If you use ERP, you know that it gives you insight into your manufacturing operations and helps you control processes that can give your manufacturing company a competitive edge in the fast-moving, fast-changing global business place. 

But you may not realize that deskbound ERP isn't enough to stay responsive in a hyper-connected marketplace.  To truly stay competitive, your ERP system should be able to provide you with insight and allow you to take action on that insight from anywhere, and at any time.

Read on to discover why mobile ERP is essential to today's manufacturers.

1. Faster Decision Making

Business moves at the speed of data, and it doesn’t care if your team is sitting in an airport or a hotel room on the other side of the country. Especially when it comes to supply chain decisions, time is of the essence. When your employees can receive an alert on their mobile device and click right into your ERP system to see current status and make decisions right on the spot, you have the speed and agility you need to stay competitive.

2. Greater Operational Efficiencies

When you receive early warning that parts won’t be available on time, you can take action right away to keep production up and running. When equipment breaks down, you can notify maintenance so they can schedule the repair ASAP. When finished goods make it through the last operation, you can schedule the material handling team to bring them to the shipping dock right away. All of these things are possible with mobile ERP, whenever they occur and from wherever your employees happen to be. As a result, production is more efficient; you have less downtime and your orders ship on time, keeping customers happy.

3. Improved Communication and Collaboration

When employees have the ability to share information quickly on their mobile devices, they communicate and collaborate freely rather than make decisions or changes on their own.

4. Anytime Access to Enterprise, Business and Manufacturing Intelligence

Today’s employees don’t just sit at their desks. They travel to other facilities; they visit customers and suppliers; and they walk around the plant floor. Wherever they are, they need to monitor performance with access to detailed intelligence and status information to help support real time, fact-based decisions and to take immediate actions. Mobile access to the metrics and KPIs you use to run your business is not a “nice to have”—it’s a necessity.

5. Instant Access to Work Center Productivity Information

Manufacturing status is always changing, and mobile access to information such as efficiency, scrap, downtime, material availability and order status needs to be available in real time, wherever and whenever employees need it. Mobile access to production information helps improve efficiency and utilization, improves productivity and reduces scrap and downtime because your team can take immediate action.

6. Improved Workflow and Expedited Approval Process

Manufacturing runs on efficiency, and that includes such seemingly simple processes as approving requisitions or expense reports, releasing orders or any process that can be held up for approvals. Mobile workflow alerts ensure that your team knows right away when a task is waiting for approval, and they can take the necessary action right from their device. This minimizes delays and helps ensure that your business operates effectively.

7. Improved Responsiveness to Customer and Prospect Needs and Inquiries

If a customer is asking for price and delivery info, they don’t want to wait until you get back to your desk to receive the information, even if the delay is only a few hours. When users have access to the entire ERP suite on their mobile device, they can look up the information and respond to the customer’s inquiry right away. The result is happier customers and potentially increased sales.

These are just a few of the possible everyday scenarios where full mobile ERP availability can make the difference in improved productivity, reduced costs and higher customer satisfaction. Can your company really afford to be without mobile ERP?

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