Disconnected to data-driven: A roadmap for smarter manufacturing

One of the fundamental challenges manufacturers face is disconnected systems, with data silos impacting all aspects of a business.  

Smarter manufacturing is about a few things, but underneath it all is breaking down these barriers, removing the need to duplicate data and shift it unnecessarily across tasks and roles.

The solution starts with integrating ERP platforms to unify data and drive productivity, believes David Taylor, Founder and Managing Director of BusinessHub. 

“The simplest level might be a pricing spreadsheet that the customer’s working with to be able to effectively estimate for a customer the… price they need to charge for manufacturing some sort of bespoke product that needs to be built and distributed,” says Taylor to give an example.

“Now what we would be aiming to solve for there is unifying that data so the pricing spreadsheet is sitting within-platform, calling on correct cost prices with margins, and allowing you to accelerate the quote-to-cash process effectively. 

“That’s one process and by quote-to-cash it is quoting, securing the order, focussing it on an accurate delivery or lead times for that product, being able to then deliver on that, and by unifying that data you’re able to not have to triplicate the data from one system to the next system to an Excel spreadsheet and back through that process.” 

Taylor is emphatic about cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a way to smarter manufacturing.

BusinessHub has been in business for over two decades. It’s an MYOB partner specialising in the MYOB Acumatica platform.

Unifying systems is one of the core outcomes of digital transformation. Cloud-based ERP helps manufacturers bring their data together, reduce manual work, and streamline operations. 

By relying on experts to manage complex areas like data security and system maintenance, businesses can focus on what they do best, while staying confident that their systems are secure and always up to date.

The really important thing for cloud ERP adopters to consider is change management, so that their staff are clear on how and why they’re implementing a new way of working, and why it will ultimately make their jobs less frustrating.

“[It’s] not just about changing the tech at the backend; it really is about the management of change. Functionally, does a system meet the requirements that you outline?… That is one part. And frankly it’s the easiest part to confirm,” Taylor explains.

“So listening and tweaking and taking… feedback on board is also critical. And I think also making sure that the scope of the change project is defined, so people understand what is being done, but just as importantly what isn’t being touched in that change journey. Because you can’t change everything all at once. It’s a journey that the business needs to go through.”

In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, Taylor expands on how manufacturers can move beyond manual workarounds and isolated data to enable smarter operations. Make sure you listen to the end for a checklist you can use if you think you might be suffering from disconnected systems.

Episode guide

0:49 – An introduction to both Taylor and BusinessHub, which has been around for just over 20 years.

1:44 – Why working with manufacturers and their problems is exciting.

3:18 – Unique requirements in terms of cost and quality.

4:02 – Moving to cloud-based ERP, what that means, and why it represents progress.

6:52 – BusinessHub’s partnership with MYOB and what it looks like in practice.

8:32 – Data silo issues and overcoming them, with a practical example on quoting, delivering and forecasting.

10:11 – Quote-to-cash at an automotive add-ons business.

11:33 – Finite capacity at a food business, assisting production planning and optimising workflow.

12:50 – The digital thread in practice, plus some complications regarding the concept.

14:03 – A challenge around inbound deliveries of an important ingredient with sensitivities around temperature.

15:55 — Some thoughts on change management.

18:24 – Productivity, AI, data and workplaces.

19:10 – What productivity gains through better digital tools look like at the company level.

20:21 – Having better-structured data to make the adoption of AI easier and more useful.

22:15 – A practical checklist for listeners regarding cloud-based ERPs.