Pay some, receive more; that’s the surprising way in which ERP for manufacturing reduces costs. When you invest in an ERP system, you’ll reap benefits that far outweigh the initial costs. One benefit your manufacturing firm can derive from an ERP system implementation is a reduction in costs.

A study from the Aberdeen Group invited 81 discrete manufacturers to share information about their ERP use and implementation. Some of the questions asked in the study yielded insights into how an ERP system can reduce costs. These five cost reductions may surprise you, but if they intrigue you, it’s time to look into what an ERP system can do for your company.

The Surprising Ways ERP for Manufacturing Reduces Costs

It helps to understand some of the overall benefits of an ERP system before diving into how it can reduce costs. An ERP system improves visibility through real-time data sharing across the company. Reports that may have taken days, weeks, or months to reach your desk from across the company can now be accessed instantly. This real-time data sharing enables business leaders to make swifter decisions, proactively manage business operations, and reduce costs.

ERP for manufacturing helps reduce costs for manufacturers by:

1. Reduced downtime: Most ERP systems provide an option for automatic alerts. According to the Aberdeen Study, Leaders who used these alerts could receive notification when production halted due to equipment malfunctions. They could then shift operations to another part of the factory or to another facility. Reducing downtime leads to a reduction in costs, wasted time, and more.
2. Improved efficiencies: The information contained in an ERP system can help you plan your operations more efficiently. If equipment stands idle, it loses money. You can see at a glance which equipment can handle new orders and where you can shift processing. This results in enhanced efficiencies throughout the company.
3. Better forecasting: With access to past sales history and current ordering trends, you can better forecast inventory levels. This enables you to order just as much as you need without tying up capital in inventory.
4. Negotiate better rates: The more you can plan ahead, the more leverage you have to negotiate rates with suppliers. When you’re stuck with a rush order, you end up paying premium costs for raw materials. With plenty of lead time, however, you can shop around for the best price or negotiate with your existing supplies. The enhanced supply chain visibility provided by an ERP system enables you to plan ahead, which impacts costs.
5. Track costs: You can only fix what you can see. When you can track costs across the company, you may be able to spot areas for improvement. You can see where costs are high and where they are acceptable. Greater visibility into all parts of your organization, including costs of materials and labor, can help you find better sources and rates to increase profits.

ERP Systems Benefit Manufacturers in Many Other Ways

An ERP system provides manufacturers with many benefits. To learn of all the exciting benefits your company can gain from an ERP system, download the free whitepaper today from IWI Consulting.

ERP systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage EM) for discrete manufacturers can really make a big impact on decision-making potential. IWI Consulting provides you with expert insights and resources such as the whitepaper from Aberdeen Group so that you can enhance your business decision-making capabilities.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and nonprofits find ERP solutions to fit their needs. We work with you to find the best data solutions for your company that can help boost productivity and profitability. Learn more on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

A study from the Aberdeen Group of 81 discrete manufacturers points to the many benefits of ERP for manufacturing. Among those benefits include swifter and more agile reaction to change and an improved ability to manage growth.

The study, which is available as a whitepaper download from IWI Consulting, offers interesting insights into the impact an ERP system makes on a manufacturing business as a whole, but especially in the areas of change and growth—both of which are critical for a company’s success.

Reacting to Change: Success Comes to the Swiftest

Among the manufacturers who participated in the Aberdeen Group study, Leaders demonstrated an ability to react the fastest to changes.

ERP for manufacturing improves visibility across the supply chain, offering manufacturers the ability to react quickly to problems. You cannot react to what you can’t see. Visibility sheds light on situations that require prompt action.

For example, successful manufacturers using ERP systems can program the system to send automated notices when a machine is down. Such an event can then trigger a decision to shift production to another area of the factory floor or to another facility. Without visibility, the decision is delayed, causing lost production time and a possible delay in order fulfillment.

Leaders responding to the survey were 2.6 times more likely than Followers to receive such automatic notifications. These little improvements can lead to much faster adjustments in schedules, productivity, and shipments that provide manufacturers with ERP systems a strong competitive edge.

Strong with a Team Approach

Another way in which manufacturers benefit from ERP systems is internal collaboration. Collaboration among teams using an ERP system is enhanced, thanks to the ability to view and share data in real-time. Such information is invaluable to respond to changes and plan for the future.

When teams have the right information, they can manage growth proactively. Predicting orders, for example, can help people negotiate for better rates on supplies and raw materials. Without sales history and order data, they are working in the dark. With such information, they can use the ERP system to better predict demand shifts and respond accordingly. An informed approach to growth can lead to higher profits and better margins thanks to data and information.

Tailoring ERP to Growth

Lastly, Leaders—as identified in the survey—are much more likely to scale their ERP systems to enhance and facilitate growth. Recognizing the potential in their systems, they scale them up to accommodate their growing organization.  Changing regulations, new markets, and more do not slow them down. They adjust operations and scale because they can predict growth more easily.

ERP for Manufacturers: A Smart Move

Visibility, efficiency, scalability, and growth all appear to be enhanced by using ERP systems in manufacturing. If you’ve hesitated about making the plunge into ERP, download a copy of the whitepaper today and see for yourself how smart manufacturers are using technology and data to improve operations.

Back in the golden days of manufacturing, the smarter manufacturers walked the shop floors continually to see what was going on. That was their way of gathering data to enhance efficiency and respond proactively to changes. Today, you can address the same challenges from your desk with an ERP system. It’s your eyes and ears on the shop floor.

Contact Us

ERP systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) for discrete manufacturers can make a big impact on decision-making potential.

IWI Consulting provides you with expert insights and resources such as the free whitepaper from Aberdeen Group so that you can enhance your business decision-making capabilities.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and nonprofits find ERP solutions to fit their needs. We work with you to find the best data solutions for your company that can help boost productivity and profitability. Learn more on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

Decisions, decisions. It seems that no matter how sure you are in your business knowledge, it helps to have more information on hand before making business decisions. Nowhere is this more important than in manufacturing, where better decisions can help your business anticipate orders and increase production efficiencies.

A new study published by the Aberdeen Group examined the business practices of 81 discrete manufacturers who responded to the Group’s invitation to participate in the survey. What Aberdeen discovered is that manufacturers with access to company-wide data made better decisions, which in turn led to higher profits, happier customers, and growing companies.

Increased Visibility in Manufacturing ERP Software Leads to Better Decisions

You can only make business decisions based on the information that you have. The increased visibility provided by manufacturing ERP software makes it easier to make business decisions because all of the data is available.

The Leaders included in this study found that information derived from their ERP systems helped them in the following ways:

1. Real-time visibility from quote to cash: Insight into every aspect of the ordering process, from cost quotations to receipt of payment, enables better business forecasting.
2. Information shared: ERP systems enable automatic notification of system issues, such as when scheduled activities don’t occur on time. This allows business leaders to think ahead and proactively manage what could be a challenge.
3. Shared and integrated data throughout the organization: Better decisions occur when information is shared freely throughout an organization. Even with the best of intentions, people may not realize that others in the organization need information they possess. Through an ERP system, information can be more easily shared throughout the organization and provide a proactive way of managing information.
4. Integrated customer information: A fully integrated view of all customer information leads to better business decisions, especially in the realm of customer service decisions. Managers who can view the spectrum of customer data can answer questions and provide strategies to please customers rather than react to unhappy customers.

Business decisions thrive in a spirit of collaboration and openness. ERP systems enhance a manufacturer’s ability to share resources, information, and data throughout the organization. Teams can collaborate more easily on solutions. Questions can be shared. Data can be used to solve problems and encourage sound decision making. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Real-Time Integration Makes the Difference

In companies using separate systems for each business division, it can take days, weeks, or even up to a month for information to trickle from one department to another. During that time, a lot can happen. Companies with ERP systems see data in real time. Information updates quickly throughout the system, providing real-time information on every aspect of the business.

Think about what a difference this can make. Instead of waiting days for a report to travel from the shop floor to the sales office, sales can now access the data with the press of a button. They can then make decisions on campaigns, orders, and more—all based on real-time data.

Contact Us

ERP systems for discrete manufacturers can make a big impact on decision-making potential. Systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) can help you become more efficient and effective.

IWI Consulting provides you with expert insights and resources such as the whitepaper from Aberdeen Group so that you can enhance your business decision-making capabilities.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and nonprofits find ERP solutions to fit their needs. We work with you to find the best data solutions for your company that can help boost productivity and profitability. Learn more on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

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An interesting study from the Aberdeen Group examined how Leaders, defined as companies “leading” the vanguard of innovation in manufacturing, are using and benefiting from ERP business strategies. Among the 81 companies who responded to the group’s survey, 90% of Leaders implemented ERP strategies while only 10% of Followers, or companies who lagged behind, had implemented it. It seems that knowledge is power, especially knowledge derived from ERP for manufacturing.

Key findings from the study include:

• ERP is near-ubiquitous in discrete manufacturing: 80% of Leaders have ERP.
• ERP strategies impact key business drivers by providing timely impactful information, managing growth expectations, reducing costs, and enabling operations across multiple facilities.
• Leaders are 25% more likely to have ongoing initiatives tailoring their ERP for manufacturing solutions to address business challenges.
• Leading companies value collaboration, visibility, and real-time data access.

Among the discrete manufacturers included in the study, the authors found that it wasn’t just having an ERP system in place that made them successful. It was also how well they used it. Companies who used their systems to plan, strategize, and improve across all business functions gained a competitive edge over others.

Laggards in the discrete manufacturing space continued to conduct business as usual. Their data solutions remained behind, so they could not swiftly address challenges that arose throughout their organizations. With ERP strategies in place, Leaders could address challenges and make smart decisions based on data.

The Benefits of ERP Strategies

Demand Planning and Forecasting

The ERP strategies for manufacturing adopted by Leaders included in the study seemed to help demand planning and forecasting. Because Leaders could better predict demand, they could avoid carrying excess inventory. They could also negotiate better prices on raw materials. Both tactics enhanced their ability to increase profits while decreasing costs.

Real-Time Visibility into Order Status

Another benefit derived from the ERP systems among the companies included in the study was greater visibility. The increased visibility into all aspects of the organization enhanced decision-making.

Agile Responses

The more information discrete manufacturers had at their disposal, the better. With increased visibility came a more agile response to problems, challenges, and customer demands. This added to each company’s competitive advantage. It also improved reaction time to orders and special requests.

Internal Collaboration Improved

ERP for manufacturing software also enhanced the internal collaboration among departments.

The Bottom Line

ERP business systems for discrete manufacturers improved processes and operations across the board. Among those surveyed, 44% cite the increased visibility derived from their ERP systems as contributing to the decision-making and more accurate demand forecasts. Companies with ERP systems could schedule maintenance tasks and reduce downtime due to equipment failure, another improvement in efficiencies. Lastly, real-time collaboration improved across divisions thanks to better access to data. It’s a marked improvement that Leaders credit with better businesses, higher profits, and more efficient operations.

Download Your Copy of the Study Today

At IWI, we know that time is money. We provide you with expert insights and resources such as the whitepaper from the Aberdeen Group.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and nonprofits find ERP solutions to fit their needs. We work with you to find the best data solutions for your company that can help boost productivity and profitability. Solutions such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) can help your business thrive. Learn more on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

Are you stuck in the typical inventory management quandary? You’re balancing the needs of senior management, who demand you reduce stock levels to contain costs. But on the other hand, customers are upset when you can’t fill their orders fast enough. It’s a common enough situation for inventory managers, but uncomfortable nonetheless.

Enter better data through ERP systems, to the rescue of frazzled inventory managers everywhere.

Smart companies know that as their operations grow, so too does the need for better data. When you’re managing a small back-room warehouse filled with goods created just down the hall, it’s easy enough to yell, “Hey, Bob, do we have enough blue widgets to fill Jane’s order?”

But if you’ve grown since the time when a good strong yell could get the order info you need back into production, then it’s time to think about more sophisticated solutions.

Barcoding, Automation, Inventory Management, and Warehouse Data

Like the example above, many warehouses are still using old-fashioned methods to maintain stock levels. Sure, it’s not as extreme as yelling down the hall to whomever happens to be near the shelves at the moment, but it’s just as crude when compared to other sophisticated inventory tracking methods available now.

Barcoding and warehouse automation, for example, reduce the time it takes to manage and track inventory. Instead of closing down for a week in the summer or winter to take manual inventory, you can easily update the inventory list with the swipe of a scanner.

Automated systems also reduce human error. Manual stock-taking is notoriously filled with errors. Compound that problem by data entry mistakes and you run the risk of multiple errors proliferating inside your database. Automation reduces the human component so that manual data entry is removed. This prevents multiple errors from entering the system, and keeps your stock count more accurate.

Inventory management and barcode scanning modules that work with Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) make your work easier. Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) integrates and synthesizes important data that can help you manage every aspect of your operations more easily, including warehouse inventory.

Order Data Coming Through!

Other innovations in recent times are systems (such as ERP products) that manage multiple data streams from different parts of the company, giving warehouse managers a big picture of all operations, not just their own corner of the world. You can see ordering histories, for example, and look at forecasts to make more accurate predictions of stock levels. Production can be increased to help maintain stock levels so that you’re never out of products. When order data is both historic and actual, you can predict stock needs much more easily.

Big Challenges Need Big Solutions

Warehouse managers know that inventory management is a big challenge. You’re always balancing the needs of customers with the demands of senior management. You know you need to keep stock levels up, but you don’t want a glut of unsold products taking up valuable warehouse space.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian companies and businesses with their data needs through ERP solutions that can boost productivity and improve business planning. Learn more about our services on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851

Nobody likes to be disappointed and nobody wants to disappoint a customer. Yet how many times do customers see an “out of stock” message on your website or hear it from sales or service agents?

If the answer is “too many times,” then you need to look at your inventory levels. Keeping the right inventory level can mean the difference between high customer satisfaction ratings and losing customers to competitors for whom “out of stock” never happens.

Better Data, Better Inventory Management

One of the biggest challenges for many inventory managers is keeping close track of stock levels. Although automated barcoding systems help, unless you can also keep an eye on your supply chain and raw materials orders, it can be tough to fully predict stock levels.

Fortunately, with better data at your fingertips, you can better manage inventory levels. Accurate, timely, and integrated data streams from sales, marketing, operations, and finance can help you predict stock levels and reduce the number of “out of stock” messages shown to your sales team or your customers.

Fulfill More Orders and Keep Customers Happy

Customers depend on your company to provide them with the goods they need. Most customers will tolerate at least one “out of stock” message, but if they see such messages too frequently, they’ll find somewhere else to shop. Low stock levels, “out of stock” items, and shipping delays can make customers look for another vendor and once you lose a customer, you’ve got to work twice as hard to get them back.

The more orders you can fulfill quickly and accurately, the happier you’ll keep your customers. Satisfied customers tell other businesses about their vendors, which in turn leads to even more sales for you. When you can accurately forecast inventory, you can keep your customers happier and increase business. It’s a winning situation that keeps on winning long after the order is filled.

Don’t Let Supply Chain Issues Keep You from Filling Orders

Hidden among all this talk of inventory management is the elephant in the room: supply chain management. Supply chain visibility is crucial for inventory management. If you can’t see the flow of raw materials into the supply chain or where items are in the production line, you can’t predict when they’ll arrive in the warehouse. And if you can’t predict when they arrive, it’s hard to tell customers when they can expect their products to arrive.

ERP systems can change this dynamic by providing greater supply chain visibility. The more data you have on every part of the ordering process, the better you can stay informed of progress and manage the flow of goods in and out of your warehouse. This helps you fulfill orders faster and keep customers happy. Better data leads to better management.

Better Forecasting Starts with Better Data: ERP Systems

Better forecasting starts with a good ERP system. ERP systems such as Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) provide you with accurate and timely data that you can use for inventory management, forecasting, and much more. It puts the power of data at your fingertips so you can build a better business.

More Inventory Management Solutions

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian companies and businesses with their data needs through ERP solutions that can boost productivity and improve business planning. To learn more about our services, visit our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

The right tools for the task at hand can make the work go more smoothly. Sure, you can drive a nail into the wall using the end of a screwdriver, but it makes more sense to use an actual hammer for the task. The right tool makes all the difference, whether it’s carpentry or inventory management.

But which tool is the best one for inventory management? Let’s take a look at the tasks necessary for effective inventory management and then discuss the tools that can make the job easier and more efficient.

The Art and Science of Inventory Management 

Inventory management is both an art and a science. You’re balancing the needs of customers against the needs of your company to reduce costs. You’re also taking into consideration the availability of raw materials, production times, and shipping.

As you review these factors, one thing becomes clear: The more information you have about the supply chain, the better you can manage your inventory. And the better you can manage inventory, the more you can control costs, fulfill orders quickly, and satisfy customer demand.

That’s where having the right tools comes into play.

What Tools Are You Using Now? 

If you’re like most inventory managers, you’re going by gut instinct much of the time when it comes to maintaining stock levels. Sure, you have some data. You can take a count of the merchandise in the warehouse and review upcoming orders. You may know the costs of inventory like the back of your hand. But it can be difficult to keep all those numbers and facts in your head.

Many people create their own systems and tools using the materials at hand. Spreadsheets, documents emailed to other parts of the company; all of these tools have their place. But today’s inventory managers know that there’s a better solution. ERP systems can help you manage your inventory more effectively while keeping abreast of other areas of the company that can influence how you manage existing inventory.

ERP: The Right Tool for Forecasting Inventory 

ERP Systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) aggregate data from multiple sources: sales, finance, accounting, operations, production, and shipping. Because they collect data from many parts of the company, the reports they produce can provide you with the data you need to form accurate forecasts.

For example, with ERP systems you can run reports that show you sales and shipping patterns over time. These patterns may indicate when large orders are placed by your best customers. Using this data, you can make sure you have plenty of products in the warehouse to fulfill a typical large order.

The same goes for slow periods. Every industry has them. The trick is not to overstock inventory just before a slow period, but to ramp up when the slow period ends. Using data from an ERP system, you can more accurately predict such slow times and avoid over-production and its associated warehousing costs.

More Solutions for Busy Inventory Managers

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and nonprofits find ERP solutions to fit their needs. We work with you to find the best data solutions for your company; solutions that can help boost productivity and profitability. Learn more on our website or call us at 1-866-916-3851.

Have you ever felt like you’re in the middle of a tug-of-war? That’s how many inventory managers feel. On the one hand, the sales department wants you to keep plenty of products in stock in order to fill any orders that come in as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the finance and accounting departments want to control costs, and ask that you reduce inventory to the lowest possible level to keep costs contained. In the middle of all this you’re trying to keep a warehouse running.

Inventory management is the fulcrum in the middle of the seesaw, the flag in the center of the tug of war rope. You’re always going to feel the pull from one side or the other. Balancing the needs of the sales team, who keep customers at the center of what they do, against the needs of the company, which tries to reduce costs, will always be part of the job. But fortunately, there are tools to help you make the most of what could become a frustrating situation.

Inventory, the Biggest Asset on a Company Balance Sheet 

Although you want to help the sales team keep customers happy, there’s something you know that they may not: Inventory is the biggest asset on the company’s balance sheet.

No matter how well you manage the inventory for your company, it will always sink a great deal of cash into inventory. That’s why managing inventory levels as carefully as you can, balancing supply and demand, is a delicate operation. Swing too far one way, and you run out of products to satisfy customer demand. Swing too far the other way, and the company produces too many goods, which ties up a lot of cash assets. It’s a tough call.

The Solution: ERP Solutions for Analyzing and Forecasting 

The best way to balance that seesaw is to use data for analysis and forecasting. Based on past sales history, you can better predict future orders. This enables warehouse managers to more tightly control their inventory.

A good ERP system can analyze and synthesize multiple data sources, creating a graphical display of sales patterns. This helps you spot seasonal shifts, downturns, and upticks that change how you manage inventory. Patterns surrounding large customer orders, for example, enable you to predict when such orders may occur and trigger production increases.

Certain systems, such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300), work well with inventory management solutions. These solutions can help you more tightly regulate and control the flow of inventory and orders to contain costs and keep stock levels consistent. Sage Inventory Advisor helps prevent out-of-stock issues, improves fill rates, reduces carrying costs, and more.

Other Resources for Smart Inventory Management 

Improving data entry of item barcodes and stock reports can also be a big help. Reducing mistakes through automation, taking frequent inventory, and updating data ensures that you know exactly what you’ve got to work within your warehouse at any given moment.

Learn More about Inventory Management Best Practices: Download Our Free Whitepaper

 At IWI Consulting Group, we strive to help businesses become more efficient and more effective through data resources that can help you manage and plan business operations. This month, we’re offering a free whitepaper entitled, “Better Inventory Management: Big Challenges, Big Data, Emerging Solutions.”

In this paper, you will learn about solutions to help you manage inventory operations to reduce costs and maximize supply levels for optimal order fulfillment and customer service. We know you have big challenges. We offer big solutions to meet those challenges and grow your business.

IWI Consulting Group helps Canadian businesses and non-profits adopt the best enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for their needs. We invite you to contact us today for a consultation or call 1-866-916-3851.

Sage software can help your manufacturing company build a better sales department. Sure, you’ve hired terrific sales people who are good at what they do. They may have all the talent, skills, and experience needed to do their jobs well … but if they lack the tools to do the job, what then? They can’t be as efficient and productive as they could be.

That’s where Sage software comes into the picture. Solutions like Sage CRM and other Sage software products connect real-time data with mobile access that puts information at your sales team’s fingertips, no matter where they are. They may be traveling to customer sites or on the road between appointments, but if a question arises about customer shipments or inventory, they can answer it quickly.

Let’s take a look at three ways in which your manufacturing business can build a better sales department through Sage software and other enterprise resource planning and business intelligence systems:

1. Mobile Access

Sales teams don’t sit still for very long. They’re visiting manufacturing plants and warehouses, checking on customer orders, and visiting customer locations to ensure that their accounts are happy and receiving what they need. A static, location-specific tool doesn’t give them the flexibility they need to do their job.

When it comes to mobile access, Sage CRM offers unparalleled access no matter where your sales team travels. Cloud-based solutions mean that all you need is access to the internet and an account and you’re in the database, the same as you are in the office. You can take your office with you and work out of your car, hotel, home, or a client’s office.

2. Increased Efficiency

Many of the sales processes that used to be completed manually can now be done automatically. Instead of typing data into a spreadsheet and hoping for the best, sales people can spend more time selling and less time on paperwork. This increased productivity means more time to go on sales calls, more time to spend with customers, and more time to prospect for new customers.

3. Better Insights

Sales is a relationship-driven business. Customer relationships often yield clues as to where the next sale might lead. A sudden surge in sales to clients within a specific industry can be easily spotted with data visualization tools and reports. You may find upon investigation that these surges in sales are the results of competitors changing prices, experiencing problems, or customer dissatisfaction with their service. Having this information is priceless, but it relies on having fast and easy access to real-time data that can be personally followed up on by your sales team. If it’s not easy to sort through the data to find the information, it can get pushed aside or forgotten, leading to missed opportunities. Better data means better insights, and more opportunities for sales.

New Paper Shows Business Insights a Major Concern

These business insights that can lead to improved sales, marketing and service are a shared concern for many manufacturers. A new whitepaper available to you from IWI Consulting shares more information on this important topic.

From among the many manufacturers surveyed, 20 percent of manufacturers wanted rapid access to data for business insights. These insights include information pertinent to sales and marketing.

Every piece of information available through your company may be useful to your business decision making process. The sales team needs that information to manage their accounts and increase profits. The more you can invest in technology to improve business insights and productivity, the better.

Contact Us

IWI Consulting offers expert consulting services for manufacturers seeking to gain more insight into their sales, marketing, and business decision-making processes. We can help you choose the best software to make business insights and information easily understood and used by everyone in your company. Put the power of Sage software to work for you with Sage CRM, Sage 300, Sage X3 and other products.

We invite you to contact IWI Consulting for more information on business solutions for manufacturing. Please contact us today or call 1-866-916-3851 for more information.

It can be hard to make sense of the dollars and cents, numbers and figures flowing from your company’s business intelligence solutions. When manufacturers were asked about areas where they invested in technology and the potential return on investment, one area stood out: business intelligence.

Among those surveyed, collecting business insights was the number one priority for investment. For the 76 percent of manufacturers who made the investment into new software to collect business insights, an astonishing 100 percent saw an improvement.

Anytime you see every manufacturer in a survey agreeing on something, it’s important to take note. When everyone agrees that investing in software to collect business insights does indeed improve business, it makes sense to explore it as an option.

Manufacturing businesses face similar challenges no matter what products they make. Reducing the costs of overhead and raw materials, forecasting demand, increasing sales, and improving customer service are concerns shared by companies making everything from automotive parts to cardboard boxes. But one thing stands out: no matter what the problem, the solution lies in gaining deeper insights into existing business processes, and making sound decisions based on facts.

You can accomplish this by including business intelligence solutions in your manufacturing operations. The right software can make it easier to boost revenues by helping you gain insights into important areas of your company’s processes.

Business Intelligence Solutions Break Through Silos

One reason why manufacturers may be seeing such good results is the way that business intelligence solutions have of breaking through silos. Whether it’s product silos or department silos, business units who communicate and share poorly with others create walls that impede business. Breaking down siloed business units through shared data is a simple yet highly effective method of improving your overall company.

Business intelligence solutions offer a unique advantage to help departments cooperate. Because data flows into one central system, it becomes available to everyone. No one area can maintain control or power simply by refusing to share data, or by being slow to share it. Real-time data synchronization enables everyone to see what Department A has been producing and Department B has been selling!

Data Sorting and Visualization Tools

Another important function of business intelligence solutions is to help employees sort through reams of data quickly and efficiently. A good business intelligence system allows you to sort data from multiple departments or data streams easily and efficiently. It helps to have an intuitive interface that users can navigate, like software they’re already familiar with. It also helps if the system can be customized to run the exact reports that users need, rather than what the programmers originally thought they might need.

Data visualization goes hand-in-hand with data manipulation and business intelligence solutions’ usefulness. Data visualization refers to running charts, graphs, and other pictorial displays based on the data available. Let’s face it; most people don’t know how to read through columns of data on a spreadsheet, and it’s more powerful to see pictures than long streams of numbers. By including data visualization tools in your software, you’ll be able to quickly scan graphs and draw conclusions about things important to your manufacturing business.

Manufacturers Weigh in on Business Intelligence Systems: Learn More

IWI Consulting offers expert insights and software solutions that help manufacturers reduce costs, improve productivity and increase profits. We offer as Sage Enterprise Intelligence, Sage X3, Sage 300 and more to help your business profit from its data. Please contact us today or call 1-866-916-3851 for more information.