How Manufacturing Engineers Use ERP to Drive Productivity

Here are three impactful ways engineers can better leverage ERP technology to meet the demands of today’s manufacturers

Today’s manufacturing engineers face the difficult challenge of navigating a complicated global marketplace full of delicate intricacies and nuances. Combined with the ongoing turmoil in the industry fueled by geopolitical conflict and economic uncertainty, it has never been more important for manufacturing engineers to have a strong technological foundation within their operations that can keep projects on track, while driving greater productivity.

While different business cases will have unique considerations and resulting approaches, look at three wide-ranging, yet impactful ways engineers can better leverage technology to meet the demands of today’s global marketplace.

Technology to tackle specific challenges

From balancing everyday workflows to planning for future expansion, business management solutions are equivalent to the central nervous system and are the not-so-secret weapon behind every healthy operation. From a planning perspective, it provides manufacturing engineers with insight into core areas of the business such as supply chain and inventory logistics. Visibility is the key behind a strong supply chain and with the right business management solution, manufacturing engineers can quickly jump into action for all possible scenarios – or steer clear of complications entirely.

Additionally, the rise of cloud-based infrastructure has democratized this technology by making it more affordable to even smaller sized businesses, eliminating a main reason manufacturing engineers find themselves stuck with an outdated tech stack. Taking it a step further, leveraging a business management solution that is tailored for their needs can help manufacturing engineers get even more specific insights on the unique challenges they’re facing and deliver stronger competitive value. For example, manufacturing-specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions can provide consolidated data from purchasing to staffing, providing enhanced visibility, coordination, and management across the entire organization.

Take Design Ready Controls of Brooklyn Park, Minn. which leads the control panel industry in engineering capabilities, process efficiencies, national presence and responsive service. To sustain its rapid growth and generate greater visibility across the supply chain, the company implemented an ERP solution that was customizable and had integrated architecture with a single access point for a wide range of applications. Since adopting, Design Ready Controls’ revenue has grown ten-fold, or an annual rate of 15-20% year over year.

Technology to improve everyday performance

Today’s business environment demands agility and innovation, which means taking advantage of resources that can provide insight into core business functions and using this insight to drive daily operations. With this, data and analytic optimization tools are paramount for manufacturing engineers that want to be aware of issues or delays instantly and prevent any wasted down time.

Having real-time data capabilities lets manufacturing engineers see into what’sgoing well, where there are bottlenecks and if there are any potential red flags that need to be addressed. For example, making sure machines are at full capacity and if there are any instances of under/over staffing. Having visibility into these areas allows business leaders to make sure money is allocated to more critical business aspects, instead of wasting it on unneeded equipment or staffing ramp-ups.

For example, Hydro-Dyne Engineering in Oldsmar, Fla. felt like they didn’t have enough business insight to truly know how the company was performing. After adopting an ERP solution, the company was able to experience up-to-the-minute business intelligence and tap into that actionable data that let them make more profitable business decisions. This has helped the organization hit its growth goals without having to invest in a dedicated IT department.

As demonstrated above, this proactive approach to operations has benefits that filter throughout the entire organization. For 2023, resiliency and adaptability are the name of the game and organizations that want to be successful need to have a strong data strategy.

Technology to attract new talent and overcome labor shortages

Keeping with the anatomy theme, employees can be seen as the beating heart that keeps the ship afloat. The industry has seen some highs and lows when it comes to the job market this past year, and 2023 will likely remain the same. However, an area that can be controlled is the tech investments that help attract younger generations. As digital natives, millennials and Gen Z typically have deep connections with technology and want to work for companies that set them up with the right tools for success, as well as flexibility.

Manufacturing engineers need to ask themselves whether their existing solutions hold up to the standards of today’s job seekers. Additionally, to win the hearts of prospective Gen Z talent, businesses across every industry need to highlight their efforts to be a good employer. When companies invest in upskilling and reskilling efforts for these new technologies, employees view this as investments in their own professional growth. This not only improves attracting talent, but also increases employee retention.

Separately, for lean teams strapped for time, technology can help manufacturing engineers through talent crunches by offloading some of the repetitive, time-consuming tasks and letting employees focus on providing more value for the organization. For the Hydro-Dyne Engineering example we touched on above, the company had a very limited staff and didn’t have enough resources to allocate for training or learning a complex system. With ERP, the company could maximize their resources and employee productivity to enable growth without any downtime.

Building for tomorrow

Tackling challenges head on is part of the new landscape manufacturing engineers must deal with daily. With the right technology investments, leaders in this space can be better prepared for whatever comes next, creating a more resilient business model. Those who made this a priority will need to get on board if they want to stay ahead of market challenges in 2023 and achieve growth despite ongoing disruptions.

This article was written by Matt Heerey, President, Manufacturing Division, ECI  Software Solutions. Reach him at mheerey@ecisolutions.com