Your Ally for ERP Success
In the typical ERP selection process company committees consist of business executive sponsors representing financial outcomes, production team members concerned with manufacturing and distribution bottlenecks and I-T professionals tasked with the maintenance and updates of the proposed systems. What I have never seen in hundreds of different engagements is a representative from Human Resources, the group responsible for the well-being of a company’s biggest asset-it’s employees.
In today’s Covid-19 environment, the impact of ERP selection on employees is not just a consideration, it’s mandatory. In a 3-month survey, some states reported Covid-19 infections as high as 45% among food manufacturing company workers. Worker health and safety is at the top of the list of concerns.
But what you don’t hear are discussions about reducing workloads for team members on the shop floor…
Discussions around selection and implementation of a new business system revolve around features and functionality-how it will relieve production bottlenecks, eliminate business inefficiencies, lower costs, and increase margins and cash flow. But what you don’t hear are discussions about reducing workloads for team members on the shop floor, creating optimized accounting functions so the finance team isn’t scrambling and working overtime to produce financial reports at the end of the month or how your warehouse crew is forced to work weekends to get late orders out the door in a timely manner.
How ERP Systems Help Protect Workers
In today’s manufacturing and distribution environment, especially in the food and beverage space, particular care must be paid to employee health and safety and a proper business system can be used to accelerate those requirements.
ERP system planners today need to not only look at system inputs and outputs, they must also actively game out scenarios that include the use of automation to reduce employee crowding in manufacturing and distribution environments and allow for the safe handling of materials.
The Move to A Remote Work Force
The pandemic has also changed the way companies are run and the key to moving from a centralized workforce to a decentralized team is an efficient ERP business system. In 2019 customer service and office workers spent their days inside offices. In 2021, forward-thinking companies have moved non-essential employees to home offices. The key to continued productivity is remote access to the company business systems.
Customer service, sales and marketing, accounting and other business employees must have real-time access to key data to perform their duties. When a client, vendor, or prospect calls, those team members need visibility into the business processes and operations for proper decision-making. It’s not a luxury to work at home anymore, it’s a business necessity for many companies. That’s why our customers using SYSPRO are taking full advantage of the system’s Avanti web environment, allowing for secure web access anywhere in the world.
In today’s business environment, traditional ERP planning must be scrapped and the mission widened. Smart executives securing a company’s future are taking a holistic approach to business systems and it’s why non-traditional personnel, like your H-R Director needs to be included in your selections to help you achieve success-both now and into the years ahead.
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Chuck Apostolas is the Dir. of Sales and Marketing for Technologies International, Inc. an ERP consultancy helping manufacturers and distributors improve profit margins, drive down the cost-of-goods sold and extend the enterprise with unique solutions.
For more information visit our website at https://www.tech-intl.com
