If you’re considering ERP software, whether you’re looking to change vendors or buy your first system, it’s helpful to think about what it should do for your shop. What will make a particular ERP system a good fit for your job shop? The four points below are a great place to start.
Helps You Get Your Job Done
There are many parts to getting a job done in a job shop. You must schedule jobs, so there’s time on the correct machines in the right order to get it done. Then there’s quality control to make sure the job meets your shop’s standards. And then it needs to get shipped to the customer. All of these departments, and more, can be helped by good ERP software. All the information everyone needs is at their fingertips, including everything the scheduler needs from quoting or estimating.
Sparks New Ideas
Sometimes, seeing your usual routines in a new light is enough to prompt change. With good ERP software, you can quickly look at different routings for different jobs and potentially see a more efficient way to do things. Or maybe those routings will lead you to reorganize your shop floor for greater efficiency. Good ERP software also has reports that are quick and easy to create, which could help you determine other ways to change your shop for the better. Perhaps one type of job is more profitable than another, or you may see that it costs you more to send out specific steps than it would be to bring those in house.
Remembers Details
No one person can remember every detail about every job your shop does, but ERP software can. ERP software can tell you what routing steps you used on previous jobs, how quickly that customer paid, if there were any rework issues with the job, and a whole lot more. ERP software can tell you how many jobs you sent out on time last year or how many had quality issues. Because all of that information is in your ERP software, no one has to try to remember it all or go searching through spreadsheets to find it. With ERP software, it’s there and organized so that you can pull it up quickly.
Reminds You Just in Time
You can also set some ERP software to remind you when to do scheduled maintenance on your shop’s machines. For something of that importance, you don’t want to forget to do it nor do it late. ERP software can also tell you when to order material for the jobs in your shop. When you put in a job, you give the software a due date and how long of a lead time you need for material. So, your software knows when you need to order material to finish the job on time.
ERP software makes running a job shop easier, and it keeps getting better and better at it. If you’re looking for ERP software for your shop, it’s essential to keep in mind what you want the software to do for you. The four points above are a great starting place. Want more? Check out this blog post.
