Business Automation and Software Blog

One of the biggest dangers a business will face won’t come from its competitors. It won’t come from the economy. It will come from inside, and that’s the danger of doing things the way they’ve always been done. Your organization may have progressed from an all paper operation to a few desktop computers to laptops, but if you’re not keeping track of day-to-day operations at the speed of business, you’re only causing yourself harm. If your systems have not kept pace with the growth of your business, you could be losing both business and money.

As Chicago-area ERP software consultants, we see a lot of manufacturers struggling with their business management software. Maybe what they have doesn’t have all the features they thought they were buying, and it’s not supporting business growth. Or, it has too many bells and whistles, and it’s confusing the heck out of everyone.

Let’s face it—as time goes on, it becomes harder to keep your warehouse as organized and efficient as you would like. The longer you’ve been in business, the harder it most likely seems to keep your warehouse flowing smoothly and efficiently. To improve warehouse efficiency and inventory control, companies must re-evaluate their processes and procedures. Bin locations that increase workload and picking methods that are not industry appropriate is just one example of how a company’s efficiency may be decreased by their current processes. But, you’re not on your own: Plenty of resources exist—such as inventory management software to track, manage, and organize product sales, material purchases, and other production processes—to get you on track. Check out these helpful steps to organize your warehouse properly and, ultimately, improve warehouse efficiency.

Material Requirement Planning (MRP) is a common term in the manufacturing industry, but what does it mean exactly? In short, material requirement planning is a production planning and inventory management system designed to manage manufacturing business processes. Its ultimate goal is to keep adequate inventory levels to ensure that the required materials are available as they are needed. The main objectives of material requirement planning include:

Today’s technology gives companies an advantage they have never had. With the ability to streamline processes and access data in real-time, companies can stay on top of their competition. In addition, today’s data analysis technology allows companies to foresee future events and plan accordingly. These tools, which include both enterprise resource planning software (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software, give companies the power to control their success in today’s market. While similar at first glance, ERP and CRM platforms are distinctively different. Understanding each platform is critical to your system’s success.

No less than 14 retailers were hacked between January 2017 and April 2018 and had information stolen. Sears, Kmart, Delta, Best Buy, Panera Bread, and Whole Foods, just to name a few and that’s just retailers. It doesn’t include financial groups such as Equifax or even web service providers like Yahoo.

Anyone in IT consulting can tell you: Cybersecurity is a big deal in the modern world and, if your ERP systems are not protected, you’re putting more than just your company at risk. It’s your job to keep your customers and their data safe, too.

Back in April, salads were suddenly unhealthy to eat due to a particularly deadly E. coli contamination on romaine lettuce. Instances like these bring a lot of things to light about food handling and processing. For anyone who works in the food and beverage industry, it heightens that daily awareness that the strict controls of your work schedule could be a major part of what stands between your customers and a very uncomfortable time in the bathroom.

Hollywood has made a mint capitalizing on all the different ways it theorizes that artificial intelligence (AI) will affect our future world. From household helpmates to law enforcement, most stories include AI going sideways and waging a war against humanity.

It’s been nearly twenty years since anyone carried a Big Mac® out in a foam box. Back in 1990, McDonald’s began making the environmentally conscious move to more sustainable paper-based packaging for some of its perennial favorites like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Egg McMuffin, Filet-O-Fish, and Chicken McNuggets. Prior to this move, McDonald’s on its own had used about 2 percent of all the polystyrene produced in the United States.

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), we’ve created lives and data that are more connected than ever. From smartphones to thermostats to even smart coffee mugs, software and app enabled devices make our lives easier. These devices are everywhere: According to one report, by 2020, the world will boast approximately 34 billion connected devices to the tune of a $6 trillion industry, with business as the main adopter.