If you’ve been using the same ERP system for several years, it might be time for an upgrade. When you bought your system, it was probably on the cutting edge of shop management systems, but technology changes quickly. If you’ve had the same ERP system for several years without updating it, you have a legacy ERP system. There are options out there that can help you run your shop better. The top three reasons to get a new ERP system are to make your shop more efficient, prevent hacking, and to find a system that fits your shop.
Make Your Shop Efficient
One of the central reasons you got your ERP system, to begin with, was probably to make your shop more efficient. However, now that technology has advanced, there are almost certainly some things that you do manually now that an updated system would do automatically. These may be things like making reports or creating a schedule for the shop floor. New ERP systems can create these with the click of a button, while legacy systems may not have this capability. In addition, newer systems make it much easier to communicate between departments. For example, both managers and payroll can see how many hours an employee has worked. Legacy ERP systems often don’t have this capability either.
Prevent Hacking
Hacking is becoming a bigger problem for manufacturers. One of the reasons businesses get hacked is because they’re using out-of-date software. When software is updated, it often fixes bugs, and these updates will frequently contain certain security updates as well. If you’re using a legacy ERP system that hasn’t been updated or is no longer supported, your risk of being hacked is much higher. It’s a good idea to keep everything related to technology up-to-date, but ERP systems can sometimes be forgotten. If hackers are able to get into your shop’s ERP system, they can see everything, including your customer list and potentially some trade secrets. Recovering from being hacked is difficult and expensive. It’s better to prevent it in the first place. A new, updated ERP system will have the latest security built-in and keep the hackers out of your shop.
Get the Right ERP System
Shops grow and change; that’s part of what makes them successful. To demonstrate, a shop may have started out as more of a distributor and only making a few special orders on the side. However, as the years passed, this shop switched to creating their own products. Now they have to worry about scheduling and job routers. The ERP system they bought when they were mostly a distributor isn’t a good fit anymore, so they’ve got to find a new one. Not all changes are this dramatic. If you’re using a legacy ERP system and finding you have to work around the system more often than working with it, then it may be time to get a new one. The right ERP system will work with your shop and won’t require any workarounds to get the job done.
The three biggest reasons to upgrade your legacy ERP system are to make your shop more efficient, prevent hacking, and get the right ERP system. It can be hard to replace your legacy system. It worked great when you got it and that’s why you bought it. However, as the software ages and technology advances, there are better options on the market. It could actually be costing your shop money to keep running your legacy system. it’s time you look at what today’s ERP systems can offer. Check out our brochure to see what E2 can offer you.
