A recent report by technology review firm Software Advice demonstrated some telling trends on the topic of "buyers motivation" in the market for small business manufacturing software. The study showed that nearly half of prospective buyers are businesses who still primarily keep record using "paper or other manual methods, such as Excel, to manage processes."

Not surprising was, in a related find by the study, the "need for better planning/management tools [as] the top reason prospective buyers were seeking software solutions." Many manufacturing companies are still plagued with the inefficiencies and inaccuracies of a manual manufacturing data management, thus leading to the understandable search for answers. Other top reasons listed for companies switching were the desire for "a better user experience" and the need for "improvement of efficiency and/or organization."  

While companies breaking into the ERP world for the first time represented a significant portion of those surveyed, the majority remained those who already employed ERP solutions but felt that they were not satisfying the demanding needs that arose day-to-day. Many expressed that the ERP system they currently utilized was not manufacturing-oriented, and therefore sometimes gave rise to more issues than they alleviated.

This sentiment was echoed by manufacturing IT expert Ian Chizmar, who noted that "many ERP solutions are not specific to the manufacturing market," and that "the best options for most buyers in this industry are specialized suites."

Accent Software knows what it takes for manufacturing ERP software to function at a high level in small and mid-sized businesses. We're determined to find custom ways of addressing any of the problems you might have with managing your business, whether it be because of an ineffective ERP system or your dissatisfaction with manual procedures. If you're looking to optimize your business' productivity with innovative applications of ERP software, give us a call.