Top Ten Problems Solved by SAP Business One in Manufacturing.
Problem #5: Quality Control Issues
This is the fifth in our series of blogs exploring ten of the most common challenges facing manufacturers, and how SAP Business One helps address them. In the previous post, we looked at problems arising from disconnected systems and departments. In this post, we examine quality control issues in manufacturing.
The Problem
Quality control is critical in the manufacturing sector. It ensures that products perform as advertised. It ensures compliance with regulations. Most importantly, quality control helps build trust. Good and consistent product quality leads to positive customer reviews and repeat business.
In small companies however there are a number of barriers to be overcome:
Cost
Quality control can be expensive, resulting in additional staff and materials. It can also be disruptive. In some cases, it can increase scrappage in the short term.
Process
Quality standards may not be documented, staff may need additional training, and manufacturing systems may be manual. Spreadsheets and paper forms make it difficult to implement new procedures and track product quality.
Culture
Procedural change can be difficult, especially in companies reliant on a small number of key individuals. The constant pressure to meet deadlines and schedules can also lead to shortcuts being taken.
How SAP Business One can help improve quality control in manufacturing
SAP Business One directly addresses the most common barriers to quality control in manufacturing.
Integrated Solution
SAP Business One lowers the cost of quality control by integrating it into ERP and related workflows. It replaces spreadsheets and other manual systems with a single integrated solution for quality control, production, inventory, sales and purchasing. Manual systems are slow, labour-intensive, and prone to error. Integrating quality control into ERP is more efficient. It also elevates the visibility and importance of quality control. It makes quality control everyone’s responsibility.
Easy to Use
SAP Business One simplifies the management of quality inspection plans. It automates inspection operations, optimises data collection, and ensures consistency in the execution of plans. Operators have step-by-step inspection guides and managers have real-time visibility of results.
Less Waste
The earlier you catch a defect, the less material you waste. For instance, SAP Business One can enforce inspection of materials when they arrive in your warehouse. It can also log supplier performance and defect history. In doing so, faulty materials can be rejected or quarantined before production, thus avoiding entire production runs being scrapped due to poor inputs.
And SAP Business One reduces waste in another way; by minimising reworks. It does this by alerting managers to problems in real-time and flagging them for immediate corrective action.
Take the next step
These are just some of the ways that SAP Business One can help your business. To find more, download a copy of our SAP Business One Beginners Guide – Manufacturing or take a virtual tour.
In the next blog in this series, we focus on errors arising from manual processes.
By Edward Bentley