Around the globe, no country and no industry have remained unaffected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has slowed down business operations globally making it difficult for every size of the industry to sail through this tough time. And the manufacturing industry is no exception. Like other industries, the industry is trying hard to work amidst the new normal of maintaining social distancing and allowing only 50% of the workforce to attend the office and still complete the targets. On one hand, they have to keep their workers safe and healthy and on the other hand, they are under immense pressure to bring their businesses back on track by increasing sales and profitability. To achieve these goals, the manufacturing industry has faced a lot of challenges that affect its operational efficiencies adversely.
Let’s take a quick look at problems faced by manufacturing industries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenge 1: To keep employees safe and secure, employees were working remotely and they were not able to gain access to important data.
Challenge 2: Disruptions in supply chain and logistics are one of the major issues for manufacturing industries. Manufacturers who relied on imports of raw materials have to look for new sources for continuing their production.
Challenge 3: Product traceability and recall management are the two most difficult areas to manage properly. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses reopened with more scrutiny and increased emphasis on product safety and employee safety. In such situations, the authorities have to run quality and testing checks multiple times, which consumes both their time and energy.
Challenge 4: Working with the production team remotely that too in staggered shifts and changes in supply chain partners were some changes incorporated due to which the management finds it difficult to get a 360-degree view of operations on a real-time basis. They need to wait for a longer duration to get a clearer picture of business operations and for generating important reports.
Now the question arises of what steps manufacturing companies have taken to beat these challenges. And the answer is not difficult to guess. Technological automation helped manufacturers to remain competitive and run businesses efficiently despite keeping their operational costs low. In these uncertain times, ERP i.e. Enterprise Resource Planning software for SMEs and big manufacturing companies worked as a lifesaver.
Importance of ERP During the COVID-19 Pandemic
It is not wrong to say that technology always helps mankind during unexpected conditions and the same stands true during the COVID pandemic also. Due to Enterprise Resource Planning software, manufacturing companies have successfully monitored production and operations remotely in real-time. No area other than supply chain management benefitted the most from the implementation of ERP. For ensuring a steady supply of components of raw materials, manufacturers need transparent and flexible supply chains creating a more diversified group of suppliers that can be contacted from any part of the world during any pandemic or bad situation. ERP has given power manufacturers the to connect and integrate their supply chain operations on a single global platform and to manage them optimally. The software is giving the power of data, real-time visibility, and connectivity to different manufacturers, making them easy to contact them for sourcing essential parts and materials as and when required.
Front-office staff worked remotely whilst keeping production targets on track. Simultaneously, they keep operational, service, and sales teams informed about the order status, shipping, delivery, and service updates. With the help of cloud-based ERP solutions, it is possible to integrate information in one place and get real-time data pertaining to raw materials, sales, and distribution. In this manner, manufacturers can even track the production of stock of a particular product and initiate a product recall if required. Last but not the least, the top management easily get a bird’s eye view of their business operations through intuitive dashboards and reporting system accessible to everyone and from everywhere. So, it is easy to conclude that with the effective implementation of ERP software for SMEs, every manufacturing industry including a leather manufacturing unit is able to work with full efficiency. If your SME is looking for the right ERP software, you can contact Webcity Technologies LLP. The leading company offers different kinds of ERP solutions ranging from off-the-shelf, bespoke to project-centric to clients as per their requirements and budgets. If you have requirements for cloud-based ERP software, speak to their professionals today.