ERP: driving better decision-making

Last year was difficult for UK manufacturing. Output fell, exports were poor and some industries, such as steel, found it difficult to remain competitive.

One beacon of hope was the automotive sector, one of few industries in the UK where innovation is accelerating at rapid pace. And it’s not surprising if you look at the adoption of technology in this sector.

The first implementation of robotics in the UK automotive sector was as far back as the 1960s and, ever since, the industry has been striving towards production lines that are more efficient, flexible and precise.

As automotive manufacturing continues to strive towards greater innovation and heightened productivity, it needs to continue to leverage technology and information to build a competitive advantage.

The solution lies in the integration of systems.

Many automotive manufacturing businesses are already gathering data throughout the production process through ERP to use in predictive analysis to improve manufacturing simulations and keep tabs on machine performance.

But data collection and analysis needn’t stop here, it can be effective even outside of the factory floor.

As vehicles continue to become smarter, manufacturers can start to gather sentiment and information from actual driver usage to improve the R&D process, and gain efficiencies in design, production processes and manufacturing.

By analysing service and in-field performance of products, and sending this data back to ERP, manufacturers can more effectively analyse the effectiveness of chosen components and pinpoint when selected parts need to be redesigned or re-engineered for specific tasks.

Supply chain management optimised by big data can help manufacturers make efficiencies from the procurement process itself, and by gathering data throughout the life cycle of a vehicle, and continually improving design, vehicles can be made more aerodynamic, safe, powerful and effective.

It sounds like a big transformation, but it starts with small changes in thinking and data usage.

Take specialist component manufacturer, Titan, a big supplier into the automotive industry. The business recently entered a number of new markets, focusing its manufacturing capability on smaller sized engines and clean technologies.

With demand high in this sector, Titan needed to increase its time to market by better linking its raw materials and production capacity to the shop floor.

SYSPRO ERP has enabled the company to increase productivity and more accurately match its capacity to demand, giving it the ability to plan and schedule material deliveries in line with what is currently available in the production department.

Small steps in automation, and big changes in the way that data is collected and used towards decision-making processes are the first place to start if the UK automotive industry is going to continue to lead the UK manufacturing industry throughout 2016.