Introduction

“Back office” problems are knotty because you serve numerous industries such as automotive, electronics, defense, packaging, and others with widely varying demands. This means a headache, so few have focused upon the problem. Fortunately, the improvements in ERP systems since 2000 mean that time saving process automation can be done more economically. For example, all large customers send Purchase Orders, but your order fulfillment procedures are different for each customer. Properly configured ERP and EDI systems automates the different procedures.

Overview

Customer documents such as Purchase Orders and Forecasts (Releases) have to be manually printed, order checked, and marked-up before data entry. Because part-numbers were frequently confused, prices incorrect, and ship-to addresses unknown costly human review and then data entry was necessary. Fortunately, today’s ERP systems can bring in erroneous orders and forecasts and suspend them for correction, as an alert is issued to customer service to correct the part-number, etc. Orders do not flow in automatically without scrutiny. The result: you avoid costly last minute changes, expedited shipments, and later surprise deductions from your invoice.

Since different large companies will not adjust for you and changes are inevitable, integration of ERP and EDI takes weeks to properly configure. The good news is that a comprehensive EDI map linking all likely fields that your company will need is doable in a week. Subsequent customers are then brought up in a few hours each, instead of a week for each.

Utilizing our proven DCS Process^TM is a cost saving way to implement Process Automation Your business is unique: yet your best methods must be aligned to customers’ requirements. Incremental improvements in process automation have a large bottom line impact in total. The challenge is how to economically make those improvements. DCS can help you convert as it is thoroughly familiar with these challenges. Here are the steps:

• DCS quickly analyzes all of the EDI Guidelines of your customer trading partners
• DCS closely interviews all of your staff who will be impacted
• After development, DCS tests with your customers until approved. Production data flow is not interrupted.
• Training includes are large motivation component.

Another effective use of EDI is to automate Accounts Payables.

Conclusion

Your customer’s expectations will always increase and you will be required to pay the cost of improvement. Second, you know you must continually look at improving process automation to boost your quality and response times. It is time these two perpetual problems are looked at together. With DCS experience, gleaned from other manufacturers, these knotty challenges can be solved economically. Your next step is easy, email us for our Free Assessment.