[Approx. 5 minutes reading time]
The manufacturing industry is amid a radical digital transformation that is going to change everything about how it operates.
Companies of all types are embracing software tools that help to systematize internal processes and collect relevant data that is needed to inform key business decisions.
One of the most crucial pieces of software in this regard is an Enterprise Resource Planning tool (ERP) which aims to become the hub for all operations, assisting different teams to work together seamlessly and push items through the supply chain as effectively as possible.
And there are plenty of ERP options to choose from.
Now, we can't speak for all of them… It would make this article longer than War & Peace, but, in our experience, Microsoft Dynamics has proven to be a WINNER with our clients.
So today we will discuss Microsoft Dynamics in more detail, and whether it could indeed be, the best ERP for manufacturing businesses.
Key Features:
Cloud-based Setup
In a manufacturing context, you are dealing with a number of different stakeholders who all rely on key information at the right time in order to drive their unit forward.
Having your data live on a cloud-based platform like Microsoft Dynamics represents a significant efficiency gain because everyone can draw from the same source of truth[1].
Whether it's someone on the edge of a supply chain with a very narrow scope of work, or it's a key manager who is looking after a lot of different pieces - they can add value to the system and draw out the insights they need easily and efficiently.
IoT Integrations
Microsoft Dynamics offers you a lot of the key asset management functionality that you will get with a lot of the ERP providers, but where it really shines is with its native integration with the Internet of Things (IoT).
The ability for a manufacturer to tie in smart sensors and a range of other devices into the ERP system itself is a game changer[2].
This can automatically feed crucial information into the system without any manual intervention, creating fully automated processes that look after maintenance, incident reporting, and so much more.
This field is booming now, and Microsoft Dynamics has been built in such a way that it fits perfectly with the IoT transformation that we're seeing.
Enhanced Data Analysis
When it comes to data, Microsoft knows what they're doing.
There aren't any other ERP suites on the market that give you the level of sophistication and precision that you get with Microsoft Dynamics.
Microsoft have embedded a range of advanced features that allows manufacturing companies to ingest data in real time, process it effectively, and deliver key insights that can help to perform some powerful optimizations.
This agility and capability empowers employees to take things into their own hands because they have the analysis to back it up.
The visualization tools help to tell the story around this data, which becomes critically important in large organizations.
It also helps you be a lot smarter than your competitors by adapting to changing circumstances proactively as the trend emerges.
While other ERP systems try to do this, Microsoft's offering certainly stands out from the rest.
Customer Service Focused
Speaking of employee empowerment, another key principle that makes Microsoft Dynamics the tool of choice for manufacturing is the flexibility within the system to override processes where needed for the good of the customer[3].
There are always certain orders, customers, and extenuating circumstances that call for a company to rush through an order, make radical changes on the fly, or demarcate specific criteria for individual cases.
While most ERP providers make it difficult to accomplish this, Microsoft Dynamics is infinitely configurable which makes this not only possible, but easy to do.
This translates to a much better customer experience because manufacturers can react appropriately to the social circumstances that come with certain orders and deliveries.
AI Enabled
One of the most important technological trends at the moment is the advent of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and with Microsoft's powerful Azure platform in full force, you'd hope that you could pull that functionality into your ERP.
And you certainly can.
Microsoft Dynamics is well set up to integrate with a variety of AI tools and systems which can supercharge the way you run your business immediately[4].
In a manufacturing world of small margins, every tiny optimization that you can get is worth its weight in gold. And machine learning opens up a range of new possibilities to process large datasets and pull out those key insights that are going to make the difference.
Not to mention all the predictive power that comes with it once you've got those algorithms working.
With all that being said, an AI-enabled supply chain is only as powerful as the linking components that make those insights practical - and that's what Microsoft Dynamics provides.
It's not only about the sheer AI processing power. It's also about how that fits natively into the rest of the organization.
The Microsoft Dynamics suite does this perfectly.
Conclusion
Those benefits should be enough to convince you that Microsoft Dynamics is the best ERP for manufacturing, but we could have gone on forever.
As a software suite, you won't find a better option that can combine the technical capability, user-friendly interface, and inherent scalability, like this tool can.
It's one of those things that will completely transform how you think about your manufacturing business and give you that edge over your competitors.
If you're looking for some assistance in this space with installing and managing these software solutions, look no further than what we're doing here at Continuous Networks.
We're extremely passionate about helping clients bring these tools to life and watching them elevate the growth of their companies at scale.
Full digital transformation is upon us, and we would love to be your technology partner on the journey.
For more information on ERP solutions, be sure to check out our IT Support for Manufacturing Businesses HERE
[1] 'Single Source of Truth - What It Is and Why You Want It Yesterday' from Talend. https://www.talend.com/resources/single-source-truth/
[2] 'How IoT Will Dramatically Impact Enterprise Resource Planning Systems' by Ted Rohm. https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/how-iot-will-dramatically-impact-enterprise-resource-planning-erp-systems/420874
[3] The Importance of Customer Service in ERP Software' by WorkWiseSoftware. https://www.workwisellc.com/blog/customer-service-is-still-king/
[4] 'Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI' https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/overview/
