Expanding your business? You need a two-tier ERP strategy

The concept of business expansion takes on several meanings in 2019. Some manufacturers will be poised to expand in a traditional sense, adding plants, employees, and increasing production of current products. Others will expand their business into new product lines, requiring new equipment, skill sets, and suppliers. Even other manufacturers will undergo a technology expansion, integrating sensors and software to take advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), machine learning, business intelligence, and smart machines.

Despite the complex businesses they have, manufacturers don't need to look for complex software solutions. They can make their various expansion plans work with a two-tier ERP strategy.

There are two key things needed to make a two-tier ERP strategy work: First, the distinct industry requirements of the plant need to be built into the ERP system. Secondly, the ERP system should be cloud-based, with the ability to integrate with other ERP systems and industry-specific applications, in addition to providing the flexibility needed to implement quickly and virtually anywhere, at any time.

Infor CloudSuites™, including Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine), has both the manufacturing industry capabilities a discrete manufacturer needs, along with the cloud-based integration to ensure operational data at one company site can easily synchronize with financial and reporting software at the corporate office.

Download our new white paper, "Expand your business with a two-tier ERP strategy," for an in-depth look at how this approach can help discrete manufacturers effectively expand their complex businesses while minimizing downtime.