The Absolute and Immediate Benefits of ERP with built-in SCM

• Julius Rassou
• 09-Oct-2017 11:11:02

The Absolute and Immediate Benefits of ERP with built-in SCM

ERP and SCM - a brief:

Back-office business processes are digitized, integrated, and intelligently automated by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions to actuate the efficient and timely accomplishment of the business missions. It also seamlessly streamlines the flow of uniform data throughout the business hierarchy and grants role-specific anytime anywhere real-time information to empower business decision makers to make data-driven, precise and profitable decisions. Supply Chain refers to the flow of materials, information, and finances through the manufacturing process starting from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer.

Visibility and Automation:

When an ERP system is integrated with the Supply Chain workflow of an industry, the system brings a real-time picture of the entire process to all interested parties within and among the stakeholders of the Supply Chain, ranging from Manufacturer to Consumer. This clarity of workflow is projected onto the screen of the device of the user’s choice, in the manner that corresponds to the respective personnel’s office. The solution also automates select functions through various levels of the Supply Chain workflow. For instance, Roadmap ERP software:

•           Automatically raises Purchase Orders (PO) through periodical checks on the level-of-stock as per KANBAN inventory-control method. This ensures cost-efficient Production through the just-in-time stocking to actuate lean manufacturing and absolutely minimizing Inventory Carrying Cost.

•           Automates hassle free and error free Gate Entry, through Barcodes and QR codes; which also furnish real-time date-wise Stock Level reporting.

•           Automates the audit of Freight Invoice against the Original Contract for Transportation and leaves no room for error, thereby avoiding waste of time on manual data entry and subsequent rectification of errors.

ERP involves the Supplier and the Consumer in the Supply Chain flow through the Supplier Portal and Customer Portal respectively.

Supplier Portal:

The Roadmap Supplier Portal stipulates the Supplier to enter shipment notice for every delivery he makes to the Manufacturer (ERP Owner) against POs received from him. These Notices entered on the Supplier Portal automatically update the record of POs pending Supplies at the Manufacturer’s end.

Frequently Suppliers make ahead-of-schedule shipment of Finished Goods (FG) for POs received on a later date, while POs preceding them are either still WIP or yet to be processed. Such supplies break the chain of sequence in the records maintained at the manufacturers end and raise the possibility of conflicting delivery details between the Supplier and the manufacturer. But the Supplier Portal rules out all such conflicts by giving the Supplier with the facility to register an Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN) whenever he makes an ahead-of-schedule shipment. These ASNs automatically update the corresponding Purchase Order Vs Goods Received record with the Manufacturer.

In addition to registering ASNs, the Supplier also assigns the supplied materials with Barcodes/QR codes, which automate Gate Entry and re-confirm the updates made by ASNs to the Manufacturer’s record. This relieves the Manufacturer of the tedious burden of keeping track of pending orders with the Supplier.

Customer Portal:

Roadmap ERP's Customer Portal empowers clients to have control over purchasing; interactive access to the status of orders; sorting out issues regarding delays, returns, and technical support facilities without the trouble of having to get hold of the right person via email or phone. Thus, the Customer Portal links the customer to the business process at approved levels and actuates immense customer satisfaction.

Impeccable Quality Control:

Roadmap supports APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) procedures and techniques. This gives the QC Management process the scope of defining client-specific specimens at each level of Production, thereby, ensuring the delivery of customer-specific products. The solution also adheres to the Eight Disciplines Problem Solving method (8D), which is a Best Practice to handle Quality issues. When it comes to auditing the Product/Workflow, Roadmap is the only ERP software to be equipped to conduct: 5S Audit, Customer Audit, Supplier Audit, Sub-Contractor Audit, Process Audit, and Internal Quality Audit.

Arming an SCM workflow with such Quality Control tools leaves little room for the production of material that would be anything less than perfect.

The Goodness of ERP in Totality:

The comprehensive integration of Roadmap ERP modules that constitute its SCM suite eradicates all communication gaps and strengthens the bonding between business stakeholders. Periodically generated reports on Budgeted Vs Actual Financial Scenario give absolute clarity on the real-time business stature and provide the precious scope for making appropriate strategic/tactical amendments. In total all the goodness of the ERP comes together to integrate and streamline the Supply Chain workflow, and render the businesses incorporated with it on the path of progress and from profit to profit.