Continuous improvement-focused practices can cut waste, streamline operations, and improve both productivity and profitability for manufacturers and distributors. In this competitive marketplace, strategizing operations can make the difference between a successful operation or struggling alongside the competition. Measure and monitor key metrics and use data to drive improvement with a powerful enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.
An integrated ERP solution offers a feature that can’t be found when using disparate solutions – business intelligence. You can manage all of your business operations from a single, integrated ERP solution, including financials, inventory and supply chain, manufacturing and distribution activities, human resources and payroll operations, and other key business processes. With your data located within a centralized location, built-in business intelligence can provide the insight you need about your business, productivity, and profitability.
Today’s innovative ERP solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics® GP, offer customizable Role Tailored dashboards. Your managers can add the key metrics that they need to monitor at the top of their screens. For example, sales managers can monitor sales activity by representative, sales team, product, and by time, such as months or quarters. In addition to sales, your procurement team can monitor product trends and make strategic decisions on when to stock up on raw materials, taking advantage of price breaks or shipment schedules, which can save time and money.
Using real-time data within an ERP solution, your team can develop strategic goals and monitor the metrics that shows the business is on the right track toward meeting those goals. You can use ERP to improve financial operations such as reducing days outstanding on invoices or protect cash flow with greater inventory control. You can follow customer trends and identify popular products or those that may become obsolete. Using your own business data, you can identify which areas of the business are productive and profitable, then make improvements to the areas that need it.
The business intelligence offered in the right ERP solution can support your efforts to work leaner, with greater efficiency, and nurture business growth. Contact Premier Computing, Inc. for more information about the ERP solutions that support your business and goals for continuous improvement.
By Rob Gillespie, VP Sales at Premier Computing, Inc., a Gold Certified Microsoft ERP Partner out of Utah
