Monat: August 2020

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) never find it easy to run their business operations. For them, it becomes a bit daunting to handle the front-office as well as back-office operations efficiently at the same time, with their employees sharing multiple roles due to the limited resources.

In such a scenario, automating tasks with the use of business tools helps them big time. Such tools improve the efficiency of their processes, facilitate strategic decision making, and streamline the operations through smart task delegation, thus enabling them to get more done with the resources at hand.

One classic example is the payroll management software

A complex process to handle, payroll can get more complicated when handled manually. Ensuring that the salaries of all the employees have been computed accurately, taking into consideration all the variables such as reimbursements, leave, attendance, etc., is no mean feat.

And despite all the meticulous care, if the guy managing the payroll still makes an error in computation, the rectification process thereafter could be tedious and time-consuming. That’s why most of the small/medium businesses outsource it. But using payroll software, SMEs can save costs, time, and other valuable resources that can be deployed elsewhere.

A payroll system has plenty of benefits for SMEs, as it significantly impacts their bottom-line, speeds up work, streamlines workflows, rids them of human errors, and helps become more productive on the whole. Below, we discuss 12 of the biggest advantages of using a payroll software for your SME. Read on:

Better accuracy – Making a mistake while manually processing payroll could prove costly for SMEs, attracting huge penalties if it’s made on the employment taxes front, and even a legal action if it’s made in an employee’s salary computation.

An automated payroll software easily calculates the withholding tax as well as salary for every employee based on data entry, and eliminates the risk for human errors in payroll.

Save time, money, and other resources – Managing payroll manually can eat-up a lot of time. But by using payroll software, small businesses can automate the payroll process, and save their employees’ precious time.

Also, being available on Cloud, it can be availed on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or on annual basis, thus delivering cost savings. The resources (time, money, & manpower) saved could be better spent on other areas of the business.

Data security – For any business small or big, payroll data is sacrosanct. Due to its sensitive nature, as it contains key information such as mailing addresses, bank details, etc., there’s a need to secure it. A good payroll software can securely lock down your payroll data, and protect it from potential threats.

Handy during audits – For any business, it is an absolute necessity to have an audit trail for all its financial aspects including payroll. Only a payroll system can guarantee a completely transparent audit trail in a matter of minutes, providing logs of salary and other payments, and details of taxes and other rates, and proving all transactions were proper.

Automatic updates & payments – With every passing year, the tax tables and superannuation rates will continue to get more complex, making it difficult for small businesses to comply with them. But a payroll software can keep updating its system to stay on top of federal and state requirements. It can also save you time by paying employees electronically when processing payroll.

Reports generation –While manual methods and ways always keep you occupied, often providing incomplete and inaccurate data, a payroll management system provides you with multiple reports, such as reconciliation reports, MIS reports, customizable payroll statements, and other statutory as well as user-defined reports.

Easy integration options – SMEs often find it difficult to switch between operations while working on disparate systems for data such as leave, attendance, and employee information, for processing payroll and calculating taxes.

However, a good payroll software, ably supported by a strong integration framework, acts as the single source of truth for all dimensions of an employee, saving them a lot of data entry and verification time.

Simple and fast payroll reconciliation – A payroll management system offers small businesses with a variety of payroll reconciliation tools, allowing them to verify accuracy in each payroll, compare current and previous month’s payroll, and also customize salary register and payroll statements as per their needs, besides ensuring an error-free payroll.

Scalable – Scalability is yet another advantage a payroll management system provides to the small businesses, which may not remain an SME forever. Once a small business starts growing, the system allows it to add new employees whenever necessary without any additional effort.

Employee satisfaction – Resorting to disparate systems, or worse, manual methods put extra pressure on the employees and consume a major chunk of their productive time.

But by using a payroll software, an SME can automate the processes, increase the efficiency of the operations, eliminate the chances of errors, and most importantly, make jobs easier for employees, thereby enhancing their satisfaction.

Ease of use – A payroll management system is easy to use, and any person without much technical know-how can use it. It doesn’t require any specialized training or an accounting background. Besides, any payroll software that’s available on Cloud, can be accessed from anywhere, and anytime, in a secure manner using an internet connection.

Uninterrupted support – When SMEs use paper-based payroll systems, or do things manually, they basically rely on the employees who manage them. But what if the employees leave? A payroll software system offers benefits such as continuous, 24×7 customer support, to resolve the problems experienced by the users while using the software.

Conclusion

Paper-based payroll systems and manual methods are things of the past. Investing in payroll management software, which comes with the benefits mentioned above, is the need of the hour for the SMEs. If your SME is still stuck in the past, get in touch today to make the switch to BatchMaster HeRd, a secure & reliable payroll software that can manage other HR-related operations too.

When you hear the term enterprise resource planning (ERP), things that automatically come to your mind could be on-premise, and Cloud ERP, among other things. These two actually are the top-of-the-mind recalls for the people who have got the slightest idea about the ERP systems.

The people who think about web-based ERP systems after hearing the term ERP are very rare, and those who can distinguish between the three, especially between Cloud ERP and web-based ERP, are even rarer. And even as most of the people struggle to differentiate between the two, it remains a fact that there are significant differences between them.

A web-based ERP system, in particular, has gained popularity in recent times. It has been instrumental in helping businesses simplify their operations. To understand how it manages to do it, let’s first see what a web-based ERP is, and also how it differs from Cloud ERP.

First things first, what’s a web-based ERP?

It has been a well-established fact by now that an ERP software has the potential to revolutionize any business. By consolidating all the critical business functions and processes into one integrated system, an ERP software hands over to the businesses massive strategic and operational value, as well as complete control over their operations.

The set-up of a traditional ERP software, better known as the on-premise software, involves firms investing heavily in their own hardware and software and setting the system up locally. But a Cloud ERP, and a web-based ERP are increasingly popular options these days.

Talking specifically about the latter, the web-based ERP involves locating the system off-site and accessing it over a network through a web browser. In this case, the browser becomes the client. A web-based ERP allows its users to perform virtually any function on-the-go, using just an internet-enabled compatible device, the URL, and a web browser.

Web ERP solutions offer several functionalities and advantages over the traditional solutions, doing multiple tasks efficiently and easily, and in the process, saving a lot of time, money, and other resources as well. Such solutions are cost-effective, easy-to-use, and can be implemented quickly without requiring any significant efforts.

It’s different from Cloud ERP

There are some misconceptions regarding Cloud ERP and Web ERP being the same. A lot of businesses have this notion that the two aren’t any different. However, that’s not true, as even though both Cloud ERP and web ERP share certain similarities, they are inherently different.

A Cloud ERP Software works on a subscription/membership-based model, wherein the user has the option of going by the ‘per user, per month fee’ option. Also, the system is housed on the vendor’s/third-party’s infrastructure and accessed on shared computing resources via the internet. The data control, in Cloud ERP software’s case, resides in the vendor’s hands.

On the other hand, a web ERP can be availed on either subscription or ownership model of a one-time payment. Here, the system resides either on-premise, or on vender’s servers, and can be accessed using a browser with just a URL. Also, the data control is fully in business’ hands.

You can read more about how the two differ, here.

How web-based ERP simplifies business operations?

Web-based ERP systems deliver a host of benefits, which play a major role in simplifying business operations. Let’s understand this from the points mentioned below:

Ease in accessing the work from any remote location: Businesses often work on multiple projects simultaneously, and these projects have a delivery deadline. Working on tight schedules may require certain team members to operate from home or from some other location that’s away from the main office.

In this scenario, businesses find it challenging to complete the projects under the set deadline, causing an interruption in the overall workflow. A web ERP software offers device & location independence, which means it can be accessed from any remote location using any internet-enabled device, any operating system, a web browser, and just a URL- without any interruption.

The fact that a web ERP is compatible with almost every web-enabled device also helps the businesses, as it creates centralized depository to all your crucial data, keeps all the stakeholders well connected with each other irrespective of where they are located, facilitates data exchange and updates for remote users, and also maintains the overall smoothness of the workflow.

Helps in managing complex growth: All businesses operate with the basic objective of achieving growth. But managing growth isn’t easy, as it comes with a number of challenges. Growth means more customers and more requirements in terms of processing data and managing resources. Without the requisite tools to manage this growth, businesses can struggle on a lot of fronts.

A web ERP system is highly scalable and reduces the complexity associated with growth. It simplifies the process of scaling your business to a great extent by introducing an efficiently designed workflow system, allowing you to scale up your operations efficiently when demands are higher, and scale down when they aren’t.

Lesser installation time & quicker customization: In today’s times, businesses face a peculiar challenge of their customers becoming more demanding than ever. In such times, the ability to customize at a faster rate becomes vital.

A web ERP software comes in handy for all such businesses, as it can be set-up much faster as compared to other traditional forms of ERP software. In its case, the hardware installation requirements are reduced substantially, and customizations to the basic design can be done relatively quickly.

Frees up your resources significantly: Organizations can operate more efficiently, and uncomplicate things easily when they manage their resources optimally. If they have a tool that frees up their time and other resources, running business operations becomes all the simpler.

A web-based ERP solution scores big on these criteria, as a team of IT professionals manages your maintenance, support, and up-gradation of the data center, eliminating the need for manual intervention at your end. Besides, it significantly reduces overhead expenses too, by relieving you of the compulsion to invest in powerful servers, and other hardware equipment on the IT front.

Simplifies operations on the whole: Being accessible both offline and online, a web-based ERP comes as a boon for businesses, allowing their key decision-makers to operate from virtually anywhere just by hooking up their laptop to the net- a vital requirement in the globalized networked economy, thereby facilitating timely decision making.

A web-based ERP software also does a lot of other things to streamline the business operations, such as simplifying back-office process automation, improving business among customers, suppliers & partners, and providing real-time information about finance, order management, purchase, inventory, quality control, compliance, and much more, through analytics & reporting.

To sum up

A web ERP software allows an organization of any size and type to accelerate its business cycles, improve productivity& reliability, and provide matchless service to its customers. In short, it allows businesses to simplify their operations. Connect with the experts at BatchMaster to know about the best-in-class web-based ERP for process manufacturing businesses.

For any manufacturing business, whether discreet or process, the most sought-after objectives are managing resources optimally, and increasing profitability. To achieve these end goals, manufacturers adopt various practices such as inventory management and control, cost control measures, and waste management.

One thing that drives all these practices efficiently within the four walls of the manufacturing unit is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It assimilates the essence of all the principles of lean manufacturing, helping manufacturers eliminate waste and unproductive actions in their production, manage industrial waste, and save costs wherever possible.

Let’s see how an ERP for manufacturing can help manufacturers save costs by waste management. But to understand it in a better way, let’s first see what manufacturing or industrial waste is, in the context of process manufacturing businesses.

What’s waste in manufacturing?

When manufacturing businesses conduct their operations from their plant, different types of useless substances are generated in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, which may either, be hazardous, or non-hazardous in nature. This is known as waste, in the world of manufacturing.

Some commonly observed wastes include the residue left after the production process, waste from defects, inventory, waiting times, and overproduction, among others. The products that get spoiled, expired, or are defected, are also a waste, need to be handled & managed properly, or disposed of in a timely manner.

When we talk about waste management, it involves a whole set of activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process.

Impact of waste on process manufacturing businesses

Waste has a huge impact on the process manufacturing industry, as it affects the food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemical, paint, and cosmetics manufacturing businesses, among others, significantly.

Talking about the food manufacturing industry, the scale of waste here is extraordinary.

Impact on the environment

Another major victim of industrial waste is the environment, as it is a major contributor to environmental pollution (air, land, and water pollution). Industrial waste being dumped into the water sources and the hazardous gases that are produced as a result of the manufacturing process get mixed with the air and pollute the environment.

To protect and preserve the environment, and to ensure the health and well-being of human beings, it is important to manage waste. But the manufacturers don’t find it easy.

Challenges businesses face in managing waste

Predominantly, there are three major areas of concern for the manufacturers, when it comes to waste management. They are

Collection,

Disposal, and

Reporting

Besides, the manufacturers also need to manage the by-products and co-products, i.e. the secondary products which result incidentally from the manufacturing of the main product.

The issues manufacturers face with the collection, disposal, and reporting, arise mainly due to unregularized and slow processes, poor tracking mechanisms, communication barriers, and lack of resources, among others. However, well-equipped ERP software can help process manufacturers to address these challenges that impact the process of waste management.

How ERP can help manage waste & save costs?

So, in a nutshell, waste results in inefficiency, higher overhead, and reduced profits. The more the process manufacturers can reduce waste within their organizations, the more they will stay away from fines & penalties and the more efficient—and, thus, profitable—they will be. An ERP system can help them become more efficient by allowing them effectively manage waste and save costs.

To begin with, it can classify waste into liquid, solid, and gaseous form, help define standard operating procedures (SOPs) and implement them for their proper handling, manage by-products and co-products along with their costing, allow proper disposition of waste, meet regulatory requirements, generate related reports & documents, etc.

Here’s how an ERP can help manage waste:

By improving information management:

Collecting & documenting information related to the different collection and dumping sites, and storing it securely for future use, is an important part of the waste management process.

An ERP software stores huge volumes of data, and even allows modifications to it, thus saving the manual effort & other critical resources.

By enabling safer disposals:

As we spoke above, the safe disposal of industrial waste is a major concern. An ERP software eases this process, by allowing the manufacturers to ensure full compliance with all the safety standards & regulatory requirements related to waste management & recycling programs, at every level.

By enabling task scheduling & monitoring:

Keeping track of the different waste management activities that happen simultaneously is a tricky job for process manufacturers. But an ERP software’s easy-to-understand dashboard helps them stay updated about every change in real-time. It also facilitates easy task allocation to individuals and even it’s monitoring.

Effective quote generation:

Manufacturers also rely on third-party vendors to get the waste management work done. A good ERP software for waste management comes with quote-generating facilities that simplify the proposal process. It enables you to quickly generate quotes based on the scale of service, resources used, investment, etc.

Classification:

An ERP enables smart classification of waste as Solid, Liquid, gas, and effectively maintains its details, properties, costing plus tracking. SOPs and instructions can be attached for their proper handling.

By-products & co-products management:

An ERP software can also help create another source of income through managing the by-products & co-products. While by-products are unavoidable residue of the manufacturing process and are unusable, co-products can be reused and sold. The tracking and costing of both are critical to process manufacturers and an ERP does so with ease.

All these practices, when efficiently handled and streamlined by the use of an ERP solution, keep auditors, fines and penalties at bay. They even portray you as an environmental-friendly and responsible organization, ultimately delivering greater value to your organization and customer confidence plus loyalty. These together make the sum of parts greater than the whole, by bringing in cost savings and profitability.

To sum up

Implementing the right ERP software can immensely benefit your process manufacturing business in terms of long-term waste reduction, cost savings, and profitability. One such software that has been helping process manufacturers achieve these objectives successfully for the last 30+ years, is BatchMaster ERP. To know more about it, or to schedule a free demo, get in touch now.

There are two kinds of people on this planet: those with internet access, and those without. The former is more than half of humanity, with the International Tele­communication Union (ITU), a UN agency, confirming that 51.2 percent of the world’s population was already online by the end of December 2018.

And as we write this blog in the middle of 2020, the number is expected to have gone up further.

With more than half of the world already on the internet, it makes sense for businesses to not just have an online presence, but also use online strategies and tools to their advantage. Some businesses are already doing it by using online tools to streamline their different business processes. One such tool that’s been extensively used is an online recruitment software.

Why online over offline?

Businesses have the option of picking either an offline software, i.e. the on-premise version, or an online software, which is available on Cloud. The former is best suited for organizations having their own IT team and dedicated infrastructure for IT applications. Whereas, the latter is a perfect fit for organizations that don’t have such elaborate infrastructure in place.

Also, going for an offline software usually requires heavy investment upfront, with respect to the license purchase, annual maintenance cost, and the other hidden expenses. An online recruitment software, on the other hand, gives the users the choice to opt for a subscription model, and pay on a monthly/yearly basis, thus being friendly to their pockets.

The online version has other benefits too

As compared to its offline counterpart, online software delivers greater benefits, such as greater flexibility in terms of access from anywhere & anytime, data management, and integration, among others. Let’s discuss in detail the more specific benefits of an online recruitment software:

Mobility: Recruiting the best talent can’t be restricted to a time bracket of say, 9 to 5, and to a location, say office. It is more of a 24×7 job, and your job as the talent scout requires you to be available for the right prospect beyond your work hours, just as you attend something important related to your home during work hours.

However, you don’t enjoy that mobility while operating with an offline software, which resides at your office premises. Accessing what you need exactly when you need it by simply logging into the platform from your laptop or even your smartphone, no matter where you are in the world, is something only an online recruitment software can make possible for you.

Effective data management& security: Being a recruiter, your need to properly manage prospective candidates’ data such as names, numbers, and resumes for immediate as well as future use. Managing this data – which can be huge as well as cumbersome – in a secure manner can be a difficult job in the absence of a cloud-based recruitment software.

By taking advantage of online software, you can easily store, and organize all your data in one secured and encrypted place, and ensure that it can only be accessed by you and your team. This way, you can also protect the confidential data, and avoid losing the right talent to your competitors.

Improved hire quality: Thanks to COVID-19, most recruitments happen online these days, and the online space is vast. As it can offer endless possibilities, as you can cast a wider net while looking for the right candidate to match your requirement, wider is not always better, as you may end up finding too many irrelevant candidates, thus diluting the quality of your talent pool.

With your data stored at one place, you can’t just ensure the right resume or candidate doesn’t get lost in the pile of papers, but also expedite the recruitment process, as the online recruitment software enables you to find better candidates in a much shorter period of time by using filters such as background, or specific skills.

More bang for the buck: As mentioned above briefly, an offline recruitment software can be expensive, as it requires considerable investment upfront on the license purchase, annual maintenance, administration, data storage, and updates and upgrades front, among others. However, online recruitment software shows a cost-effective way.

By giving the users the choice to opt for a subscription model, and pay on a monthly/annual basis, the online recruitment software delivers significant cost savings as well as flexibility. Not only does it offer 24×7 uninterrupted support, but also covers automatic upgrades to the software and platforms in the annual cost. These cost savings allow businesses to be more competitive in their recruiting.

Integration options: While recruitment is an important function, it is not the be-all-and-end-all for your HR department or the business. There are many aspects that need to come together in order to run the business smoothly. But all the parts working together in tandem seems a difficult task if you are using either an outdated system, or an offline software.

An online recruitment software allows you to integrate all your systems into one place. It connects each business function to one another, and also with application tracking software as well as online job portal or a similar third-party job board, allowing your prospects to apply in real-time, and move seamlessly to the next step.

Real-time updates: When it comes to recruitment, time plays a crucial role. Filling the vacant position with the right candidate at the right time is important. In such a scenario, operating with an offline software may not be the best bet, as you may not get to consider all the applications while filling open job positions.

With an online recruitment software, most job posts and replies appear in real-time, as and when the candidates apply for it. The system automatically updates any action taken on a candidate, thus allowing you to increase your efforts to take timely and appropriate action for attracting more candidates or stop candidates from applying if the position has been filled.

Easy implementation: Downtime, caused due to any reason, can be costly for the business. And when it comes to making the transition to a new on-premise recruitment software, it could be a daunting task, as the time consumed can be significant. Also, the hiring team may require time, and face issues while getting adjusted to the new system and processes.

But an online, Cloud-based recruitment software helps avoid all of it. It is extremely easy to implement, and can allow your team to be up and running in virtually no time. It doesn’t require long software installation times and can be ready with minimal downtime, which means you can get back to making smarter hires, in a flash.

Time-saving: Recruiting the right candidates using manual, or outdated methods or applications, is an extremely time-consuming process. Think of it, you can’t go through hundreds of resumes manually. Apart from that, you’d want to stay updated about any development in real-time, besides automating posting jobs on several job portals simultaneously.

An online recruitment software can access, and scan thousands of resumes having desired qualifications in minutes, which is time-consuming & costly otherwise. It can post a job to a range of job-portals with a single click, and even simplify scheduling interviews, and save you hours. Also, with real-time updates to the system, you can reduce the time to identify and hire the right people.

To sum up

Managing the recruitment process is a tricky as well as difficult proposition when performed either manually, or by using offline systems. An online recruitment software solution such as BatchMaster HeRd can easily automate your organization’s hiring processes, improve your Human Resource operations on the whole, and allow you to focus on hiring & retaining the right talent. Get in touch with our experts for a free demo, today.

COVID-19 continues to bulldoze the world. With the World Health Organization (WHO) upgrading its global risk to “very high”, it has undoubtedly become a serious challenge for humanity, affecting hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every day.

The pandemic hasn’t spared the businesses either, as the global economy and international markets continue to plunge with the coronavirus spreading from China to other countries across the globe thick and fast. While this is the present, the future doesn’t look good either, with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warning that the virus could cut global economic growth in half.

The business leaders across different countries, along with their governments, are seeking to urgently act to keep ahead of this rapidly-changing pandemic and assess its impact and the implications which will be felt for the months to come.

The supply chain issues- in numbers

The decisions taken by the leaders to prevent further spread of the virus include worldwide travel restrictions and quarantines. These decisions have inadvertently disrupted the global supply chains, resulting in suspended business operations and shrinking revenues.

The results of the recent survey conducted by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) on COVID-19 and its short- and long-term impacts on the world’s supply chains, reveal that around 75 percent of companies are reporting supply chain disruptions due to coronavirus-related transportation restrictions.

Furthermore, more than 80 percent companies believe their organizations will experience some impact because of COVID-19 disruptions. Whereas 55 percent of companies plan to downgrade their growth outlooks (or have already done so).

These are massive numbers.

The actual supply chain problems

The rapid spread of the virus has meant that several countries are in lockdown, and their economies crippling. The supply chain function in such times is extremely critical to maintain operations. However, the disruption to supply chains, and a sudden and massive rise in demand, has resulted in goods and services not reaching their destinations quickly, safely, and securely.

Take, for instance, the healthcare sector where supply chain disruption has created a severe shortage of products like personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, and testing kits. Hoarding, triggered by panic buying, has meant that food and grocery items are going off the shelf too soon, with no signs of quick replenishment.

What’s the fix?

With COVID-19 breaching the defenses of the supply chains, manufacturing companies worldwide need to develop COVID-19 response and take swift actions to stabilize and build a stronger supply chain in the long-term.
There is a pressing need for businesses to make their supply chains more resilient so as to manage future challenges.

The efforts to add more resilience to the supply chain include non-dependency on a single source, and to have a back-up supply source to ensure normal supply levels can be restored at the earliest. Investments in making supply chain resilient can pay rich dividends, as a study by Bain & Company suggests they can deliver a 15 to 25 percent improvement in plant output and a 20 to 30 percent rise in customer satisfaction.

Following are some more ways to fix supply chain problems in COVID-19:

Supplier risk assessment: In the present scenario, it makes sense for the manufacturing companies to quickly identify their key suppliers, and to evaluate their risks as well as the ability to meet essential supply requirements of right quality standards and timeliness.

This assessment could help them avoid sudden disruptions in the supply chain, deal with lack of information, and intelligent procurement (knowing where to source from, and when).

Inventory and the flow of goods’ monitoring: With people going in panic buying mode, and with supply chains getting derailed, it is important for the manufacturers to monitor inventory levels and improve the visibility of all inflow of goods, along with looking into smooth material handling and adequate manpower availability.

Make supply chains intelligent: Use of intelligent automation and analytical tools can help manufacturers gather insights around supplier performance, supply chain diagnostics, market intelligence and risk management.

Manufacturers/Retailers should use technology-driven dashboards to look to try and gain real-time visibility into the supplier’s end–supplier production schedules, shipment details, etc. to understand and foresee any material flow disruption situations beforehand.

Make work & workplace safe: Business, especially those working at the front line, need to equip their employees who handle food, logistics, or delivery, with personal protective equipment (PPE). This is not just for the time being, but also for a good time along the line, to ensure the safety of the workers as well as consumers. It is also wise to stock up on PPE supplies to mitigate the risk of future shortage.

There are other precautionary measures too which should be taken, such as making the employees aware of the hygiene and sanitization standards to be met, need to maintain social distancing even after COVID-19, and take necessary precautions while coughing and sneezing.

These are elementary measures, but regulatory bodies are working continuously to bring about new laws and standards to reduce the impact of COVID-19. This might include updating SDS, generating labels, following SOPs, and such.

Having the agility to adapt to these new laws and regulations is the key for the manufacturers. This is critical from ‘fixing the supply chain problems’ point of view, as these measures will inspire confidence among the end consumers, and help the supply chain get going again.

Contingency plans: Manufacturers, along with their key suppliers, should look at creating mutually. Carefully taking into stock the liquidity positions (and potential options to invest, or borrow), and people’s availability, etc., a post-coronavirus long-term supply chain continuity plan should be readied.

This plan should be readied after supply chain simulation, i.e. modeling new supply chain strategies based on the changes being brought about by COVID-19 to the business, as well as operating model, and the related impact on supply chains.

Think local: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently spoke in his address to the nation during the lockdown, “It is time to be vocal about local.” The idea behind his “vocal for local” clarion call is to propel India to emerge as a leading start-up and innovation hub, and subsequently, a crucial supply-chain hub in the post-COVID-19 world.

Going forward, manufacturers becoming self-reliant, and not self-centered, would be an ideal way to fix the supply chain problems.

In a nutshell

COVID-19 has posed a lot of problems in front of mankind. Businesses too have suffered, and are facing challenges such as cash crunch, global supply chain disruptions, and a shifting consumer mindset, among others. However, we humans have the ability and the tendency to bounce back from the most difficult of situations, and this too shall pass, but with a few changes going forward.

In the post-COVID world, businesses will have to introduce changes throughout the breadth of businesses, including more resilient supply chains, responsive risk management operations capabilities, smarter contingency plans, and a push for localization of supply chains to a greater extent, among others.

How can BatchMaster help?

BatchMaster ERP can help process manufacturing businesses deal with the immediate challenges of the global COVID-19 crisis. In the long term too, it can help your businesses create a resilient, responsive, flexible, and intelligent supply chain, so as to avert any future supply chain crisis. Get in touch with our experts to know more about our products, or to schedule a free demo.

Retail businesses need to hit the reset button and adapt the new normal i.e. eCommerce. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are making shopping transition from brick and mortar stores to online stores to get the items they need. The transition is quick and will exist for long.

Undoubtedly, it’s both a blessing and a curse for e-commerce businesses. Blessing as – the more the demand, the more the opportunity to increase revenues, and curse as – the higher demand brings a lot of challenges for them to handle. As a result, more and more e-commerce businesses are facing issues regarding inventory and supply chain visibility.

If that’s the case with your e-commerce business as well, you should read on further to get well acquainted with your operational challenges and their solution.

Operational challenges faced by e-commerce businesses amid COVID-19

– Supply chain disruptions:

So, many e-commerce businesses with China as their biggest source of materials are now facing a big challenge of stock scarcity due to inter-country transport restrictions. They have to cease selling products as they are running out of stock.

To cope up with the situation and bring their business to normal, they need to look for alternate suppliers to assure continuity of their operations and reduce dependency on JUST one source for material supplies.

– Unexpected stock fluctuation and consumer demand:

With the spread of COVID-19 across the world and maximum countries under lockdown, consumers are panic buying everywhere by hopping from one e-commerce store to another to stock food items, and other necessary products in response to stay-at-home. Because of the undefined time of lockdown, consumers are afraid of supply shortages.

As a result, they add multiple items to their cart at multiple web stores, even place orders but then cancel them owing to their financial conditions right now. This brings uncertainty in stock demand which is challenging for e-commerce businesses to handle.

– Employee and customer safety

Amid COVID-19, business professionals are encouraged to work from home. But, with many e-commerce businesses, there are workers who are exposing themselves to the virus threat. They are inventory or delivery workers, who cannot work online. At the end of the day, every e-commerce business needs to run a physical logistics centre and deliver goods physically. So, ensuring safety measures to protect their employees and customers is another challenge for them.

– Visibility into the warehouses and Returns

Covid-19 has made governments to divide their lands into Red, Orange, and Green Zones having different levels of restrictions on business, delivery, movement, etc. in each.  Moreover, with economies and businesses going down, there’s a steep rise in returns. Having visibility into goods stuck in warehouses or delivery centres in these zones and into returns is getting difficult for the e-commerce owners.

Weathering the storm with BatchMaster Magento Integration

The only way possible for e-commerce businesses to weather the storm of COVID-19 challenges is – integrate their online web store, like Magento, with a supply chain management solution like BatchMaster Enterprise.

The integration provides bi-directional movement of data between Magento and BatchMaster Enterprise which in turn synchronizes all the key data automatically be it product information, customer information, inventory levels, shipment updates, status tracking, payment, and shipping details.

The integration between BatchMaster Enterprise and Magento helps e-commerce businesses with the following benefits to face the current operational challenges that arose due to COVID-19 much easily.

– Stay prepared with alternative suppliers

BatchMaster Magento integration offers the flexibility to maintain a list of vendors and rank them based on different parameters like lead time, costing, quality, etc. This allows e-commerce businesses to procure raw materials from only the recognized suppliers who have the ‘Supplier Verification’. That is, it ensures that only the high quality and safe materials enter the supply chain.

– Get stock status immediately

With automatic data updates of inventory after every transaction, BatchMaster Magento integration offers real-time information on stock status including stock condition, their warehouse location (in case of multiple warehouses), etc.

Offering instant and accurate information on inventory, the integration helps e-commerce businesses to make timely replenishment and avoid every chance of losing customers due to lack of stock. It even lets you handle your returns with ease, updating the inventory instantly, as it enters your warehouse.

– Assure consumers and workers safety

Although the lockdown has been lifted at a number of places around the world and e-commerce business is witnessing a boom, one thing they cannot do without is- the safeties of their workers, delivery personnel, and of course the customers.

BatchMaster ensures following SOPs, HMIS & WHMIS while also letting the generation of safety instructions and labels. New laws are also proposed for e-commerce and soon will be out. BatchMaster having customization capabilities allows can be scaled to accommodate new laws and regulations quite easily, helping you stay abreast and compliant with them before your competitors.

Takeaway

When things look black, there is always a silver lining. Definitely, COVID-19 is impacting hard on retail businesses. But, it has also brought the opportunity to expand your business online, beyond geographical boundaries to a very large customer base. So, what are you waiting for? Grab the opportunity and grow your business on an e-commerce platform with BatchMaster Magento Integration. It has got your back covered in facing the e-commerce businesses’ challenges amid COVID-19. For more details contact sales@batchmaster.com.

Imagine an organization with hundreds of employees but still relying on manual, old school techniques for administration and employee management. This results in having an unproductive and disorganized taskforce wasting most of the time in doing unnecessary tasks.  

Hence, to deal with this inefficiency, a smarter and unified solution is being opted by many companies. This contemporary approach is an HR Management software, established to streamline and automate HR related activities.

Earlier it was believed that such technological innovations were purposed to serve the bigger organization. But over a while, even SMEs are now shifting over HR software to cultivate productivity and efficiency at a large scale.

The Indian Market for Human Resources Management System – Present and Future

Over the past few years, we have witnessed a consistent rise in demand and market cap of HR technology in India. As per the market experts, the current valuation of HR software in India marks up to 30 billion dollars. Moreover, amid changing industry trends and increasing demand for technological assistance in HR, expert opinion and statistics forecast this market cap to get increased by 34 billion dollars by 2021, which is massive.

Impact of COVID-19

The rise of a new and deadly disease was diagnosed in early 2020. Starting from China, the virus soon engulfed the almost entire world, resulting in being tagged as a pandemic by WHO. With no development in finding vaccines yet, social distancing is the only way to control its spread. This unfortunate situation has severely affected businesses and eventually devastating economies.

This has made work–from–home culture acquiring foreground in industries. Since India has imposed complete lockdown, companies switched to this working model in a bid to survive during such tough times. Trade pundits and experts forecast this as a long-term implementation for many businesses.

TCS model: redefining dynamics of working culture

One of the tech giants of the Indian industry, Tata Consultancy Services is planning to take a big and revolutionary step by enabling 75% of their employees to work from home by 2025. According to the TCS CEO & MD Rajesh Gopinathan, this global lockdown has paved the way for many companies to mull over the possibility of remote working culture.

If this successfully gets implemented, this pioneering model will soon become an industrial trend. And this will generate an absolute need for an efficient cloud-based HRMS software that not just manages employees, but ensures the growth in their productivity and efficiency.

What is HRMS software and its components?

An HRMS software is a next-gen technological setup designed to aid human resource professionals to manage everything from employee hire to retire. A modern HR management system focuses on people and not just processes, enabling HR managers to regulate HR operations single-handedly and efficiently. Now the question arises, “What should be an ideal and perfect HRMS system?” Hence, below we are presenting a few must-have components of an HR management solution –  

• Centralized and streamlined database  

Long gone are the days of managing piles of papers and racks of files. A modern HR management solution offers an efficient platform to keep vital employee & organization info organized and accessible at fingertips.  

One of the most desired components required in an HRMS solution. The selection of a wrong and inefficient asset may result in efficiency and monitory loss.  

Employee retention is more challenging than selection. This calls for timely evaluation and appreciation of employee performance. Thus, having tools for performance assessment becomes an absolute need.  

• Increased employee involvement

The system should not be a channel of one-way communication. Today’s employees demand equal involvement in the organizational structure. Hence an HRMS system needs to be equipped with the tools and features promoting employee collaboration.  

In today’s competitive scenario, market analysis is a much–needed component for HR managers. Data helps them improving the company’s productivity, increase worker retention, and implement better policies.  

This has been the most complex structure for HR managers to deal with. Right from employee contract to salary declaration, expense management to payslip creation, an HRMS is expected to have a robust Payroll component.  

Use and benefit of HRMS software: A statistical review 

As per a global survey conducted on Human Resources Technology the data revealed how tech portfolios are helping organizations to modernize and streamline HR activities. Few are the findings that are presented below:

Adding to this, the survey also focuses on the benefits of cloud-based HR software. The cloud solution is gaining massive popularity, as per the stats discussed below:

(Entire data is based on the 2020 survey carried out by PwC)

Reasons to use HRMS software

COVID-19 has made it necessary than ever for organizations to opt and rely on an HRMS or human resource management system solution. Through this blog we are going to enlighten our readers with some of the major reasons that make companies replace the manual management of human resource activities with contemporary HR management solution:  

Time is money, and hence it is the biggest reason for deploying HR management system in your organization. Automating process not only saves time and resources but helps companies control their expenses too. From reduced labor to optimizing your taskforce, the HR software handles every critical issue that makes organizations deliver more in less time.  

As per the HR technology survey 2020, 58% of the total respondents face challenges in finding, acquiring and retaining the right talent from the pool. To simplify the recruitment process companies are rapidly selecting HR software to digitize and speed-up their recruitment process.  

• Improving employee experience  

In the same survey, 42% of respondents find it difficult to improve the employee experience. This can be achieved through increased employee involvement. With the help of an efficient HR software employees can manage their own profiles, fill their own details and can also raise an issue or give suggestions regarding the organizational management, thus realizing better experience.  

Establishing effective communication looks barely possible through old techniques. Multiple are the modern tools in HR software that help to set uninterrupted and easy communication among and within the teams. HR can instantly share messages, important announcements, or declarations with a particular employee, team, or department. Any change in policies can be immediately uploaded and shared with the entire organization in real-time. Thus, this becomes a prime need for organizations to acquire HRMS systems.  

This is one of the important reasons why companies are choosing automated HR systems over manual and traditional approaches. Since every organization aims at growing bigger, you must have a system to make this period of transformation or expansion easier for you. Manual methods could only complicate the processes, whilst a scalable HR software can easily adapt to the expansion within no time.  

These are the various reasons that make HR management software a must-have tool for your organization. BatchMaster, a renowned brand known for delivering best-in-class technological solutions for business needs, presents HeRd. It is a complete package of tools and features designed to cut the complexities of employee management. For detailed info about plans and features, reach us at sales@batchmaster.com 

Turning your own space into your workplace is not a newly introduced practice. Remote workforce or employees working from home has not been a very old tradition for businesses. The only difference is that remote working, a decade ago, was considered as a perk or facility given to the employees. But now it has become an absolute need for the organizations to keep floating during the ongoing global crisis of COVID 19.

As soon as the World Health Organization declared it as a pandemic, governments responded proactively and imposed partial or complete lockdown in their countries. And the survival of industries turned out to be a major challenge.

Studies prove WFH productive and reliable working model

In the present scenario, work-from-home emerged as the greatest survivor that has kept companies operational, even during the time of emergency. According to performance-based remote work statistics, 85% of businesses confirm that productivity has increased due to remote working and 77% have experienced a remarkable decrease in operational costs.

Moreover, according to a global poll in 2018 conducted by Kantar, a data and insights firm, among 33000 respondents, 32% valued a job where they could work from home.

Global tech giants and experts support WFH

Social media platform Twitter has recently urged its employees to work from home, in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus. Similarly, one of the world’s largest IT company’s Indian subsidiary IBM India has made work from home a reality for 99% of its employees, amid the outbreak of this pandemic.

But being a novel concept, many are struggling in communicating and keeping their remote workforce engaged and productive. And thus, here we are today discussing those 8 key ways to deal with challenges you face to manage your work-from-home employees and make them efficient and productive.

To-do list for management to make their remote teams efficient

Employees must be surely missing their lunch breaks and munching snacks with their buddies and besties. A study reveals that 19% of people feel loneliness as an important challenge faced while working remotely. To deal with this and counter their loneliness, managers can keep the teams connected and arrange some innovative sessions to keep their workforce engaged. The discussion may include sharing ideas, setting new goals and ways to achieve them. The discussions should be kept casual so that employees can collaborate more.

Apart from work, fun activities can also be a part of your remote working sessions. This will help managers boost their teams’ morale and keep them engaged in their work. Short video calls during lunch and tea breaks could make employees feel more connected to their teammates.

• Setting up effective communication  

It has been found that a lack of proper and uninterrupted communication is a major hurdle in a way to execute the work-from-home concept better. Thus, keep your remote teams updated with advanced communication tools. Believing a statistic, 83% of respondents use technology to collaborate in real–time.

So whether it is sharing ideas or their work, the delayed response may lead to making your workforce unenthusiastic and less productive

• Optimizing non-working staff

As discussed earlier, few sectors that can’t be assigned with remote working, viz. on-field sales team, manufacturing department, etc. Thus to utilize them during such times, becomes the biggest challenge for managers. Hence, training and development sessions can be arranged for them to nourish their skills and keep them updated with the on-going developments in the company.

Amid this outbreak of coronavirus, through e-mails or during on-call meetings & conferences safety precautions and health tips should be issued and discussed within the organization. Also, advice related to maintain workplace hygiene must be passed during daily meetups.

Moreover, employees must be engaged in suggesting vital health precautions. Forums or discussions should be organized regularly to make your teams active and collaborate more.

• Keep information & help at fingertips

Employees may face some difficulties in setting a remote workplace at their home. Thus, HR managers should keep the concerned departments connected and on their toes to deal with any technical glitches that occurred, in real-time.

Adding to this, an advanced and digital platform needs to be introduced to keep the important and relevant information accessible to the employees. Thus, quick information flow and immediate solution to the queries avoid wasting time in unproductive tasks.

• Track performance & appreciate the talent

Monitoring performance and calculating the productivity of remotely activated employees can be a daunting task for managers. But the inclusion of advanced technology in your organizational structure can ease out such tasks. Through tools like daily time-sheets, project records, managers can monitor the team’s performance.

While it has been experienced that creating a healthy competitive environment fosters innovation and boosts productivity. Thus rewarding the top performers will not just increase employee engagement, but will motivate under-performers to become competitive by leveraging their efficiency.

• Sense of belonging: creating a loyal & motivated workforce

Developing a sense of responsibility and belonging in your employees is closely related to their motivation and commitment towards their work. Including your taskforce in important discussions, and making them a part of critical decision making, create a more loyal and productive team. Managers should have clear and shared vision along with mentoring sessions to boost their involvement and engagement.

Companies are dealing with disturbed finances and incurred losses due to this lockdown. Moreover, the future of the economy seems to be in dark. Amid such situations, releasing timely salaries is a big challenge for management. Thus, an innovative approach should be opted by the companies of clearing partial payments, which will keep them motivated to work without giving the extra burden on finances.

Shifting the focus on productivity and efficiency

Above mentioned were some of the key ways to keep your employees engaged in their work while working remotely. But along with keeping employees motivated and giving freedom, seriousness and dedication should equally be checked. Now we will highlight some vital tips for management to maintain the productivity and efficiency of an organization –

It should be clear with your staff that work from home is not any holiday to be enjoyed. Thus, freedom and relaxation given should be used to concentrate more on your tasks, rather than utilizing them for your personal works. Thus, a strict check should be kept on employees through timely follow-ups on their tasks. Daily worksheets should be submitted by all employees as a record of their work done.

Digital attendance punches can help keep track of their accurate working hours and justify their accomplishments. Partnering with the latest technological HR management system, along with attendance leave management can also be done in a fun way, even when employees are working remotely.

Study of improved efficiency with a modern HR management system

The chart of companies’ efficiency and productivity using existing HR management software is shown below as per the deployment model –

Concluding thoughts  

The extended lockdown may result in taming the spread of this coronavirus. But on the other hand, precautions should be taken and companies should continue work from home, strictly following the above–mentioned tips and ways to maintain the productivity of their remote teams. But to avail all these benefits and execute the above mentioned tips, having a robust HR management system is the primary need. One such trusted name is BatchMaster HeRd, which is empowered with the latest tools and features, providing a digital and effective platform to manage your teams. HeRd provides both web-based and cloud solutions, making it easier for even remote implementations. So turn your remote workforce into a result-oriented and productive team, and bravely face this global pandemic with BatchMaster HeRd. 

NDMA issues precautionary measures to be taken by the manufacturing units while restarting the operations

Following the recent incident of gas leakage at Visakhapatnam’s LG Polymer Plant, which claimed lives of 12 people, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued latest guidelines that need to be carefully considered by the manufacturers while restarting operations after the imposed lockdown due to COVID-19 comes to an end.

With lockout/tagout procedures properly placed, many energy resources in industries may have become hazardous for the supervisors/operators, who are dealing with mechanical, electrical, or chemical equipment, a senior NDMA authority recently stated.

Heavy machineries and equipment when not serviced or maintained periodically can become hazardous for the engineers operating them, the authority further added. Additionally, hazardous substances like combustible liquids & gases, open wires, conveyor belts, and automated vehicles make these industrial units high-risk areas.

In a nutshell, the NDMA advised that improper safety codes enforcements and inappropriately labeled chemicals can cause serious health hazards.

“Post lockdown period for safety protocols, not for achieving high production targets”

Ahead of granting permission for industrial operations, the NDMA authority laid emphasis on safety protocols post lockdown period, rather than high production targets. “While restarting the unit, consider the first week as the trial or test run period; ensure all safety protocols; and not try to achieve high production targets”, the authority stated.

The NDMA official also said that precautionary measures need to be followed, such as sanitization of equipment should be done before and after the use. Along with this, some abnormalities should be timely detected, like abnormal sound or smell, smoke, leakage, etc. that suggest immediate preventive actions or even shutdown.

Social distancing not going anywhere 

Along with sanitization, factories should strictly follow social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID–19, even after the lockdown is over. Inspection of equipment should be done on a daily basis, and industry protocols should be strictly followed during the time of this emergency. 

The NDMA also said that if industries face any difficulty in managing crucial backward linkage during the phase of the restart, which can be a hindrance to safe functioning, they should immediately approach the district administration for required and proper assistance. 

To deal with such situations, Center and District Magistrates have also tied up to assist and facilitate such industries and ensure their end–to–end operations maintain the industrial safety standards.

GUIDELINES SPECIFIED BY NDMA FOR MANUFACTURES AND WORKERS 

After several weeks of lockdown that brought the economy to a standstill, industries were expecting to get few relaxations for restarting the operations. Thus, the government has divided areas into three zones: Red, Orange, and Green depending on the health status of the areas. 

Owing to this, the government is planning to gradually release lockdown in some areas, allowing economic activities according to the orders of NDMA and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). 

While permitting the reopening of factories, NDMA instructed state governments to ensure the off-site disaster management plan of the respective Major Accidental Hazard to be up–to–date, and their preparedness of implementation is high. 

It also advised all the officers to ensure on-site disaster management plans, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for safe restarting of industries during and post lockdown.

Guidelines for specific industrial processes 

While the ones mentioned above are some of the generic guidelines outlined by NDMA, the following are the guidelines for specific industrial processes regarding Storage of Raw Materials& Products, Manufacturing Processes, and Safety of Workers. 

FOR RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCT STORAGE

• Check open vessels/bags/containers for any possibility of rusting, rotting, or any chemical reaction.
• Properly inspect the areas of storing these chemicals and ensure proper lighting and ventilation near them.
• Monitor safe operations of supply pipelines, valves, containers, and conveyor belts. Any wear and tear or leakage should be immediately sensed & informed.
• Chemical stability of HAZMAT chemicals should be checked before using them for any process.

FOR MANUFACTURING PROCESSES 

• Mechanical cleaning of supply pipelines and equipment should take place followed by air, water, or chemical cleansing. 
• Safety audits should be carried out by the industries before restarting production. 
• Proper checkups of lining to be done for boilers/heat exchanges and furnaces. 
• Monitor and maintain the pressure and temperature levels of equipment and ensure all the gauges are functional. 
• Tightness levels of factories should be kept compliant to the required parameter to avoid the incidents of disaster or damage occurred due to the toxic and hazardous substances. 
• Service test should be carried out for the equipment having normal operating fluid. Leakages should be detected using the soap solution. The rising foam marks leakage and the point is then retightened. 
• To deal with any emergency during the run, technical teams and emergency crew should be available round-the-clock with an extended coverage area of 200 kms. 

FOR WORKERS AND OPERATORS 

• Health checkups like thermal screening of employees should be done on daily basis, and complete rest to be given to any of the workers with ill health or showing any symptoms. 
• Sanitization of workplace should be done at regular intervals, especially covering the shared areas such as lunchrooms, meeting halls, etc. 
• Management should educate workers and labor about coronavirus and enlighten them about the ways of prevention. 
• Hand sanitizers and fresh masks should be distributed among the employees, and arrangements for their proper disposal should also be made. 
• Barricading should be done in the factories to effectively implement social distancing among the workers. 
• Raw materials and products brought in the factory premises should be properly sanitized and made safe before touching.

CONCLUSION 

Long story short, the NDMA has strictly advised all the manufacturing industries to take the required safety measures that have been mentioned above. There have been specific guidelines for process manufacturing industries such as chemical, paint, and cosmetics manufacturing industries that deal with hazardous and toxic substances. 

As we know, for process manufacturing businesses, ERP software is the solution that automates, streamlines, and manages core business processes. A trusted name with over 30 years’ experience in delivering process manufacturing solutions, BatchMaster leads the way in helping your process industry stay compliant with safety protocols post COVID-19 lockdown. 

For more information, contact our ERP experts today. 

For manufacturers, predominantly the ones who are into process manufacturing businesses such as pharmaceutical, food & beverages, chemicals, paints & coatings, and personal care & cosmetics, among others, there is no dearth of issues and problems. 

Battling challenges on various fronts such as traceability, compliance, quality, inventory, etc., the process manufacturers seek a panacea in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which over the years has become a fundamental requirement for their business. 

Talking particularly about the food industry, a food ERP system helps the manufacturers effectively deal with their unique challenges by meeting the business-specific needs, continuously streamlining their business processes, and integrating different areas of business. 

And how exactly does an ERP for food industry pulls this off? 

The food & beverage industry is massively large and diverse in nature. It comprises of a number of sub-verticals, namely– dairy, meat & poultry, packaged food, fresh produce, beer, and edible oil, etc. It thus, doesn’t come as a surprise that the industry faces challenges on multiple fronts. 

The food manufacturers operate mostly on thin margins, and face challenges such as dealing with demand fluctuations, long & complex supply chains, tight competition, stringent regulatory & food safety requirements, and inventory which comes with limited shelf life, etc. 

An ERP software for food industry, through its modules, not just helps manufacturers meet the aforementioned challenges, but also predict the accurate demand levels, produce cost-effective products of the highest quality, ensure supply chain transparency, improve profit margins and comply with the stringent food safety and regulatory requirements. 

Let’s take a look at the food ERP modules that make it possible:

Not using an ERP for food industry can result in a shocking amount of capital being tied up in inventory. Among other things, not having an ERP can mean that the food manufacturers find it difficult to manage and report their inventory information, track inventory within their business, and update inventory after every action in real-time. 

A food manufacturing software, through its inventory management module, makes tracking, tracing, and locating the inventory possible for the manufacturers within their business. Additionally, by integrating with the warehouses, it enables warehouse as well as bin transfers, and even inter-location moves. Its forecasting tools help assess demand and thus manage inventory accordingly. 

Quality Control module

Another area where food manufacturers struggle is quality control. The food products have a limited shelf life, and the manufacturers need to know how fast the material should be consumed before they expire. They also need a mechanism that allows them to ensure quality right from the time the material enters the four walls to the time the finished products leave them. 

A food ERP software’s Quality Control (QC) functionality alerts the manufacturers when ingredients are nearing or past their expiration dates. Also, through quality tests, it allows the manufacturers to receive, produce and ship products that meet customer and quality requirements, and take immediate and counteractive action against items that fail QC inspection.

Costing analysis module

Determining the price that ensures profitability, and controlling the cost without compromising with the quality is often a headache for the food manufacturers. But, the cost analysis module of an ERP for the food industry makes it possible. 

It not just closely monitors and controls costs, but also facilitates decision making on prices of end items keeping profitability in mind. Equipped with the ‘what if’ analysis ability, it allows comparison between actual costs, planned purchase costs, and standard costs.

Regulatory compliance module

More food products coming from countries with lower health and safety standards calls for stricter regulations and guidelines on the part of regulators. Compelled to comply with them, the manufacturers turn to food ERP software, which helps meet all the local, regional, national and international regulatory requirements, as well as cGMP guidelines. 

Tracking non-conformance (NC), and performing corrective action preventive action (CAPA) for rejected material is made possible by an ERP for the food industry, which also allows generating labels that are fully compliant with government regulations.

Lot traceability module

With pretty stringent regulations in place, the need for lot tracking and traceability arises. A food ERP system provides automated end-to-end bi-directional lot traceability from raw materials to the finished product and vice versa.

The module allows tracking the movement and destination of various products, raw materials, other ingredients and packaging throughout the different stages of production, processing, and distribution.

This allows the food manufacturers to find out exactly where the nonconformity happens, and which lot to recall, that too in practically no time at all.

Formula management module

Managing recipes is an intricate job for the manufacturers, primarily made complex by the need to maintain different units of measurement, unlimited manufacturing instructions, and numerous versions of it, etc. And needless to say, it is not possible to manage all this manually. 

Through its various features, a food ERP solution makes formula management easier for the manufacturers. It allows storage, retrieval, and revision of every formula used in the business, and comes with a host of other functionalities such as support to different units of measurement, automatic formula sizing, instant roll-back, anytime-anywhere material substitution, etc.

Production module

For an industry as multi-tiered and complex as the food industry, a food ERP software comes as a boon. By it, numerous capabilities, and effective management, tracking & control of the production activities from batch creation, allocation, inspection, quality checking, to finally closing, the production module strengthens the manufacturing business on the production front.

Food ERP also allows full and partial closing of batches for immediate shipment of urgent orders, thus simplifying and smoothening the overall production process.

MPS/MRP module

The Material Requirement Planning (MRP) & Master Production Scheduling (MPS) functionalities help manufacturers streamline and optimize the production process. 

Using MRP, manufacturers can do a number of things such as getting the on-time availability of materials required for production, timely delivery of finished products, and make optimal use of manufacturing resources. 

Whereas, with MPS functionality, manufacturers can make better production plans, prioritize the requirement, meet consumer demands, protect the lead time and stabilize the production function on the whole.

Closing thoughts

BatchMaster ERP for Food & Beverages comes loaded with all the food ERP modules & functionalities mentioned in this blog, and has enough room to accommodate all the micro-verticals of the food & beverage manufacturing industry. It comes from the stable of leading makers of process manufacturing ERP solutions for over 30 years, BatchMaster. 

Get in touch with our food experts today for a demo of this feature & experience-rich solution.