Manufacturing, by definition, involves many moving parts. For manufacturing companies, this means maintaining oversight over vastly different components and ensuring that they all work efficiently together. ERP has been a big bonus to manufacturing, providing the “all in one” approach that is a natural fit for this sector. Choosing a manufacturing ERP that’s role-based takes things to the next level. Let’s explore how ERP roles can help your manufacturing business grow and thrive, improve product quality, and increase profits and customer satisfaction.
What does ‘role-based’ mean?
To begin, it might help to understand what role-based ERP is. “Role-based” in ERP means that it’s organized based on roles rather than modules. This means that end users—your manufacturing employees, supervisors, C-suite, etc.—can create their own views based on their job. Thus, reducing the need to switch between modules to get their work done. This results in more streamlined efficiency, time saved, and enhanced production capacity across your manufacturing operation.
Role-based dashboards
A significant advantage of choosing a manufacturing ERP that’s role-based is they allow you to configure role-based dashboards for different sectors of their production chain. These dashboards give employees the essential data they need to do their jobs well. No sifting through unnecessary information, and no time wasted.
Easier Workflow Configuration
From the perspective of management, the control of roles delivered by ERP results in an easier way to configure workflows and approvals. ERP allows you to change business process and approvals workflows to match the way you do business. Create custom workflows from one role to the next, from BOM to inventory and shipping. With ERP, you also get more efficient task management, allowing you to create, assign and manage activities from one department to the next.
Role-based Security
While you want everyone at your company working well together, not everyone needs access to the same data. Choosing a manufacturing ERP that’s role-based gives you a way to define and limit access to various menus, screens, and fields based on a user’s role. In this way, you can ensure everyone works well without incurring security risks.
More Efficient Production Management
Perhaps nothing is more vital to the health of a manufacturing operation than efficient resource planning and management. Production managers can use ERP to keep tabs on material planning and resource scheduling via data-rich dashboards, reports, and alerts. This allows them to spot trouble before it reaches the shop floor and resolve issues related to bottlenecks by leveraging real-time, connected data. You can also use your existing resources more efficiently, creating dashboards or reports to chart resource utilization for machines, work centers, tooling, and labor. Finally, you can also set up email or SMS text alerts to notify management when suppliers delay production orders or machines stop working.
ERP may be the most helpful technology to hit the manufacturing space since the assembly line. Anyone who has their own stories about how choosing a manufacturing ERP that’s role-based has improved their own operations, chime in via the comments below. If you want to learn more about how role-based ERP solutions such as Acumatica can help your business grow, reach out to an expert ERP consultant today.
