Expert knowledge for digital decisions
What Software Does a Manufacturing Company Need?
Short answer
The Typical Gap
ERP: knows orders, bills of materials, deadlines. Machine: knows runtimes, quantities, disruptions. In Between: often a clipboard.
The result: The order status in the ERP is only as current as the last manual feedback.
Where Custom Solutions Come In
Feedback from Production. Terminal at the machine or tablet: Start order, report quantity, record disruption. Must be operable in seconds, even with gloves.
Order Tracking. Where is each order, what stage has been reached, where is there a bottleneck?
Quality Documentation. Assign inspection results to the batch, traceable. Mandatory in regulated areas.
Machine Data. Runtimes, downtimes, setup times – the basis for any reliable statement about utilization.
The Principle
Do not replace the ERP. Close the gap and connect both sides. Changing an ERP is one of the most expensive undertakings and rarely necessary to solve the actual problem.
What to Clarify Before Starting
Which machines provide data, and through which interface? Older systems often provide nothing – then manual feedback remains, and it must be particularly fast.
Key facts
- Typical Gap
- Between ERP and machine
- Principle
- Close the gap instead of replacing ERP
- Clarify in advance
- Which machines provide data?