Manufacturers: There’s a Compelling Case for Moving to Cloud Manufacturing ERP NOW

The manufacturing industry has been talking about the cloud for a long time. The term itself was coined in the 1990s; since then, there’s been growing discussion on the importance of digital transformation.

But while cloud might be on your long list, it doesn’t always make the top five focuses. You know the benefits: it’s more flexible and scalable than manual systems or on-premise technology. It makes processes more efficient, and therefore more financially effective. But with everything happening day-to-day, does cloud really have to be an urgent priority? 

In short… yes.

Why?

Because it’s not just a different technology platform. Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) operations are a completely new approach, which will empower your manufacturing business to run quicker, smarter and more profitably. Here are some of the immediate ways your organization will benefit by moving to the cloud in 2021:

1.     Greater Protection From Cyber Threats

Cybercrime will be a $10+ trillion global issue by 2025, as the number of digital threats are both diversifying, and becoming more sophisticated. If you’re still relying on an on-premise system, you increase your vulnerability to cybercrime each time you add a new hardware device or integration point. 

Moving to cloud software now will safeguard your sensitive data from cyber criminals, as hosted cloud service providers monitor business activity 24/7 to identify and resolve any emerging risks. And your network will stay protected as you grow and add new devices—an important factor to consider as more and more manufacturing roles are going remote.

2.     Complete, Company-Wide Visibility

The more data you can see, the more powerful your decisions become. Data is knowledge, and knowledge is power.

Uniting your business network in the cloud centralizes all your critical data in one place, so you can keep an eye on your entire operation in real time, 24 x 7 x 365. More importantly, SaaS-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology will drive that data through to your manufacturing processes, so you can react quickly to accurate, reliable insights for continual optimization.

3.      Integrated Business Systems

On the subject of reacting, it’s very difficult to create joined-up workflows if your manufacturing operation is run by multiple, disconnected systems. Integration is critical to your business speed, flexibility and scalability.

Nobody wants to wrestle with several different pieces of software just to do their job. SaaS ERP technology connects your organization so you can move between third-party applications without experiencing any gaps between services and products.

In addition to working smarter, this approach makes it much easier for your workforce to communicate and share accurate information; another key benefit if some of your team are now working remotely.

4.      Improve Operational Efficiency

The more cohesive your business infrastructure becomes, the easier it is to enhance operations. And good cloud manufacturing ERP solutions are sophisticated and diverse in the efficiencies they drive.

With the right technology, your team can plan and schedule in work in real time, based on accurate job information and material availability. They’ll also be able to closely manage shop floor execution, to understand how quickly and cost-efficiently each job is completed, so you can focus on opportunities that drive the highest profit margin.

5.      Allow Your Business to Flex and Scale

One of the greatest advantages of moving to the cloud now is that growth is so much simpler to achieve. On-premise systems become clunkier and more complex as you add new people and devices; with cloud ERP for manufacturing, the process is seamless.

Industrial manufacturing ERP software facilitates scalability at any moment. If you experience a sudden uptick in volume, you can expand operations without requiring additional (costly) capacity. Which means outgrown technology is never holding you back.

Accelerate Your Cloud Strategy

As IDC recently reported, “cloud computing is transforming virtually every facet of modern manufacturing—from how companies operate to how they integrate with supply chains and how they design and fabricate products.” It delivers new levels of performance optimization in every business area, to drive greater profitability.

Digital transformation is the future. And it’s not just the huge potential of ERP that is making cloud migration urgent. More and more manufacturers are embracing a SaaS approach–which means those that aren’t risk falling behind. The time to move is now.

 If you’re ready to accelerate your cloud strategy, make sure you pick a manufacturing ERP vendor that can provide the integrations you need to run smoothly. A vendor like Aptean. Our cloud-based SaaS ERP is purpose-built to support manufacturers’ needs and unique business challenges.

With an Aptean cloud ERP for manufacturing, you can automate and streamline operations to make your business more efficient and profitable. Get in touch to talk to one of our cloud ERP experts to start transforming your operation today.

Still not convinced? Take a look at our full guide on the differences between on-prem and cloud ERP software which includes a full break down of the pros and cons of both deployment options.