Manufacturing In The Cloud

As a manufacturing business, you are constantly focused on staying competitive; improving accuracy and streamlining your manufacturing processes to keep both customers and stakeholders happy. By basing your manufacturing in the cloud through online software systems like Plex or Epicor, your company can achieve these goals faster than ever.

As businesses discover the increasing benefits of cloud-based manufacturing, it’s no longer a matter of if your company will join the cloud, but when. The cloud is the new frontier for ERP software, and the possibilities are limitless. Moving your own ERP software to the cloud will keep your business competitive by outsourcing the hosting and maintenance labor to cloud software vendors, allowing you to focus on data, results and the best way to keep those numbers increasing. Read on for an in-depth look into the key benefits of moving your manufacturing off-site and into the cloud.

Swift Implementation

Implementing on-site manufacturing software can take a considerable time when you factor in wait times for ordering or installing the dedicated hardware and server space you might need to get your ERP system off the ground. However, when you choose to locate your manufacturing in the cloud, your software vendor takes care of the resources need to host and maintain your manufacturing systems. Without the need for your own dedicated hardware, you can get your ERP software up and running much more quickly. And as the cloud becomes more prevalent in the manufacturing industry, both new hires and existing employees will be more familiar with best practices, reducing the traditional learning curve and training times inherent in new software implementation. As we know, time is of the essence in your business, and moving into the cloud will help you save as much of it as possible.

Increased Accessibility

Along with the speedy turnaround times that manufacturing in the cloud will provide your company, a cloud-based approach will also make it easier for employees to access your manufacturing tools and data: all you need is a reliable internet connection. Software vendors pride themselves on their ability to track manufacturing processes from end to end, allowing you access to the data you need from every link of your chain, both on and offsite. Any information you might need for your evaluations or for other stakeholders is available at the drop of a hat when your software is in the cloud; be it historical results or real-time answers. In the competitive world of manufacturing, this kind of support and efficiency is incredibly valuable, allowing you the knowledge to increase your ROI straight away. No more will a single breakdown be a disaster—your cloud software can monitor these breaks, alert you of the issue and get the right members of your team on the job in the blink of an eye.

Additionally, as more and more businesses move into the cloud for their operations and software providers strive to keep up with industry trends, manufacturing in the cloud has become more secure than ever. Just because your data is stored off-site does not mean that it will be easier to steal. Experienced cloud software vendors host and maintain your ERP software’s infrastructure, ensuring that their dedicated security teams are keeping your data safe. Read more about cloud security trends to learn how providers are continually improving their cloud security and keeping your data on lockdown.

Decreased Costs

Aside from shorter installation and implementation times, choosing an off-site manufacturing system will save you the upfront costs that inevitably come with the hardware and dedicated employees needed to run an ERP system. Cloud-based software vendors merely require you to pay a perpetual subscription fee. This fee provides not only for the proven infrastructure you need, but also for the services and support that will keep the software running. Your in-house maintenance costs will be negligible. This kind of fee model also allows for scalability: does your growing business need more server space? Instead of the cost (both in time and money) that it would take to plan, order and install more servers, cloud manufacturing allows you to grow your space and reach almost instantaneously simply by paying a higher fee. Locating your software in the cloud not only saves your business money upfront, it is also more cost-effective in the long run.

Moreover, if and when your ERP software goes down, your provider will focus on the fix, leaving your team to keep the business on track without diverting your valuable resources away from the processes that your businesses rely on. This outside support from the cloud helps to cut down on costs in all aspects and time frames, extending the value of your software investment and ensuring your money is always spent where it is most needed.

Continuous  Improvement

Forgetting to update your ERP software can have disastrous consequences for your manufacturing business. Getting back up to speed after lagging as little as two versions behind a program’s current update can require the same time and effort that it took to implement an entire new ERP system. But, when you base your ERP software in cloud computing, you never have to worry about remembering to update your software again. Whenever there is an update or fix available for your manufacturing software, your vendor will do all the legwork to make sure you stay on top of it. Updates are continuous (sometimes daily in the case of Plex’s services) when you manufacture in the cloud: allowing you to work efficiently and with a competitive edge. Providers will alert you to these new updates and give you discretion on when to enact them so that you can make the smoothest transition possible for your unique business.

If legacy ERP software is beginning to slow your company down, consider switching to the cloud to enjoy the full plethora of benefits that cloud-based manufacturing can offer—like never having legacy software again.

Wrap Up

In short, hosting your ERP software online will simplify your manufacturing infrastructure by leaving the rote work of maintenance, security and support to your ERP software vendor. Manufacturing in the cloud can start saving you money, time and employees as soon as you install, while also ensuring your cloud-based processes and data are housed, monitored and secured with experts. All of this means you can focus on what your business does best: manufacturing.

For more information on manufacturing in the cloud and how it can start streamlining your business as soon as today, contact an expert at Datix.