Manufacturing
More and more manufacturing companies are benefiting from implementing CRM and ERP solutions.
The manufacturing industry has been hit hard over recent years with increased competition from overseas, rising costs of raw materials and a reduction in consumer expenditure. In tough times it is easy to put a freeze on all non essential company expenditure. However investing in an ERP or CRM solution really could be the best money you've ever spent.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is used in the Manufacturing Sector to build relationships with existing clients at the same time as attracting new clients. Implementing a CRM solution enables most organisations to streamline internal processes and therefore helps improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the company. CRM provides you with one central location to store all information about your customers, suppliers and competitors and will reduce duplication of effort across the organisation.
Essentially, CRM helps you communicate with customers more easily and will help you to build stronger relationships with them. It is through developing good relationships that they will become loyal.
However, the term Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is slightly misleading as the strategy, processes and software apply equally to any relationship, irrespective of who it is between. This is a concept which Microsoft has branded xRM where the "x" can be replaced with anything you like whether that is channel partners, suppliers, distributors or employees.
Implementing a CRM solution will bring a number of benefits to a manufacturing company including:
- One centralised database - providing a complete view of all suppliers, customers and competitors
- Improved communication- between staff and between the company and its customers
- Administrative tasks are made easier as they are automated
- Enhanced staff efficiency and effectiveness through streamlined processes.
Concentrix takes a product agnostic approach to supplying software and provides best in breed CRM solutions including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage CRM and FrontRange's GoldMine. This ensures that you get the solution which matches the exact requirements of your Manufacturing organisation.
ERP solutions for the manufacturing industry
Although CRM solutions will deliver significant benefits to companies in the manufacturing industry, there may still be some discrepancy between the system which the front office staff use and that which the back office staff use. For example, if the people in accounts put a certain customers on stop for poor payment and sales have the same customer marked as having potential to spend a significant amount of money, there is likely to be a conflict in interests.
This is where implementing a fully integrated ERP system will help. Integrated solutions bring your whole business together, so rather than having to use completely separate systems to manage your business, everything can be done from one centralised piece of software.
Concentrix provides best in breed ERP software including Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Sage 200 and takes a product agnostic approach to supplying them. Both Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Sage 200 have the option to add manufacturing specific modules.
Sage 200 for Manufacturing
Sage 200 Manufacturing fully integrates with other modules in the Sage 200 suite (including Stock, SOP and POP modules) and because of this, there is no cumbersome synchronisation, import or exports as with stand-alone software. Sage 200 Manufacturing contains several key elements including:
The Sage 200 Manufacturing Bill of Materials module - this is a natural extension to the core stock module and allows you to create your built items. However, it's far more than a simple 'kitting' tool: the Stock module provides small and medium sized manufacturing operations with real life facilities such as wastage, labour costs, machine cost, 'operation' and trial build operations. What's more, it provides the simple ability to roll out revised component costs across your entire product range at the touch of a button.
Within the Planning module, there is advanced Material Requirement Planning (MRP). This easy-to -use facility looks at all the demands in your systems (sales, works orders, stock below minimum, make to stock and so on) and all your possible replenishments (purchase orders outstanding, works orders, free stock). This gives you recommendations as to how you can best fulfil these. With another simple click you can action these and create multiple works and purchase orders to satisfy your requirement.
Once the works orders have been created, Sage 200 Manufacturing enables you to allocate and issue stock at the pace which suits your operation. You can process timesheets or just accept default operation costs. You can even complete the works order and back-flush the stock, which allows you to get the goods out the door in one easy process. The Works Order module also includes detailed reporting around planned and achieved costs.
Sage 200 Manufacturing includes the ability to process 'Make to Stock' items, produce Estimates (including the ability to estimate for finished goods, components or operations that do not currently exist within your dataset).
Microsoft Dynamics NAV for Manufacturing
Microsoft Dynamics NAV has an add-on application for manufacturing which will bring significant benefits to manufacturing businesses by:
Improving business performance from the shop floor to bottom line. Microsoft Dynamics NAV streamlines operations by automating manufacturing processes. It provides greater visibility into all aspects of your operation from order entry to production, warehouse management, and delivery.
Giving customers reliable, up to date information. Microsoft Dynamics NAV will increase the accuracy of promised orders and allow you to respond quickly to customer queries about order status delivery.
Allowing you to quickly adapt to changing customer demands with agile manufacturing. This means you can plan rush orders, make exceptions, and handle last-minute changes to your manufacturing processes with multiple planning options, tracking, and interactive action messages.
Ensuring your business is open to trading partners, national or international, around the clock. Using a web browser , vendors can manage catalogues, enter drop shipment order and maintain delivery dates.
For more information about any of the CRM or ERP solutions provided by Concentrix, please contact us on 01509 410500 or email info@concentrix.co.uk.