Selecting manufacturing software can be difficult if you do not know what you are looking for in a manufacturing software solution. Prior to selecting any type of manufacturing software, you need to sit down and determine your needs. What are you looking to gain from investing in manufacturing software? Are you trying to get away from managing your business using spreadsheets and out-of-the-box bookkeeping software? Or do you need a solution that can help you better manage your warehouse processes and keep better track of your inventory?

Whatever your need, manufacturing software can help your manufacturing company run more effectively and efficiently. If you’ve decided that it is time to invest in manufacturing software, you will need to select software that contains the following four must have features:

1. Manufacturing Requirements Planning (MRP)

This must have functionality will save you loads of time and plenty of inventory purchasing headaches. A good manufacturing software package will look at all current inventory levels and upcoming sales orders, then factor in seasonality of sales to determine what kind of inventory  purchases the company should plan to make and when. The manufacturing software will even integrate with a purchase order module, enabling users to create purchase orders with their preferred vendors. MRP will prevent companies from running out of crucial raw materials, as well as help them save time and reduce the risk of ordering errors (such as ordering incorrect items or quantities). MRP is well worth the investment and should be one of the first things to examine when purchasing manufacturing software.

2. Bill of Materials

Many companies are creating the Bill of Materials in a spreadsheet. While spreadsheets may have worked in the past, their convenience may come at a high cost. True manufacturing software allows users to store as many Bill of Materials as needed, as well as enabling users to copy and manipulate the data to create new ones. Many manufacturing software solutions also allow users to import CAD drawings from CAD software to automatically create a Bill of Materials based off the drawing. That is a huge time-saving feature that makes it well worth the cost!

One final word on Bill of Materials: make sure that you look for manufacturing software that allows for multiple levels within a Bill of Materials. Many companies find that they need to add sub-assemblies that require a separate build before being added to the final product. Selecting manufacturing software that allows for multiple levels will save you time and frustration when creating the Bill of Materials for each project.

3. Serial/Lot Tracking

This is not a “must have” for every manufacturing company; however, if you plan on producing anything that has the potential for being recalled at some point in time, then this feature is an absolute requirement of doing business. Food and beverage manufacturers need to be able to track all orders by lot number to make it easier to manage product recalls by customer and order. Likewise, technology manufacturers must include a serial number on each product sold to manage any product failures.  If any part within the product goes bad, having a serial number on that specific part will help manufacturers move through the recall and repair process more efficiently. The company that is best prepared to deal with unforeseen events - such as product recalls and repairs – will have a greater success among customers and reduce the overall damage to the company’s bottom line. 

4. Inventory Control

The biggest reason manufacturing companies purchase manufacturing software is to gain better control over their inventory. Inventory can be difficult to track through basic bookkeeping software and spreadsheets, so companies must look for a solution that offers integration between the bookkeeping software and manufacturing software. By investing in manufacturing software that offers integration between inventory control, purchase orders, manufacturing and sales, companies can maintain a higher level of control over the entire manufacturing process. Inventory control helps companies achieve greater visibility, lean manufacturing goals (by keeping lower inventory levels), and fewer inventory shortages.

These four must have features were designed to help you in your manufacturing software selection process. Manufacturing software systems have a variety of features that could be beneficial to your business. Download our “How to Choose a Manufacturing System” guide to find more tips on choosing the best manufacturing software companies. 

Additionally if you'd like more in-depth details regarding specific manufacturing software applications, you may be interested in learning more about Infor VISUAL ERP...