How technology for manufacturers is changing
Continuously improving is key
It’s a stark fact that businesses don’t survive if they don’t improve. Competing for customers is hard work, and every business, especially in the hard-pressed manufacturing sector, must find better ways to win than simply shaving more and more off their margins. One of the most effective ways to enhance business performance is to use technology to reduce the reliance on people. Technology tools and relevant data provide access to the right information whenever it’s needed, empowering the whole team, not just the privileged few.
Technology is accessible for all
No longer just the domain of the big hitters with the deepest pockets, the next generation of technology is now accessible for mid- and lower-tier manufacturing companies looking for value for money as well as tangible business improvements. This is an important shift, largely made possible by the evolution of modular tools and bridging software which avoids large scale capital expenditure and removes the need to throw out existing tools that are still providing value. All of that makes it possible to significantly improve operational and administrative systems and processes without breaking the bank or causing untold disruption to finely balanced day-to-day activity.
Real world solutions
Martin’s Rubber is a small to medium-sized make-to-order manufacturer that has been producing rubber and allied products for over 150 years. Their Business Intelligence Manager, David Glover says: “we might be a small manufacturer, but we still wanted the benefits of big data”. They’ve adopted an evolutionary approach to their technology and systems, working with manufacturing software specialist, Access Group, to move their business forward.
Three key objectives were front of mind at the beginning of the process. Firstly, being able to understand how the business was doing in real time; secondly only making decisions based on hard facts; and thirdly delivering better customer service and supplier relationships – and improving business performance as a result.
Software for your requirements
Not every company has the resources or the desire to start from scratch with a company-wide system, so the Access modular approach allows for the implementation of new technology over time. As well as an ERP for manufacturing environments, Access also offers individual systems for planning and scheduling, warehousing, material requirements planning, finance, even HR. These can stand alone or integrate with each other (or other business systems) to facilitate data flow around the business. This makes it easier to evolve over time, adding in new modules as needed. Importantly, as there is one centralised database in the background feeding each system, there is only ever ‘one version of the truth’. So no more rekeying between departments or functions, or the delays and errors that occur as a result.
Build lasting business relationships
Martin’s Rubber are proof positive that this kind approach works. David Glover says, “We can do far more than a company of our size would be expected to do.” That is seen in multiple ways on a day-to-day basis and allows staff to treat customers and suppliers as individuals and offer an accurate and personalised response. This is possible thanks to access to the right information; staff can talk to each contact knowing their history and what questions to ask. Everyone is comfortable that the numbers can be trusted, the view is accurate, and that they can offer a true representation of what can be expected. And the company can also now inspire customer confidence through automated proactive communications such as chasing invoices or confirming delivery.
Although every company is different, and every technology system will have nuances that are individual to that business, the fact remains that empowering staff is the most important task of any system. When everyone can see the information that’s important for them to be able to do their jobs effectively – business performance improvement is guaranteed.
