Manufacturing software helps you control costs, optimise processes, capitalise on new trends and promote exceptional customer satisfaction—ultimately boosting profitability and accelerating growth.

But, whether it's ERP, OEE, MES or PLM, the alphabet soup of available software systems can be overwhelming. You're likely already using some of these solutions, but figuring out if there are any pieces of the puzzle missing or even if your existing pieces fit together neatly enough is no easy task.

While a puzzle has one resolution, digital transformation in the manufacturing industry has no hard and fast rules. And no one-size-fits-all solutions. However, there are a few principles that can help simplify the process. Think of them like the edge pieces of your jigsaw—guardrails to help you get started.

1. The right enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a great first step for all manufacturers, acting as a foundation for your full software platform.

2. Industry-specific software will deliver additional benefits now and into the future by providing specialised functionality to conquer your sector's unique challenges.

3. Choosing cloud-based manufacturing solutions future-proofs your operations by enhancing agility, scalability and security.

4. Finding the best solutions for your business will be easier if you clearly define your current challenges, gaps and both short- and long-term goals before beginning your search.

With these guiding principles set out clearly as your edge pieces and an experienced partner by your side, you're ready to solve the rest of your manufacturing software puzzle.

To fill in the details of the puzzle let's take a look at the benefits delivered by some of the key manufacturing systems in that alphabet soup.

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - Acts as a "single source of truth" to automate and streamline processes from order and inventory management to production planning and quality control—helping you reduce costs, improve productivity and make smarter strategic decisions.

• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) - Manages the entire new product development (NPD) process from ideation to launch and beyond—removing department silos, controlling costs and accelerating time to market.

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) - Calculates your OEE score automatically, highlighting inefficiencies and facilitating improvements to help you maximise the use of all your machinery, materials and time.

• Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) - Tracks the full lifecycle of each of your assets, allowing your to optimise performance, minimise downtime and cut maintenance costs.

• Transport Management System (TMS) - Optimises distribution by improving efficiency of truck routes, increasing transport visibility and enhancing final-mile customer service.

In a nutshell, as you build your manufacturing software platform piece by piece, you gain additional benefits—streamlining processes and boosting efficiency until you're maximising operational excellence end to end.

Are you ready to improve productivity, enhance customer satisfaction and boost your bottom line? Chat with our experts today to find out what Aptean's manufacturing systems for discrete and process operations can do for you.

Whether it's the "single source of truth" provided by an ERP, the full insight into your NPD process offered by PLM software or the distribution visibility delivered by TMS tools, manufacturing software provides improved data accuracy and availability across your entire organisation.

With precise data accessible exactly when you need it, you can break down departmental silos, make smarter operational decisions and improve a range of processes, from inventory management and food traceability to supply chain management and asset maintenance.

By replacing manual processes and legacy solutions with tailored digital workflows and automation, manufacturing systems enable you to significantly improve efficiency and optimise workforce productivity throughout your operation.

From reducing equipment downtime and line stoppages to limiting waste and cutting truck miles, deploying the right solutions can unlock measurable savings from Day One—helping you combat the rising cost of doing business and boost profitability.

Keeping your customers happy is the key to success, so every system implemented on your digital transformation journey should encompass features or promote processes that increase customer satisfaction.

To that end, PLM systems empower you to react quickly to consumer trends, bringing new products to market more quickly. In addition, ERP quality control and management features ensure that you're reliably delivering the best product, while truck routing and proof of delivery solutions provide clear customer communication throughout the distribution process.

The manufacturing industry is awash with laws that your operation must adhere to—from food traceability regulations and cosmetic legislation to sustainability guidelines and mandates on driving hours. And that's not to mention all the retailer requirements and supply chain partner agreements that you must also comply with.

To ease this headache and make both maintaining and proving compliance a simpler task, manufacturing software solutions offer digitised processes, more accurate data collection, specialised workflows and electronic document management (EDM) functionality to store key files.

Your people are one of your most valuable assets, especially in today's climate of labour shortages, skills gaps and declining engagement. So, attracting new hires, retaining current staff and increasing employee satisfaction is critical.

Sophisticated systems help engage digital natives, and make daily tasks easier for your staff, with many time-consuming or tedious processes now taken care of by the software. Plus, increased mobility and accessibility empower you to offer more flexible working models. Ultimately, your staff are happier and you're able to leverage their talent for higher value tasks—it's a win-win.

With reporting and analytics features, business intelligence (BI) applications and scenario modelling functionality, not only do manufacturing software systems offer out-of-the-box benefits, they also enable you to drive continuous improvement.

The systems empower you with full visibility into all of your data and processes in order to identify opportunities for further optimisation. And, with all of their tailored features, you'll have the necessary control to quickly enact changes—helping you maximise profitability and drive long-term success.