It is not just the pervasive presence that makes the cloud a game changer for manufacturing, it is the integration achieved through cloud adoption that makes it lead transformer.From the first moving assembly line of Ford Motors more than a hundred years ago, to the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, automobile manufacturing has undergone changes that have added massive value to the products.

Most importantly, as a tech dependent sector, industries that embraced innovation and technology continue to taste success.

Cloud – the enabler of solutions

Among the various reasons that make cloud imperative, five factors standout as compelling.

A commercial reality, globalization has helped manufacturers tap into expertise and cheaper overheads, to stay competitive.

The need to integrate all operations into a unified process makes cloud the only infrastructure that can meet all needs.

Originally posted on 3i Infotech - Orion ERP

ORION ERP is an integrated, cost-effective and cloud-enabled industry solution for growing and mid-sized enterprises, from 3i Infotech Limited, the information technology company.

The solution is built on future-ready technology stack to digitally empower organisations and help optimize business processes to make informed decisions through anytime access to dashboards and analytics, available on multiple deployment options, including both On Premise and Cloud.

ORION ERP process packs are flexible and scalable solutions that cater to various industries including manufacturing, trading & distribution, contracting, logistics, retail, banking, insurance, procurement, grant management, HRM, etc.3i Infotech is focusing on integrating the new-gen technologies to innovate process automations using robotics, machine learning and IoT.

They are also building ‘Taskbots’ using open RPA Technology platform which can bring significant value to its customers.

The company is working on IoT Interfaces along with AWS services to address the client’s needs in this space to connect various Manufacturing Sensor based data to bring in control in the manufacturing processes.Block chain initiatives using ‘Open Chain Technology’ is also being explored for the customers to have their digital distributed ledger management and digital asset management.“ORION ERP offers industry specific solutions that are designed for rapid implementation, and organizations can rely on a single partner from implementation to training, with low cost of ownership.

It compels and combines a dynamic workflow management, notifying engine for rapid enterprise search and offers anytime, anywhere access through web interface, mobile apps & mobile dashboards,” said Suryanarayan Kasichainula, EVP & Business Head (ERP), 3i Infotech.“The recent upgradation of ORION ERP is ORION 11j, driven by latest design innovations, making the solution functionally rich, with a pedigree that has rising demand across multiple verticals.

A report by IBM concluded that 90% of the data available today has been generated in the last two years.

This explains the unprecedented focus worldwide on big data—the evolving collective of structured, unstructured, and semi structured data used extensively in analytics to drive business decisions.

This revelation means that businesses are effectively losing out on insights that could have transformed their business.

Companies need a convergence of technologies, high speed decision-making, real-time inputs, while being fleet footed to wrest the initiative in a competitive world.

The impact of big data on ERP – an integrated knowledge hub

In addition to harmonizing information streams, big data has the power to make ERP solutions more effective as it offers broader analytical functions.

Top benefits include:

• Sharper sales forecasting through the quick exchange of information across ERP modules: Sales analytics of various patterns are vital inputs for decision-making. ERP modules deliver sharp insights, extracted from multiple channels of information, empowering business to take the right decisions at speed.
• Improved scheduling to optimize processes: The aggregation of information in ERP modules helps manage projects better with better scheduling. This leverages productivity, getting more done in lesser time without negatively impacting other parameters of quality/delivery.
• Streamlining supply chain management: The integration of ERP and big data gives the biggest fillip to supply chains, offering businesses a complete view of assets and processes, enabling better decisions to meet emerging demands as developments unfold.
• Cherry picking candidates with critical analytics: Hiring of candidates for positions comes with the need to match multiple criteria, including skill sets, ‘need to have’ qualities, ‘nice to have’ qualities, psychometric evaluation and multiple other inputs. ERP systems have the ability to filter out candidates over different criteria, helping to zero in on the perfect ‘fit’.
• Data driven exploration of new horizons: Expansion of activities requires comprehensive inputs and sharp insights into potential opportunities and pitfalls. Big data analytics offers businesses inputs that help make sharper decisions on new revenue streams and opportunities in new markets.

Speed is often the biggest dimension and differentiator in an ecosystem where business models and deliverables are often similar across many parameters.  Clearly the need is for businesses to quickly access real-time information, process and derive sharp insights from inputs for decision-making. Broad insights are of relatively lesser consequence in a landscape where personalization and segments rule.  ERP and big data are increasingly finding traction in businesses and it is time that organizations embraced this integration for the big change.

This blog was originally posted on Orion ERP 3i Infotech