4 Ways to Modernize Your Manufacturing Operation
Manufacturing has never been an easy process – there are many moving parts that make up the system of procurement. Products must be sourced strategically before they can be assembled either in part or in whole at your facility. This means your typical pipeline, from procurement to cash in hand, will involve quite a few people and require several authorization checks along its way. As your enterprise grows, and your pipeline expands, the amount of complexities rises with your organization’s success. Thankfully, technology has been implemented to help ease the burden of these intricate issues, yet there are always new challenges to overcome.
This article is going to go over four ways you can arm yourself with the knowledge to properly understand, implement and leverage new technology to assist in the growth of your manufacturing operation.
photo/ Michael Jarmoluk via pixabay.com
Workforce Optimization
With all the product changing hands over the course of the procurement process, it’s best to try and be as limited as possible. There’s an old adage that fits this scenario very well, “If everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.” Without a direct overseer, there is a diffusion of responsibility – a breakdown that occurs and is hard to manage correctly as there is no one person at fault for its failure.
By designating one person, or one group of people, as the overseeing entity of the procurement process, you have a direct line of contact when it does not operate properly.
Minimize Inventory Cost
You are losing money for every day that product stored on your shelves isn’t being shipped. It is in the best interest of manufacturers to consider the heavy cost of storage, any appropriate insurance on these items, as well as maintenance and other factors. The agile development of responsive manufacturing operations, set in place to avoid overproduction and an overstocked warehouse, can help cut storage costs that can add up quickly.
Process Optimization
As stated earlier, the procurement process is home to many moving pieces that all need management. A poorly managed pipeline is riddled with opportunity for errors that can drastically effect your bottom line. With so much exchange happening, it’s easy to get caught lost in the tangle, but the implementation of ERP manufacturing software can help mitigate much of the costs associated with the web of vendors in your network.
ERP software can assist in the streamlining of the inventory process, by eliminating simple clerical errors (duplicate orders, the accidental purchase of too much product, etc.), using modern algorithms designed to detect such mistakes and gain real-time insights.
Remote Monitoring
Data and information are exchanged so freely across the diverse networks of today’s social infrastructure – yet, they’re still changing and shaping the way business is conducted. Advancements in remote technology have opened up the floodgates of possibility. With the right software, you can access your entire manufacturing platform from top to bottom, and make adjustments as needed. You can identify and isolate issues within your pipeline without ever having to step foot in to the warehouse – which is perfect for larger organizations with more than one storage facility.
Modernizing an entire manufacturing operation is certainly easier said (or read) than done, but by taking the above tips into consideration, and eventually action, your operation is sure to see a much-needed efficiency boost.
Author: Marry Clark
Marry Clark is a ghost writer, curator, literature geek and author. She has several journals, articles and papers to her name. Writing is her passion. She writes about mostly all genres. She resides in Hoboken, Hudson County in New Jersey.
Use of modern manufacturing software system is an only way to modernise your manufacturing business.