3 ERP Essentials for Plant Floor Operations 

As manufacturing becomes increasingly complex, it’s more important than ever to run an efficient plant floor. Keeping track of personnel, equipment, orders and multiple locations requires a level of visibility and control that only a robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can achieve.  

An effective ERP solution is about much more than accounting and top-floor operations. Today’s top ERP vendors focus on delivering a seamless experience and transparency from the shop floor to the top floor. The software integrates data and processes across your enterprise to streamline workflows, cut costs and elevate customer service.  

So what are the ERP features you need to transform your plant floor? We’re covering three essential ERP tools for plant floor optimization.  

1. Manufacturing Execution System  

Plant floor managers can’t afford to lose track of production processes. One bad part or bottleneck can result in costly delays that sacrifice customer relationships. Avoiding these issues requires real-time visibility throughout the production lifecycle.  

This degree of insight is made possible with a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). When MES is part of your ERP solution, your shop floor gains a comprehensive view of the supply chain. MES automatically collects data across your production lifecycle, cutting down on manual data entry and improving accuracy.  

This information can be leveraged to streamline multiple tasks and solve pain points. For example, MES can simplify family molding by allowing users to control the scheduling and monitor the costs of each part within a family. It can also automatically reject bad parts to help you maintain quality standards. Instant notifications and complete traceability allow users to detect the root causes of issues. The latest version of Epicor 10 includes improved MES dashboards and mobile capabilities to make plant floor insights even easier to access.    

2. Material Requirements Planning 

It isn’t possible to stick to your production schedule without acquiring the right materials at the right time. But ensuring materials are in place to produce goods on time isn’t always easy. Many manufacturers lack real-time visibility into inventory levels. Changes to orders or forecasts could also mean a sudden change in material requirements. Manual processes and limited visibility make obtaining components a difficult, error-prone task.  

The Material Requirements Planning (MRP) module is designed to simplify this activity. MRP automatically leverages the bill of materials (BOM), inventory data and the master production schedule to determine which parts and components are required for a product. Whenever orders or forecasts are modified, your MRP will instantly adjust jobs to ensure your shop floor never falls behind.  

MRP isn’t just useful for obtaining the raw materials you need on time. It can also help you carve out waste. When you know the exact quantity of parts and components necessary for a product, you can avoid ordering excess materials and filling up your warehouses. This radically reduces inventory costs, adding more money to your bottom line.  

3. Quality Management 

The burden to maintain a high level of product quality is heavier than ever. Intense regulations and customer expectations leave little room for error. Unfortunately, complex supply chains make it difficult to catch malfunctions before it’s too late.  

These challenges make quality management more important than ever. A sophisticated Quality Assurance module tracks products and materials from beginning to end, instantly detecting nonconformance. Full traceability across bins and lots simplifies audits and compliance. The inspection process is streamlined to ensure failed parts are scrapped or processed in discrepant material reports (DMR).  

Epicor goes above and beyond in quality management, tying together inspections, rejections and other quality functions into a single module. It also supports a wide array of industry requirements, including ISO, aerospace (AS) and automotive (TS) standards. By automatically checking for Certificates of Compliance, the system helps you maintain accurate compliance documentation. With granular visibility and nuanced control, ERP ensures your product quality aligns with strict regulations. 

Wrap Up  

ERP software includes robust tools to update your plant floor. With in-depth insights and comprehensive capabilities, your business can operate at peak efficiency. Epicor has specialized in manufacturing and distribution solutions for over 45 years. Its software is designed with real users in mind. With a wide range of out-of-the-box functionality and extensive flexibility, Epicor ERP can address a large array of business issues.  

Let Datix help you maximize the value of your ERP solution. An Epicor Gold Partner, our certified consultants have experience in multiple manufacturing and distribution environments. We understand how to align the software to each client’s needs. From start to finish, we’ll work with you to optimize your shop floor performance.  

Start transforming your business through software. Learn more about Epicor ERP by reaching out to Datix today.  

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