Product & Distribution Software Selection and Comparison

Production and distribution are either both performed within an organization, or else one of the functions is outsourced to reduce the overall cost and allow organizations to focus on core competencies. Production is defined as an operation of work performed on goods to make them available for consumption. Distribution encompasses the activities involved in delivering products or services to customers. Every company that handles production or distribution processes faces specific challenges, such as the following:

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Business operations within the production and distribution areas are under intense competitive pressures, in terms of product availability and the necessity of offering multiple services.
Lead times for production and distribution of products must be lowered to adapt to constant changes in demand and to meet customer delivery expectations.
Business flexibility is crucial to the ability to provide an enhanced customer experience as pressure rises to deliver high-quality products at lower prices, and to deliver the right product at the right place, time, and quantity.
Globalization makes end-to-end visibility vital for fulfilling customer demand, and critical for understanding what needs to happen in the planning/forecasting stages of production. As demand fluctuates, production must consider materials on the move, in order to lessen the impact of excess/obsolete materials or of products moving upstream and downstream of the supply chain.
Regulations vary across industries, geographical locations, and countries; staying in compliance is business-critical for production and distribution operations.
As competitive pressures increase, maximizing production output and minimizing waste are becoming more and more crucial for production and distribution facilities.

To optimize operations, ensure end-to-end visibility, and collaborate with customers and suppliers without creating gaps in the value chain, it is necessary to implement the appropriate solutions and business processes. The following business solutions are designed with functionalities and features to help production and distribution operations achieve business objectives by using the applicable subset of these applications: enterprise resource planning (ERP); maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO); product lifecycle management (PLM); manufacturing process management (MPM); supply chain management (SCM); demand management; warehouse management systems (WMSs); and transportation management systems (TMSs).

Benefits of Using Software Solutions for Production and Distribution

An ERP solution comes with most of the modules needed by the production facility to manage its operations and ensure end-to-end visibility across all departments.
By integrating ERP and SCM solutions, organizations benefit from the optimization of production operations and maximize the use of all equipment and workforce resources.
MRO applications help organizations reduce operational downtime. When all applications are integrated, affected parties are notified about operational disruptions in a timely manner, and no delay need be created for end customers.
With demand management solutions, the production and distribution groups can forecast workloads and equipment usage, as well as what needs to be delivered, when, and where. Demand must be visible throughout the organization, as well as between suppliers, customers, and beyond the walls of the organization.
As product designs change, the PLM system can communicate these changes to the MPM system, bringing overall efficiency to the design and production process. Engineering changes can be communicated—with the appropriate documentation—to the production and distribution groups.
WMS functionality helps organizations handle global demand, with advance shipment notification (ASN), pallet labeling, time-horizon planning, and automated put-away and cross-docking capabilities to fulfill customer requirements on time, at minimal operational cost. This will also enable a distribution and production facility to have visibility of what's in inventory and what's en route.
A TMS provides flexible distribution capabilities by enabling dispatchers to coordinate shipments and use maximal capacity for any given fleet. If a TMS is integrated with WMS, SCM, and demand management solutions, in-transit visibility is provided in real time, which improves communication between all parties.

THE RISKS OF A FLAWED PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SOFTWARE SELECTION PROCESS

Why use the Production and Distribution Evaluation Center?

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