Selecting the Best ERP Solution for Your Manufacturing Organization

Not all Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software is Built the Same

Whether you are a manufacturer looking for an ERP software or to replace an outdated system, the search often begins with simple questions like, “which ERP is best for manufacturing?” or “which ERP solution is best for our industry?”.

The simple fact is that there is no one size fits all ERP solution for manufacturers. However, we can help you tackle the challenge of investing in this technology with this guide to selecting the best solution for YOUR manufacturing organization.

The Growth Quandary Meets Workforce Shortage

In the case of company growth — too much of a good thing and too fast is not always best. The more an organization grows, the more challenging it is to contain costs, maintain efficiency and customer service, and operate organized and uniformly. According to Deloitte’s 2022 Manufacturing Outlook Report, “Record numbers of unfilled (manufacturing) jobs are likely to limit higher productivity and growth in 2022, and last year we estimated a shortfall of 2.1 million skilled jobs by 2030.”

With these hurdles in mind, it is more important than ever to select a complete ERP system that functions effectively, is user-friendly and easy to train on, and will grow and scale with your organization for years to come.

Selection Criteria  

So how do the top manufacturers find their ERP systems? The number one criterion in the decision-making process is functionality, with ease of use being the second most sought-after feature.

1. Functionality
Selecting a functional solution for your organization and industry is the number one priority because it will enable you to use the software to its fullest potential across your company.

Despite this, many ERP vendors sacrifice functionality by leading with applications that appear easy to use. Unfortunately, they are “pitching” a system they will soon outgrow. Too many companies — all with good intentions, still fall for this mistake, and it happens when they need the functionality the most. It’s crucial that you deeply investigate ERP-stated functionality and don’t fall victim to this trap. Functionality should always be the number one criterion.

Tip: Keep in mind that all the ERP modules connect to each other.  When investigating the software look to not only meet your current process functionality but review it to the depths of solving problems and meeting long-term goals. You might need to do a little digging to figure out the root causes of issues and come up with ideas on how to solve them. For example, a problem with too much inventory could loop back to a potential root cause of something in purchasing.  If you fix the issue in purchasing that could resolve the problem in inventory.

2. User-Experience
How user-friendly the ERP system is cannot be understated and plays a key role in determining how successful your use of the ERP system will be. Users of the system need to be able to find and interact with the information they need and do it easily and quickly.

3. Deployment Options
When selecting your ERP software, it is important to consider what deployment option is the most cost-effective for the present and long term. We offer an in-depth breakdown, including the advantages and disadvantages of On-Premise, Cloud, and SaaS deployments on our blog here.

Modules and Making ERP Usable  

How do top-performing manufacturers standardize operations, stay organized, and manage an organization as it grows and becomes increasingly complex? We have the answer in one word: modules.

Warning: Before comparing ERP systems based on their stated modules, it is vital to be aware that a module in one ERP system does not equate to a module in another. In other words, the General Ledger, Inventory Control, or Purchasing modules in one ERP can offer significant differences in functionality as compared to the same modules in another ERP. As mentioned earlier, it’s vital that you deeply investigate ERP-stated functionality.

Full Disclosure: The Lake Companies has designed several successful modules and offers a whole ecosystem of intelligent, interconnected enterprise software solutions. The foremost are Shop-Trak, Doc-Trak, and Fact-Trak, which greatly enhance the capabilities of Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial). These are game-changing solutions that create seamless communication and systems across an entire organization — from the office to the shop floor. These applications have been built to be highly functional. We’ve worked together with manufacturers for decades to build simple, elegant, and powerful applications. Our software solutions are enormous time and cost savers, providing best-in-class management solutions.

In order to facilitate your growth — an ERP system must be usable today and for years in the future. At The Lake Companies, we stand by Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial), combined with our ecosystem of seamlessly integrated modules. This combination has proven scalable for manufacturers whose annual revenue ranges from a few million dollars to multi-billion dollars and is designed to easily support the needs of manufacturers in Industrial Machinery and Equipment, Metal Fabrication, Precision Machining, Medical Devices, High Tech & Electronics, Aerospace & Defense, and much more. Our suite is built to increase your efficiency with flexible deployment options, with a shorter implementation time, requiring fewer IT resources to maintain.

Let our team of ERP experts guide you as you embark on your selection process for the right solution for your manufacturing organization. Contact us here, call us at (920)406-3030, or email info@lakeco.com.