Why Improving Productivity in Manufacturing Industry is Important

Manufacturers today face numerous pressures for improving productivity in manufacturing, and that is why they have high expectations of going to software solutions. The solutions must manage a wide range of tasks, from shop floor operations to supply chain planning. Few solutions can successfully manage every aspect of an organization’s operations and processes and anticipate every use case or application. Gaps are bound to show up, no matter how mature the ERP solution is or how extensive the quality control and testing are.  

Complex Demands

It’s no wonder, then, that add-on productivity tools, such as Single Source provides, fill an important need. “Companies often have to create their own workarounds or simply live with a wish list of things they would like their ERP to do. But manufacturers don’t usually have that luxury,” says Marty Rhodes, president of Single Source Systems.

“Organizations that manufacture equipment and machinery can’t ‘make do’ or ignore workflow issues that need to be solved. They must dial in on every opportunity to save time, speed processes, and enhance performance,” he says. Big-picture success often depends on a series of operational successes—the kind that happens multiple times per day. These can be pivotal, the difference being a so-so year and one that stands out.  

Details Count

Taking existing solutions to a higher level of performance is the concept behind Single Source Productivity Tools. Single Source offers a suite of add-on tools for Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine), seamlessly integrating with CSI for fast, easy deployment. The tools address some of the most common requests from CSI users, helping relieve frustrations while providing added benefits.   

A time-consuming, tedious process or a roadblock in the system can be disastrous for a manufacturer—because they tend to be highly lean, with thin margins, and work with complex equipment and demanding customers. “Small problems can become big problems quickly. A task that you think should be easy can suddenly eat away hours or even days of time. Time wasted is money wasted,” says Marty. Single Source set out to change that, giving IT managers and administrators tools and templates to speed up tasks and improve productivity. 

Expertise is the key to Improving Productivity in Manufacturing

Single Source has specialized in manufacturing for nearly 30 years. Single Source has also been a long-time solution partner and reseller with Infor, developing valuable insights about Infor solutions and how to integrate to them. This background has proven valuable in developing Productivity Tools for CSI. “We have worked with manufacturers large and small, helping them deploy ERP solutions and add-on tools. So, we know the issues, the details, the headaches, and the opportunities to boost efficiency,” says Marty. “We put all of the experience into the tools.” 

There are more than 10 tools in the suite, with new ones added regularly. Some examples include:

-Organize Critical Numbers into personalized dashboards so you can quickly and easily access the Critical Numbers used most often. The output can also be used for trend analysis of data snapshots taken over an extended period.

-An import/export feature simplifies the ability to import or export data into the system, leveraging Excel templates to help align fields and set parameters for each field.

- The ability to pro-rate critical numbers is added. Most critical numbers and KPIs in CloudSuite Industrial are dynamic and employ an element of time, but the standard Critical Number functionality does not take variability into account, such as partial weeks in a month. This feature allows Critical Numbers to be “pro-rated” for any moment in time to accurately fall within the Goal and Alert values, so you get a more accurate comparison of the week over week or month over month.

These are some examples of Productivity Tools. For the complete list see our Fact Sheet.   

About Single Source

For over 30 years we have been helping service-centric companies like yours enhance their operations through technology and proven business insights. Whether you need enterprise-wide solutions or specialized tools, we deliver no-surprise deployments and high-trust results.