1. Consistent Batch Quality
The availability of a process or formula management feature makes process manufacturing ERPs preferable to generic software. This makes it possible for your company to determine the precise amounts of ingredients required for reliable batch manufacturing, regardless of the measurement systems or order sizes.
Unlike manual method calculations, ERP technology allows you to automatically adjust the volumes and quantities needed, eliminating the risk of human error. This makes it easier to consistently produce and scale batches to the same high standard, reinforcing your reputation as a dependable process manufacturer.
Process manufacturing ERP also allows you to track recipe and formula revisions, ensuring that changes to customer orders are reflected in your manufacturing processes and stored in a central, secure location.
2. Complete Data Visibility
Data is the foundation of strong business performance, as we discussed in our recent whitepaper on the four pillars of future-ready manufacturing. You cannot make coordinated decisions if you lack organizational-wide insights.
Manufacturing in batches ERP software is essential for providing your company with 360-degree visibility. It consolidates data streams into a single reporting system, improving the accuracy of information provided to your workforce and securely delivering it in real time.
3. Faster Production
Data insight and automation benefit more than just employees; they are critical to improving batch process manufacturing operations.
Investing in a process manufacturing ERP allows you to eliminate time-consuming procedures, redundant processes, and manual methods, all of which increase your production rate.
ERP also enables integration between previously siloed parts of your business, improving manufacturing workflow.
4. Closer Inventory Control
It is not enough to order some components and then reorder them when stocks run low in the process manufacturing sector. The raw materials you’re working with are frequently perishable, which means they must be stored properly and may have a limited shelf life.
With a process manufacturing ERP, you can incorporate these details into how you source, manage and use ingredients for better inventory control. In the chemical industry, for example, hazardous substances will require specific handling procedures, which will be outlined in a Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
The right process manufacturing ERP software can ensure that your Safety Data Sheets are available online to all members of staff, ensuring that they are handling and storing them correctly. And, for a fully integrated approach to process manufacturing, safety information is available alongside all of your other operational data and processes.
5. Easier Industry Compliance
Safety Data Sheets are one example of the stringent regulations that process manufacturers must adhere to. Whether you work in automotive, chemicals, cosmetics, or food and beverage manufacturing, the ingredients you use will be subject to strict regulations to ensure that your products are safe to use or consume.
ERP for process manufacturing incorporates compliance requirements into production workflows to ensure that every product that leaves your factory meets industry standards. And, if sector regulations change (which they frequently do), you can centrally update data sheets and quality checks to ensure that every team member is working from the most recent legislation.