11 Ways to Improve Production Using Business Software

Tracking production is a considerable challenge in itself. If you also want to do it in software, you need to prepare properly and know your goal — that is, what you want tracking production to achieve.

Below are the things that, if you manage to track them in software, can help you improve production:

#1. Defining a batch when materials are entered

When a given material — sheet metal, say — is entered into the software, a batch can be defined for it, so that you can later trace easily which batch was used to make a particular product. This can prove extremely useful if a problem arises with a finished product: you can see immediately which batch of sheet metal it was made from and, if necessary, trace the other products made from the same batch and head off any further problems.

#2. Visibility of raw material stock when a work order is created

At the moment a work order is created, it helps to see the stock of raw materials that order requires. This is useful for your production plan, because it lets you plan the purchase of the raw materials needed to carry it out.

#3. Defining minimum stock levels

Defining minimum stock levels lets you plan and place orders in good time, which is particularly useful for those raw materials that take a long time to arrive once ordered.

#4. Visibility of the current status of a work order

It helps to see at any moment whether a work order is complete or not. Beyond that, it is useful to be able to assign different statuses to a work order — among other things, whether it is currently in progress or finished.

#5. Defining bills of materials

Being able to define bills of materials in the system matters. A bill of materials is the list of raw materials a given item is made from. Creating one lets you state clearly what each product consists of, so that new staff know straight away what goes into a given product, and the people running production know which raw materials to prepare in order to make it.

#6. Pulling in the materials defined in the bill of materials automatically

Work orders should pull in the defined bills of materials automatically, which saves time and gives you visibility at any moment of the raw material quantities needed to complete the order

#7. Tracking the raw materials consumed in completing an order

It helps to be able to track every requisition relating to an order, along with total material consumption. You should be able to see where more material was consumed on a given order than was planned, and to establish exactly why.

#8. Creating a production plan

It helps to build a production plan in the system with target delivery dates and target dates for completing intermediate stages, and to plan raw material purchasing and deliveries around it.

#9. Creating a delivery note from a work order

Creating a delivery note directly from a work order automates and speeds up the whole process.

#10. Visibility of your history with a customer

At the moment you prepare a quote for a given customer, it helps to see their previous orders, their purchase history, how they pay and other information that makes important business decisions easier.

#11. Defining packaging and delivery details

It helps to be able to define particular transport packaging, dimensions, weight, volume, different delivery addresses for the same customer and so on in the software, making delivery easier to plan.