor the latest leads, past orders, raw materials pricing, inventory replenishment, production processes, asset management, industry trends and general goings-on. It enables you to see and to respond to what’s happening, which is what it takes to satisfy your demanding customers. With ERP, industrial equipment providers can dependably anticipate what's next for them and their customers.

Spending on new technology

When machine makers choose to upgrade their own production equipment, they must meticulously plan how and when they will invest, retrofit and/or onboard new equipment. Subject to cyclical demand, these businesses may only have a small window of time in which to spend a lot of capital and schedule downtime without disrupting service to their existing client bases.

Customizable ERP can assist in gaining the efficiency and planning all this requires. ERP also enables you to tie up financial loose ends and verify funds in real time, as well as executing tight changes to production assets. ERP software makes major transformations to core businesses so seamless, customers won't even notice -- at least, not until industrial equipment manufacturers exceed their latest expectations.

Moreover, having your ERP system based in the Cloud reduces your need to invest in costly servers, IT infrastructure, a massive IT team, and software updates. All these investments get managed by your Cloud ERP provider, who keeps you cutting-edge while controlling your IT costs along the way. That’s what agility looks like. You only add the capabilities you need, so won’t have your capital tied up in expensive, underused, on-premise IT infrastructure. Again, you need to be agile in order to offer agility to your demanding customers, and ERP for industrial machinery makers helps you get there.

Does an advanced ERP software system like abas ERP sound like the right solution for your machine manufacturing facility?