Before you implement ERP, understand its many components

/in /by

If your manufacturing company suffers from difficulties in extracting business information from your existing systems or your company is facing an inability to coordinate order fulfillment for your customers, it may be time to turn to a trusted enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. TechTarget states that when approaching the implementation of an ERP system, there are five components that must first be considered and researched. These software components focus on functionality in HR, finance, business intelligence, customer relationship management and purchasing and procurement. 

Every manufacturing company needs to be able to track and consolidate all of its sales data and customer information in one central system. However, an enhanced software ERP focus on supply chain management is also needed to make your day-to-day operations run smoothly. Overall, the most important consideration is simply knowing your company's processes and what type of ERP solution will be best for you.  

"A manufacturer seeks integration of its manufacturing processes," explains TechTarget, "and starts with material requirements planning-style ERP that can solve its integration issues of tracking orders, beginning with order placement and origination and then processing these orders all the way through the operations of manufacturing, distribution/delivery and order fulfillment and payment. The company also wants to get rid of the data discrepancies and software licensing costs from using disparate systems for each function."

At Accent Software, we can expertly deploy, monitor and troubleshoot a new ERP system that centralizes operations at your enterprise and allows for more effective decision making. Contact us today to learn more about how we provide the most advanced business management software available. 

ERP as a “nervous system” for your business

/in /by

To understand an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, one good analogy is the human body. As we know, the body is full of organs that together keep a person alive, breathing, digesting and sensing. However, all of those individual functions are governed by the central nervous system, which directs and manages the activity we are both conscious and unconscious of. For example, we don't need to think about making our heart beat, but we can choose to take a step or what we have for lunch. 

A business functions in much the same way. On one hand, there are processes like payroll, accounting and other routine tasks that shouldn't interfere with the more deliberate moves an enterprise makes, like strategic planning and staffing. An ERP platform helps to organize those functions to happen simultaneously and harmoniously so that no time, energy and financial resources are lost. 

Mark Jeffery, research director of technology initiatives at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, proposed this analogy as a way to convince decision makers who aren't sold on the benefit of an ERP system. 

"The manufacturing, supply chain, financials, human resources and customer relations management each represent a different organ of the body or one module within the ERP system," explains IT Tech News Daily. "These modules help an organization run its business more effectively and efficiently through digitizing all information and data that used to have to be manually entered individually into each database."

At Accent Software, we can expertly deploy, monitor and troubleshoot a new ERP system that centralizes operations at your enterprise. Contact us today to learn more about which solution is right for your business. 

5 common ERP implementation mistakes

/in /by

A well-executed deployment of ERP business management software can play a crucial role in the success of a company by helping streamline workflows and reducing costs. Despite the benefits, poorly implemented ERP can hinder all of the advantages the platform offers. Here are five things to avoid:

  • Poor planning. An ERP can't just be added in a vacuum. Before implementing ERP, perform an assessment of your business and management needs. This will help you better understand what you need and how ERP can work towards those goals. 
  • Lack of knowledge. Many companies select an ERP solution without fully understanding its potential. If you don't know the full range of the ERP's capabilities than you won't be able to fully integrate it into your business. 
  • No employee support. The right team of people needs to be in place to successfully deploy ERP. Make sure everyone is on board with the change across the executive level ( c-suite), department heads and IT. Understanding and investment from the ground up will help the process go smoothly and will likely translate to greater efficiencies realized right from the start.
  • No training. An investment into an ERP system means nothing without employee support. It's just as important to invest in training and change management during implementation so that employees know what to do and the process operates smoothly. 
  • Loving legacy. Its understandable that people grow attached to legacy applications, but ERP offers a better solution. The sooner employees can transition to new systems, the quicker you'll notice the benefits of ERP in actuation. 

If your company is in the market for a viable business management software, contact Accent Software today.

For sound ERP deployment, manage expectations

/in /by

Managing expectations is one of the biggest hurdles decision makers face as they explore new technology. In the case of enterprise resource planning platforms, experts say that unreasonable expectations can lead to deployment issues. 

"These unrealistic expectations result in unrealistic budgets and resource allocations, causing corners being cut when it becomes clear that there are inadequate resources to get the job done," explains Eric Kimberling of Panorama Consulting Solutions. "When executive and project teams are under the gun to finish the project anywhere close to original projections, you can be sure that post-implementation business results are one of the first things to get thrown by the wayside."

This is why it's critical for enterprises to receive considerable support from their ERP service provider before, during and especially after implementation. When distractions and a lack of expertise combine in the post-deployment phase, errors and misuse can lead to inefficiency. The belief that problems will be solved overnight is one issue Kimberling addresses as a barrier to quality deployment. Patience and constant communication are required to ensure that the new system is effective. 

ERP systems are designed to boost efficiency, so it's particularly disappointing and wasteful when companies find themselves facing a new set of challenges after implementation. The best way to bridge the transition is with the support of specialists who are trained to troubleshoot and address issues as they arise on the front end. Otherwise, companies stand to lose their investment in time and cost-saving structures that ultimately save neither. 

At Accent Software, we're experienced in deploying and managing ERP solutions for a variety of enterprises. Contact us today to begin the process that will make your company leaner and more responsive to internal and external needs. 

7 benefits of ERP

/in , /by

With the number of complexities that go into running a successful manufacturing company, streamlining processes can go a long way to improving your bottom line. A good manufacturing ERP software solution can help integrate individual department functions into one application. Here are seven benefits of an ERP solution:

  • Scalability. Adding new systems and functionality? ERP software is scalable, meaning the software needed to support new business ventures can easily be integrated into the existing platform.
  • Reporting. Accurate reporting has a huge impact on creating efficiencies in the workplace. ERP offers quick, easy and accurate reports that will help keep your workplace productive.
  • Savings. An ERP solution helps reduces costs in a number of ways. The software itself integrates the functionally of what would otherwise require investment in numerous other systems, costing more in licensing. In the course of your business operations, ERP helps manage workflow and resources, eliminating delays and reducing operational costs.
  • Analytics. The high-quality data that ERP provides allows for easier analysis of operations, enabling you to make better business decisions.
  • Supply chain. ERP offers improved inventory solutions, such as procurement, inventory management and demand forecasting, allowing for better management of all aspects of the supply chain. 
  • CRM. Quicker turnaround is one of the best ways to keep your customers happy. ERP gives you the ability to greatly improve your customer relation management by bettering your entire business process.
  • Simplicity. Reduced complexity is one of the strongest reasons to deploy an ERP system. ERP's improved workflows reduce will reduce inefficiencies across all aspects of your manufacturing business.

These are but a few of the many benefits an ERP system offers. At Accent Software, we can help you find an ERP solution that supports all the various aspects your manufacturing business.

Quality of deployment is critical for ERP integration

/in /by

A study by the Aberdeen Group sought to determine some of the reasons enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms are resisted by decision makers. To assess the pressure points for ERP implementation, the authors of the study divided enterprises into three categories:

  • Best-in-Class, or organizations whose implementation of ERP have led to superior industry performance, represented the top 20 percent of the survey. 
  • Industry Average organizations represented the middle 50 percent of the sample, with average industry performance. 
  • Laggards represented the bottom 30 percent of the participants, resulting from below average performance.

Overall, the survey found that organizations looking to graduate from average to superior performance faced many of the same challenges as those looking to move from below average to average performance. Pressure to reduce costs was a leading motivation to adopt ERP or improve ERP integration. Other concerns were optimizing the customer experience, improving response time and managing growth expectations. 

"Industry Average and Laggard companies with ERP were fairly consistent when compared to each other," says the study. "But as we look for where companies with ERP deviate from companies without ERP, we see areas around customers and growth start to stand out. overall, companies without ERP feel they need to be easier to do business with and they are concerned about managing their growth."

The study shows that quality of deployment is critical to the success of an ERP platform, as many that had nominally deployed a system still faced many of the same challenges as those that hadn't. This is why it's critical to have the support and expertise of a third-party service provider that can help navigate these barriers to successful integration. Contact Accent Software today to learn more about how our solutions can revolutionize operations at your enterprise. 

What’s holding your enterprise back from adopting an ERP platform?

/in /by

According to a study by the Aberdeen Group, small businesses that have resisted enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology identify many of the same stumbling blocks to implementation. In a whitepaper titled "To ERP or Not to ERP: It Isn't Even a Question," Aberdeen researchers highlight some of those pain points:

  • "Internal effort to implement." Many companies find it difficult to build consensus and momentum around a new system that threatens to disrupt familiar processes. As such, the role of executives is to be decisive in making choices that are perhaps a bit unpopular (at first), tuning out the reasons why not and reiterating why an ERP platform makes good business sense. 
  • "We will be able to function without ERP." This argument comes up all the time, as 41 percent of respondents to the study cited it. While it's possible to function without an ERP system, that rationale prevents companies from achieving the level of growth and efficiency that comes with a streamlined resource planning system. 
  • "Cost of software and services." While some critics may cite the new cost of adopting and maintaining an ERP platform, imagine the savings your enterprise will enjoy in areas like human resources, scheduling and other modules of the business that will be improved by a better system.
  • "We are too small." The beauty of a flexible ERP platform is that it's fully scalable to the needs of your business at this time. A small enterprise with plans to grow can take those expansion steps with a reliable, streamlined resource planning system in tow. 
  • "Systems are too complicated." The thought of giving your enterprise operations an overhaul can be daunting, but ERP platforms like the Microsoft Dynamics NAV are intuitive and easy to learn. Only 5 percent of respondents cited this issue, so the vast majority of hesitant organizations are on board. 

Contact Accent Software today to learn more about how our business management software solutions can boost productivity by streamlining efficiency. 

Manufacturers are moving ERP to the cloud

/in /by

In order to succeed in today's economy, surrounded by increasing competition, manufacturers must be ready to make use of all technologies available to them. This includes finding ways to efficiently use large amounts of data and leveraging this business intelligence to become more agile.

Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions offer organizations the ability to access data and resources, in real time and on demand. Cloud ERP also helps reduce costs, is scalable and is ideal for storing and managing data.

According to Gartner, SaaS-based manufacturing and distribution software adoption will rise from 22 percent in 2013 to 45 percent by 2023. The outstanding growth will be due in a large part to the adoption of two-tier cloud ERP systems. Two-tier systems offer a hybrid approach for companies that wish to combine the stability of on-premise ERP with the agility of cloud-based solutions.

Two-tier approaches are especially attractive to organizations that have invested large amounts of resources into the establishment of a strong on-premise ERP systems. While these businesses want to modernize and keep up with the changes in the manufacturing industry, they are also forced to consider the amount of time and capital that went into developing a highly customized on-premise solution.

According to Gartner, while such manufacturers are moving in the right direction with the hybrid approach, by 2017 the two-tier solution will reach a its peak of effectiveness regarding improvement of cost-benefit outcomes. Companies will have to address this as they adopt cloud ERP solutions.

Carol Hardcastle, research vice president at Gartner stated, "Most organizations still fail to recognize and plan for the total lifetime costs of their ERP solutions, whether on-premises, cloud or hybrid. Such an approach actually leads to increased total costs once the additional costs for connecting the solutions together are taken into account."

To learn more about cloud-based ERP and other business management software, such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV, contact Accent Software today.

The future of manufacturing ERP

/in , /by

Like any successful technology, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is constantly undergoing innovation and evolving in terms of functionality. This is good news for manufacturing companies, where success is often dependent on staying ahead of the competition by adopting new technology and adapting to changes in the market. 

Experts suggest that the future of ERP will involve a continuous development of deployments to single- or multi-tenant systems. 

"There will be a segment of the market that will always want to have their hands on their system and not allow it to go someplace else, but I do think that will be a trend in this business as financial drivers in the industry continue to push back. Companies don't want to see that stuff on the capital side of the business. They prefer to see it built into the P&L where it belongs," said Dick Schultz, director of product marketing-manufacturing with an ERP solutions provider. 

Businesses will also be dealing with growth initiatives. Manufacturers will spread themselves out to e-commerce, adopt mobile deployments of software and app functionality. The next generation of employees and leaders will be generating and consuming data in very different ways to what is currently built in to certain ERP systems. 

Considering how critical ERP systems are to the manufacturing industry, it should come as no surprise that software solutions are constantly adding new capabilities. Experts suggest that manufacturers should expect a fast migration away from traditional global business models to a more vibrant and mobile business arena.

At Accent Software we are dedicated to providing customers with the most up-to-date ERP solutions available, such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV. If you are interested in learning more about manufacturing business software contact us today.

Manufacturing ERP pain points

/in , /by

Manufacturing Business Technology recently conducted a survey of their subscriber base, which includes CEOs, presidents, owners, engineers, managers and directors across all manufacturing industries. They found that approximately 43 percent of manufacturers are currently looking to invest in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. When you consider that 34 percent of respondents are currently using a system that is seven to 11-plus years old, it makes sense that such a large population of manufacturing companies are searching for a new system.

Businesses looking for a new system, especially those already hosting a legacy system that has plateaued in terms of the benefits it offers, will be considering a number of company pain points that they would like ERP to address.

While every company wants operations to be less costly, this is surprisingly not a pain point for most businesses. In fact, it didn't even make the list of requirements survey respondents had for a potential ERP system. 

Instead, manufacturers wants these functionalities in their chosen manufacturing ERP software:

  • Connectivity: Being connected is imperative to the success of any business in today's market. With the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT), many manufacturers are looking to push the envelope in terms of connectivity. While company leaders understand that communication protocols take time to develop, they want their system to be ready to handle the changes in connectivity and communication.
  • Mobility: Like connectivity, mobility is a newer concept but that doesn't make manufacturers any less excited to implement it. Older, outdated systems have very little mobility. New software solutions, on the other hand, are allowing companies to operate ERP applications from their home computer or smartphone. Apps are being interfaced with systems and increasing the scope of what ERP can do.

Other pain points that manufacturers look for ERP to address have generally remained static. Companies want inventory control, production management, forecasting and APS capabilities and supply chain management. Accent ERP can help your business find a solution that provides the level of functionality necessary to streamline your company's processes.