Manufacturing in the United States is changing daily.
Recent developments in operational technology for manufacturers make increased efficiency and production in all facets of the supply chain a very real possibility; however, there’s a stark difference between knowing that innovative technology exists and actually putting it to use for your business. That’s where manufacturing software comes in.
In manufacturing, your money is made on the shop floor. Shop floor control is needed like never before. It’s where your business either booms or busts, and manufacturing software systems offer your organization a heightened potential for boom by maximizing the manufacturing technology that’s available in order to streamline and optimize certain operations like production developments, stock control, allocation of tasks, and more.
Manufacturing software is the bridge between your business and Industry 4.0 technology. It automates tedious tasks, maximizes workflows, whittles down unnecessary tasks, and increases throughput by giving you complete visibility into processes on the shop floor, and provides real-time solutions for any inefficiencies.
Benefits of Manufacturing Software for Manufacturers
The reasons to implement manufacturing software are plentiful and specific. What you need manufacturing software to do is going to be different from what someone else may need because it’s pliant and customizable. It’s built for business management and business needs of many varieties. Generally speaking, you can expect manufacturing software to speed up production, reduce downtime, reduce unprofitable operations, monitor production, and reduce waste. It’s different from ERP software due to its specificity, but we’ll get to that particular topic later on. Now, let’s discuss the details of how manufacturing software will optimize your manufacturing.
Speed Up Production Processes
Manufacturing software can help manage sales, production planning, stock control, purchasing, and shop floor operations. For cost estimation, quoting, and customer relations, there is a CRM section. For production planning, tools like visual production calendars and drag-and-drop scheduling make estimated time a simple task.
For stock control, manufacturing software contains a stock module that monitors and optimizes inventory control by analyzing stock movements, tracking serial numbers, and monitoring distributors and shipments while providing real-time updates on stock status. Also, you can manage purchases and increase structured orders with a single click. And the best part is that all this critical data is presented to you in an easy-to-understand dashboard that provides an overview of the production process from start to finish.
Reduce Unexpected Downtime and Unprofitable Processes
A major factor of manufacturing software is automating the time-consuming tasks that are absent-mindedly performed, yet necessary for production and functionality. Things like inventory check-ups, data entry, dissemination of information to specific employees, etc. By automating certain tasks, employees can focus on innovation and increase profitability by doing so. This reduction in downtime is necessary to compete in 21st-century manufacturing.
Production Monitoring Across Different Locations
With manufacturing software, all operations and materials planning are compiled and carried out in one system. This guarantees that every user has a clear view of tasks and duties. This is great for your employees, but it’s especially excellent for managers because this single-source approach allows you to monitor production in real time across as many locations as you need. No longer are you making phone calls or driving long hours to check on other facilities. With manufacturing software, you can witness the ebb and flow of any warehouse in real time and make any necessary adjustments from the dashboard.
Waste Reduction
Your inventory is monitored, controlled, and tailored to fit your production schedule. Manufacturing software that oversees inventory control—like Fishbowl Manufacturing—will notice low levels of any type of material and either immediately and automatically trigger a re-order or ping you to do so. This approach reduces over-orders which saves money and can affect pricing for your consumers down the line. Manufacturing software also coordinates with suppliers, manages lead times and job shop vitality, and communicates exactly what is needed and where—reducing waste and maximizing efficiency.
This all may seem too good to be true. But rest assured, it’s both good and true. Manufacturing software is revolutionizing the industry. The following features will explain this in more detail.
Manufacturing Software Features
Manufacturing Resource Plan
Manufacturing resource planning is a software feature that uses real-time data to create highly detailed production schedules and coordinate raw materials delivery with existing machines and labor. Additionally, it is a useful feature for cost control, inventory management, and design engineering.
Asset Management
Manufacturing as a whole is an asset-heavy industry. Asset management is a software function that is designed to maximize your physical assets. Asset management software’s primary functions are to forecast infrastructure costs and noticeably reduce maintenance overhead.
With the proper software, your company can effectively monitor and manage equipment and inventory (IoT-enabled devices included), automatically schedule maintenance which reduces repair costs, predict future maintenance costs and a budget for future equipment needs, and simplify the asset lifecycle management process.
Work Order
This crafty manufacturing software is a modernized management tool that allows organizations to monitor preventive maintenance as well as organize and report incoming and outgoing work orders. This software tends to show up in travel, delivery, or facilities maintenance industries. It creates digital documents that can be tracked and viewed from anywhere and shows what should be done, how, and by whom. This is a tool used for the long haul, and over several years it provides a critical look at how well the overall system is operating.
Work Center
All manufacturing activities are carried out in the work center, and this software feature is used to oversee scheduling, production cost, pricing, and capacity planning. Think of the work center as a single source point for an amalgamation of master data. This data covers the manufacturing floor and is situated by predefined requirements. It can be either one person, several people, or a machine or group of machines.
Cost of Materials
Cost of Materials, otherwise known as Bill of Materials, is a manufacturing software tool that accurately forecasts the costs of materials. It allows the user to check on the availability of materials, immediately calculate availability dates of purchased items, and house all estimated data in one location in order to predict the actual cost of a finished product. This is done by calculating manufacturing operations costs, labor costs, and material costs.
Reporting Procedures
Production reporting procedures automatically collect, organize, and report any and all data from any production machine. This manufacturing software feature, in particular, is one of the most exciting ones because it allows the plant floor to become completely visible and completely efficient.
What is the Difference Between Manufacturing Software and ERP Software?
The first and foremost difference between manufacturing software and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is that, typically, manufacturing software is a subset of an ERP.
However, it is important to understand that ERP, including cloud-based ERP such as NetSuite, is a manufacturing software. But even though ERP itself is a type of manufacturing software—manufacturing ERP software to be specific—the bulk of manufacturing software is included as a part of the ERP system.
The nuanced difference lies in the areas of emphasis for each. Manufacturing software hones in on shop floor management or anything manufacturing processes on-premises. Areas like production, capacity planning, plant floor processes, scheduling features, and physical operations fall under the realm of manufacturing software. ERP solutions, on the other hand, are a more complete system with a holistic approach designed to target those physical operations but also general business processes like finance, management, marketing, customer interaction, lifecycle management, sales management, quotes and estimates, human resources, and more.
Types of Manufacturing Software
- Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Manufacturing Resource Planning II
- Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
- Process Control Software
- Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Propel PLM: A Differentiator for Manufacturing Businesses
Propel's PLM software stands out as a game-changer for manufacturing businesses, offering tailored software solutions to optimize every aspect of production and supply chain operations. From procurement to quality control, Propel's platform not only includes a connected PLM, QMS, and PIM solution—it also seamlessly integrates with existing systems like accounting software and customer relationship management tools, ensuring streamlined business operations for both large and small businesses.
Propel provides real-time insights into inventory levels, reducing bottlenecks and improving production management workflows. By enhancing traceability across the supply chain management process, Propel enables manufacturing companies to maintain compliance, shorten delivery cycles, and boost efficiency. Whether managing purchase orders, tracking cash flow, or integrating with critical APIs and apps, Propel ensures smooth communication across departments.
Propel's business intelligence capabilities empower manufacturing companies to identify opportunities for growth while maintaining the scalability needed to adapt to market demands. With features built to address the needs of ecommerce and production management, Propel is the management solution modern manufacturers need to stay competitive in a dynamic landscape.
