Benefits of Metal fabrication ERP Software

Metal fabrication is the creation of metal structures resulting from various processes like cutting, bending, assembling, welding, casting etc.

Examples of metal fabrication are bolts, nuts, screws, pipe fittings, cutlery, car parts etc.

Metal fabrication is a complicated process, where it takes many techniques to create a single metal part. Let us briefly explain the types of process that any metal fabrication industry goes through.

Cutting : It is the most fundamental process done through laser cutting and waterjet cutting

Shearing : Reduces the metal pieces to attain the correct size and shape

Punching : To punch holes in the sheet or the work surface to create the exact design

Welding : To join pieces of metal to form the structure

Machining : To shape blocks of metal instead of sheets or rolled metals

Notching : To remove excess materials from the outside of a piece of metal

What are the pain points faced by the Metal Fabrication Industry?

Inventory Levels : This is a common problem faced by the industry people. Either they have too much in stock or have too little in stock, where both cases are not a healthy practice.

Lack of skilled labor : Having too minimal number of labors or low skilled labor is definitely not going to help in mass productions or handling multiple projects at the same time. This delays the delivery.

Scary deadlines : In the absence of organized workflow and optimized resources one always feels deadlines as the scariest thing.

Calculations : Fabrication always deals with a number of measurements and units, which is to be followed accurately for assembling parts. So any manual errors lead to bigger problems.

Production backlog : Metal fabrication is a competitive industry and if not properly equipped enough to face sudden surge in demand then it is difficult to survive in the industry.

Competitive intelligence : The ability to accurately predict what your customers want and how you can best deliver is undeniably valuable.

Benefits of Metal fabrication ERP Software :

In this competitive world with increasing demands and precise specifications, attention to every detail matters. Metal fabrication is a complex industry which involves N number of processes where there is no room for error. Luckily the technology has opened new doors to help business to run smoother. The right software enables manufacturers to streamline processes, plan better, reduce waste and lower costs. Let’s discuss a few benefits of Metal fabrication ERP software.

1. Ensuring proper inventory levels so you are never held back by material shortage.
2. The planning module helps to analyze and allocate the required labors for each project thus avoiding any lack of manpower to complete the production.
3. ERP optimizes the resources which in turn reduces a lot of wastage that results during production.
4. Since the fabrication industry works with accurate numbers and measurements, the ERP can automate the calculations making it error free and time saving.
5. Another great benefit will be maintenance of machines and equipment. ERP ensures regular maintenance of assets that saves you from any interruptions/breakdown during production.
6. Sales forecasting allows you to see a wider projection of the productions in the past and a possible surge in demand that would rise in future. Hence you can be prepared to face the change and survive the competitions.
7. Day to day activities and every manual task will be automated by the ERP thus leaving time for the employees to focus on higher responsibilities.

Features to look for before choosing the ERP for fabrication industry :

1. Bill Of Materials (BOM) :

   The bill of materials is the most essential feature as it gives you the complete structure of the product. Many metal fabrication manufacturers will subcontract work out to partners; built-in BOM software allows you to specify the materials, parts and subassemblies for each product to both internal and external stakeholders.

2. Production Planning :

   Monitors various stage wise processes which is a vital requirement of business. It gives you a clear idea on the capacity of production and optimizes for best utilization of resources.

3. Capacity Planning :

   Plan the production based on real time resources available and capacity of the equipment, and a proper pre plan if anything goes wrong.

4. Quality Control :

   Ensuring the design and specifications meet the requirements, the product is defect less and the shop floor follows all the mandatory safety measurements.

Conclusion :

The metal fabrication industry is very complicated as it involves many complex processes to yield the final goods. Hence all these tasks cannot be handled manually using an excel sheet. Metal fabrication ERP software is well designed to automate those tasks and come up with better forecasting and even notify us on important tasks lined up next. To know more about the benefits, you can request for a call back and explore more about Freedom ERP.