You’ve probably heard of an Enterprise Content Management system already.
Successful manufacturers understand the importance of making small, continuous improvements to ensure the success of their business.
For this reason, the growing popularity of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software should come as no surprise.
In simple terms, an ECM helps manage, store and organize your important business documents, allowing you to streamline your documentation processes while supporting compliance, and improving security.
If you have ever lamented the time wasted on creating, updating and sending documents, ECM technology might be the investment your business needs to move to the next level.
Here are just five of the benefits that ECM can bring to manufacturers.
Increased Productivity
Perhaps the main objective of any business looking to grow is to increase productivity.
An ECM system is particularly good at taking the low hanging fruit, such as time-consuming manual tasks, and automating them so that staff can focus on the things that drive real value.
Automated workflows remove the need for staff to locate and send documents at every stage of your business processes.
Instead, each step in the chain is automated, reducing the need for time-consuming admin and also improving the reliability of your processes, as documents are not missed entirely or skipped over until staff have the time to forward them to customers or suppliers.
Eliminating human error and freeing up time to focus on business strategy can be a key part of increasing productivity, and this is very much the bread and butter of any good ECM system.
Compliance
Manufacturing is a broad church, and many who work within the industry will recognize the need to fulfill compliance requirements.
This is particularly true for businesses within the automotive, aerospace and medical equipment industries, but many other industries can be just as rigorous.
For those businesses without an ECM, storing and locating the necessary documents can add additional strain on your resources (and sanity) when potential customers seek evidence of your compliance with industry regulators.
Of course, the effect can be even more daunting when it is auditors who need you to demonstrate compliance.
ECM takes the stress out of compliance by storing your important documents in one centralized and secure location that is easy to navigate and accessible to the people who need it, allowing you to save time chasing up documents while ensuring compliance is at the heart of your business.
Security and GDPR
There was a time when security referred to how high you built your fence or how many locks where on your door but now security largely refers to digital spaces.
Similar to compliance, there is additional focus on the ability of businesses to store and manage data in a secure and responsible way, ensuring sensitive documents do not fall into the hands of malicious actors and that access to content is strictly limited.
In recent years, the emergence of GDPR has placed additional demands on businesses and it is important to note that this requires not only that data is stored securely, but that it is also easily located when the time comes to produce it.
ECM makes the demands of GDPR much easier to negotiate with its centralized database and easily navigable interface.
Revision controls
Any business that works within a build-to-order space will appreciate the revision controls that a good ECM system brings.
Rather than relying on paper-based designs that are easily lost but difficult to amend when changes are required, you can make use of digital documentation that can be revised instantly and accessed at any time.
Now designs can be made available across the business and can be viewed from home, on the go or in the boardroom with minimal fuss.
Additional security controls can also be put in place to ensure a master document exists that cannot be amended without the necessary permissions.
Expand capabilities of your current system
Those looking to invest in ERP technologies will be heartened to know that an ECM can expand the capabilities of their current system.
This means that the documentation control of your ECM can expand beyond your every day business processes and into the areas of quality control, HR or health and safety.
With the growing importance of these areas to the smooth running of your business, the ability to save time and energy on documentation here could be just as beneficial as improving your finance and sales processes.
Implementing ECM with Clear Business Outcome
As an Epicor Premium Partner, CBO is expertly equipped to handle any of your ECM requirements.
Not only do we have decades of combined industry experience, but we also boast the knowledge and certifications required to deliver on any ECM project.
We’re passionate about improving your business operations and take a software-first approach to streamlining your processes.
Want to learn more? Click here to get in touch with a CBO consultant and get the ball rolling on your Enterprise Content Management system today.
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