Tracking materials and products is important in every manufacturing industry, but for electronics, medical devices and food and beverage manufacturing companies, it's even more important if a recall comes into play. When recalls occur, having quick access to lot and serial numbers and other information about the products you shipped out can make or break your company. So what's the solution?
An article in the IT Toolbox relates how important an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is for food processing companies. Only a short while ago, refrigerated cookie dough, peanuts and pistachios were all pulled from shelves in grocery stores throughout the U.S. because of the threat of salmonella contamination. The United States Food and Drug Administration initiated an immediate investigation and closed down several food-processing plants, as they could not report which of their products contained the contaminated ingredient and which of their customers received that contaminated product.
This failure to keep excellent records could turn a small manufacturing company into a non-existent one. Food processors who need to initiate a recall, but who are unable to isolate ingredients from each supplier, have to recall all of a product instead of just the batches that have contaminants. If your ERP system provides lot and serial traceability, you can avoid this situation.
Similar to food and beverage manufacturing, the medical device industry also sees many benefits from Enterprise Resource Planning software, including:
Competition today in the electronics industry is fierce. Smaller margins, a more complicated global supply chain, regulatory compliance, meeting expedited timetables and tough quality assurance requirements call for small and medium-sized manufacturers of electronic products to invest in ERP. The benefits are very similiar for electronic manufacturers as they are for food processing companies and medical devices manufacturers.
Investing in the right ERP solution now can mean big savings for your company in the long run. ERP can help you reduce the cost of manufacturing and improve profitability—putting you in the right position to compete alongside the big players in the industry.