SaaS ERP

Production scheduling software is becoming quite important to a large number of manufacturing firms. Factory floor supervisors, production managers, and IT departments alike are finding out Production Scheduling isn’t something to be taken for granted. You can develop manual systems all you’d like, including managing the schedule as a written board on the wall as in the “old days”. You can show off your spreadsheets all day long. Or, if one of your IT folks actually has the programming bug, you can convince them to develop a little something in that database application that came with your office suite. You know, that application you’ve looked at on occasion but never used … except for the template for a database to keep track of which video you’ve loaned to which one of your buddies …

Here’s something to consider: Yours is a professional manufacturing facility. You have professional crews working on the floor creating some of the best products out there. Your office staff, your managers, you pay them good money because they’re worth it, they’re professionals as well, and you’d rather they not take the good knowledge about their jobs somewhere else.

So why are you skimping on the schedule? Why would you prefer to not automate your scheduling system just to save a few bucks? Is it worth it? If you take a good look at it, it’s probably not worth it at all.

Even smaller and medium-sized manufacturing facilities could benefit from automated scheduling systems. This author used to do R&D in a facility that designed and manufactured programmable, fully-configurable fire alarm panels, along with the strobes and horns used as annunciators. (The heat, smoke, sprinkler and other sensors were supplied by a specialty manufacturer.) Here we were, developing and manufacturing panels which utilized some high-end embedded computers we were writing the software for ourselves … and the schedule for the production of those panels was being done on a spreadsheet that was constantly … and I mean constantly … being reworked by two people to accomodate current sales. These two people probably made a combined $70k annually.

If the company were to have spent half that amount once on a decent automated software package, those two individuals would have certainly had time to take care of other things. If the Production Scheduling software had had artificial intelligence to refine the schedule as efficiently as possible, maybe the plant would have made better profits, and would not have ultimately been sold to an international conglomerate and the plant closed.

If that kind of cost is still too high for you up-front, Production Scheduling software is also available via a “Software-as-a-service” model (Saas). With this model, the software is located on a server hosted by the software’s developers. You can still get the same kind of service, including the option of having the software custom-tailored for your facility’s needs, while paying a monthly fee for its usage instead of a full development fee.

You’d really rather have a professional system for all those professionals you have working for you? I thought you would.

While some Saas ERP systems have a “canned” nature to them, they can certainly be configured for your company’s purposes while still offering lower up-front costs that still reflect the Saas model. ERP systems can be fairly complex but your facility’s need may be outside the scop of what’s available. Finding a lower cost ERP system while still having it customized is likely an ideal solution for your issues.

In looking at a new ERP software system it’s important to know if you can use a canned system or if you’re going to need something that’s custom-tailored. Your staff might need to assemble an RFI or Request For Information. This document should outline exactly what you want the software to accomplish. RFIs can be simple, being only a couple pages for a warehousing operation, or rather complex particularly if you need a system for the entire enterprise. How complex this document is, is entirely dependent on what you need the software for.

Discussing this document with the software developers is key to determining whether or not a canned system will work for you or if you need something that’s custom-tailored. At this point you’ll also be able to determine the level of customization, if necessary.

Saas ERP software can certainly still be as flexible as you need to be, complete with the customization your system needs. Researching exactly what you’re trying to accomplish is as important as the results you’re looking for.