A business that’s looking for a way to streamline operations, reduce costs, and boost efficiency and productivity needs an ERP platform that can help it achieve those aims easily. However, before going to just any vendor, it’s important to understand which features and capabilities a
manufacturing ERP must have.
Often, industry-specific needs can be met by different modules offered in an ERP system that come with an additional cost but offer high customization and configuration that makes it totally worth it.
Also, it’s important to be aware of the functionality that’s already included in the base ERP, so you just have to integrate the necessary add-ons relevant to your business.
List of Must-Have Modules in an ERP
Issue Tracking
An ERP system must offer the ability to track data and history of each product like product specification, testing results, quality assurance records, and more to precisely see where the error occurred. This leads to a proactive approach to finding a solution.
Inventory Cost Management
A financial toll is unavoidable when manufacturers over-stock an item. Imagine saving all this money if you wouldn’t make such a mistake — with the right inventory management software; you can. Software that’s versatile and user-friendly will keep you in the loop and will create necessary reports to help you with your inventory-making decisions.

Advanced Pricing Models
Many manufacturers need to know how to price their bids competitively to establish new relationships. Go for an ERP that includes advanced pricing and reporting modules for consistent pricing models and a reduced risk of user error.
Robustness
Whatever your business size, you need a large and robust system to handle fluctuations well and manage future business needs. It needs to manage your volume now and down the road as you expand.
Data Extraction
Your ERP should be able to pull data in a manner of seconds, not hours. It should have high reporting capabilities like customizing reports, flagging items, and manually manipulating the reports.
Data Accessibility
The data across an organization vary, but everyone still needs it as soon as possible. With a good cloud based inventory management system, you should be able to get information in a matter of seconds.
Easy Order Entry and Receiving
With ERP software, you should be able to improve your order entry times immediately, something that takes weeks if done manually. Similarly, with an ERP, everyone can know what has been ordered rather than a selected number of employees.
Customer Details
All your customer representatives need to be equipped with data to handle the customer requests they get. Whether it’s an inquiry or a troubleshooting request, they should have answers instantly. A centralized ERP will let your representatives see a customer’s history and
improve the customer service.
AltheaSuite for All Businesses
If you’re looking for a comprehensive ERP system with manufacturing and process management modules, check out AltheaSuite. It’s the best ERP for inventory management that offers all modules and functionalities that your business needs for consistent growth, including inventory management, POS, purchase management, CRM, reports, and much more. AltheaSuite is compatible with all PCs, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, and tablets.
Contact them today to get started!