How AI in ERP is transforming manufacturing

How AI in ERP is transforming manufacturing

AI in ERP is rapidly transforming the capabilities of manufacturers and unlocking growth for businesses across the UK.

However, while the scope and quality of AI systems is increasing, there is still a gap between the potential of the systems and the understanding required to access the benefits.

With this in mind, we’ve considered the key areas where AI in ERP is transforming manufacturing for the better – and how your business can reap the rewards of AI technology.

How does AI in ERP work?

For the uninitiated, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a system that supports business processes from top to bottom, bringing together all aspects of an organisation and allowing it to be managed efficiently and securely from one central location.

As AI technology becomes more sophisticated, they reduce the need for human intervention within these ERP systems. This means that more tasks can be automated, reducing the burden of manual tasks on staff and freeing them up to focus on more creative tasks.

But how does this work in practice?

Sales and Marketing

AI tools are ideally placed to augment sales and marketing processes. As businesses collect more data, the average sales rep requires support to prioritise the best leads. The time taken to keep individual leads ‘warm’ can also be reduced with the help of automated messaging, including bespoke emails that can be tailored to every phase of the sales cycle.

Marketers can gain insights from data left by customer behaviour on websites, social media or email. In turn, marketers can lean on AI in ERP systems to help tailor the appropriate message to your target audience.

Customer Service

Conversational AI bots are helping to augment the customer service experience by reducing wait times and dealing with routine troubleshooting.

Rather than holding the line to speak to a small pool of telephone operators, the majority of customer queries can now be handled by chatbots that represent faster and more efficient customer service.

Importantly, these features are also significantly cheaper than human alternatives and can operate 24/7 with no extra outlay.

Equipment Monitoring

One of the most useful functions of AI in ERP is the monitoring and reporting on the health of equipment that is essential to your business operations.

These tools are typically supported by reams of data generated by the Internet of Things which have become progressively less expensive in recent years.

Now it is possible to harness hundreds of sensor readings related to your production equipment in real time – anticipating and avoiding faults and reducing costly downtime.

Warehouse Planning

Rather than relying on warehouse managers to plan and adjust stock levels based on intuition, you can now use AI in ERP to assist decision making and carry out more effective planning.

AI algorithms make use of data taken from ordering, manufacturing and warehouse information to advise on optimal inventory levels and advance ordering – freeing up working capital and reducing wait times for customers.

Are you interested in unlocking the potential of AI in ERP? Our expert consultants are here to help. Click here for a no obligation chat on the best way to harness AI within your business.