In the manufacturing world, inventory is the lifeblood of your business: making it, monitoring and shipping it. If you're not on top of your inventory, then every phase of your business can suffer. 

Wasted resources
Poor demand planning and inventory management can lead to a surplus of products. By producing more units your customers want, you have an issue of what to do with them. First and foremost, producing more than necessary is a waste of resources, so you're already in the red here. Second of all, storing these could cost you more if you have to rent additional warehouse space. 

Insufficient production
Obviously, not producing enough products or materials to meet customer demand is a big problem too, and these are problems that are going to be felt throughout the supply chain. Your distributors are going to be short, and your end users are going to need to wait longer to get what they've ordered. That's not good for your reputation with customers or business partners. 

Poor quality
When inventory isn't organized, it can affect the quality of your end products. They may have missing parts or production may have been rushed to meet a surprising demand. Neither of these are good for your brand. 

Slow delivery
Maybe you've produced enough units, but they just can't get to the end users. If your inventory system doesn't give you a comprehensive view of your supply chain, it's going to take some time before you can track down those missing products. 

How can a growing manufacturer organize inventory and forecasting? 

Smart inventory management
ERP inventory management software can tighten up your inventory controls, letting you run a tighter ship. A modern ERP system can provide a wide range of features for your inventory management. Capacity requirement planning lets you anticipate changes to your shop floor setup and adjust accordingly. Production management gives you a full view of the value chain so you can identify any potential problems like bottlenecks. And with real-time reporting, you can anticipate changes as soon as they arise. 

Don't work harder, work smarter with a smart ERP inventory program, and put your inventory to work for you. 

At Accent Software, we work with growing manufacturers to implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV, a robust ERP program that's built for manufacturers. ERP helps them reduce costs to achieve a competitive advantage over the competition. If your legacy inventory management isn't cutting it, contact us to see how a smart ERP program can make a difference.