ERP for manufacturing:
end-to-end solution overview

ERP for manufacturing: end-to-end solution overview

September 19, 2023

Konstantin Pilkevich

by Konstantin Pilkevich,

Head of Itransition's ERP Center of Excellence

Manufacturing ERP supports manufacturing companies in managing critical business aspects, from production to payroll, by aggregating and visualizing all the information required to run business operations, identify inefficiencies, and spot optimization opportunities.

With over 25 years in enterprise software engineering, Itransition helps manufacturing companies automate manual processes and streamline digital transformation with a full range of ERP services.

About Itransition

10+ years in ERP services

50+ completed projects of different scales across industries

Hands-on expertise in delivering out-of-the-box, custom, and hybrid ERP solutions

An Odoo Silver Partner

A NetSuite Solution Provider

Client spotlight

Software suite for a kitchen manufacturer

21%

sales increase

Itransition helped the customer drive digital transformation by delivering software solutions to transform their back-office workflows and pioneer VR-based customer engagement.

ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace

Smooth workflows

Cut TCO costs

Itransition’s team complemented the core ERP solution with custom bolt-on modules to reconcile functionality gaps and reduce system support costs.

Looking for a trustworthy ERP technology partner?

Contact us

When you need ERP for manufacturing

With a tailored enterprise resource planning solution, Itransition helps you address multiple concerns, including:

  • Time-consuming management and control of core business processes (inventory, production schedules, procurement) via disjoint software apps.
  • Multiple inefficiencies and issues, rooting from the lack of visibility into manufacturing operations and business performance.
  • Ineffective business decisions and departments operating in silos as a result of data inconsistency and communication bottlenecks.
  • Unproductiveness of your current software applications due to the lack of functionality to support existing business processes, absence of vendor support, knowledge gap, or poor user experience.
  • Inability to spot and act on new revenue opportunities due to manual workflows and lack of time.
  • Failure to meet regulatory requirements due to slow and error-prone manual data entry and aggregation.

Generic ERP vs manufacturing ERP

When choosing the best ERP fit for your company, you should decide whether to go for a generic business management ERP platform (sometimes referred to as a tier-one ERP system) or choose an ERP for manufacturing (tier-two ERP software). The main differences between the two are as follows:

Purpose
Addresses specific needs of process and discrete manufacturing companies.
Implementation
Requires help from a software vendor or a partner
Licensing fee
Higher
Customization
Pricey and limited
Functional modules
All modules that are typical of generic solution plus the ones covering the needs of manufacturing business:
  • Production planning and management
  • Quality management
  • Recipe and formula management
  • Inventory and supply chain management
  • Procurement management
  • Order management
Best for
Manufacturing companies with particular business needs that otherwise would require a lot of customization with generic ERP systems
Considerations
Vendor lock-ins

Purpose
Encompasses basic functionality/capabilities required by companies from different industries.
Implementation
Handled by external professionals or in-house IT department
Licensing fee
Lower
Customization
Possible but pricey
Functional modules
One-size-fits-all modules:
  • Customer relationship management
  • Sales management
  • Marketing automation
  • Purchasing management
  • Accounting and financial management
  • Inventory/warehouse management
  • HR management
  • Project management
  • Demand planning and forecasting
Best for
Manufacturing industry companies that have standardized processes, or their manufacture-specific workflows are covered with standalone solutions.
Considerations
Customization and adds-on can be too pricey

Key manufacturing ERP features

Production planning

Generating achievable production plans and schedules to fulfill sales orders by tracking and maintaining optimal stock levels and balancing demand, capacity, and constraints.
    • Bill of materials
    • Production planning and forecasting
    • Operational capacity planning
    • Finite and rough cut capacity planning
    • Make-to-order and make-to-stock planning
    • Master production scheduling
    • Procurement scheduling
    • Production process scheduling
    • Purchase, assembly, and manufacturing orders creation
    • Job costing
    • Inventory control and shop floor control
    • Demand forecasting
    • What-if production scenarios, interactive scheduling

    Production management

    Streamlining production process tracking, execution, and control by automating the management of multiple variables, such as raw materials, equipment, workforce, and workflows, to optimize resources, extract more profit, and reduce direct and indirect costs.
      • Single-level and multi-level bill of materials
      • Routing
      • Primary and alternative bill of materials/routings
      • Bill of materials and routing revision control
      • Product engineering
      • Engineering change request management
      • Work in progress tracking
      • Work order prioritization
      • Labor management
      • Tools and equipment tracking
      • Shop floor data collection
      • Real-time production dashboards

      Inventory management

      Achieving real-time inventory visibility and automatic coordination of inventory-related activities to generate effective replenishment plans, increase inventory turns, decrease inventory carrying costs, reduce overhead and cycle time.
        • Tracking of materials, parts, work in process and finished goods
        • Tracking of inventory location, temperature, production date, and stock levels
        • Inventory counting and physical stock verification
        • Inventory planning
        • Automated replenishment alerts
        • Manage product inventory shelf life
        • Track expiration and identify non-conforming inventory
        • Return material authorization
        • Warehouse management
        • Bin management
        • Inventory stock costing

        Compliance & quality management

        Meeting internal quality and compliance needs and avoiding costly fines by tracking raw ingredients, identifying quality issues, and recalling defective or unsafe products to ensure high-quality products for the customers.
          • Automated quality checks of raw materials, inventory, labor, and processes
          • Visual check, picture check, measurement check
          • Tracking non-conformances
          • Tracking the disposal of regulated ingredients
          • Complete audit trail, audit management
          • Notifications and alerting
          • Vendor/supplier performance evaluation
          • Traceability and recall reporting
          • Safety data sheet (SDS) and certificate of analysis (COA) creation
          • Analytics and reporting (quality issues, material costs, supplier and distributor performance, checklists, inspection plans)

          Recipe/formula management

          Reducing product change time while enforcing product quality and repeatability to enhance customer experience and meet regulatory requirements.
            • Recipe calculation
            • Measurement scaling
            • Formula/recipe download and execution
            • Recipe change management
            • Smart variant design
            • Recipe execution history record
            • Version tracking

            Supply chain management

            Gaining end-to-end supply chain visibility and leverage collaborative communication to optimize supply chain planning, management, and fulfillment.
              • Order fulfillment tracking across the supply chain (raw materials sourcing, production, storage, shipment)
              • Alerts and notifications (inventory overstock/drop-down, shipment delays, freight damage/loss)
              • Logistics management
              • Supplier management
              • Supply chain analysis (supplier performance, carrier performance, inventory)
              • Multisite, multi-logistics inventory planning
              • Supply chain risk management

              Procurement management

              Automating purchase order management for streamlined purchase planning and advanced spend monitoring.
                • Supplier onboarding and evaluation
                • Purchase requisition
                • Purchase order creation, approval, submission, monitoring, reconciliation
                • Request for quote, quote comparison
                • Purchase spend monitoring and budgeting
                • Invoice сlearing and payment
                • Purchase receipt and inspection

                Order management

                Helping efficiently execute different order fulfillment scenarios to reduce operating costs and enhance customer experience.
                  • Multichannel order capture and processing
                  • Work order scheduling (based on priority, processing time, and inventory available)
                  • Work order progress monitoring
                  • Production schedule upgrades and changes
                  • Order shipment management
                  • Tracking order shipment status in real-time
                  • Return order management (approval, routing, tracking)

                  Need custom ERP software tailored for your business?

                  Get in touch

                  Manufacturing ERP solutions for your sector

                  The manufacturing industry encompasses a wide range of categories. Recognizing the need for tailored manufacturing ERP systems, Itransition architectures and delivers custom ERP modules and solutions tailored to the specifics of your business.

                  Food & beverages
                  Clothing & footwear
                  Textile
                  Wood & paper products
                  Industrial machinery & equipment
                  Aerospace & defense
                  Rubber & plastics
                  Electronics & high tech
                  Furniture & fixtures
                  Steel
                  Chemicals
                  Cosmetics
                  Pharma- ceuticals
                  Automotive

                  Manufacturing ERP: an adoption guide

                  Key integrations

                  Integrations extend the ERP functionality, increase collaboration between different teams, eliminate duplicate data entry, and build cross-functional efficiency. We set up custom integration solutions or use ready-to-use connectors to integrate the ERP software with your current technology environment, including:

                  Manufacturing execution system

                  Enterprise asset management

                  Computerized maintenance management system

                  Finance and accounting software

                  Customer relationship management software

                  BI and analytics

                  Key integrations

                  Manufacturing execution system

                  Integrating manufacturing floor data with other information, such as customer demand or actual inventory levels, helps manufacturers be more responsive to customer demand, make instant production adjustments, and facilitate just-in-time deliveries.

                  Enterprise asset management

                  Tracking and measuring asset performance helps plan procurement and replacement activities, accurately allocate physical assets to production activities, and devise effective asset management strategies for overall equipment.

                  Computerized maintenance management system

                  Streamlining equipment maintenance activities, generating accurate equipment maintenance schedules, and calculating overall equipment effectiveness could maximize equipment lifespan and manufacturing productivity.

                  Finance & accounting software

                  Consolidating accurate financial and operational data helps better manage daily finances, make data-driven decisions, track job costs, and increase the accuracy of financial forecasts.

                  Customer relationship management software

                  CRM integration adds visibility to material, production, and shipping costs and allows quick and accurate estimations. It automatically converts customer requests into work orders, tracks them, and communicates their statuses.

                  BI & analytics

                  Business intelligence modules facilitate reporting and analytics capabilities company-wide, querying multidimensional data across the department for real-time decisions, alerts, and notifications.

                  Deployment model

                  Based on size, functionality, and company needs, manufacturing software is deployed in the cloud, on local servers, or in a hybrid environment. Itransition helps you decide on the optimal ERP deployment approach to ensure proper performance and reduce the cost of ownership.

                  Cloud-based ERP

                  On-premises ERP

                  Hybrid ERP

                  Model
                  Model

                  The ERP system is deployed in the cloud with users accessing the application via the Internet.

                  The ERP software system is installed in the company’s data center and is managed by in-house experts.

                  Using legacy ERP solutions for mission-critical workloads while adding cloud software to support some business units or regions.

                  Implementation & maintenance
                  Implementation & maintenance

                  Vendor manages quick implementation, maintenance, and upgrades

                  Slow implementation as the infrastructure has to be purchased and installed beforehand. In-house IT team manage upgrades and maintenance

                  Vendor and in-house IT team manage quick implementation, upgrades and maintenance

                  Scalability
                  Scalability

                  Highly scalable, done by license purchase/upgrade

                  Scalability is limited with in-house hardware resources and may be time- and resource-consuming

                  Adding new capabilities is instantaneous. Upscaling and downscaling of existing capabilities are bound to in-house hardware resources

                  Customization
                  Customization

                  Possibility to choose the required capabilities and add-ons when needed, limited customization

                  Bought as a packaged suite, higher customization flexibility

                  Highly customizable

                  Security
                  Security

                  Infrastructure and data security is under the responsibility of an ERP provider

                  Depends on the expertise of the in-house IT team

                  Under the responsibility of both vendor and in-house IT team

                  Cost & pricing flexibility
                  Cost & pricing flexibility

                  Low upfront costs, significant pricing flexibility

                  Requires significant capital investments, low pricing flexibility

                  Requires low upfront investments and has significant pricing flexibility

                  Mobile support

                  To help manufacturers extend ERP systems beyond the desktop to manage key business processes on the go, Itransition delivers mobile ERP solutions to enable users to input, access, and report critical real-time data anywhere from any device. We facilitate:

                  • Data collection (shop floor, dock floor, warehouse)
                  • Real-time visibility (inventory, production schedules, orders)
                  • KPIs and executive dashboards with specific metrics
                  • Notifications, triggers, and alerts

                  Total cost of ownership

                  The total cost of ownership of manufacturing ERP solutions depends on multiple factors:

                  • Deployment mode (cloud, on-premises, hybrid)
                  • Software licensing (depends on the deployment mode, functionality, number of users, and customization capabilities)
                  • Hardware-related costs (for on-premises and hybrid solutions)
                  • Implementation team
                  • Data management activities
                  • Quality assurance procedures
                  • On-going maintenance
                  • Product upgrade
                  • User training

                  Looking for ERP consultancy to drive your manufacturing business?

                  Contact us

                  Best manufacturing ERP platforms

                  Here, we shortlist in alphabetical order the best ERP software platforms for small businesses, mid-sized manufacturers and enterprises seeking industry-specific functionality.

                  Core features
                  • Manufacturing process, repair orders, and bill of materials management
                  • Production planning
                  • Inventory and supply chain management
                  • Quality control
                  • Reporting
                  • Mobile application
                  • Ecommerce
                  Customization
                  • Intuitive native module integration
                  • Third-party integrations and customization only via code modification
                  Pricing
                  • Per user + per adapted module or extension
                  Deployment
                  • SaaS
                  • PaaS
                  • On-premises

                  Core features
                  • Finance management and accounting
                  • Service and marketing automation
                  • Human resource management
                  • Billing
                  • Asset management
                  • CRM
                  • Sales order management
                  • Opportunity management
                  • Planning and budgeting
                  • Revenue recognition
                  • Financial analytics, and reporting
                  Customization
                  • Rich customization capabilities:
                  • SuiteScript
                  • SuiteTalk
                  • SuiteBuilder
                  Pricing
                  • Custom pricing based on the core platform, optional modules, and the number of users
                  Deployment
                  • SaaS

                  Core features
                  • Manufacturing methodologies support
                  • Orders, schedules, and material plans monitoring
                  • Time and material tracking
                  • Production performance assessment
                  • Mobile application
                  Customization
                  • Intuitive native module integration
                  • Third-party connection requires development work
                  Pricing
                  • Monthly licensing fee + resource consumption fee
                  Deployment
                  • SaaS
                  • Private cloud

                  Core features
                  • Production management
                  • Quality management
                  • Job management
                  • Kanban lean production
                  • Lean manufacturing management
                  • MES
                  • Planning and scheduling
                  • Mobile application
                  Customization
                  • Rich customization capabilities
                  Pricing
                  • Per user and per month basis
                  Deployment
                  • Private and public cloud
                  • On-premises

                  Core features
                  • Demand planning and forecasting
                  • Quality control
                  • Trade management
                  • Asset lifecycle management
                  • Inventory management
                  • Product lifecycle manufacturing
                  • Mobile support
                  Customization
                  • Intuitive customization
                  Pricing
                  • Custom pricing
                  Deployment
                  • Cloud or on-premises

                  Core features
                  • Manufacturing and quality management
                  • Project management
                  • Supply chain management
                  • Vendor management
                  • Billing and costing
                  • Financial and accounting
                  • Inventory and order management
                  • Asset management
                  • CRM and customer service
                  Customization
                  • Extensive customization capabilities
                  Pricing
                  • Quote-based
                  Deployment
                  • Cloud deployment

                  Core features
                  • Production planning and optimization
                  • Assembly processes and management
                  • Quality control
                  • RPA workflow streamlining
                  Customization
                  • SAP Extension Suite
                  • SAP Integration Suite
                  • On-premises code modifications
                  Pricing
                  • Custom pricing
                  Deployment
                  • Private, hybrid, or public cloud
                  • On-premises

                  Build a comprehensive ERP solution with Itransition

                  ERP consulting

                  ERP consulting

                  We help manufacturing companies choose the optimal tech stack for their ERP project and introduce ERP solutions within the scope of their time and budget requriements.

                  ERP implementation

                  We implement platform-based ERP and build custom ERP solutions by following a step-by-step process that includes business needs analysis, full-scale solution deployment, and after-launch support.

                  Manufacturing ERP implementation roadmap

                  1

                  Business analysis

                  Discovery of business processes
                  Infrastructure analysis
                  Requirements definition
                  ERP solution scoping

                  2

                  Design

                  ERP conceptualization
                  Architecture design
                  Integration scope definition
                  Tech stack selection

                  3

                  Project planning

                  Project timeframes and key steps outline
                  Project deliverables definition
                  Resource planning
                  Change management assessment and planning
                  Budget planning

                  4

                  Development/Customization

                  ERP software configuration
                  ERP software customization
                  Custom ERP development
                  Platform integration

                  5

                  Quality assurance

                  Functional testing
                  Performance testing
                  Usability testing
                  Compatibility testing

                  6

                  Deployment

                  ERP software deployment to production
                  Data migration
                  End-user training
                  Admin training

                  7

                  After-launch support

                  Platform infrastructure and users support
                  Performance issues management
                  Data flows fine-tuning
                  Technology upgrades on request

                  Benefits of using ERP systems for manufacturing

                  Increased visibility into business processes

                  Accurate and timely data on core business processes accumulated in a central database allows all authorized parties to access and collaborate efficiently.

                  Eliminated communication bottlenecks

                  Open communication channels, data transparency, and role-based homepages break down communication barriers. It helps to eliminate redundant work, address inefficiencies, and foster cross-functional collaboration.

                  Streamlined data analysis

                  Structured company-wide data reporting and analytics capabilities enable effective data-driven decision-making.

                  Risk mitigation

                  A comprehensive overview of all business processes helps detect loopholes, predict and proactively address risks and ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements.

                  Maximized resource & equipment utilization

                  Managing your product cycle with automated production scheduling and IoT-enabled real-time visibility into available resources and inventory reduces equipment idle time.

                  Lean manufacturing

                  Monitoring current and upcoming production orders, automated inventory tracking and simplified purchase orders help ensure timely fulfillment of customer orders and reduce production cycles.

                  Odoo ERP system implementation

                  Case study

                  Odoo ERP system implementation

                  Discover how Itransition customized an Odoo ERP system to help the customer automate their business processes and improve service quality.

                  A furniture manufacturing software suite

                  Case study

                  A furniture manufacturing software suite

                  Read the story behind Itransition’s 5-year collaboration with a leading UK furniture manufacturer on web, mobile and VR solutions.

                  ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace

                  Case study

                  ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace

                  Learn how Itransition delivered ERP system maintenance for LISI Aerospace to enhance productivity and reduce support costs.

                  Industrial risk management software support

                  Case study

                  Industrial risk management software support

                  Learn how Itransition’s dedicated team delivered risk management software support for a Dutch provider with 5K+ enterprise clients globally.