Accelerate Product Development with ERP for Your Manufacturing Operations

Today’s customers increasingly demand individualized products. This means manufacturers need highly flexible production processes and responsive material requirements planning. By utilizing tailored manufacturing solutions, you can accelerate product development and bring innovations to market faster and more cost-effectively than the competition.

Consistent product lifecycle management (PLM) from research and development to aftersales service is crucial in manufacturing operations. By taking an approach that integrates people, data, processes, systems and tools such as CAD, you can accelerate manufacturing cycle times and reduce waste. Solutions such as SAP Product Lifecycle Management increase engineering efficiency and reduce time to market.

The Internet of Things enables businesses in discrete manufacturing to make precise predictions based on real-time sensor data from machines and give their customers recommendations for future actions. It also paves the way to new business models, such as consumption-based contracts, allowing you to offer your customers more added value.

Manufacturers are in the midst of digital transformation. With sensor technology and advanced manufacturing execution systems, companies can unleash the potential of their data. What’s more, flexible platforms help you realize the connected smart factory and facilitate better collaboration with other companies.

As a basis for strategic decisions, greater transparency into all manufacturing operations is required: from production planning to aftersales service. With technology for real-time monitoring and data analytics, you can leverage sensor data to create new, service-based business models and gain additional capabilities, such as predictive maintenance. Moreover, by using artificial intelligence, you can increase productivity and accuracy through automation.

In light of modern developments, such as big data, cloud computing, and IoT technology, data protection is more important than ever before. Manufacturing companies require IT solutions that protect them against digital threats.

Thanks to connected sensors, machines can automatically alert technicians before they break down. Platforms such as SAP Leonardo and the SAP Asset Intelligence Network connect manufacturers and operators, enabling them to profit from the Industrial Internet of Things.

The user experience is all-important in discrete industries to help employees clearly visualize data and make informed decisions. There is also great potential for UX innovations in the smart factory, with technologies such as voice control and augmented reality changing the game.

With an intuitive online store, manufacturers and suppliers can boost revenue by making it easier for customers to compare products, configure variants, manage machinery, and order spare parts. Full integration with the ERP system streamlines the sales process.