Sheet metal fabrication has grown in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years. Its application is spreading across a wider range of industries and specialties. With this enormous growth comes more challenges for metal fabricators.
Generally, the metal fabrication industry is plagued with many challenges, but it's nothing compared to what it faces now. With the unending problems of increased demand, a shortage of skilled labour, and high-cost raw materials, metal fabricators must look for a way to overcome all these obstacles and satisfy customers without compromising on quality. The solution to all these now lies in technology.
While we can't control these unfriendly market forces, technology offers us a new way to run operations smoother and achieve higher productivity at a lesser cost of production. As a fabricator, what software do you need to run your business smoothly? How can you pick the best software for you?
What Is Metal Fabrication ERP Software?
ERP Software, also known as enterprise resource planning, is an integrated software tool that helps manufacturers manage their daily operations. It assists managers in organizing workflow and automating fabrication processes.
We live in a world of tight schedules and constant demand for perfection all round. Every fabricator is always on edge, fighting to meet the next deadline and achieve precise and quality output. ERP software solutions have unique features that can help you optimise your operations and meet all the deadlines. You can easily maximise all your available resources, limit material waste, and save time using ERP software.
Why Should I Use Metal Fabrication Software?
Fabricating metals to create desired products calls for a high level of precision and attention to detail. Mistakes are too costly here. The fact that sheet metal goes through many processes before getting a desirable product further makes metal fabrication a demanding task.
The traditional practices we relied on during metalwork have proven inefficient, especially with the increasing demand, higher cost of raw materials, staunch quality standards, and complexity of metalwork. Many fabricators are now looking for the best way to reduce cost and material waste while still meeting up to demands and quality. This is exactly where metal fabrication software comes in.
As a metal fabricator, some of the things you stand to gain by applying fabrication software include the following;
In-depth insights into customers' needs and opportunity to be proactive to these needs.
Increase your productivity without pushing you to outsource unnecessarily or hire more workers than needed.
Helps in inventory management, giving you accurate details of the raw materials you have, when to purchase more, and the best price to get them.
Organise and automate all tasks giving your employees more time to focus on value-added services
Reduces shortages of raw materials and lower production costs as it enables you to purchase the materials at the best price
Helps you eliminate time-wasting processes and meet customer demands with accuracy and precision.
Helps you keep track of all processes from production to distribution, quality control, and customer support.
Things To Look Out For When Getting A Metal Fabrication Software
There's no denying that you stand to gain a lot by adopting metal fabrication software. Whether you go for generic software or specific ones, the benefits are enormous. However, picking the right ERP software can make a huge difference.
To pick the right metal fabrication ERP software for your business, you must ensure that the software has these functions.
Built-In Bill Of Materials
Workload Scheduling
Material Resource Planning
CAD Integration
Flexible Quoting
Generally, the best ERP software comes with the following attributes.
A fair pricing
Flexibility. Must be able to adjust to any change in business operations easily
Usability. It must be easy to use
Meet the quality standards in your region
Free flow of data across all metal fabrication processes
The Best Metal Fabrication ERP Software For Me
There are many ERP software out there, all promising to help you increase your business efficiency. Some of the top ERP technology you can apply in your fabrication business includes,
Infor M3
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Dynamics 365
Epicor Kinetic
Sage 100 Cloud
Times have changed. In the face of the present challenges, some of the age-long conventional metal fabrication processes we once knew have proven not so efficient.
Already, many fabricators who have embraced ERP software systems have found it to be the perfect solution to many metal fabrication problems we have today. So why not join the bandwagon?