Orders are up, business is booming, and your manufacturing operation is growing. While the growth of your company is an exciting time, business expansion can present growing pains and new challenges that really expose the inadequacy of the systems that once served you well at a smaller scale.

Signs Your Inventory Management System Needs to be Upgraded

• You are using manual processes and Excel spreadsheets in addition to your system
• Your team is wasting time completing menial tasks that should be automated
• Some manufacturing capabilities are impossible with your current system (production scheduling, costing, reporting, barcode inventory, etc.)
• You don’t have the visibility you need to meet promise dates
• Inventory management is challenging; you are either running out of material or overstocking (which ties up cash) or both
• Invoicing takes too long

While this is certainly not a comprehensive list, if you are experiencing any of these problems it’s time for your business to graduate to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. ERP systems allow your business to integrate and manage key business processes in real-time with full visibility, decreasing the amount of time and energy spent on manual tasks (which inevitably lead to human error) and increasing productivity.

An ERP system configured to your business needs will allow you to achieve your business vision and take your business to the next level.

How ERP Software Helps You Manage Inventory Effectively

Automation

Manually processing your inventory is time-consuming and wastes valuable time that could be spent on other tasks. An ERP system will eliminate old spreadsheets that need to be constantly updated, and give you access to real-time inventory management updates. When you have an ERP system that automatically updates, there is less chance for human error to occur, and your jobs will be done on time and correctly.

Integrate Business Processes 

When all your business operations are integrated into one ERP system, your employees will spend less time trying to confirm inventory and materials availability. The ERP system will automatically track the inventory you have on hand, so you’ll know exactly which raw materials you have to complete an order. Your inventory will always be accurate, and this will increase overall efficiency—saving you time and money.

Forecast and Restock

ERP systems keep track of the sales, purchasing, and logistics for your organization so that you always have the correct amount of inventory to fulfill your company’s needs. Managing long-lead time items will no longer be an issue because you’ll know which items need to be restocked in advance. When your inventory is running low, your ERP system can prompt your purchasing manager to reorder the needed materials for you. When your inventory is reordered in a timely manner, you’ll reduce the chance of facing enormous freight costs to expedite the items.

Best ERP Software for Inventory Management

With an ERP system in place, your staff will have access to a centralized inventory management database that is updated in real-time. Your business will not risk promising customers something you cannot deliver, because you’ll know exactly what inventory you have on hand. Your business will see major benefits from automating and streamlining your business processes.

There are affordable, easy-to-use ERP systems that are built for start-ups and small manufacturing and distribution companies, uniquely designed to let you start small and scale as you grow. Attivo All-in-One, powered by SAP Business One, is the ideal enterprise resource planning software by integrating all your essential business management needs into one secure solution at an affordable price.

Attivo All-in-One is configurable to your needs and helps dramatically transform the efficiency of your manufacturing and distribution operations with specific functionality for supply chain, sales management, accounting, quality assurance, customer service, production planning and control, procurement and more.

Click here to learn more about how Attivo All-in-One will help make your company’s inventory management more efficient.