Manufacturing is always a game of cutting costs and maximizing profit, regardless of whether you’re in finished goods or raw materials. One of the most overlooked and worst expenses in manufacturing is technology. From ERPs that are over a decade old to mainframes keeping track of inventory in an office just off the factory floor, a modest technology investment can immediately deliver profit back to the bottom line.
Cloud Computing
Storing your data in the cloud alleviates the burden of server maintenance from your IT team and increases your uptime with technology resources far beyond what any manufacturing company should allocate to data. Cloud storage is secure, reliable, and easy to back up. Remote access to inventory, orders, and customers can also dramatically increase your team’s speed and efficiency.
Improving Accuracy
Human error still accounts for a large portion of loss: transposed numbers, lost papers, mistaken calculations, and incorrect inventory counts. Tolerating old processes and the associated loss can directly limit your company’s ability to turn a profit. Implementing automation through custom software or mobile applications can impact accuracy overnight by eliminating the weakest points in a process.
Shipping Improvements
The process of preparing an order for shipment, quoting a carrier to transport it, and coordinating the actual drop of the shipment is ripe for miscommunication and inefficiency. Integrations with carriers and notifications for upcoming deliveries helps cut down on lost time before and after the load arrives at its destination, which all serves to improve your margins.