ERP Manufacturing

Process Manufacturers Get all the Spoils

If you’re a process manufacturer, you are in luck because ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning software solution vendors cater to you.  If you are a discrete manufacturer, your ERP options are limited.  The reason your Enterprise Resource Planning options are limited is due to the fact that the majority of the manufacturing industry is made up of process manufacturers.  Discrete manufacturers make up a very small part of the manufacturing industry.  Enterprise Resource Planning software solution vendors focus on process manufacturing solutions because of this uneven distribution.  Discrete manufacturers are difficult to cater to because they require very specific functionality based on the type of discrete product they produce.  For example, a discrete manufacturer of a food product will need different functionality than a discrete manufacturer of a metal product.  A food product is controlled by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and other government agencies.  Food products are subject to recall and need to be easily traced by controlled lots.  Metal products are not controlled by the FDA nor are they subject to this type of recall.  Unfortunately for discrete manufacturers, it’s appropriate to say that an Enter Resource Planning software solution vendor could spend tons of money creating a discrete ERP product only to sell their product to a few customers making a profit hard to come by.  Let’s face it; we are all in business to make money.  Process manufacturing ERP products make money because there are tons of process manufacturers to sell to.  Process manufacturers benefit from this situation and get all the spoils.  While there are many more ERP software solution vendors out there for process manufacturers, there are still some options for discrete manufacturers.  Discrete manufacturers can’t be as choosey as process manufacturers.  And, it’s possible and probable that discrete manufacturers will have to customize their Enterprise Resource Planning to solution to make it suit their business needs in every way.  Customizations aren’t a bad thing, but limit ones options even more.  For example, discrete manufacturers can’t select a SaaS (Software as a Service) ERP solution because one can’t customize these types of Enterprise Resource Planning solutions.  An on-site proprietary Enterprise Resource Planning software solution or an open source Enterprise Resource Planning software solution would be a good choice for a discrete manufacturer.  No matter what type of ERP software solution you choose, take your time and evaluate all your options.

Written by :

kristine H