The manufacturing industry represents both one of the foundations of our economy – and the heart of our society.
As such, when solutions arise that improve manufacturing – improvements don’t just appear in the everyday workflows of manufacturing professionals – they quickly start to appear in our everyday lives. And one of the more compelling solutions to arise recently and improve the world of manufacturing is Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) integration.
Below, find five ways PLM / ERP integration can make our world a better place:
1. Greater Efficiency Means Greater Recovery
In regards to cuts in both budget and headcount, the Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (IEM) industry was perhaps the industry hardest hit by our recession. Consequentially, most IEM companies are striving to provide an equal or greater level of service with significantly lesser resources. And a smaller team simply cannot provide the same level of service if more time is spent frantically searching for project or customer details in disparate software systems.
With PLM / ERP integration, manufacturers are able to find all details pertaining to projects or customers in a single system – and these details are visible globally. As manufacturing climbs towards recovery, with our economy on its back, this efficiency is absolutely vital.
2. Lower Costs For Manufactured Goods
One of the most lucrative possibilities of greater manufacturing efficiency is the potential for lower costs on manufactured goods.
Because PLM / ERP integration enhances project efficiency, it reduces the amount of time needed to manufacture products, reducing costs and increasing output. And this back of the napkin supply and demand equation can potentially translate into lower overall consumer costs for major manufactured goods.
(Please note – I am not meaning to suggest that the potential for increased output is the only factor impacting the costs of major manufactured goods. Only that lower production costs and greater production capacity is a critical part of the equation.)
3. Faster Time to Market Means We Get Our Products Quicker
Who in their right mind appreciates the phrase back-order? Or rain check? The efficiency manufacturers gain through PLM / ERP integration can translate into both greater production output – and correspondingly faster time to market.
This can help to ensure the availability of manufactured goods is far less subject to the back-orders that could cut into consumer spending.
4. More Time for Research & Development
We don’t just count on manufacturing to produce what we need today – but to help build what we’ll need for tomorrow.
The greater efficiency that can come about with PLM / ERP integration means manufacturing companies can focus on much more than just today’s products – namely, the Research & Development so important to creating the products that will shape the world we live in tomorrow. And for purposes of this conversation, of course, these changes will be for the better.
5. Fewer Project Data Entry Errors
Let’s selfishly take a micro-look into the everyday lives of manufacturing professionals for a moment. Every day, manufacturers work on dizzyingly complex projects – and must keep track of an equally dizzying amount of data. And this means data entry.
When PLM and ERP are integrated, information must only be entered once – and by some accounts – this can account for a nearly 70% error reduction. And anyone who has ever felt frustration of manual data entry errors knows the type of negativity this can compel them to carry into the world after 5pm. In that sense, isn’t our world that much better when so many of us are now free of this burden?
Have I left anything out? If so, please leave your thoughts for why PLM / ERP integration makes the world a better place via a comment below.
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Peter van Leeuwen
