The economic and employment picture is changing. This change presents both challenges and opportunities for manufacturers. There are more manufacturing jobs available today, but as the economy expands and skilled workers reach retirement age, there is a question about who will fill those jobs.

According to an in-depth study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, manufacturing job openings have been growing at double-digit rates since mid-2017. The resulting report highlights a widening gap between the jobs that need to be filled and the skilled talent pool capable of filling them.

Several reasons are given for the lack of skilled workers, but two that stand out are:

• Shifting skill sets due to the introduction of advanced technologies
• Misperceptions of manufacturing jobs

Manufacturers are at the forefront of technology-assisted business operations. Change is rapid and consistent, and new skill sets are necessary to keep up with the new technology. Without capable employees to fill the jobs and use the new technology, manufacturing businesses will be unable to respond to market opportunities, support innovation and development of new products, increase production levels, and stay ahead of their competitors.

What can help manufacturers become more efficient, productive, and profitable?

How ERP can help

The manufacturing industry can benefit greatly from the advances in technology, particularly regarding ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. Modern full-function ERPs such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 go beyond automating processes to also gathering data that powers predictive maintenance and improves productivity. Manufacturers no longer need to struggle to aggregate, analyze, and make sense of vast quantities of data.

From lean processes to streamlined systems

Many manufacturers have focused on eliminating waste and boosting productivity by adopting lean processes. ERP can help with this. When product timelines are tightened, and manufacturers are cost and quality sensitive, project managers must really be on the ball. They can’t afford to waste time and resources with duplicate and repetitive data entry tasks. A centralized system that ties all departments, from manufacturing to finance, together supports lean processes and facilitates task completion. Real-time accurate information is critical to manufacturing efficiency and success.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP for Manufacturing

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (365 BC) allows manufacturing organizations to respond quickly to changing market and production demands.

Dynamics 365 BC offers these benefits:

Streamlined and integrated processes. Dynamics 365 BC allows manufacturers to manage inventory more efficiently, reduce raw material excess, close periods and production run preparation time, boost production while containing overhead costs, and reduce operating costs by replacing various disparate systems with a single, unified platform.

Scheduling and resource management.  Project managers can automatically reprogram production sequences when sales demands change, optimize the use of their raw-material inventory, operate master plans for agile forecasting and rescheduling as necessary, and create on the go BOM (bills of material) and routes for sales and production variants.

Cost control. Real-time analytics allow manufacturers to view works in-progress with actual costs and timelines. They can avert potential delays and overruns and reduce stock build-up costs by using just-in-time principles in the warehouse.

Increased visibility and access to critical data. Dynamics 365 BC gives manufacturers the tools and insight they need for making critical purchasing, sales, and production decisions. Project managers can decide to advance, delay, or combine purchase orders and out-work orders as demand requires. They can track sales and order status in real-time to meet customer expectations.

With its focus on manufacturing, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a strong solution for today’s manufacturing challenges. Microsoft Gold-certified ERP software partner, BroadPoint, offers Microsoft Dynamics 365 with support from its team of expert consultants.

If you are a manufacturer and would like to discuss how Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help your company meet today’s challenges, contact us at BroadPoint for a free consultation.

By BroadPoint, www.broadpoint.net