6 Ways Cloud ERP can Change Your Life

The plant floor is full of repetitive processes to produce a variety of products for consumers across the globe, but when a legacy on-premise ERP system is in the picture, the life of your plant floor becomes repetitive in a negative way. Processes are consistently slow, inventory is never accurate and on-time delivery can’t be guaranteed. This doesn’t bode well for your business, but there is another path you can take.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the cloud alleviates your plant floor from these repetitive and destructive processes. Here are six ways cloud ERP brings life to your plant floor:

1.     Full integration

Multiple solutions cobbled together on your plant floor can’t create seamless communications, never mind accurate data that leads to useful information. Tightly integrated Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), quality supply chain, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), tooling, accounting and finance, business intelligence, inventory management and more make the plant floor more manageable from the first step in the process to the last. These linkages enable the real-time intelligence that is critical for making smart business decisions.

2.     Visibility

Visibility across the enterprise gives you the ability to prevent problems before they happen, with improved traceability and reduced waste. Tracking plant floor and supply chain events in real time via barcode scanners, wearables and dashboards is just one example of the comprehensive visibility manufacturers experience with cloud ERP.

3.     Process improvement

Legacy ERP vendors may say they add process to the plant floor, but all they really add is inefficiency and downtime. The right cloud ERP solution adds real process improvement to the plant floor. For example, orders are validated before going into production via an operator control panel. If the correct tooling isn’t accessible, production won’t proceed, thereby eliminating waste and reducing costly downtime.

4.     Ease of use

A cloud ERP system should be easy to use, and systems like the Plex Manufacturing Cloud offer intuitive screens and functionality in a familiar web interface. Plex’s cloud ERP solution allows the user to view and manipulate data like inventory, downtime, accounts payable, shop floor data and more on screens and reports. These reports are easy to use and highly configurable.

5.     Up-to-date information…always

With cloud ERP, gone are the days of version control issues. Manufacturers have more control with cloud ERP, having access to the most up-to-date information at all times. Cloud ERP means you’re no longer behind in versions, and you can choose whether or not to enable available enhancements in your system. You have the power and the control to make your business successful, and you’re no longer reliant on a legacy system that may not be able to keep up.

6.     Better quality management

Traditional on-premise systems rely on manual Excel processes or an entirely different bolt-on software package to manage quality. These approaches are ineffective and lack real-time accuracy. Cloud ERP offers continuously updated quality planning that is designed to increase process repeatability, reduce variation, increase production throughput and reduce defects.

It’s time to change your life and the life of your plant floor with cloud ERP. Full integration, complete visibility, improved processes, a user-friendly interface and continuously updated quality management are the components of a true cloud ERP system that manufacturers need to succeed.

Want to learn more about cloud ERP? Access the “Why the Cloud is More Than Hot Air for the Manufacturing Enterprise” white paper.