Mobile ERP: A 2-Way Experience That Provides Real Manufacturing Intelligence

Cloud ERP is the great enabler when it comes to manufacturing mobility. Enterprise data—from all plants, all users, and all geographies—are kept in one central database. This means there is one source of truth that all users access, whether in the office or on the road. No more pockets of disconnected data locked in different locations.

Mobility enabled by cloud ERP delivers:

1.    Untethered Access

Users with untethered mobile ERP access have comprehensive information at their fingertips on any device, from anywhere in the world. This access lets them address issues quickly to minimize waste and maximize uptime at any plant or on any machine in the entire operation. Wearable technology like smart glasses and augmented reality devices with heads-up displays—once the domain of science fiction—are now more cost effective and are being used by manufacturers for maintenance, repairs, and on-the-job work instructions. They also record and share production and workstation status as well as material movement in real time.

2.    Visibility and Control

The freedom that untethered access provides, combined with full visibility and control of enterprise data, from customer information to the supply chain to the plant floor, delivers greater accuracy and clarity for better decision making. A plant floor supervisor, for example, can access real-time data shared by work cells or machines as they walk the plant floor without having to log onto a workstation terminal. Users can also receive real-time alerts and notifications on necessary actions to prevent issues.

3.    Smart Connectivity

Smart connectivity creates a manufacturing environment where all things are connected, increasingly so via mobile technology. Machines connect to ERP, users connect to machines, and new capabilities being ushered in by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can be brought online quickly. Modern handheld devices like scanners not only enable easy employee movement and immediate inventory recording, but are more intelligent in offering touchscreens that access ERP or an ERP app. This turns a scanner into a mobile terminal, giving the user expanded capabilities and control.

A modern solution designed with mobility at the core, not as an add-on but as an untethered presentation of ERP, is available to all users anywhere, anytime, over any device. Mobile ERP is about more than just using phones and tablets to access data. It’s a two-way experience where machine-to-machine communication is as relevant as human communication—to provide real manufacturing intelligence.

See how leading manufacturing organizations are using mobile and wearable technology. Download the white paper: The State of Manufacturing Technology