The steel industry is a unique industry in that it carries characteristics of both process and discrete manufacturing. Most ERP systems are angled toward either manufacturing type, but not both. For steel manufacturing ERP, you need to find a system that can cater to both the process aspects and the discrete aspects while still remaining a powerful solution. Below are some key features that steel manufacturing ERP must have to work well in a mixed manufacturing setting:
Quality Management
As with any product, your customers expect you to deliver a high quality product every time. In the steel industry it is extremely important to have a quality product, especially for the safety of your employees and the consumers who purchase it. Further, a steel manufacturing ERP can help to track and maintain quality records in the case of an audit.
Lot Traceability
In the steel industry, it can be difficult sometimes to trace every material from raw product to finished product. This is where lot traceability comes in handy in steel manufacturing ERP. The system can automatically track where each ingredient was.
Recipe-Based Bills of Materials
This is one aspect of where discrete and process manufacturing come into play in steel manufacturing ERP. Just as many discrete manufacturers use a bill of materials to map out their product, so do process manufacturers, however, theirs resembles more of a recipe. With thousands of steps and ingredients to track in the bill of materials, it is important the steel manufacturing ERP has a strong solution.
Regulatory Compliance
Among all process manufacturers, regulatory compliance is a high priority. Having an ERP system that can automatically track and report compliance makes the whole process easier. Especially in the case of an audit.
Steel manufacturing ERP has unique features that meet the unique needs of the industry. From accounting needs to lot traceability and compliance, steel manufacturing ERP needs to be strong in all these areas.
There is no one-size-fits-all and you have to do some research to find the best ERP solution for you. Read more here.
