ERP Manufacturing

ERP Software for Manufacturing

ERP software for manufacturing has been in existence for as long as it has in any industry. In fact, the very first ERP systems were called manufacturing resource planning systems, or MRP business solutions, and they were designed for use by businesses in a sector with a high need for scheduling and the coordination of multiple departmental functions. CIOs in manufacturing needed to find a way to integrate back office business functions related to order processing, the delivery of raw materials, the assembly of the materials and the distribution and shipping of finished products.

Before ERP software for manufacturing came into being, these companies were often running their department functions on separate software systems developed by different providers. As a result, functions could not intersect and each department housed its databases in a way that would not allow data sharing with other departments without the use of complicated software conversions.

With new ERP software for manufacturing enterprises, these businesses could now allow their departments to store databases on shared server architectures. This way every relevant department could share data and update the records in real time. Also, the same server infrastructure could be used to run streamlined applications that allowed every employee to access the system using an interface with the same look and feel.  

Some of the very earliest forms of ERP software for manufacturing failed, mostly as a result of poorly communicated goals and insufficient employee training. But the lessons learned from these failed implementations were used to create improvements in later generations of ERP software for manufacturing systems. Before long, ERP business solutions were becoming increasingly streamlined and they were also becoming popular in other industry sectors. Demand for integrated ERP systems began to grow, and growth increased as business owners hurried to free themselves from outdated legacy software platforms before the turnover to a new millennium.

At that point, ERP software solutions were very expensive and complex and could not be obtained without the purchase and maintenance of the requisite single or multi-tier server architecture. So they were available only to enterprise level companies, university systems and government offices.

Since ERP software solutions are designed to grow as a company grows, most of these firms would not need to implement new systems for many years, so the enterprise level market became more or less saturated by 2005.

Now providers, vendors, server hosting solutions and ERP solution consultants are now turning their attention toward small businesses, both within and beyond the manufacturing sector. The future of ERP software systems appears to lie in the hands of these businesses and the ability of providers to grant them the customization and flexibility that they need to make their enterprises grow.

Written by :

tracey boxer